Chapter 7

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re not Amelia Seraphin.”

Perhaps it’s inevitable for beasts to have such instincts. She expected to be suspected someday, but she didn’t expect it to be today. It was impressive that Raphael realized that she had changed in just one day.

“Of course not. I’m Amelia Siegfried.”

He didn’t respond to her answer. She knew that this kind of wordplay would hardly work, but Raphael had only suspicions and no evidence. In other words, if he caught her, there was nothing she could do about it.

‘If I say no, what is he going to do.’

There was no evidence that she wasn’t Amelia. They couldn’t just assume that her soul had changed.

“Amelia Siegfried?”

“That’s right, it’s been a few years since I became Siegfried.”

It had been seven years since Amelia married Leonel, so it had been long enough for her to become Siegfried. But something was strange about Amelia and Raphael’s relationship. They didn’t seem to know each other well, and they seemed to have no affection for each other.

Even if a couple isn’t on good terms, there is usually a familiarity that comes from being together for a long time. As the saying goes, the scariest thing is the hatred that comes from affection. But the two of them seemed distant, as if they had just met.

In other words, they were more like strangers meeting on the street than a close couple who had been together for a long time.

“I see…Siegfried, not Seraphin.”

Let’s not forget. Amelia had long since taken the surname Siegfried, yet he still called her Seraphin. This drove her crazy. A husband who doesn’t readily stay by his wife’s side is something an ordinary person probably can’t endure. Especially for Amelia, who harbors fantasies about Raphael.

“I’m sad, that you’re still calling me Seraphin.”

She said in a teasing manner, trying to mimic the way the original Amelia used to talk to Raphael. Amelia would do anything to receive Raphael’s love. So she must have even thought of pouncing on this fearsome man. But Amelia would never do such a thing; unless she had ten lives, it would be impossible.

“So… could you please move out of the way?”

Raphael’s large body, still holding her, felt burdensome. Even a bear wouldn’t be this big. How on earth could a body be so sturdy?

“I would be happy if we continued like this.”

“…….”

If it were the original Amelia, she wouldn’t even ask him to step aside, but this was her limit. Raphael, who she thought would attack her immediately, didn’t even flinch as expected.

“Your Grace…?”

Isn’t this it? Even though she tried to speak as much like Amelia as possible, Raphael’s expression didn’t relax. Cold sweat trickled down her back as he looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. Was Raphael always this suspicious?

If this continued, it felt like he was going to snap under the pressure. The only fortunate thing was that he didn’t torture her. She knew what he was doing in the western forest under the excuse of border patrol.

Growl.

The stifling silence was broken by a growl from her stomach. In an instant, all the tension that had built up until now dissipated.

“I see you’re still hungry, Grand Duchess.”

“Ah, well… This…”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten anything since she woke up today. Accepting Amelia’s life out of the blue had left her disoriented. She hadn’t even realized that she hadn’t eaten a meal.

“Bring me a meal.”

The door, which was firmly closed by his large hand, opened so easily. No, she tried to say it was fine, but once again, the rumbling sound from her stomach made her quietly close her mouth.

***

“……”

“Your……”

Amelia couldn’t understand what the situation was right now. It was fine that he asked for a meal, but he didn’t mention that they would be eating together. She didn’t even know if the food was going into her mouth or her nose as she sat across from Raphael.

“Your Grace, there’s no need for you to have a meal with me on purpose.”

Until a moment ago, she was hungry, but thanks to Raphael in front of her, she couldn’t feel whether she was full or hungry anymore. He had a natural talent for making people uncomfortable. It was clear that he still hadn’t let go of his suspicions about her. If it were an ordinary person, they wouldn’t even have a hint of suspicion, but his beast-like intuition was terrifying.

“I haven’t had my meal yet, so don’t worry about it.”

“Ah, okay…”

Who wouldn’t worry? He was someone who naturally caught people’s attention just by standing still. And now that he was sitting right across from her, she couldn’t help but sneak glances at him. Moreover, this was the first time she had ever seen Raphael.

“You object to Leonel going on border patrols.”

She was so tense that she almost didn’t hear him speak. In front of her was Raphael Lloyd Siegfried, who had no trace of blood or tears. She must not let her guard down, even for a moment.

“Yes. Leonel is still young.”

“I thought the Grand Duchess was entirely unconcerned with the child’s education.”

Did Amelia say such a thing? She couldn’t remember such trivial details. After all, it wasn’t a story led by the parents’ generation in the first place.

“Did I say such a thing?”

“Yes, you begged me to do as I pleased.”

Amelia’s eyebrows slightly furrowed when she heard the word ‘begging’. She knew what had happened without having to hear more. She must have sold out Leonel to win Raphael’s favor.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“……”

“I’ll talk to Leonel about the border patrol.”

She wanted to stop such a dangerous thing right away, but she couldn’t because of Leonel, who trusted her completely.

“Leonel needs training.”

Training. It wasn’t a word suitable for a son; he wasn’t a dog to be raised. It felt like he only saw Leonel as someone to inherit the Siegfried family. Why is it so important not to wield demonic beasts? Except for that point, Leonel was perfect in every way.

“Even when he’s a little older, it’s not too late to start.”

“All Siegfrieds start training from an early age.”

In fact, Leonel couldn’t wield demonic beasts until he became an adult. In other words, no matter how much education is done under the name of training, it is useless. On the contrary, it only had a negative effect on the child’s emotions.

“It’s not that he can’t wield demonic beasts, he just can’t control them. He can calm them down, though.”

Leonel showed talent in every aspect. It was obvious for a Siegfried, but it wasn’t in her eyes. He had superior intelligence and physical abilities compared to his peers, and he even had magical powers and swordsmanship that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of. To top it all off, he was a handsome man, as he resembled Raphael. He was not a child who deserved to be criticized just because he was not able to control a single demonic beast.

“How do you know that?”

“How could I, as his mother, be the only one unaware of the fact that everyone else knows.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in the child.”

It was a well-known fact that Leonel couldn’t wield demonic beasts; all he could do was pacify them. Everyone knew except for Amelia, who showed no interest.

“I told you. I want to change.”

Having a conversation with Raphael like this was extremely uncomfortable. It felt strange for her to have an aversion to someone so handsome that just looking at him made her sigh. Perhaps she felt that way because she knew he was a dangerous person.

“I don’t know how long I’m supposed to take the Grand Duchess at her word.”

“What?”

“I said stop telling blatant lies that are obvious.”

With those words, Raphael left the dining hall. He didn’t believe anything Amelia said. His suspicion earlier wasn’t because she was acting differently from usual. Raphael always doubted and scrutinized everything about Amelia.

“…So you don’t trust Amelia to your core.”

Even so, she never expected to be treated like this. After tormenting Raphael so much, how could she react like this.

“Ha….”

“Your Highness, would you like to go to your room now?”

As a result of changing her name for the day, he now properly addressed her as ‘Your Highness.’ May still appeared dissatisfied, though.

“Yes.”

Raphael should have gone to another room by now. It would be a lie for him to share the same room with Amelia, whom he hated so much. Perhaps he was testing her.

“I’ll have breakfast together with Leonel tomorrow.”

“Yes, understood.”

Raphael, whom she hadn’t expected to be there, was still waiting for her in the room. Perhaps it’s really true, as he said, that he would share a bed with Amelia.

“I think it’s about time you went to bed.”

If she had been more composed, she might have responded to Raphael’s test, but her body was screaming in agony from the long exhaustion.

Is the greatest villain in the world not tired at all?

“Yo-your Grace…?”

“It seems like you’ve forgotten our promise.”

Suddenly, Amelia was taken aback by the sight of his chest approaching above her head. A chilly scent of the deep night sea clung to his massive body, something she could never get used to.