Chapter 15.1

“My lady, you’re back.”

The maid and knights pacing anxiously nearby brightened at the sight of her, hurrying forward. They must have been worried sick after letting her go in alone.

Livi forced herself to smooth her dark expression and lifted her head. That’s when she noticed a woman she didn’t recognize standing behind Hawthorne.

“Who is this?”

Livi asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. Hawthorne quickly stepped forward to introduce the woman.

“Ah, this is my fiancée.”

“Hello, Your Grace. I’m Lorena March, this brainless man’s fiancée.”

“Brainless? What are you—ow!”

Lorena smacked Hawthorne’s head with a solid thwack, hard enough to make him wince in genuine pain. Shoving him aside, Lorena continued speaking with an easy smile.

“I work as a huntress in the Radetz Mountains. My father is a free priest, and my mother is a huntress like me.”

Lorena’s face radiated joy. She had been lucky enough to secure a knight as her husband, but that made her a quasi-noble at best. Her status couldn’t even be compared to Livi’s, yet Lorena showed no sign of feeling inferior.

Livi’s patience was wearing thin. Why was she standing here listening to this woman’s introduction? Her exhaustion was so overwhelming that her vision had started to blur.

Glancing at one of the other knights, Livi signaled subtly with her eyes. He stood there, confused, until a maid nudged him. Finally snapping out of his stupor, he stepped forward and bowed courteously.

“My apologies, but it’s time for Her Grace to depart.”

“Wait just a moment, Mark. Lorena has something she wants to say to Her Grace…”

Hawthorne stepped into Livi’s path, blocking her way to the carriage. She fixed him with an icy glare, so stunned by his audacity that she couldn’t form a response right away.

“…Who is it that you serve?”

“Uh…”

Hawthorne hesitated, fumbling for an answer. Livi sighed and adjusted her hat. She was done with this conversation.

Without another word, she brushed past them, her legs feeling like lead as exhaustion dragged her down with every step.

Just as Livi was about to board the carriage, Lorena, standing a little ways off, suddenly called out.

“I—I just wanted to say thank you!”

The words were so unexpected that Livi froze. Lorena took the opportunity to close the gap between them and bow deeply.

“I heard you were the one that drew the magic circle which allowed the knights to arrive in time. Without your help, it would have taken several more days for reinforcements to reach us. Everyone in our village is so, so grateful to you, Your Grace.”

Livi didn’t turn around. She didn’t say a word.

As the awkward silence stretched on, the maid beside her shifted uncomfortably. Lorena, still bent at the waist, let out a strained breath.

Livi couldn’t think of anything to say. Her chest felt tight, as though something had wedged itself in her throat.

“…I didn’t do it to help you. You have no need to thank me.”

With that, Livi climbed into the carriage and didn’t look back. She gestured for the maid to follow, then drew the curtains, plunging the space into suffocating silence.

The rhythmic clatter of hooves filled the air as Livi leaned her head against the window. Confusion and sorrow weighed on her, gnawing at her thoughts in a way she hadn’t felt before.

‘It probably would have been smarter to accept Lorena’s thanks.’

If she really wanted to kill him, Dominic’s advice made sense. She needed to gather allies within the territory first. Facing him alone, with no one to trust, was a battle she could never win.

But that wasn’t the point. This wasn’t about strategy. Livi simply couldn’t—absolutely couldn’t—accept Lorena’s gratitude.

Celsion had destroyed everything she loved. She hadn’t even been able to obtain a single eulogy for her family.

And yet, the irony of having saved Celsion’s people felt almost ridiculous.

In the uncomfortable silence, the coachman urged the horses forward, and the carriage returned to the castle much faster than it had left. However, instead of entering the castle grounds, it stopped in front of the gate.

“What’s going on…?”

“It seems His Grace has come to greet you,” the maid answered, peeking through the curtain.

Sure enough, as Livi drew back the fabric, she saw Dominic striding toward them with purpose. Before she could process what was happening, he reached the carriage, yanked the door open, and peered inside.

“So my wife has returned. Any longer, and I would have gone to fetch you myself.”

Livi barely had time to move before Dominic grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the carriage with enough force that her cheek collided with his chest.

“Even though I allowed it, you must have been quite desperate to rush off to the temple the moment you woke up.”

“What—”

“A priest is off-limits, my wife. Even if you have no regard for your own chastity, you could at least respect someone else’s. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Even a dog would have spoken more civilly.

While Livi blinked in stunned silence, Dominic lifted her off her feet with infuriating ease.

“Eter— agh!” she sputtered, freezing as his hand brushed her thigh.

Her instincts nearly made her cast a spell, but she caught herself just before the incantation left her lips. If she hadn’t, she might have actually set his clothes on fire.