The sharp swords, seemingly conjured by magic, floated menacingly in the air as if they were about to pour down on her. At that moment, she clenched her eyes shut, realizing there was no escape. It was doubtful she could dodge even a single blade, let alone several conjured by magic.

It was too much of a mismatch. It was like a fight between an elementary school student and an adult. If she were to be hit by all those… she would surely be torn to shreds. If only she had known, she would have asked the Master to buy her a bunch of magical tools. It was her fault for being too complacent, thinking she would be safe as long as she stayed in Siegfried.

She had been under the delusion that no one but Raphael would kill her, unaware that in fact, everyone despised her.

“Die!”

She shouldn’t have provoked May… Bracing for the piercing sound of metal, she squeezed her eyes even tighter. How much would it hurt? She could hear the sound of the swords slicing through the air.

“…….”

Strangely, she felt no pain. Has her body gone numb from the extreme pain? Or perhaps she had died instantly and couldn’t feel the pain. Either way, Amelia was afraid to open her eyes. She was scared to see her body soaked in blood, and she didn’t want to see May, who would like the sight of that.

Bang. Bang.

There was a strange noise while she kept her eyes closed. It sounded like someone pounding on a solid wall. There was no reason for it…

“……uh!”

There was a voice filled with malice. It wasn’t clear, but it was definitely May’s voice. What was happening? Amelia groped around with her hands, expecting to feel wet blood, but there was none.

“Huh…!”

Amelia exhaled the breath she had been holding and opened her eyes. She barely managed not to faint at the sight before her. She was trapped inside a transparent sphere, and May was frantically trying to break into it. The sight of May’s face and gestures, twisted with madness, was startling.

“What is… this?”

She did not have any magical items with her. Neither the original Amelia nor she had any interest in such things. But then, a magic shield had suddenly activated… And it seemed strong enough because, no matter how much May fired magic at it, it remained intact.

Her body flinched when she saw May pounding it with her fists. How did she become so broken? May’s murderous intent towards her was enormous. Even if she didn’t exist, Raphael still wouldn’t given May a second glance. She should know that better than anyone else. Why blame an innocent Amelia for everything?

Twinkle.

“Ah….”

That’s when she noticed a sparkling ring. The blood-red ruby was always shining, but now the ring was emitting a light that was unusually bright, as if it had created this situation.

Bang. Bang.

“Get out…!”

The shield seemed transparent, but it must have been quite thick since she could barely make out May’s voice. When she thought about it, there were only three people around her who could use magic. Ah, including May in front of her, that made four. Raphael, Leonel, Master. And among them, only the Master had given her a ring…

“It’s the Master…”

The ring given by the Master had saved her life. Wasn’t it only meant to hide the contract? She had no idea it had this function. Did he add this because he didn’t know where his business partner might die…? Whatever the case, it was certain the Master had saved her. If it weren’t for this ring, she would have been dead.

She would have to thank him the next time they met.

Since only the magic shield was activated, it seemed there was no offensive magic available for her. Could she keep holding on like this? Even now, May continued to fire magic relentlessly, her eyes bulging with rage.

“Please… hold on.”

The power of the same magic could vary depending on the caster’s ability. The defensive magic cast by the Master seemed to be powerful. It had withstood several attacks without a single crack forming. But if this continues… nothing is guaranteed. May would never give up.

“Crazy.”

For the first time, she found herself longing for Raphael. Why did he have to be away on a day like today? In fact, if he had been there, May would have been caught the moment she entered the room.

“W-wait…!”

Just as she was cursing Raphael’s absence, she saw May muttering something from a distance. Then, she cast a spell unlike any other before—a giant pit of fire. It looked seriously dangerous, and it seemed like this time, the shield wouldn’t hold. It had withstood several magical attacks before, but against this… it would surely break.

“No!”

Amelia clenched her eyes shut and curled up into a ball. It was a kind of survival instinct, even though it wouldn’t save her.

This time, she was really going to die.

“……”

With her eyes closed, a tremendous roar reached her ears. It was undoubtedly the sound of the shield breaking. Amelia curled up even tighter and trembled. If she were to take on that terrifying flame head-on…

“……Raphael……”

Whether it was out of resentment for him suddenly leaving the castle, or something else, she unwittingly called out his name. Perhaps there was some affection since they shared a bed. That his name came to mind at such a moment.

It had been a bonus life. She kept telling herself that it was enough, but she felt unbearably wronged to die like this. She didn’t know she would die so unfairly. It was such an unexpected death that it almost felt like her resentment was rising.

“Ugh…!”

It felt hot, and then it didn’t… Given the size of the fire, it wouldn’t have been strange if she had turned to ash in an instant. And yet, she couldn’t distinguish whether it was hot or not. And, the tremendous roar that had just sounded.

Amelia opened her eyes wide in disbelief.

A large back was blocking her view. The familiar scent and the brilliantly fluttering golden hair. It was Raphael, who had been away from the castle.

***

“……Raphael?”

Why was he here? Amelia blinked several times at the sight of him, unable to believe it. According to the maids, Raphael was supposed to be away from the Siegfried castle tonight. So who was this man standing before her?

She wondered if it was an illusion created by her wishful thinking, but that wasn’t the case. If he hadn’t been real, she would have been barbecued by now.

“Here… why…”

No, that wasn’t what was important. How did he know to come here for her?

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Huh…?”

He even went as far as to thoroughly check her body. Amelia was so flustered that she couldn’t say anything and just stared blankly at Raphael.

“I shouldn’t have left the castle.”

She was startled by the sound of him grinding his teeth in anger. It was the first time she had seen him this enraged. She had always thought him to be too composed to ever show excitement…

“I’m… okay.”

“Tch, you’re hurt.”

She was fine, thanks to the defensive magic from the ring the Master had given her. But Raphael clicked his tongue as if he couldn’t see that she was okay and gently rubbed her cheek.

“Ah!”

A groan escaped her lips when his touch brought a stinging sensation. She had been so out of it that she hadn’t even realized she was hurt. Naturally, she wouldn’t have been completely unscathed after enduring May’s beating. But at least there were no serious injuries.

“……”

“Raphael…?”

Amelia looked at him as he examined her wounds, his expression contorted in pain. Why was he acting as if he was in more pain than her? Was his condition that bad? After all, she had taken quite a beating. Her hair had been pulled. She had been kicked.

His touch was gentle, like someone handling a delicate glass doll, which made her feel strangely emotional. He wasn’t the type of man to show this kind of behavior… She must have looked very pitiful to him. It made sense, considering she was the lady of the house who was getting beaten up by a servant.

“I’m okay.”

Above all, now was not the time for leisurely conversation. The problem was May. Capturing May should be the priority over her.

“I had a magical tool… I was able to avoid it because of that.”

Who gave it to her would remain a secret. She had to explain how she came out unscathed when she couldn’t handle magic at all.

“Um… Raphael?”

He was certainly different from usual. Without realizing it, she raised her hand to touch his cheek, feeling like she had to.

“Ah… I’m, I’m sorry…”

When her hand touched him, his brow furrowed noticeably more, and Amelia quickly withdrew her hand. She had forgotten that Raphael disliked being touched. It was rude to the person who had bothered to come and save her.

“Your Grace?”

“We’re back to ‘Your Grace’ again.”

She didn’t know how to address him, since he disliked being called by his name, and she was unsure of the right tone to use. Then, with a tap on her forehead from his fingertip, sleep poured over her. He had induced her to sleep artificially.

“Get some rest.”

She wanted to protest, but she couldn’t resist the overwhelming wave of drowsiness.