With a slight increase in the weight that I have put on him, a scream echoed.

“What, what do you think you´re doing!”

“I won’t blame you too much because it’s my fault that you’ve lost your mind.”

After all, it’s because I set you up like this.

“But I’m curious about one thing. Are there only princesses and no male heirs to the emperor?”

“Why does that matter right now, ugh.”

“Answer!”

“There are three princesses!”

Originally, there was only a Crown Prince and a princess.

“But how did you call me to that hill?”

“Argh, ah.”

As Dietrich tried to get up, I applied firm pressure on my foot. His face turned noticeably red.

“Ugh.”

Dietrich wasn’t the type to retaliate, he just needed to get through this moment.

His handsome face contorted. His blue eyes narrowed, but he tried not to show it.

“I don’t remember exactly. However.”

“However?”

“As we, who are aware of your existence, gathered, we found a way to call you.”

“How did you become aware of my existence?”

“That’s thanks to the tower lord! Tower lord, ugh. I don’t know the rest!”

I think it was the Master of the tower who found out.

Alright, noted.

It seems the tower lord, who is obsessed with knowledge and truth, managed to uncover this much.

Should I meet him?

“What’s the method?”

“By opening the door to the world you are in……!”

A door that leads to another world. It certainly existed.

A sense of relief was mixed with an odd feeling.

A hope that I could return to my world grew stronger, and at the same time, it felt like evidence that this world was no longer than just a simple world in a book.

I don’t need to meet the tower lord.

Since I know the method, there’s no reason to seek his help.

Besides, it’s doubtful that he would offer any help in the first place.

Dietrich continued.

“He said we could summon you through the gate, so we did. So, we decided to bring you from Atel hills, where the door is.”

I never wrote that the ‘door’ was on that strange hill, which means that the story itself made it up…….

Although it’s been a while since I’ve strayed from the original story I wrote, I thought the world had been turned upside down by my arrival.

According to Dietrich’s story, the story was already off the track, even before that.

“And?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know what comes next….!”

Did it have something to do with the light from the book and the strange characters carved into the stones on the hill that had called me?

I took two steps back from Dietrich, who looked exhausted.

I could confirm once again that this story had taken a considerable twist. And it was a significant one.

“You can’t go now.”

Dietrich gasped, shakily pulling himself to his feet.

“Huh?”

“You can’t go to the Atel Hills. The chancellor has ordered it off-limits, and I’ve broken the stones there.”

“What?”

He approached me slowly. His hands grabbed my legs.

“You can’t go.”

The man’s face touched my thigh. His hands settled behind my calves and stroked it slowly.

“Dietrich.”

I felt sorry for him, his body was still shaking, so I stayed still for a while, and his hands gradually came up. It tickled me.

Dietrich’s face lifted, and my nightgown brushed his face. Perhaps tired, he breathed heavily for a while.

A warm breath brushed against my thigh, giving me a ticklish sensation.

Dietrich, who was holding onto my leg, confidently, almost forcefully, pushed me down.

“Ah…!”

I felt like I was falling, but before I knew it, I was seated on his lap. It was very broad and warm.

“Writer.”

The man’s voice, who was holding onto me, trembled.

“The reason I didn’t ask about the hundred gold coins…”

Why was he bringing up this story out of nowhere?

“Because as soon as the damn chancellor saw me, he started talking about you and lost his temper.”

“…What.”

Seth, that brat! There were days when I tried to be nice and be by his side, but what did he say?

Certainly, if Seth was present in front of me, I couldn’t say anything. I can’t even scold him with my eyes. Everything is exposed.

Without him in front of me, I’ll curse him a bit.

“Are you going to leave us?”

“Huh?”

“He said to be careful not to let you escape.”

“…….”

“He said that you’re getting ready to leave this place at any given moment, so he told me to be sure to hold onto you very tight.”

Dark blue eyes bore into mine.

“Is that true?”

Being someone who doesn’t lie and looking at me with emotionless eyes, I couldn’t readily deny it.

“To you, are we nothing?”

“I mean, I’m nothing to you, right?”

It was hard to meet his gaze. All I could do was look away from him.

Surely Dietrich would be stunned, as he was unable to say anything.

“No.”

My heart sank at the whispered denial.

His arms tightened around me.

“To me, you’re not nothing.”

I tried to pull away, but his hands were shaking.

“Don’t go.”

“Dietrich, it’s only been two days since you and I met.”

“I know. That this isn’t normal.”

“You’re right, it’s not normal. It’s just that you’re dizzy from the shock of realizing that your life has been written by someone else, and that the person responsible for the problems you’re facing is right in front of you. So-“

“-No.”

A firm denial again…

As cold as his sword, the honest knight revealed his emotions without any reservation.

I couldn’t lie about this. So, to divert the situation, I changed the topic.

“Dietrich, I want to take a shower. Let go of me.”

However, he didn’t budge. Anxiety crawled over me slowly.

“Listen to me.”

The man’s head leaned against my shoulder. All I could do was fidget again with my fingers.

“Well, you probably can’t trust my emotions. It’s only been two days, as you said.”

“…….”

“Instead, give me a little time.”

Somehow, I knew what was coming next. I wanted to block his words.

“Then, if you can’t believe me, I’ll prove it to you.”

In a sense, Dietrich was the most challenging person to deal with. He’d bump into you with all his heart, making it impossible for you to lie.

But I can’t see his face now, so I just have to control my voice.

“No, it’s okay.”

Suddenly, Dietrich moved away from me and grabbed my shoulder with one hand. He brings his free hand to my still trembling lips.

I thought I’d done a good job of hiding my tremble, but he must have seen it.

As a knight, this man could even hear my heartbeat.

However, the fingertips that were touching my lips were also trembling.

Deep and vivid blue eyes met mine.

“Is it because I want your body? Is that why you can’t trust me?”

“…….”

“In that case, I’ll be patient. I won’t give in to my instincts, no matter what.”

At my silence, he continued to promise me.

“I’ll prove it to you that I don’t just want your body, so stay with me, Litrie.”

The distorted reflection of my face was shown in his clear pupils.

“Or am I nothing to you, nothing more than just a few words on a page?”

Now, my lips were visibly trembling.

I couldn’t bring myself to say that there was actually an already plotted destiny for him.

This story felt like it was driving a wedge, by saying, ‘To you, I’m nothing more than words.’

“Is that why you don’t answer?”

“…No.”

“Then?”

The hand that was on my lips wrapped around my cheek.

“So, do I have some value to you? Do I seem like a person to you?”

As if someone had struck my spine, my breath felt like it was being blocked.

I wish this world appeared like printed words. Then, I could ignore his sincere emotions and just leave.

Dietrich’s other hand, which was holding my shoulder, also wrapped around my cheek, with a slight tremble on it.

“Writer.”

A serious voice called me again.

“Please don’t go.”

His blue eyes welled up some tears in it. Now, the man’s voice was also trembling.

“I’ll do anything you ask, please.”

The subdued voice was soaked with emotions.

“Don’t say you’re leaving.”

Frozen at a place, I couldn’t move.

I didn’t even have the courage to improvise it, which was my specialty.

Was he interpreting my silence as denial? Dietrich’s breathing became rough again. He twisted his lips into his usual cold expression.

“No, even if you say you’re leaving, you can’t.”

His blue eyes flashed as he squeezed my cheek.

“I shattered those stones anyway. I destroyed the summoning circle carved onto them beyond its recognition!”

I didn’t have time to feel any relief that I knew a way that you guys didn’t.

As if he’d been hiding it all this time, a sinister energy flowed from the Sword Master’s body.

He wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder and his other hand was gripping my chin, preventing me from turning my head.

An intense, almost greedy gaze pinned me down.

“There’s no way you’re leaving this place, writer.”

For a moment, I shook my ankle slightly.

I was wondering if it was still shackled.