Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 2/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

“That must have been hard. The pressure must have been immense.”

“…I became a knight, but the war I participated in during my first year of appointment ended in defeat, and I immediately became a slave. I can’t even speak the name of my country that has now disappeared.”

In Asmodea, it is forbidden to write or speak the names of countries that have disappeared after defeat. At least until the next generation’s history books are compiled.

“So in fact, I’ve lived longer as a slave than as a knight.”

He laughed bitterly.

“I’m not that sad about my country disappearing. I suppose my loyalty wasn’t that great. I just don’t know what I should do now. It’s too difficult.”

I cannot fully understand his life.

I’ve never followed a path set by others, never experienced war, and never experienced life as a slave.

Whatever words I might offer would likely not resonate with him.

So I stood up.

Sion looked at me quizzically as I took his arm and guided him to sit in my chair.

He followed my sudden action obediently.

After seating him, I brought my personal blanket from the living room and wrapped it around him.

Now, for the next step.

“Sion, may I touch your hair?”

“What?”

Before he could answer, I raised my hand and gently stroked his fine gray hair.

“When I was having a hard time, someone I really cared about used to do this for me.”

This was what the only person who ever showed me affection used to do when I was young.

When I was lost, wandering, and struggling with difficult thoughts.

“Sion, I may not understand your entire life, but I do know one thing. If you keep thinking hard like you are now, you’ll eventually see the answer.”

Sion, who had walked only one path and then suddenly had everything frustrated, was now beginning the contemplation that others had finished long ago, having been given another chance at a self-determined life.

“And you’ve been through so much until now. It must have been difficult, so thank you for surviving.”

“Lady Lora.”

“You know what? Looking back now, when I first saw you at the slave market, I was really at a loss.”

“Lady Lora.”

“But look, we’ve become quite close, haven’t we? So even this difficult moment now will someday be something you can look back on and say, ‘That’s how it was back then.'”

I smiled as I confessed my precarious feelings from that time, and simultaneously, Sion’s hand came up to rest on mine as I was stroking his hair.

“Sion?”

He pulled my hand down and gently placed his lips on the back of my hand.

Feeling a strange tingling sensation, I playfully asked him with a smile.

“What’s this? A knight’s oath?”

“In the kingdom where I lived, it meant eternal love.”

And Sion silenced me with an unexpected answer.

The faint moonlight filtering through the clouds shone through the window upon us.

He looked up at me, who had lost my words in surprise, his eyes curved into half-moons.

He was still holding my hand tightly.

“Lady Lora.”

“Um, Sion.”

“When we were at the Count’s mansion, didn’t you tell me to find what I like from now on?”

“I did.”

“I think I’ve found what I like.”

I had a premonition. A premonition that things would become complicated.

“Please ask me.”

When I didn’t respond, he smiled sweetly, just like Lionel would.

How could anyone not speak when faced with that?

In the end, I opened Pandora’s box.

“What is it?”

“It’s you, Lady Lora.”

And at Sion’s unexpected move that came without warning, a wave of dizziness swept over me.

Sion, I’ve never seen you like this.

While I was at a loss for words at his straightforward declaration, my lips moving silently, Sion’s expression suddenly hardened.

BOOM-

KABOOM-

Immediately after, a tremendous roaring sound was heard.

Turning my head, I saw brilliant lights pouring in from outside the window.

Those balls of light burst beautifully with loud bangs and flew into the garden, melting the snow piles.

“So those are… fireballs?”

FLASH-

BOOM-

In the momentarily brightened view, I could see more than a dozen knights surrounding the wall outside.

WHOOOOM-

Once again, a bright ball of light fell mercilessly into the garden, accompanied by a thunderous sound that shook heaven and earth.

[Lorazie Epine, who dared to kidnap the Grand Duke’s retainer, is hereby ordered to come out and surrender immediately!]

What nonsense.

“It’s because of Lord Ante.”

“It’s because of Duke Ante.”

We stared out the window with cold, unimpressed eyes, without a trace of tension.

Beyond the wall, the vague shapes of people could be seen. They were surrounding the mansion. Their number seemed to be less than a dozen, but they were clearly an elite unit.

“Looks like about fourteen of them.”

“Sion, do you think you can win?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“I’m joking.”

The atmosphere was completely shattered, and I was relieved that Sion and I had returned to our usual selves.

I nearly fell for Sion’s good looks and almost made a big mistake. I need to be careful.

Soon after, people who had been awakened by the commotion in the middle of the night began to gather in the living room.

“Lady Lora, are you alright?”

“Miss! I was so surprised when you weren’t in your room! What on earth is going on?”

“It must be because of Lord Ante and the knights.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. But the wall and garden don’t look so good.”

I spoke calmly while sipping warm water against the background of fireworks and thunderous sounds.

On the day I received the Kalschmitz trio, it seemed that abandoning my brain had been effective, as even with that sight, my heart was like a calm water surface without a single breeze.

But it seemed others were not the same.

Irena, Aria, and Soho were stomping their feet anxiously, and finally Lionel opened his mouth toward Ante.

“Lord Ante, can’t you do something about this?”

“At this rate, the mansion will be completely destroyed!”

At Lionel’s cold urging, Ante fidgeted nervously and tried to approach the door.

“I’m truly sorry. I’ll go out now and talk to them…”

Hmm, that won’t work.

I put down my cup and spoke.

“No, it would be better to wait.”

“Pardon?”

“If you go out now and Ante gets hit by a fireball and dies or gets injured, then I’ll really become a kidnapper. Without anyone to explain the situation.”

“Ah.”

Having grown fond of them over the past few days, no one blamed the Kalschmitz trio. However, there was no way to stop the deep sighs coming from here and there.

Naturally, Ante and the knights bowed their heads so low they nearly touched the ground.

“The Grand Duke’s family will have to provide ample funds for house repairs.”

At my pointed remark, delivered with a smile, Ante bowed his head even lower.

KABOOM-

Even at this moment, fireballs were mercilessly falling outside onto my snow piles, or rather, the four-season rose garden.

The accumulated snow melted to reveal the ground, and the garden floor was being ruthlessly torn apart. Smoke rose lazily from the ground, and holes formed here and there.

Our expressions while watching that scene were truly diverse.

“Wow, now we don’t need to clean up the snow anymore. They’ve cleared it all away.”

“……”

I became the king of positivity and laughed heartily, while the others wore expressions full of worry and anger.

Especially Sion, standing in front of the window, backlit by the light, looked like a ghost.

[Fire!!]

WHOOSH-

KABOOM-

[How many times have we warned you! Criminal Lorazie Epine, come out this instant!!]

[If you don’t come out, we’ll come in!!]

[This is the final warning! Three, two, one… break it down!!]

“I’m not sure who the real villain is here.”

CRASH-CRASH-CRASH-BOOM-

RUMBLE-

With the final warning came an ear-splitting sound of impact. The air outside became hazy like fine dust. When the smoke cleared, the wall had disappeared.

Just like dust. Without a trace.

“Wow…”

Soho softly exclaimed beside me.

“Soho, do you want to learn how to do that too?”

“Yes!”

Tap-tap-tap-

Thud-

While we were chatting, a series of heavy footsteps could be heard.

Then they stopped right in front of the door. Everyone’s gaze focused on the door.