Geril waited until they finally stopped paying attention to the two of them before slowly turning toward Bellota. Slowly approaching Bellota’s side, Geril lowered his voice and whispered so that only she could hear.

“This is your last chance, Saintess. If you send me word before the full moon, I will take responsibility and smooth over all of this.”

At his words, Bellota’s gaze, which had been keeping her lips tightly sealed, froze. Seeing this, Geril smiled gently and spoke tenderly.

“It’s alright even if you are cursed. I will help you, Saintess.”

At his voice that seemed almost sad, Bellota’s heart sank. As expected, Geril had known that Bellota was cursed. However, he didn’t seem to know what kind of curse it was.

Geril’s gaze turned to Bellota’s faintly trembling fingertips.

“Though you don’t love me, Saintess……”

Geril whispered in a mellow voice.

“It’s because I love you.”

It was a confession filled with arrogant conceit, suggesting that only he could save her now.

“Don’t forget that I’m the only one who can protect you, Saintess, and suppress these impure rumors.”

* * *

After leaving the training grounds late at night, Seiden went outside the temple instead of going to sleep. Running through the quiet night streets where everyone was asleep, Seiden arrived at Lady Margaret’s mansion. Though it was past midnight and approaching dawn, one window of Margaret’s mansion still leaked bright light. It was evidence that someone was still awake.

Seiden pressed somewhere on the large statue standing guard in front of the mansion. Then a human shadow appeared in the lit window. The shadow opened the curtains to check outside, then after some hesitation, turned and moved away.

Shortly after, the mansion door opened and Van emerged from inside. He seemed like a different person from before Lady Margaret collapsed. The haggard man, who clearly hadn’t been sleeping or eating properly, came to where Seiden was and bowed his head deeply. His face looked like he was facing the grim reaper who had come to take him.

Seiden looked at him and asked coldly.

“Have you decided?”

Seiden’s steady voice, without inflection, seemed almost cruel. Van’s breath caught at the question.

“I need your help, Butler.”

The man before him had suddenly visited the previous night and said that with murderous eyes. Though he said help, it was clearly a threat.

“If you don’t cooperate, I too can no longer help the lady.”

That cold voice brushed past Van’s ears. Van thought of Lady Margaret. The woman who had fallen into a deep sleep and couldn’t wake up. If even that faint hope of her waking disappeared, he too would lose his reason for living.

Van looked at his feet with eyes mixed with resentment and confusion, then squeezed his eyes shut.

“I’ll tell…… everything.”

Van, finally broken, spilled the truth in a voice tinged with tears. At his subsequent confession, Seiden’s tightly constricted breathing eased. Even if Van hadn’t followed his decision, Seiden had planned to get what he wanted today one way or another. It was fortunate that he didn’t have to take the long way around.

Van told Seiden the truth he so desperately wanted in a terribly trembling voice. Seiden engraved everything in his mind without missing a single detail.

After finally finishing his confession, Van pleaded earnestly.

“But please promise. Our mistress……”

“I swear on my name I’ll find a way until the end.”

Seiden pledged without hesitation. At that resolute answer, Van let out a trembling sigh. Van nodded as if that was enough.

“But even I don’t know where it’s buried. However……”

Van took a small deep breath as he prepared to reveal an enormous truth. Seiden waited for Van patiently.

“Follow me. I think it’s better for you to see directly.”

As Van turned with a determined face, Seiden naturally followed behind him. Van guided Seiden inside Lady Margaret’s mansion. Following Van, they arrived at the center of the stairs leading to the second floor. Van’s steps stopped in front of a large portrait hanging on the wall where the stairs split to either side.

Seiden silently looked up at the painting. It was a portrait of Viscount Cadlack, Lady Margaret’s father.

“It’s here.”

When Van confessed in a trembling voice, Seiden’s gaze turned to him again.

“Here lies the secret of House Cadlack.”

Van, who had revealed a truth too difficult to bear, quickly shut his mouth, seemingly afraid, and slowly approached the portrait. Then he stepped up on the pedestal placed beside it and removed the portrait as large as himself. Seiden watched Van’s actions without taking his eyes off for a moment. His red pupils slowly hardened at what was revealed next.

* * *

Most citizens of the Rundhardt Empire were desperately waiting for the banquet to be held on the full moon. Because it was the day they could finally confirm the truth behind the rumors that had shaken the empire.

After the imperial banquet ended, Geril too had to wait anxiously for several days for her message. He was extremely worried that Bellota might not grab the hand he had extended. However, the day before the full moon, Geril was able to receive a message sent by Bellota.

“Ha……”

A smile tinged with pleasure bloomed on Geril’s lips as he read the message. At last Bellota had fallen to him.

“Ha! Haha!”

As Geril burst into laughter with a delighted face, his subordinate who had brought Bellota’s message asked curiously.

“Duke, shall we cancel the banquet?”

Geril shook his head.

“No, the banquet will proceed as planned.”

The subordinate’s expression grew more puzzled at Geril’s words. But the subordinate didn’t dare ask an impertinent question and merely bowed his head saying, “Yes.”

And a day later, the banquet everyone had been waiting for was finally held. As Geril had announced, the banquet was held in the largest banquet hall of the Grand Temple. The banquet began only around midnight when the sun had fully set and the full moon had risen high in the sky.

“Surely she won’t not come?”

“That’s impossible. That would really prove she’s cursed!”

Those excited at the thought of seeing an interesting spectacle entered the banquet hall early and anxiously waited for today’s protagonist to appear.

Then, Geril and the Emperor appeared instead of Bellota. When even the Emperor attended the banquet to confirm the truth of these rumors, an explosive tension filled the banquet hall. In that tense atmosphere, Bellota finally entered the banquet hall.

“It’s the Saintess!”

When someone who spotted Bellota shouted loudly, everyone’s gazes turned to her as she slowly walked into the banquet hall. Frenzied gazes scrutinized Bellota from head to toe. Some among them eagerly anticipated horns sprouting from her head and her eyes turning yellow right then, but naturally nothing like that happened. Bellota Rosebeth was normal as always.

“She’s perfectly fine?”

“She didn’t turn into a monster either.”

Some even double-checked if the full moon had properly risen, but what was floating high outside the window was clearly a full moon.

“How could she be this healthy if she’s cursed? It was all lies!”

“I knew it was all lies. Thank God.”

“Don’t be stupid, we have to wait until midnight! Don’t you know most curses peak at midnight?”

Voices tinged with disappointment and relief mixed chaotically, throwing the banquet hall into disorder.

Felton, who had been waiting for Bellota in the banquet hall for quite some time, also had a face full of confusion and anxiety. Felton glanced at the full moon outside the window. Today was undoubtedly the full moon, and as proof, an overwhelmingly large full moon hung outside the window, but Bellota was normal as usual.

Felton bit his lip, recalling Seiden’s message that had been delivered an hour before the banquet began. Seiden could not be seen in the banquet hall. Others quickly noticed this fact too and began whispering.

“The Holy Knight Commander isn’t here?”

“How dare he come here? Having impure thoughts about the Saintess…”

“We don’t know yet if that’s true or not!”

“No, isn’t it obvious since he didn’t come? He feels guilty too. Looks like we’ll need to select a new Holy Knight Commander soon.”

Despite numerous speculations, Seiden still did not appear. Pleased by the malicious stirring, Geril slowly approached Bellota. While Seiden had cowardly fled from Bellota’s curse, he had not. He came here to save Bellota and truly protect her. So now it was clear which man was worthy of possessing Bellota.

“Saintess.”

When Geril stood before Bellota and called her kindly, the banquet hall fell quiet again. In that sharp silence, Bellota faced the man looking at her with eyes full of deep triumph.

“As promised, I have brought back the rockdragon’s heart again.”

When Geril murmured in an overwhelming voice, those watching breathlessly stopped breathing with gasps.

“Oh my.”

The people who gathered in the temple realized that Geril was going to propose to the Saintess again. Unable to contain themselves, noble ladies moaned and opened their eyes wide, not wanting to miss this glorious scene. Tears of emotion welled up in some noble ladies’ eyes.

Not to mention, ‘as promised.’ In the end, the Saintess, worn down by harsh trials, had decided to lean on a man who loved her with everything. The pure love Geril had shown at the last banquet was enough to turn a woman’s heart. A woman receiving the empire’s condemnation and a man who protected such a woman with his whole body. This was too beautiful a romance. The two absolutely had to be united.