Murmuring noise rose like clouds.

Though Marienne’s heart felt ready to burst, she continued walking.

Enduring the nobles’ gazes, the Duke stood in the center of the hall. Only then could she breathe in relief.

Nigel, who had walked without wavering, stood before Marienne.

His gaze was peaceful, as if last night’s passion had never happened.

He knew too. That we who are merely within a contract tried to cross a dangerous line and the time has come to exercise restraint.

“I waited.”

“I’m a little late.”

Nigel politely kissed the back of Marienne’s hand. Then, seemingly conscious of the gazes, he pressed his lips once more to her cheek.

Exclamations burst out here and there from the watching noble ladies.

Behind fluttering fans, base speculations about the highest-ranking noble man and commoner woman passed back and forth.

The two gracefully held hands and advanced to the center of the hall.

The dance music played according to the Duchess’s direction.

The nobles stepped back in a circle, yielding the first song of the banquet to the two.

Familiar music flowed. It was the song they had shared on Louer’s balcony.

Marienne matched his rhythm while spreading her dress like a fully bloomed flower.

But their crossing gazes rarely met each other.

The music was already racing toward its climax.

Nigel grabbed Marienne’s waist as she jumped with her hand on his shoulder.

Though the music ended, he held his partner suspended in the air without letting go.

Only then did Marienne’s eyes turn to Nigel.

The instant containing each other flowed distantly.

Only when applause was heard did Nigel set Marienne down. Then he took her from the center of the hall and headed for the balcony.

The garden visible below the balcony was beautifully decorated with Nucria flowers.

Nigel first released the taut string of tension.

“I went too far yesterday.”

Bitterness carried in his words.

“More precisely, from before that. During the journey from Louer to Rockshield, I felt things had changed between us. And I thought you would be no different from me.”

Marienne looked down at the garden and listened attentively.

She could somewhat predict what words would come. That’s why not even a formal smile emerged.

“I was attracted to you.”

At the unexpected words, Marienne turned to him.

Looking at her wide brown eyes, Nigel wore a faint smile.

“I’ll probably struggle for a while.”

Marienne’s chest rose and fell with rapid breaths.

“I don’t know the bottom of this emotion. Every time I think I’ve reached this point, I fall deeper. But Marienne.”

Nigel paused briefly before continuing.

“Our end won’t be very good.”

I knew. Even without him saying it, already too well.

“I can’t give you any oaths or promises. I can’t even promise to be faithful to the contract. Because I have no intention of letting you go. I know it’s selfish but I can’t help it.”

“Why are you saying such things?”

“Well. Unless I lighten these growing feelings somehow……”

Nigel furrowed his brows. A voice like a sigh flowed out.

“It’s hard to endure. I feel like I’ll be consumed by these feelings.”

I’m the same. I’m just like you.

My heart has already overflowed and I can’t control myself either.

“What do you think of me like this?”

I love you. I love you and love you again. Don’t let me go. Hold me tightly so I can’t run away anywhere.

“Duke, I……”

Just then, an ominous horn sounded long and repeatedly.

Nigel went to the balcony railing and called to a running guard.

“What’s happening!”

“A pendra has appeared!”

“Location?”

“Near the chapel!”

“Gather the guards at the training ground. And the knights remaining in the castle too.”

“I obey your command!”

Nigel took Marienne’s hand and entered the banquet hall.

As nobles panicked at the warning sound, the Duchess had servants return them to their rooms.

Vice Commander Benwick approached in armor.

Nigel instructed Theo to escort Marienne to her room.

“Duke!”

“It’s nothing. Get some rest.”

“Shouldn’t I be by your side?”

“I’ll call if I need you.”

Nigel instructed Theo to take her away quickly.

“Please come with me.”

As Theo took Marienne away, Nigel put on the breastplate, pauldrons, and gauntlets that a servant had hurriedly brought.

They had eliminated all threatening pendras, yet some still remained.

Nigel headed toward the cemetery at the western end of the castle, leading the knights.

A massive movement was detected in the Nucria colony that had opened its petals toward the full moon.

The knights were left speechless at the size of the pendra they had never seen before.

“Damn it! Where did it pop out from? We searched every nook and cranny with all that trouble!”

Hector burst out in irritation.

Nigel carefully observed the pendra’s movements before directing the knights on their attack positions.

BOOM!

With ground-shaking vibrations, the pendras rose up.

Their bodies were thicker than ancient trees, and their extended length was taller than the chapel roof.

The ones diving back into the ground went berserk, devouring the Nucria flowers.

As a pendra’s tail swung, the goddess statue split in half and tumbled down.

Mother would be devastated if she knew. I must stop them from reaching the graves.

Nigel lowered his helmet and kicked his horse’s flanks hard.

Quickly descending the hill, he drove his horse close to the pendra. Then he raised his spear and mercilessly thrust it into the creature’s body. The monster’s fluid splashed up.

The pendra, clacking its saw-like jaws, thrashed its tail around.

Using the embedded spear as support, Nigel grabbed the creature’s protruding antennae and climbed onto its body.

Mounted knights rode together around the pendra, thrusting their spears.

“Commander! Be careful!”

Nigel rose to his feet after climbing to the crown of its segmented body.

Then his thick sword plunged into the monster’s crown. Fluid spurted up violently.

Nigel slashed the weakened pendra’s head in one stroke.

The pendra that had been thrashing violently shot up into the sky before collapsing with its severed head.

He stood up, kicking aside the convulsing pendra’s body.

But of all times, the back of his hand inside the gauntlet began to throb.

It seemed his luck had run out for tonight.

Nigel removed his helmet and tore off a handful of Nucria flowers to chew.

The flowers, with their healing and calming effects, were also an ingredient in the tobacco he enjoyed smoking.

“Commander! Commander!”

Urgent calls for Nigel came from all directions.

Shaking off the monster’s fluid, Nigel turned around. And he witnessed it. The chilling sight of dozens of pendras rising up, blocking the full moon.

A knight who had been throwing his spear with all his might was caught in powerful jaws and torn in half while still alive.

Agonizing screams tore through the air. Blood sprayed like a fountain into the black night sky.

Nigel’s dark eyebrows twitched.

The pattern that had pierced through his skin blazed fiercely up his forearm.

His eyes, gleaming with killing intent, instantly filled with blood.

* * *

After Theo left, Marienne anxiously paced the room with Bell.

Marienne clasped her hands and prayed continuously to the Moon Goddess.

That’s when they heard urgent knocking on the door.

“It’s me, Veronica!”

When Bell ran to open the door, Veronica rushed in frantically.

“Miss Rose, please stop the Madam. When she heard the pendras were heading to the cemetery, she insisted on going to her children. She won’t listen to me at all! The butler and maids are holding her back, but she’s so adamant we don’t know what to do! She even took up a sword!”

“Let’s go together!”

Marienne ran to the Madam’s chambers with the two women.

Indeed, an enraged voice thundered even outside the door. It was impossible to think this was the usually composed lady.

“Madam, please calm down.”

Marienne approached the Duchess who had lost her reason.

Befitting a military family, the Duchess held a sharp rapier in her hand.

“I must go protect my children.”

“Madam, it’s dangerous. The Duke is handling it, please wait.”

The Duchess shook off Marienne forcefully and declared coldly.

“I won’t forgive anyone who tries to stop me. Whoever blocks a mother’s path to her children, I will resent them for life. Clear the way immediately. Now!”

At the sharp rebuke, the elderly butler guarding the door stepped back.

Marienne left the trembling Veronica with Bell and followed the Duchess.

* * *

Nigel threw off the gauntlet from his left hand. Then he placed his hand with the swirling pattern on the ground and pulled a dagger from his back to stab it into the back of his hand.

Kugh!

Red blood sprayed onto his helmet. The black pattern was sucked into the split flesh. Soon the overwhelming pain subsided as well.

“Even vermin can be useful sometimes.”

There’s one fact he learned during cruel experiments by healers in the past.

Before the pattern spread to the chest, temporarily stopping the seizure was possible by inflicting massive trauma to the back of the hand.

However, one wrong move could result in losing the hand. But he had only done this once before, during the great battle that had driven the previous duke to his death.

Nigel knew well what this cemetery meant to his mother.

And her sorrow that found comfort in the Nucria flowers blooming by the graves.

He held his sword with his right hand anyway.

Nigel mounted his horse and charged at the pendra.

It was time for slaughter. He cut, slashed, and split mercilessly.

The poison spreading from the abyss in his chest ran through Nigel’s veins.

His heart beat dangerously.

His breathing grew sharp and his red eyes blazed with the ecstasy of butchery.

He was like a demon freed from its chains.

He fought while stabbing his hand when the pain reached its peak.

The pain of being pierced by the blade was nothing compared to the seizures.

His bloodied left hand had lost all feeling, but it didn’t matter.

The pendra’s head rolled across the ground along the arc of his swung blade.

“What in the……”

Theo removed his helmet while taking rough breaths.

He looked around the flower graves under the full moon in bewilderment.

Pendras and soldier corpses were tangled together in the field of Nucria flowers.

Theo approached Nigel who stood in the horrific ruins.

Just as he was about to carefully place his hand on his lord’s back—

Nigel kicked Theo down with a back kick and pointed his sword at his throat.

“It’s me! Theo Duque! My lord!”