Chapter 46

The moment the words were out, a mix of surprise and joy flashed across Carlos’s face. The fact that it was ‘Aneta’s request’ had long since captivated his heart.

“I’ll do it. Whatever it is.”

Russell couldn’t help but let out a hollow chuckle, watching Carlos display such determination as if he would do anything for Aneta.A brother in love sometimes gets so eager to give everything in the world to the object of his affection without thinking of the consequences.

This was a kind of selfless love like no other.

Despite shaking his head, Russell wasn’t worried, thanks to Aneta, who, instead of being pleased by the offer to do anything, wore a thoroughly reluctant expression.

“How can you make such a promise so easily without knowing what I’ll ask?”

“Yes. What if Marquis Adenauer asked for the throne, what would you do? Would you bring me down just to give it to her?”

Russell asks playfully, taking over from Aneta, and Carlos’s golden eyes, like metal that changes its temperature with the circumstances, glinted warmly.

“I have faith that she is not the kind of person who would make unreasonable demands, so I can say that.”

“Then you two can discuss that on the way back. I’m sorry to have kept you for so long. You must have had a tough day, so you should head back now.”

At the clear dismissal, Aneta and Carlos rose without hesitation. There was no reason to stubbornly remain seated when they were both exhausted.

In a way, it was a choice for each other.

Leaving the imperial palace, the two walked side by side on the deserted path, in contrast to earlier.

The only sound was the crunching of the moonlight under their feet, and the first to break the silence was Aneta.

“As I said in the office earlier, there’s something I want to ask of you. If you want to refuse, feel free to do so.”

“I don’t think that will happen. I meant it when I said I’d do anything.”

“I know. But I’d like you to listen and decide for yourself.”

“If that’s what you want.”

Carlos nodded at Aneta’s firm attitude.

“Remember when you said that to perfectly control glory, you have to put in a lot of effort?”

“I did.”

“I think I need that kind of effort too.”

Aneta stopped in her tracks.

As the one who had stepped under the streetlight ahead, Carlos turned back, and their gazes met and entangled in the air.

“If it’s okay, I was hoping you could help me with that.”

“Aneta, is it because of Erez Bauter’s abilities?”

“I won’t deny it. The main reason is to counter the power of control.”

Aneta narrowed her brow briefly as if considering something, but then she nodded in the affirmative.

“But even if that weren’t the case, I would have made the same request to you.”

“Why?”

“To protect myself and the people around me, I need to have as much power as I can get a hold of.”

Aneta was just as determined as Carlos to accomplish her goal. Having come this far, there was no turning back, nor did she want to.

She knew that the moment she stepped back, it would be the end without a doubt.

“It’s just in case of emergencies. I don’t want to be stuck in the back, unable to do anything.”

She wanted to live as someone who protects, rather than someone who is protected.

Aneta openly revealed the desire she had nurtured all this time. Unflinching under the light shining over her head, she stared directly into his eyes, warmer than that light.

“Am I one of the people you want to protect?”

“Yes.”

Aneta did not deny the fact. It was an embarrassing thing to say to his face, but it was the truth. There was no reason to hide it.

“Okay, then I’ll help you.”

The response came as breezily as the wind, but the weight it carried was by no means light.

“But you have to protect me alone.”

With a serious expression, Carlos gently took Aneta’s hand. Then, as if showing reverence to the only means that could take his breath away, he kissed her fingertips.

“If you can do that, I’ll protect you and everything you want to protect.”

A breeze followed.

***

The imperial palace, shrouded in temporary silence, quickly regained its bustle as soon as the day broke.

As the rising sun climbed higher in the sky, the voices loudly discussing the previous night’s commotion grew louder, and the news reached even the common people.

Most newspapers featured prominent articles on the events, announcing that a large-scale investigation was underway.

Articles about Aneta’s abilities also poured out. Since everyone present had witnessed her manifesting the power of penetration, it was an inevitable occurrence.

It was obvious that many would be talking about the miraculous event, but Aneta felt indifferent to it.

What was bothering her was something else.

‘If this world had been a world where miracles existed from the beginning, why had they not shown themselves until now?’

Could it be because the necklace had been handed down to the mistresses of the houses, rather than the lords?

Aneta immediately crossed out the line of thought that had flowed like a stream of consciousness.

The necklace was one of the family’s treasures. No matter who inherited it, it would have passed through the hands of the family head.

‘If that’s the case, then perhaps the miracles chose not to reveal themselves out of their own will.’

Aneta felt her head becoming tangled as she placed the last newspaper on top of the pile on the table. At that moment, Isabel entered and announced the arrival of the expected guest.

“My Lady, the Duke of Baltimor has arrived.”

Aneta turned her head to look at the open door. Carlos, who had scheduled a meeting for the very next day, was standing there.

“Aneta.”

“Welcome, Carlos.”

Aneta greeted him as she stood up. Walking to the table and indicating for him to sit, he stepped inside and took a seat across from her.

Carlos immediately waved away the maid who was about to serve the tea. He skillfully poured the tea himself and placed a cup in front of Aneta, then spoke.

“Are you prepared? I’m going to be a stricter teacher than you think.”

“Don’t worry. If you’re a strict teacher, I’ll be a diligent student who will tenaciously steal everything you have.”

Aneta leisurely reached out and hooked her fingers around the teacup handle. Her response flowed as smoothly as the sensation on her fingertips.

“We’ve been through this once before, haven’t we? You should know me well by now.”

Recalling the time right after their contract marriage, when he had taught her the duties of a family head, Carlos’s face showed a hint of satisfaction.

“That’s good to hear. I hope you can master everything I know as soon as possible.”

If she could absorb like a sponge everything he taught, just as she had done before, he was confident she would excel at this as well.

Revealing his inner thoughts, Aneta tilted her head after swallowing the tea.

“Why?”

“So that you can protect me.”

When he repeated his request for her to protect him, Aneta paused, still holding the teacup.

“No matter how I think about it, that seems rather unreasonable. You are someone I want to protect, but you don’t seem to be the kind of person who can be protected.”

With his sword skills rivaling even Tereza’s, he should be able to survive any situation. Before Aneta could even imagine further, Carlos firmly denied it.

“No. You are the only one who can protect me. And the way is both simple and difficult.”

“Simple and yet difficult.” What a contradictory statement. Aneta nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

“Staying by my side constantly. That’s the most certain way you can protect me. The things you are learning from me will help with that.”

“…I don’t understand how that would protect you.”

Aneta placed the teacup back on its saucer, the clinking sound as they met going unnoticed by either of them. She met Carlos’s gaze steadily.

“As long as you’re by my side, I won’t ever fall. But it’s not the same the other way around. That is why I say this – what I wanted was not physical protection from the start.”

Carlos wanted to tell Aneta that without her, he would undoubtedly fall apart. He could not suppress her freedom, and all he could do was plead for her not to leave, as he did not want to experience the same sense of loss he felt when she left after their divorce.

“I will protect you.”

Aneta clearly understood Carlos’ intentions. With a rather anxious expression on his face, she readily gave him the answer he wanted, the answer she wanted too.

“We already promised each other, didn’t we?”

“Are you serious?”

“Even if I wanted to retract my words now, you wouldn’t let me. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong.”

As if his earlier somber expression had never been there, Carlos’ face brightened. Seeing the smile that spread across his face, Aneta couldn’t help but let out a faint smile as well.

“But didn’t you say you were going to start control training today?”

“I was planning to, but I just want to skip it for today. You’re too pretty.”

“…This seems like a dereliction of duty. I might have chosen the wrong teacher after all.”

Muttering under her breath about perhaps needing to find a replacement, Carlos, with a much more relaxed mindset, caressed the teacup.

The large hand enveloping the cup made it look smaller in comparison, even though it was the same as hers.

“Aneta. I told you I won’t back down. And it’s better to just sit and talk like this on the first day, don’t you think?”

“My thoughts are a bit different.”

As Aneta quietly objected, Carlos smiled slightly and conceded.

“All right, then let’s go with the original plan. Since that’s what you want, I have no reason not to follow it.”

“It seems the teacher is more obedient than the student.”

“That’s because the teacher needs to impress the student.”

Carlos rolled up his sleeve, revealing a gleaming sky-blue armlet that he promptly placed on the table before her.

Aneta looked down at the Glorious Sky on the table. Sparkling in the light, its silver body was a very familiar sight to her.

After all, Carlos never parted from the Glorious Sky, so the time he spent with her was practically the same as the time he spent with the Glorious Sky

“The first thing we need to do is to determine how much power this miracle can draw from other Glories. For that, we’ll need to change locations.”