Though he didn’t know what the prince was aiming for, it was quite unpleasant.

Besides, how did he know her size to send a dress?

Even though he himself had found out Saena’s size and gifted her a dress, knowing that the prince could do the same made him feel disgusted.

“Do you know what it means to gift a dress to a woman?”

Gifting a dress that would touch her skin directly, imagining how she would look in it — did she understand what kind of lewd thoughts the prince might have had?

Conveniently excluding from his mind that he too had gifted her a dress before, he hoped she would understand his warning.

“If there’s anything difficult to handle alone, you can tell me. I’ll help as much as I can.”

Please, please.

The prince’s interest likely won’t end here.

But even as he spoke, he didn’t think Saena would come to him for help.

From what he had learned of her character so far, the probability of her relying on him or asking for anything was low.

‘Hips. Seep in.’

That’s why he needed his own measures.

Constantine planted Hips, Caligo’s second spirit, in Saena’s shadow.

— Aaack! No! This feels terrible!

Caligo made another loud fuss, perhaps because the energy surrounding Saena was incompatible with Caligo’s energy. Regardless, Constantine gave strict orders.

Hips would warn him if any dangerous situations arose around Saena.

* * *

An incident occurred in the territory.

A green-horned demonic beast appeared. The green-horned beast was a special and giant class demonic beast that could only be killed by the power of a Guardian Spirit.

Constantine hurried to the territory upon receiving an urgent summons.

“…Two of them, you say?!”

Green-horned beasts weren’t pack animals. They usually acted alone. It was unprecedented for two to appear simultaneously so close to civilian areas.

He quickly deployed with his knights. While the knights handled the lesser beasts, Constantine battled with the green-horned beasts.

It was difficult enough to handle one, but with two attacking together, dealing with them wasn’t easy. Even with Caligo’s power fully released, it took more than twice the usual time.

“Your Grace!”

He eventually got injured. The knight commander rushed to him in alarm.

“I’m fine! Just maintain the defense line!”

He nearly had his side pierced by the green-horned beast’s horn, but barely avoided it. Still, he couldn’t avoid getting a long gash.

After hours of fierce battle, Constantine finally defeated the green-horned beasts but was completely exhausted.

“Make sure to collect the horns and dispose of the corpses properly.”

“Yes! Understood!”

These green-horned beasts’ horns were the base material for making healing potions. Usually, he welcomed the rare appearance of green-horned beasts, but not this time.

‘Why did two appear at once?’

What if three or four started gathering together? Going out carelessly would mean death for everyone.

He felt he needed to establish countermeasures in advance just in case.

“Your Grace! The blood…! Hey! Quickly prepare bath water and medical supplies!”

When he arrived at Kramer Castle in his blood-stained battle gear, his vassals went into a panic.

Constantine washed to remove the contamination, then treated his side with healing potion. The wound was deep, leaving a red rupture mark. It would take several days of applying medicine to disappear completely.

Treating a wound from a green-horned beast with green-horned beast potion, how ironic. Wonder what that beast would think if it knew.

He drifted into a faint consciousness while having such useless thoughts.

— Master, are you alright? Master, are you dying? Are you really dead? Why aren’t you answering? Master? Master?

The exhausted Constantine lacked the strength to block Caligo’s thoughts pushing into the depths of his consciousness. Having been wounded as well, his consciousness opened completely defenseless.

Through that opening, Caligo endlessly inserted his mutterings.

— …So your ancestor from 5 generations ago asked me. Why I did that… …But I kept my mouth shut then. Mumble mumble…

…This is maddening.

Despite being terribly tired and exhausted, he couldn’t fall into a deeper sleep from this half-conscious state.

A feeling of endless drifting with half consciousness and half unconsciousness.

That state was rather more painful and made him want to wake up, but his body wouldn’t listen. Perhaps because his physical strength was depleted, his mental strength was also at rock bottom, and breaking free of that loose control, Caligo acted up even more.

His body grew corpse-cold. It felt like being abandoned alone in the middle of winter.

‘Saena….’

Naturally, he wanted to see her. This coldness enveloping his entire body, this chill like being in an ice cave, if it was her… couldn’t she embrace it?

Couldn’t she grant him a different season?

He drifted in a half-conscious state lying in bed for quite a while before finally waking up.

“…What day is it?”

“It’s Tuesday, Your Grace.”

He had been lying down for quite a while.

Yet he felt no refreshment at all. Nevertheless, Constantine applied healing potion once more and regulated his body’s condition.

It’s fortunate he woke up before Wednesday.

— Going to the capital again! Master! Stop going to the capital!

He took the warp gate, raising Caligo’s protesting power. Just that alone depleted his strength again. In such worst condition, Constantine waited for the next day.

He couldn’t properly sleep anyway in this state. Even with peak physical and mental strength, it was barely enough to control Caligo. Let alone in this condition…

He spent the night in his office, idly flipping through documents.

Waiting for Saena’s arrival time made time seem to pass especially slowly. As Caligo also knew she was coming, he acted up more as that time approached.

— I’ve never had a master like you! Always mistreating me and doing things I hate! Our covenant… …Your ancestors for generations…

With his head feeling like it would burst, Constantine went out to the office terrace.

The winter wind clawed at his skin.

Terrible chill. But if it could make him forget that insufferable voice even for a moment, this pain was better.

He abandoned his body in that biting cold, sitting in the terrace chair until his already cold skin felt like it would freeze.

His consciousness sank halfway again.

— Master! Mumble mumble…

He didn’t know how much time had passed. Suddenly, something strange struck his consciousness.

“Your Grace, you’ll catch a cold. Inside… Ah!”

Constantine, who had reflexively taken a defensive stance, quickly released his grip when he realized it was Saena he had caught.

“I seem to have grabbed too hard without thinking… Are you hurt?”

He carefully asked after bringing her back inside to the warmth.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

“That’s good.”

At first, he examined her wrist over her clothes, not touching bare skin.

— Sitting so close again! Master! Men and women should keep their distance!

His desire grew. He wanted to touch her bare skin.

Constantine subtly moved down her wrist and pressed their palms together.

— Master…!

Suddenly the noise in his head stopped.

It felt like being pulled out of suffocating noise into somewhere else. The throbbing headache disappeared instantly.

‘Ah… Yes, this feeling.’

Even the air around him seemed different. It felt like being suddenly dropped from a winter mountain into a spring field.

While he held his eyes, overwhelmed by the sensation, a worried voice reached him.

“…Are you unwell?”

“Ah, I haven’t slept well these past few days, so I’m a bit tired.”

“Should I come back another time?”

“No. I won’t be able to sleep if you leave.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m sorry but… could you stay here for a moment?”

“…Here, like this?”

“I need… your warmth.”

He truly desperately needed it.

Just for a moment, no, just for a little while, he wanted her to stay by his side.

Perhaps understanding his desperation, Saena slowly nodded.

He felt grateful and found her lovely. He wanted to give her an even deeper smile for that kindness.

But there was something more urgent.

‘…My eyes are closing…’

He wanted to sleep like the dead. And as long as Saena held his hand, that was possible.

Constantine held the small hand tightly to his chest, relaxed his body, and closed his eyes.

‘Thirty minutes. No, fifteen minutes… I’ll sleep…’

His consciousness sank deeply.

* * *