I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

---

35 Chapter

“Ah, young lady? Young master!?”

As I stepped through the makeshift wooden door after the grand steel door was smashed to pieces by my antics last night, Maria, who had been waiting in the hall, was taken aback.

‘How embarrassing…

At my age, being carried around like this, I couldn’t lift my face. I tried somehow to shrink down in Kall’s arms. His small chuckle made me want to die a little.

“…What happened?”

Maria quickly regained her composure and asked, looking between me and Kall, who seemed unfazed and almost shameless. Kall smirked.

“My younger sister was hanging upside down from a tree, so I brought her here.”

“…Pardon?”

The dimly amused voice of Kall met with Maria’s shock and the surprised gazes of the other servants.

I was just about to bite my tongue in embarrassment.

“Please put me down…”

With a weak punch, I timidly tapped Kall’s chest. A faint smile played on his lips.

“If I put you down, you might do something strange again.”

“No, I won’t!”

I yelled through gritted teeth. Kall bit his lip to stifle a laugh. While I pondered how to die as I gazed out at the snow falling outside, Kall finally set me down, allowing my feet to touch the ground.

“…Thank you for bringing me.”

I managed a thank you that felt more like a threat as I gritted my teeth. Kall pressed my head down gently.

“You are so light. You should eat more.”

‘Really, why am I the one being lectured about eating?’

I sighed, recalling Paul the physician, who always nagged me to eat more whenever I had a meal.

“The Duke just returned a moment ago. He instructed that you both report to his study as soon as you come back to the mansion.”

Maria reported. It seemed that Caesar, who had left for the palace early in the morning, was back. Not knowing where the study was, I followed Kall down the first-floor corridor.

“The second floor has the bedrooms of the Duke’s family, the right corridor on the first floor has the servants’ quarters, and at the end of the left corridor is the Duke’s study. If you have any more questions about the mansion, just ask Maria.”

“Okay.”

I nodded in sync with Kall as we walked towards the end of the corridor.

“…Damn it. You can’t harm me.”

And then we reached the end of the corridor. Through the slightly ajar door, something unusual was happening inside.

A chilling familiar voice spoke with a coolness like the northern wind. Caesar sat at his desk, resting his chin on his hand, displaying an intrigued expression. Standing opposite him was a pink-haired girl.

‘…O> Ri O}?

Aria and Caesar were facing off.

I threw all my attention through the crack in the door, dismissing Kall who stood in front of me. The atmosphere in the room was tense.

No way.

‘Is the Duke bullying Aria…?’

Even though Caesar was a bit crazy, he wasn’t the type to bully someone as small as his little sister. However, when it came to Aria, I always felt nervous.

As I panicked and placed my hand on the doorknob without knocking, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Just wait a little longer.’

As those lazy red eyes focused on me, a chant echoed in my head, the resonance of mana rippling within. For Sword Masters who utilize mana to its extreme, conveying chants through consciousness is an incredibly easy task.

‘…Duke? What is it?’

It seemed strange to send a chant suddenly, but I pulled my hand back from the doorknob. Seeing the confused expression on my face, Caesar’s red lips curled into a rich, captivating smile like a blooming crimson rose.

‘Your sister is quite fun to talk to.’

‘What…’

“The lowly trash in the alley barely gets a glance from me. From what I see… you can’t harm me. Because you love Shushu, right?”

Before I could even ask him back, a familiar girl’s voice pierced straight into my ear.

If there were weather to a voice, hers would surely have frost in it. It was a cold, authoritative voice that sliced through the study like a winter gale.

Though the voice was familiar, the oppressive air of a ruler made it feel unfamiliar.

“When you speak of Shushu, your eyes change. As long as you love Shushu… you won’t harm me, the one she loves most.”

The girl’s long, white fingers brushed against the desk. Her face, leaning forward, captured Caesar’s attention with an intrigued gaze. Caesar’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“You have no fear.”

“More like I’m confident in my thoughts.”

Aria’s confident smile appeared above her lips. She looked like an arrogant strategist without a shred of doubt in the move she placed.

Though I hadn’t seen this side of her, it suited Aria as her true form.

“The reason I was in pain was due to being half-fairy and not being able to absorb magic energy. You also helped me through that. You are Caesar Crisis, the Duke. So why would that devil duke help me? There was clearly no connection between us. It’s plausible to deduce that you didn’t help me out of pity. The reason seems to lie with Shushu; what connection do you have with her?”

Aria’s sky-blue eyes sparkled coldly. The madness behind those eyes was filled with a chilling, piercing ferocity. Aria slowly swept her gaze over Caesar. Caesar glanced at me through the crack in the door and then smiled slowly.

“I’m the father of Kashmir.”

“I had a hunch about that.”

Without a shred of surprise, Aria fired back. Facing Caesar’s chilling red eyes, which were twice as daunting and much older than her, she showed no signs of backing down.

It felt like watching two beasts readying to clash.

“But you know, why is it that the person who never helped my sister when she was in trouble suddenly shows up to help us now?”

“That is…”

For the first time, Caesar wore a distressed expression at Aria’s sharp question. His gaze dimmed, and Aria, having seized the atmosphere’s initiative, smiled wryly.

“Are you going to say that you recently became interested? Wanting to use the mighty mercenary king Mir, who happens to be Shushu’s sister? You wouldn’t be trying to drain the lives of sisters living in the back alleys, would you?”

“Enough.”

In an instant, I panicked at the realization that Aria knew about Mir, but I bit my tongue, thinking it was nearly impossible for someone as brilliant as Aria not to know. As Aria provoked him, Caesar’s indifferent expression turned icy.

“If you want to live, you better not go overboard, young lady.”

Those chilling, crimson eyes held an oppressive stare, yet Aria, confronting them directly, only grew colder. As I contemplated whether to charge in and intervene in this tense atmosphere, Aria slowly opened her mouth.

“That’s precisely what I wanted to say, Your Grace.”

Her once fierce voice shifted instantly into one that was polite and resolute, like that of a noble. I blinked in surprise at Aria’s rapid change in demeanor, but as I did, she sharpened her gaze.

“Shushu is a person weak to affection and goodwill. If you are kind to her, she will surely be overwhelmed and give her heart to you. But when your curiosity wanes and you turn your back, it will hurt her deeply.”

Aria’s eyes, piercingly accurate about me, were cold. My heart throbbed.

As I continued facing Caesar, Aria spat out defiantly.

“I’m immensely grateful for your saving me. I understand I shouldn’t behave like this toward my life-saver.”

Her soft voice held a gentle tone, yet it felt far from kind or warm. It resembled the reassuring growl of a dominant beast.

While Aria had her gaze lowered, she gradually raised her eyes. The frigid gaze reflected a chill that clashed with the warmth of her sky-blue eyes.

“The thing is, protecting my sister from being hurt is far more important than my own safety or life. If you cannot guarantee to take care of her, then don’t make arbitrary kindness. That’s my warning.”

Her voice was as cold as a beast warning an intruder in its territory. The eyes that once carried weariness now flared with cold intensity. I felt suffocated.

As Aria slowly closed her eyes and opened them again, she placed her hand around Caesar’s neck. Caesar, startled, gazed at Aria, trying to read the inscrutable emotions in her eyes.

Snow-white, delicate fingers clasped Caesar’s nape, applying pressure.

“If my sister gets hurt because of you… I will kill you, even if it means selling my soul to the devil.”

The weight of the emotion in those dark and murky words was unfathomable.

The girl, whom I always thought of as fairy-like, felt like the icy ocean when shimmering with feelings. The child holding the neck of a beast that could swallow me whole looked anything but weak.

For just a moment, I thought that Aria might love me more than I loved her.

“I truly respect you. I’d like to learn that composure personally.”

Standing beside me, Kall, who had been watching the standoff between Aria and Caesar, expressed his admiration. As silence fell over the study, I felt the need to intervene, slowly opening the door.

“…Aria.”

Struggling to speak, I called out my sister’s name.

Not wanting to see her hurt anymore, Aria’s hands seized my neck, and she quickly turned to face me.

“…Shushu.”

The poison and coldness that had filled her eyes only moments before vanished like the receding tide, leaving only her deep concern and worry for me. It was such a swift change, but without asking anything, she opened her arms.

“Come here, dear.”

Suppressing the surge of emotions, Aria ran to me.

The familiar warmth enveloped me. I noticed her cheeks, which usually appeared pallid, now bloomed with color, and I felt tears welling up but held back, hugging Aria tightly.

“How’s your body? Are you alright?”

“Mm. It doesn’t hurt at all now. I think I could take a five-hour walk with you.”

Aria smiled brightly, her eyes shimmering with moisture. Letting out a sigh of relief, I spun around once to check her state before finally letting her go. It was impossible not to notice the vitality radiating from Aria, who often carried the scent of death.

“…Your Grace.”

I approached Caesar with a deep breath. I was afraid to see what kind of expression he might have.

Tap.

“I apologize for my sister’s rudeness. Please forgive her with a kind heart.”

“Young lady!”

I knelt in apology, and Aria shouted. I could understand that she was questioning why I was the one kneeling, but I merely bowed my head further.

“Please instruct us on how to proceed in the future. I am entirely at your service, Your Grace.”

I declared with a firm voice.

Though Caesar had said he would take me as his daughter, it was entirely possible that his feelings might have changed overnight. I knew all too well the fickleness of people.

From the moment Caesar had bestowed magic energy upon me, I had resolved to devote myself to the Duke’s family, so anything he might demand was not beyond my capability.

“You said your name was Aria, didn’t you?”

After a long period of silence, Caesar suddenly spoke to Aria. She nodded, looking perplexed as she gazed at him.

“…Yes.”

“Then from now on, you will be Aria Crisis.”

I was startled and lifted my head. As I looked up with wide eyes, Caesar gazed softly down at me.

“I warned you not to show kindness carelessly if you didn’t intend to take responsibility.”

“Then taking responsibility is what I should do, isn’t it?”

Caesar pushed back his chair and stood, slowly approaching me. His solid hand reached out towards me.

“Say it once more.”

“Not even anyone, not even the emperor or the pope, can make you bow your knee.”

Caesar, who had shaken me deeply last night, repeated those words as he extended his hand forward. I dumbly took his hand, and he lifted me with great strength. As he alternated his gaze between me and Aria, a languorous smile crept onto his face.

“I will take full responsibility, so won’t you both become my daughters?”