Chapter 1
The title of the novel I read was <Saint Estelle>.
If she was a saint or just had some holy powers, it would already be enough, but the female lead really had too much charm. All the best men mentioned in the novel were attracted to her, and among them was Lucian Cardienne, the number one knight in the Empire.
I liked Lucian, the sub-male lead, much more than I did the Crown Prince who was the male lead.
Inhale.
“A man who rips people apart on the battlefield yet he trembles when he meets the saint? This stupidly pure bastard!”
He’d loved the saint since childhood but couldn’t bring himself to express his feelings because he had been born with crimson irises. Since ancient times, these crimson irises have been called the curse of the devil. It was because of this that even though he was the youngest to be knighted and performed tremendously on the battlefield, many people murmured he must have borrowed the power of the devil.
So Lucian avoided the saint.
Because he was cursed, thought it was a great sin to even admire her as a saint.
And he suppressed the desire to get close to her.
This was so hard for me to see that I could barely stand it.
But after learning the saint had become the lover of the crown prince, his heart, which was like an iron wall, collapsed like a dry sandcastle. The desire that had been desperately suppressed burst out.
<I love you.>
But no matter how desperate he was,
<Please, Estelle.>
No matter how tearfully he held on to her, the saint did not accept his heart because there was already another man in her heart. Lucian was engulfed in deep sorrow and intense jealousy.
At that moment, surprisingly, the real power of the devil appeared before him. He was indeed cursed by the devil. Then he blackened and no longer held back his desires. He killed those who interfered with him, those who hurt him, and those who simply bothered him. Among them was his fiancée, Fernia, who had despised him all along.
<As expected, you are a demon after all! Please just die!>
Those were Fernia’s last words.
He destroyed her without leaving even a trace behind.
I looked at the man in front of me, recalling the death of Fernia I read in the novel. The man drinking tea with his eyes down had a gentle face that overshadowed the nickname the god of war.
But I knew. He was a ticking time bomb with a demon sealed inside.
I wanted to break off my engagement right now, but that was impossible since it was an engagement arranged by the Emperor. Hence the reason I was forced to come out here. Today was the first encounter between Fernia and Lucian who’d returned after a long war. But there was no joy to our first meeting.
No excitement either, just a lot of awkwardness.
I don’t dare to say anything to this ticking time bomb.
I was extremely cautious in my actions, in case I end up saying anything inappropriate that provokes him. Even while sipping the tea I was cautious not to make a sound.
I peeked at Lucian.
I was just trying to get a feel of his mood, but I got lost in his beauty without realizing. Flawless and white skin without a shadow of a scar in sight. He had nice lips, straight nose, and a sharp jawline. Long eyelashes framing the glowing red eyes underneath. In short, it was a sight out of this world.
Hey, author. Your writing skills couldn’t keep up with the characters!
As I observed him closely, I let out a small scream.
“You’re hurt!”
My eyes were on the small wound on his neck.
Lucian covered his neck with a bewildered face.
“It’s nothing. Pay it no mind.”
In fact, Lucian had a secret. He had the mysterious power to completely heal the wounds on its own. Thanks to that ability, he had fair skin that didn’t have scars even though he’d been participating in the war for such a long time.
No matter how capable you are, you can’t leave it untreated like that.
I took a pouch out of my handbag and pulled out a medical bandage.
Anne, the maid, had put it in, saying it might be useful.
Nice, Anne!
Praising Anne’s proactiveness, I quickly approached him.
“Even a small wound needs to be treated properly. How painful would it be if you got an infection?”
“Ah…”
I wrapped the bandage around his neck and confirmed that the bandage was well-attached. Gasp. It’s too close.
It was too close for a man and a woman who had just been awkward awhile ago. His eyes shook, wondering if he had overstepped at first, but he decided to bring it up. “Lady Fernia is a bit different from the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“…I hear you’re straightforward.”
You probably heard of me as a young lady of the Marquis with a dirty personality. You don’t have to tell me. Because it was true. If the real Fernia was here, not me, Fernia would glare at him with a look of disdain the whole time.
But not now!
Now I am a pacifist, a good citizen who feels sorry for the ill-fated second male lead!
I spoke with the most harmless look I could muster on my face. “Rumors are just provocative stories created by people who like to talk. It’s nothing like the rumors, right?” I’m different, over 360 degrees, about 1440 degrees different.
He squinted his eyes, as if he was hearing a funny story, and they bent into soft crescents. “That’s right.”
Don’t laugh like that. It’s bad for my heart.
This smiling face was different from the forced smile I had just offered him.
My heart was already pounding without my consent.
Anyway, I was relieved.
I felt that he had opened up slightly more to me than earlier.
<Dark second male lead has a 0.01 percent lower chances of dying.>
I felt like I could see these words next to him.
The conversation with Lucian became much more comfortable than the beginning.
Well, it wasn’t much of a conversation.
It was an extremely trivial small-talk, such as the taste of tea in a certain café or what our favorite desserts was.
The atmosphere was moderately relaxed, so I had to get to the point.
I took a sip of tea and opened my mouth.
“Are you aware that the engagement ceremony will be held at my house in two weeks?”
“…of course.”
It had already been two years that he and I got engaged, but we hadn’t even had an engagement ceremony yet because Lucian had lived on the battlefield the whole time. As soon as the news of victory arrived and the war was over, my father quickly set a date for the engagement ceremony.
That would be two weeks later.
“My father is preparing for the engagement ceremony with great care. It will be Lord Cardien’s first official banquet since his victory.”
Lucian was, in name and reality, the most famous knight in this empire, even if he is cursed by the devil. It was an engagement ceremony where he was the main character, so it was natural for a lot of people to pay attention. My excited father spent all his money to decorate the banquet hall, and invited all the important people in the empire.
“All the high-profile aristocrats of the Empire will come to our engagement ceremony… including the saint.”
Lucian’s eyes shook at the word.
In the place of the polite smile that collapsed like pile of sand, only an expression so pitiful it broke hearts remained.
Excuse me, I can see all your feelings written across your face.
Despite all this desperation, Estelle didn’t know. Lucian hid his heart thoroughly in front of her, and afraid his feelings would be revealed, he avoided Estelle.
A pure-hearted coward.
I didn’t like that look. That’s how you endured as you hid your feelings for her and eventually blackened. If he had expressed his feelings even a bit, he might not have fallen so deeply into depravity.
So I was going to give him a chance.
“Since the saint is present, I would like to ask you to request a dance of blessing.”
Lucian’s eyes widened.
The dance of blessing is literally dancing hand in hand with the saint.
Since it was not like using the power of a full-fledged saint to heal wounds, Estelle would happily dance with the main characters of the banquet. At the engagement ceremony, with the fiancée and fiancé.
That was what I was aiming for.
“Sir Cardienne is okay with it right?”
So far, Lucian has deliberately avoided contact with Estelle. But this way, he’ll bump into her. Not just that but also make eye contact, hold hands, and get close enough to feel each other’s body temperature. Wouldn’t that lead to a different development from the original?
Estelle may notice Lucian’s feelings which he had kept hidden.
If you do well, it might be an opportunity for the two of you to develop your relationship.
Even if it doesn’t work out, I can score a lot of points with Lucian, what a brilliant plan.
I looked at Lucian expectantly, hiding my beating heart.
Bite it! Bite the bait!
Lucian looked confused by the unexpected words.
After a while, he opened his mouth in embarrassment.
“My lady, that would be difficult.”
Chapter 1
The title of the novel I read was <Saint Estelle>.
If she was a saint or just had some holy powers, it would already be enough, but the female lead really had too much charm. All the best men mentioned in the novel were attracted to her, and among them was Lucian Cardienne, the number one knight in the Empire.
I liked Lucian, the sub-male lead, much more than I did the Crown Prince who was the male lead.
Inhale.
“A man who rips people apart on the battlefield yet he trembles when he meets the saint? This stupidly pure bastard!”
He’d loved the saint since childhood but couldn’t bring himself to express his feelings because he had been born with crimson irises. Since ancient times, these crimson irises have been called the curse of the devil. It was because of this that even though he was the youngest to be knighted and performed tremendously on the battlefield, many people murmured he must have borrowed the power of the devil.
So Lucian avoided the saint.
Because he was cursed, thought it was a great sin to even admire her as a saint.
And he suppressed the desire to get close to her.
This was so hard for me to see that I could barely stand it.
But after learning the saint had become the lover of the crown prince, his heart, which was like an iron wall, collapsed like a dry sandcastle. The desire that had been desperately suppressed burst out.
<I love you.>
But no matter how desperate he was,
<Please, Estelle.>
No matter how tearfully he held on to her, the saint did not accept his heart because there was already another man in her heart. Lucian was engulfed in deep sorrow and intense jealousy.
At that moment, surprisingly, the real power of the devil appeared before him. He was indeed cursed by the devil. Then he blackened and no longer held back his desires. He killed those who interfered with him, those who hurt him, and those who simply bothered him. Among them was his fiancée, Fernia, who had despised him all along.
<As expected, you are a demon after all! Please just die!>
Those were Fernia’s last words.
He destroyed her without leaving even a trace behind.
I looked at the man in front of me, recalling the death of Fernia I read in the novel. The man drinking tea with his eyes down had a gentle face that overshadowed the nickname the god of war.
But I knew. He was a ticking time bomb with a demon sealed inside.
I wanted to break off my engagement right now, but that was impossible since it was an engagement arranged by the Emperor. Hence the reason I was forced to come out here. Today was the first encounter between Fernia and Lucian who’d returned after a long war. But there was no joy to our first meeting.
No excitement either, just a lot of awkwardness.
I don’t dare to say anything to this ticking time bomb.
I was extremely cautious in my actions, in case I end up saying anything inappropriate that provokes him. Even while sipping the tea I was cautious not to make a sound.
I peeked at Lucian.
I was just trying to get a feel of his mood, but I got lost in his beauty without realizing. Flawless and white skin without a shadow of a scar in sight. He had nice lips, straight nose, and a sharp jawline. Long eyelashes framing the glowing red eyes underneath. In short, it was a sight out of this world.
Hey, author. Your writing skills couldn’t keep up with the characters!
As I observed him closely, I let out a small scream.
“You’re hurt!”
My eyes were on the small wound on his neck.
Lucian covered his neck with a bewildered face.
“It’s nothing. Pay it no mind.”
In fact, Lucian had a secret. He had the mysterious power to completely heal the wounds on its own. Thanks to that ability, he had fair skin that didn’t have scars even though he’d been participating in the war for such a long time.
No matter how capable you are, you can’t leave it untreated like that.
I took a pouch out of my handbag and pulled out a medical bandage.
Anne, the maid, had put it in, saying it might be useful.
Nice, Anne!
Praising Anne’s proactiveness, I quickly approached him.
“Even a small wound needs to be treated properly. How painful would it be if you got an infection?”
“Ah…”
I wrapped the bandage around his neck and confirmed that the bandage was well-attached. Gasp. It’s too close.
It was too close for a man and a woman who had just been awkward awhile ago. His eyes shook, wondering if he had overstepped at first, but he decided to bring it up. “Lady Fernia is a bit different from the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“…I hear you’re straightforward.”
You probably heard of me as a young lady of the Marquis with a dirty personality. You don’t have to tell me. Because it was true. If the real Fernia was here, not me, Fernia would glare at him with a look of disdain the whole time.
But not now!
Now I am a pacifist, a good citizen who feels sorry for the ill-fated second male lead!
I spoke with the most harmless look I could muster on my face. “Rumors are just provocative stories created by people who like to talk. It’s nothing like the rumors, right?” I’m different, over 360 degrees, about 1440 degrees different.
He squinted his eyes, as if he was hearing a funny story, and they bent into soft crescents. “That’s right.”
Don’t laugh like that. It’s bad for my heart.
This smiling face was different from the forced smile I had just offered him.
My heart was already pounding without my consent.
Anyway, I was relieved.
I felt that he had opened up slightly more to me than earlier.
<Dark second male lead has a 0.01 percent lower chances of dying.>
I felt like I could see these words next to him.
The conversation with Lucian became much more comfortable than the beginning.
Well, it wasn’t much of a conversation.
It was an extremely trivial small-talk, such as the taste of tea in a certain café or what our favorite desserts was.
The atmosphere was moderately relaxed, so I had to get to the point.
I took a sip of tea and opened my mouth.
“Are you aware that the engagement ceremony will be held at my house in two weeks?”
“…of course.”
It had already been two years that he and I got engaged, but we hadn’t even had an engagement ceremony yet because Lucian had lived on the battlefield the whole time. As soon as the news of victory arrived and the war was over, my father quickly set a date for the engagement ceremony.
That would be two weeks later.
“My father is preparing for the engagement ceremony with great care. It will be Lord Cardien’s first official banquet since his victory.”
Lucian was, in name and reality, the most famous knight in this empire, even if he is cursed by the devil. It was an engagement ceremony where he was the main character, so it was natural for a lot of people to pay attention. My excited father spent all his money to decorate the banquet hall, and invited all the important people in the empire.
“All the high-profile aristocrats of the Empire will come to our engagement ceremony… including the saint.”
Lucian’s eyes shook at the word.
In the place of the polite smile that collapsed like pile of sand, only an expression so pitiful it broke hearts remained.
Excuse me, I can see all your feelings written across your face.
Despite all this desperation, Estelle didn’t know. Lucian hid his heart thoroughly in front of her, and afraid his feelings would be revealed, he avoided Estelle.
A pure-hearted coward.
I didn’t like that look. That’s how you endured as you hid your feelings for her and eventually blackened. If he had expressed his feelings even a bit, he might not have fallen so deeply into depravity.
So I was going to give him a chance.
“Since the saint is present, I would like to ask you to request a dance of blessing.”
Lucian’s eyes widened.
The dance of blessing is literally dancing hand in hand with the saint.
Since it was not like using the power of a full-fledged saint to heal wounds, Estelle would happily dance with the main characters of the banquet. At the engagement ceremony, with the fiancée and fiancé.
That was what I was aiming for.
“Sir Cardienne is okay with it right?”
So far, Lucian has deliberately avoided contact with Estelle. But this way, he’ll bump into her. Not just that but also make eye contact, hold hands, and get close enough to feel each other’s body temperature. Wouldn’t that lead to a different development from the original?
Estelle may notice Lucian’s feelings which he had kept hidden.
If you do well, it might be an opportunity for the two of you to develop your relationship.
Even if it doesn’t work out, I can score a lot of points with Lucian, what a brilliant plan.
I looked at Lucian expectantly, hiding my beating heart.
Bite it! Bite the bait!
Lucian looked confused by the unexpected words.
After a while, he opened his mouth in embarrassment.
“My lady, that would be difficult.”
