Chapter 1 - Part 1
Huge thanks to Crissymac for the kofi!
Bonus Chapter (1/2)
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***
Hearing that, the knights flinched, but were relieved inside. Even the knights who did not participate in the battlefield knew who Griffith was as he was once a knight.
All those who made a contribution on the battlefield were celebrities.
Among them, Griffith was famous for possessing tremendous divine power.
But at Griffith’s words, Damien gritted his teeth as if he had been insulted. Damien got up, and his anger was intense.
Romeo and Kalix, fearing that they would meddle, even asked their mother to keep them from attending.
And now, Griffith appeared out of nowhere.
Damien spat and turned around. There, he saw Cedric, who was covered in blood and had fainted.
‘How dare you hit my brother…!’
When Damien saw Cedric’s condition, everything in front of him started spinning.
“You son of a b*tch!!!”
Damien was swearing at Griffith, but he just laughed like it was funny.
“‘Son of a b*tch’. Are you insulting the imperial family of the Nicea Empire?”
“This… !”
“As you said, my father is a dog. Well, there is nothing wrong with that.”
“……”
“By the way, don’t be too jealous, I’ll heal you too.”
Griffith’s voice was calm until the end.
Thud!
After those words, Griffith did not speak. Lelia couldn’t help but shut her eyes tightly.
She wanted to count till 10 and see that this was over at once. She had that in mind when she opened her eyes 10 seconds later.
The floor of the round stage was strewn with blood. Cedric had already passed out, and Damien was also laughing with his face covered in blood. The knights had already tried to step in, but they were still struggling because their body was still immobile.
Within those ten seconds of Lelia closing her eyes, the situation had become even more dire.
“Griffith!”
She couldn’t do it anymore, so she called him by his name to stop him. Griffith looked towards Lelia as the voice called him, and he put Damien’s neck down. Then he stood up straight, adjusted his clothes, and reached out his hand. The white light from his fingertips swam softly through the air like a butterfly. Thanks to the divine power, the swollen faces of Cedric and Damien returned to normal again.
But the bloodstains were still terrible.
“It was a very fun duel. Now let’s go.”
Griffith spoke gently to Lelia.
“……”
Lelia followed him without a word. As she turned her back, she saw the knights running, carrying the princes. When she looked blankly at Griffith’s back, it was only then that she came to her senses.
By the way, when did Griffith arrive?
How did he get here?
***
On the other hand, there was a person watching Lelia and Griffith’s back as they returned to their living quarters.
It was Ruth.
“……”
He bit his lip like a nervous man and turned around.
Strangely, his mind was anxious and he felt like he was going crazy. This anxiety arose after he heard the story that the Empress suddenly called for Romeo and Kalix a while ago.
In fact, the Empress is said to have said in front of the ladies who had invited them to a tea party a few days ago that she promised to find the best groom for Julianna. After hearing the rumor, there were a flood of male nobles trying to impress the empress.
‘Shit…’
Ruth even made an appointment with Julianna directly, but his heart was still uneasy.
Even if it was said that other people could be taken lightly because they were not up to standards, guys like Romeo and Kalix, they had no choice but to pay attention to them. They were good looking, too.
Anyway, hearing the story, Ruth was upset and was walking around the Imperial Palace. He suddenly went to Princes’ place, wondering what it would be like to get advice from the princes.
Then he witnessed a strange scene.
The princes were engaged in a two-on-one fight over Sir Raymond.
‘What is that…!’
It was a very cowardly thing. Sir Raymond had a pale complexion, and it was clear that he did not know how to fight.
‘The two of them are attacking together against a person like him.’
Being visible to the princes’ is important, but he could not ignore Sir Raymond’s friendship.
It was when Ruth couldn’t stand it and wanted to stop it.
Suddenly, Griffith appeared out of nowhere. Ruth’s heart was pounding.
‘In the meantime, Griffith appears…’
Griffith was one of the best potential grooms the Empress could covet. Everything became complicated in Ruth’s head. All sorts of thoughts came to mind. Griffith, Romeo, Kalix, and even the Oscar guy who isn’t currently in Auraria.
Everyone imagined competing with each other over the affection of Princess Julianna.
***
The place where Griffiths arrived was in front of their residence.
‘Is Griffith staying in the Imperial Palace too?’
Just as she was about to ask, Griffith slipped into Romeo’s room.
Lelia tried to follow, but he banged the door right in front of her face!
The door closed and she couldn’t even open it. In the end, she hesitated while she was coming here, but she couldn’t say a word.
Griffith didn’t even seem to want to talk to Lelia in the first place.
“……”
Lelia awkwardly stood in front of the door.
She was glad to see Griffith again, and she was grateful for saving him.
[I couldn’t say thank you…]
To be honest, she was relieved when Griffith beat the princes instead. Seeing them covered in blood, let alone worried, just thinking about it was refreshing.
It was something that her dead mother would be sad to know.
But she couldn’t help it. Just because they all are a family related by blood, it doesn’t mean they were affectionate.
[By the way, Griffith was a kid with divine power, did he just box?]
[Not even a swordsman, why are you so good at punching?]
Lelia tilted her head and headed to her own room.
***
After a while…
After Lelia had washed herself and changed her clothes, she stood in front of Romeo’s door. It was a while as she hesitated whether to knock or not.
“What are you doing there?”
At the end of the hallway, she saw Romeo walking. Behind him was Kalix in a jagged manner. Lelia noticed the two of them and she ran straight to them.
“You two, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you both for a while…”
“Empress Marianne had sent her maid. The two of us have a story to tell.”
“… Your Majesty? The Empress? why?”
“I don’t know. She called us and said something strange.”
Lelia, who was puzzled by her actions, immediately shook her head. It didn’t matter to her now.
“This is Romeo’s room right? Griffith… he is here!”
“I heard that. It seems that he came here after meeting Emperor Perseus.”
Romeo raised one corner of his mouth and swung the door open. He followed Lelia with Kalix.
But before she knew, Lelia had to divert her eyes elsewhere.
Griffith was sitting on the sofa in the parlor with his feet on the table, as had taken off his top.
He was even drinking in that pose.
He glanced at Romeo and Kalix, gulping down a drink that seemed strong at first glance.
“You’re later than I thought.”
Romeo said and sat across from Griffith. Kalix sat next to him.
And there was Lelia, but she was alone, and stood still, not knowing what to do.
Then Kalix gestured and pointed to the diagonal sofa. He meant to come and sit down.
In the current situation, Kalix’s favorability is more important than anyone else. Lelia knew this and she obeyed him.
“……”
But she was too embarrassed to look at Griffith, so she only glanced at him.
[Why the hell is his clothes off?]
Even though it was clear he had just washed up, as the tips of his hair were wet.
She felt really strange when she realized that her childhood friends had become ‘adult men’.
It’s unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and tense…
That was it right now.
Meanwhile, the three exchanged a few words. It was a topic that Lelia could not understand.
“By the way, what’s wrong with you? Why were you fighting with the princes like that?”
At that moment, Griffith answered, pointing to Lelia with the hand holding the glass.
It seemed strange that Lelia, who was wearing her dress until she left, was dressing as a man in the Imperial Palace.
[By the way, how did you recognize me? Was it that obvious?]
Lelia was bewildered and she patted her cheek.
“Who was fighting with whom?”
“Him. Cedric and Damian.”
When Kalix asked, Griffith kindly explained again.
“He was fighting.”
“What? Why?” Kalix let out a gasp in her astonishment and looked at Lelia.
“Is it possible to play with that little fist? You! Did you get hit? Your face looks fine though.”
As Kalix groaned, Griffith looked at him strangely, then turned to Romeo.
It was a look that needed an explanation as to what had happened.
Romeo shrugged his shoulders.
“We think of her as a little brother. Because he’s Leo’s younger brother.”
“… Younger brother? What nonsense?”
Griffith’s brows furrowed.
He knew Lelia was Leo’s relative ‘sister’ and she was pretty close to Leo.
But what ‘brother’?
Meanwhile, Kalix grabbed Lelia’s chin and turned her cheek to the left and right to make sure she didn’t have any bruises.
“Aren’t you hurt? Do you know how to clench your fist properly? But how did you fight with those b*****ds? One of the medicines, is it? That’s fine, this guy.”
Reassured that she wasn’t hurt, Kalix giggled, patting Lelia on the back.
He seemed to feel proud.
Griffith looked at him pathetically and said,”Cedric and Damien, he was competing against them both – two to one. He was cracking up, so I healed him and beat them up instead.”
“What?”
Kalix jumped up from his seat immediately at those words.
“They are crazy, aren’t they? How cowardly! Where are those b*****s? They dare hit my brother?”
“I beat them up and took him away.”
Somehow, the childish conversation seemed to relieve Lelia’s tension.
Kalix heard the story with great vexation. Romeo pulled him by the arm and sat him down again.
“Of course you have healed them, haven’t you?”
Romeo asked, narrowing his eyes. He was keen to avoid causing problems as much as possible.
Griffith nodded his head as if it was natural, but looked annoyed.
When Lelia saw the three people who felt close to each other, she envied them.
[If I had the ability and had participated in the Dragon subjugation with my friends, they would have become as close and friendly with me as the three are now.]
At the same time, she was reminded of her childhood memories, and her heart tickled.
Griffith asked, “By the way, little brother? What nonsense is that? I have heard that he is Romeo’s cousin and that he came to the Imperial Castle, but how does he do it?”
He seemed to have heard about the situation.
[That’s why he recognised me.]
Lelia nodded inwardly.
Kalix, who had been fuming for a while before those words, changed his expression quickly and opened his mouth.
He looked very happy.
“I saw it! He is a real man!”
“… … !”
Lelia opened her eyes wide in surprise.