Intermission
Zeke kicked off the ground.
A tremendous roar echoed from the flower garden in Eustia’s backyard.
*Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!*
Black hair fluttering, Zeke soared through the air.
His eyes, deep-set, glinted with determination as he gritted his teeth.
‘Too far.’
He poured mana into his acceleration, pushing his speed to the maximum, but the distance was far greater than he anticipated.
She would hit the ground before he could reach her.
‘What do I do?’
There was a 40% chance Iriel would die.
That meant a 60% chance of survival even if she hit the ground.
However, surviving didn't necessarily mean avoiding danger.
She could end up in a state worse than death.
Right now, Iriel was plummeting headfirst.
‘…With good luck, paralysis. With bad luck, a vegetative state.’
He didn’t have time to dwell on it.
As Iriel fell, her eyes met his for a fleeting moment.
And she…
Smiled.
As if happy that he was coming to save her.
A bright, genuine smile.
Zeke let out a hollow laugh.
She was such a foolish, naive woman.
What was she thinking, smiling at a time like this when she could die?
‘I'm not your childhood friend.’
However, her smile solidified Zeke's resolve.
*Heoooo—*
He took a deep breath.
Zeke slightly opened a seal within himself.
His vision darkened.
Blood trickled from his cracked lips.
If he lost control, even for a moment…
Not only Iriel Eustia, but also Selena and Soi Spoon would die today.
And in this world of romance fantasy, not even the Eustia Family would be safe.
The name Zeke Clayman would be forever etched as a murderer.
‘That would make for quite the dramatic turn of events.’
But Zeke’s intuition told him this was the right thing to do.
*Kiiiiiiiing—*
An immense amount of mana, incomparable to before, exploded from him.
His speed was such that he seemed to vanish from his spot.
With explosive velocity, Zeke sprinted, trampling flowers beneath his feet.
*Kwagaagagagak!!!!!!!!!!*
Every step he took left behind a crater-like pit in the ground.
“Haah!”
He exhaled the breath he’d been holding and launched himself into the air.
And just like that…
Zeke caught Iriel in his arms.
*Thud.*
Together, they landed softly on the ground.
***
Iriel, drunk and unable to control her own body, had stumbled while trying to get a better look at Zeke from afar.
She lost her footing on the terrace.
“Ah!”
The world spun, and Iriel’s head was pointed towards the ground.
A dizzying feeling of weightlessness.
Even as she fell rapidly, everything felt as if it were happening in slow motion.
‘Ah…’
And then her eyes met his.
To be honest, the thought that crossed her mind…
More than fear or anything else…
Was Zeke’s usually stoic face, now contorted with urgency as he rushed towards her.
She was glad that the last thing she would see was Zeke’s face like that.
Seeing him desperately trying to save her filled her with an overwhelming sense of happiness.
And regret.
She could finally be honest with her heart.
‘I… I like Zeke.’
If only she could grab the hand reaching out to her.
But there was a distance between them.
Just like the difference between his status and hers.
In the end, she would fall to the ground.
‘I hope he cries a lot for me.’
It was a shame she wouldn’t be able to see Zeke shedding tears.
‘And if I die in front of him like this, he won’t be able to date anyone else, right?’
She felt a little sorry, but it was better than him going to Selena or Elize.
‘I wish he could remember me as someone pretty.’
Yes, this was her last chance.
Smile.
Iriel lifted the corners of her lips, forcing a smile.
She wanted to be remembered with a smile etched in his memory.
Now, she closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate.
“Ah.”
Iriel felt the firm grip of strong arms around her, holding her as if she would break.
‘Zeke… He saved me…’
Iriel looked up and met Zeke’s gaze.
‘Ze… ke…?’
* * *
The sudden loud noise from the back garden startled Eustia’s knights, who rushed towards the source.
The once beautiful flower garden was in ruins, as if a mage had bombarded it.
The other nobles followed the knights, feeling safe under their protection.
“Who is it?!”
“There was a loud crash! It could be an enemy attack. Search the area…!”
They frantically looked around.
The beautiful garden was now in complete disarray.
And in the center of it all sat two girls.
“L-Lady Iriel?!”
“And… who is that girl?”
Hades stepped forward to check on Iriel.
She was trembling, clutching her shoulders, her face etched with fear.
“Lady Iriel, what happened?!”
“…Z-Zeke Clayman…”
Hades gritted his teeth.
“That bastard Zeke?!”
“No!”
Soi, who was sitting next to Iriel, shouted at Hades.
All eyes turned to her.
“Who are you?”
“Who is she?”
The nobles murmured amongst themselves.
Soi swallowed nervously.
She didn't know what had happened, but Iriel seemed out of her mind.
She kept trembling and calling out Zeke Clayman’s name.
And for some reason, Instructor had run away.
She had to tell them what she saw.
Otherwise, Instructor would be in trouble.
“Instructor Zeke saved Iriel…”
“Zeke Clayman… saved Lady Iriel…?”
“Yes, I can assure you… I saw everything.”
“…Before that, who are you? Please tell us which family you belong to…”
Hades’ eyebrows twitched.
‘This girl wasn't in our intelligence. How did she get into the banquet hall?’
In truth, Hades knew of Soi Spoon, but she looked completely different now, so he didn’t recognize her as the commoner from the bakery.
“I am…”
Soi hesitated, wondering if she should reveal that she was a commoner.
But she thought that might lead to her words being dismissed.
She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out the badge Rosnante had given her.
“T-This is…!”
Hades’ eyes widened as he took the badge.
‘The Imperial Crest!’
A precious item that granted its holder one request, no questions asked.
A symbol of status that allowed one to pass through any gate without question.
And in the event of an incident, simply possessing it exempted one from suspicion.
The words of the holder couldn’t be ignored.
Of course, if the holder was later found to have lied, they would face severe consequences.
But the immediate immunity and privileges it offered were undeniable.
‘Such a valuable item… How did this girl…’
Hades stared at Soi, his eyes trembling.
Second Prince Rosnante, who had given her the Imperial Crest, hadn't fully grasped its true value.
He vaguely remembered his father, the Emperor, giving it to him once, saying he should give it to someone he considered his person.
‘Hmm, I'll give this as a reward to someone competent in my faction.’
He had kept it without much thought.
But then Zeke asked him to look after Soi.
And when her identity became an issue, he had impulsively handed it over.
“How… No, it’s nothing. You said Zeke Clayman saved Lady Iriel. I accept your statement.”
Hades bowed deeply, helped Iriel up, and took the badge.
Once he had accepted the badge, it was forbidden to inquire further about its owner.
The other nobles also wanted to ask what had happened, but seeing Hades’ stern expression and the badge in his hand, they all left with him.
‘Oh no, he can’t take that!’
After Eustia’s knights left, the Second Prince, who had been watching from afar, approached Soi.
The other nobles were also curious about her, but with the Second Prince stepping forward, they kept their distance.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-Yes… uh, yes…”
“What happened?”
Rosnante asked as he helped Soi up.
“Iriel lost her footing and fell from the terrace… And Instructor Zeke saved her… But the badge! He took it!”
“Ah, that’s alright. It's like an identification badge, they'll return it after the investigation. So, where did Instructor Zeke Clayman go?”
“…He ran away after saving Iriel…”
Rosnante frowned.
“Damn it, I guess it’s not happening today. Tsk, alright.”
He looked around and noticed the gazes of many nobles on them.
It seemed many were curious about Soi after her intervention.
‘Hmm, they're all nobles from the Eustia faction. If I tell them that Zeke Clayman saved the Eustia Princess, I might be able to win some of them over… After all, that Zeke Clayman said he would support me. Hmm…’
He had promised to protect Elize, so wouldn't it be alright to gain some benefit from hiding her?
Rosnante’s eyes gleamed.
“For now, you should go home. I'll call you a carriage. Go straight home.”
“Thank you…”
Soi replied hesitantly, and Rosnante cut her off.
“Don't get any ideas. It's just a favor to Instructor Zeke Clayman. Don't fall for me.”
“I won’t. And I don’t like you.”
Soi said flatly with a small smile.
* * *
Back in the banquet hall, Hela received Hades' report.
“Hmm, you said this badge belongs to the Second Prince?”
“Yes.”
“Have you identified the owner of the Imperial Crest?”
“No. I checked with the gatekeepers, and they said Zeke Clayman vouched for her as one of his people.”
“…That man again. He must have made a deal with the Second Prince…”
Hela sighed.
She had discreetly inquired with the Second Prince, but he claimed he couldn’t reveal anything about the girl.
The First Prince was also strangely avoiding them.
And the owner of the badge had left in an Imperial carriage, making it impossible to track.
Tailing a carriage bearing the Imperial symbol would be considered treason.
“Is there a possibility that the commotion in the back was orchestrated by Zeke?”
“…I can't rule it out, but I don't see why he would go through such lengths.”
“…That's true. It's more likely that Lost Hope targeted Iriel again tonight.”
“Yes. Fortunately, despite the attack, the rumors spreading are beneficial to us. It seems to be Zeke’s doing.”
Hela nodded.
She believed Zeke Clayman had manipulated the situation to their advantage.
As Rosnante had heard from Soi Spoon, he spread the rumor that Iriel, drunk, had fallen from the terrace and Zeke Clayman had saved her.
He also subtly implied that Zeke Clayman had pledged his support to him.
The rumors spread, conveniently omitting the existence of Lost Hope, who targeted Eustia.
It was a welcome turn of events for the Eustia Family.
And the fact that Zeke, who had danced with Selena, had saved Iriel's life wasn’t a bad thing either.
It was far better than him dancing with Selena.
“How is Iriel?”
“…She’s not well. She seems to be in shock and unable to speak. She'll need some time to recover.”
“We need to ask her for a detailed account of what happened once she regains her senses…”
“It’s unclear when that will be.”
“We can worry about that later, as long as she eventually recovers.”
“Yes.”
“So, Zeke Clayman protected Iriel from those dangerous people once again… But it's unsettling that our Eustia was attacked without us noticing…”
Hela pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Hades, what if we secretly send Iriel to Zeke Clayman?”
Hades’ eyes widened.
“You mean… send the young lady to the Yohaiden mansion?!”
“Yes. He did say he would protect my niece, and it seems like we’re the only ones suffering here. Lost Hope is after our foolish niece. If Iriel is there, wouldn't they avoid attacking Yohaiden?”
A cold sweat broke out on Hades’ forehead.
Hela Eustia was a woman who would sacrifice anything, even her own flesh and blood, for the sake of the family.
Of course, Serena Yoaiden had no intention of doing so.
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