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Episode 137

"You mustn't betray me, Zephyr."

"……."

"Zephyr? Answer me."

At Merian's urging, Zephyr bit the inside of his mouth.

In the end, he could only nod slightly.

---

Unlike the long days of summer, early autumn days had grown noticeably shorter.

A man crossed through the rapidly falling darkness.

His urgent destination was near a small pond within the Ludwig territory.

This secluded place was known to few—making it perfect for secret meetings.

Reaching the pond, the man looked around.

His gaze landed on a figure sitting on an old bench in the distance, wearing a hood pulled low.

"Rosi!"

At the man's call, the hooded figure turned around.

"Pip!"

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"No, I just got here too."

The man and woman greeted each other warmly and embraced.

Soon, they kissed familiarly.

Their lips touched lightly, and they laughed softly as their noses brushed.

Hand in hand, they walked deeper into the pond area.

Only after they were completely hidden by the thicket could they remove the hoods covering their faces.

Hoo.

The woman exhaled deeply, releasing the breath she'd been holding, and glanced beside her.

"What's wrong? You look terrible. Did something happen, Zephyr?"

At the worried question, Zephyr couldn't answer immediately.

After a moment of silence, he changed the subject.

"I heard you visited our estate recently, Chellos."

"Ah, yes. Lord Geron became friends with my younger brother. I went as a guardian."

"Lord Geron?"

At Chellos's formal mention of Geron, Zephyr smiled faintly.

"Don't laugh, Pip."

"I can't help it. It's funny that my lover addresses my youngest brother so formally."

"I can't help it. We're not even engaged yet. I have to use proper honorifics."

At Chellos's prim reply, Zephyr paused.

'Engagement.'

The weight of that word pressed heavily on him.

"……."

At Zephyr's hesitation, Chellos looked worried again.

"What's wrong? Is there really something going on? Is it…… about the princess?"

Struck at the heart of the matter, Zephyr flinched noticeably.

"Right?"

"……My lover is so clever."

"What's the problem? You said you two were just business partners."

Chellos and Zephyr.

They were Academy classmates and each other's first love.

During their Academy days, they'd secretly dated for about a year.

They'd broken up to focus on their studies, but first love memories linger long.

They had reunited about six months ago.

Meeting by chance on the street, they'd both stopped each other.

At first it was awkward, but the moment they exchanged greetings, the deep affection they'd buried rushed back.

Their relationship quickly developed into lovers.

But they couldn't reveal it to the world.

Ludwig was too powerful a family, and the Arden family was far too weak in comparison.

For Chellos, being the lover of Zephyr—one of the Empire's most eligible bachelors—would carry too much risk.

So they'd decided to keep their relationship secret until an engagement could be arranged.

"Marriage rumors with the Yuperion princess? That's absurd!"

"Wait, Chellos. Listen to me."

"What's there to listen to? I don't need excuses. I have absolutely no intention of being anyone's mistress!"

"No, it's all for you, Chellos! For you!"

"What nonsense is that, Zephyr? How is that for me?"

"We just agreed to cooperate for mutual benefit. We're not actually anything, and there's no engagement. It's purely business."

"You think I believe that?"

"It's true. Please trust me. I'll use the princess's help to secure the Grand Duchy. And when that happens, no one will be able to touch you. Not even my mother."

"But……"

"I swear on my family. No, I swear on my life. I won't betray you."

"……Does the princess really agree to this farce? Doesn't she think your relationship is real?"

"It's not like that. She agreed too."

"……Really?"

"Yes. Really. But if you hate it, I won't go through with this stupid charade."

Chellos hesitated.

The thought of her lover being rumored to marry someone else was horrifying.

But——

"Please trust me. I'll use the princess's help to secure the Grand Duchy. And when that happens, no one will be able to touch you. Not even my mother."

In the end, those words lingered in her mind, and she allowed the business arrangement with the princess.

She couldn't completely shake the uneasy feeling, but Chellos chose to trust Zephyr.

Though he sometimes showed a pathetic side from excessive ambition, Zephyr wasn't fundamentally a bad person.

More than anything, she believed he wouldn't lie to her.

But——

"Were you lying back then? Were you deceiving me?"

"No, Chellos. That's not it."

"Listen, Zephyr. I really have no intention of being someone's mistress. If things progress between you and the princess, it would be best to be honest with me."

At Chellos's firm words, Zephyr bit his lip.

Then——

"Chellos. You're the only one for me."

At the earnest plea, Chellos's brow furrowed sharply.

Her nose stung, but even that felt pathetic, so she held back.

Instead, she answered in a cold voice.

"Don't make those words into the empty promises of a man who wants to reassure his mistress, Zephyr."

Like the lies of someone trying to keep a woman on the side.

Zephyr still carried unease in his heart.

What if Zephyr had lied, and she'd fallen for it?

What if the princess truly loved Zephyr, and she ended up hurting her?

As a woman and a human being, she never wanted that.

More than anything, she didn't want to be hurt herself.

"Don't deceive me, Zephyr."

At those words, Zephyr paused.

"……."

There are moments when silence itself becomes a lie. And this, she felt strongly, was one of them.

If he kept what happened with his mother a secret, it would be the same as mocking Chellos.

Creak.

Biting the inside of his mouth harder, Zephyr spoke hesitantly.

"Chellos. Actually, there's something I need to tell you."

"Say it."

"Mother wants to push for my engagement to the princess."

"……What do you mean? You said they weren't anything."

Chellos murmured, her face filled with betrayal. Zephyr quickly shook his head.

"Really, they're nothing! If anything, my mother wanted to end this relationship faster than I did. But……"

"But?"

"I don't know. Mother suddenly changed. She says it'll help me become Grand Duke, and she's pressuring me to get engaged to the princess."

At his pained words, Chellos took a quiet breath and asked.

"So. What are you going to do?"

"I……"

At Zephyr's hesitation, Chellos stared at him.

Chellos was usually kind and gentle, but she also had a firm side.

Wrong was wrong.

Mistakes were mistakes.

Things that needed to be resolved quickly should be.

"I'll say it again. I have no intention of being anyone's mistress."

"Of course. I have no intention of making you one either."

And he had no intention of taking a mistress himself.

'Yes. I won't live like my father.'

He would never hurt or betray the one he loved.

He would never toy with women, making everyone suffer.

He'd seen how much his poor mother had agonized over it for so long.

Though he hadn't been able to fully heal his mother's pain……

'Chellos won't. I can't let Chellos fall apart.'

Seeing Zephyr's resolute expression, Chellos let out a low sigh.

Then——

"Zephyr. You can just give up on me."

At her answer, Zephyr, lost in thought, looked up sharply.

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