Chapter 5 Part 2
This was the price of being greedy to hear more about the oracle received by the Pope and Cardinal.
At the time, I needed intense concentration as I had to secretly connect black magic to the far side of memories without the Cardinal noticing.
I had drawn too much power for that, and disaster struck when I tried to forcefully read all the memories in that state.
Hyle, rushing urgently across the party hall, was the first to catch my eye.
After instantly picking up my collapsed form, Hyle began quickly passing through the hall to exit the venue.
Since Raphla was watching from afar, I couldn’t see Hyle’s detailed expression, but somehow his complexion looked excessively dark.
Hmm, trouble arose not even an hour after he told me not to use black magic…. He has every right to be angry.
‘Young Lord Feros.’
It was none other than Abel who stopped Hyle’s steps.
‘Lady Laté is my fiancée. This is not a place for you to interfere.’
Abel approached Hyle with fierce eyes and spoke with a displeased tone while slowly narrowing his expression.
‘Today, I am the lady’s “partner”. Therefore, I have the responsibility to protect her.’
Hyle firmly countered Abel’s words with a calm face.
However, his words emphasizing “partner” had obvious thorns embedded in them.
Hmm… so that just now was like saying “You who weren’t chosen as partner, get lost”… something like that?
Though it feels amusing watching it after time has passed, the atmosphere must have been quite fierce at that moment.
It’s really rare to see a scene of the Crown Prince and the young lord of Feros having such a battle of nerves.
Come to think of it, Hyle is quite scary too.
He’s not particularly backing down from Crown Prince Abel while still maintaining all proper courtesies in his speech.
But Abel didn’t back down either.
Taking one step closer to Hyle, Abel whispered something in his ear in a voice too low for others to hear.
“Wait, Raphla. Zoom in!”
If I can’t hear it, I just need to zoom in.
Ah, now I kind of understand why Mom used to watch makjang dramas every morning!
The scene between Abel and Hyle quickly zoomed in at my request.
Only then could I clearly hear the whisper Abel delivered to Hyle.
‘Hyle Feros, don’t cross the line any further. This is not a request.’
Afterward, Abel semi-forcefully took me from Hyle, and with words to call the royal physician, left the party venue.
“…I understand what happened, but why are they having a competition over me? The male lead, no less?”
When the female lead is perfectly alive, why me!?
Isn’t the male lead supposed to be someone who ignores supporting characters no matter how much they hover around and heads straight for their destined partner?
Moreover, Abel is supposed to be a character who doesn’t care about me at all and is busy following only Hertiana around like a puppy while courting her!
“Haah.”
It was done purely to distance myself from Abel, but instead it seemed to only increase his obsession.
And on top of that, I couldn’t even hear the oracle.
Good grief, I gained nothing and only lost things.
It was truly rare to see the Cardinal who usually stays buried deep in the Grand Temple.
And there was no way I could easily enter that far inside while exuding dark power.
“So who is the real Holy Maiden then!”
I pounded the blanket irritably but no answer would come from doing that.
“…Let’s organize things one by one.”
Anyway, having just regained consciousness, I had neither the magic power to move from the Imperial Palace to the duchy, nor even the energy to move to ride a carriage.
Finally, I decided to quietly lie down and calmly organize everything that had happened so far.
The first oracle received by the Pope and Cardinal stated that “the Holy Maiden will soon appear.”
Right after that, as the oracle predicted, Hertiana was selected as a Holy Maiden candidate. However, the problem was the second oracle.
The second oracle contained the strange message that “the owner of the oracle is elsewhere,” and Xenoph’s doubts arose precisely because of this oracle.
If Tia was truly the Holy Maiden, such an oracle would never have come.
After organizing my thoughts, I somehow felt more complicated. I just wished all of this was merely a dream.
“Haah…”
“Keep that up and you’ll sink into the ground.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice emerged from under the blanket.
Even without lifting the blanket, from the smooth sensation climbing up my leg, I could immediately tell who the voice belonged to.
“Caligo.”
Appearing in snake form, Caligo flicked his long tongue and instantly slithered upward.
The cold snake skin against my bare skin emanated a cool sensation.
“Finally awake. So, did you confirm what you wanted? What was in the Cardinal’s head?”
Caligo’s gleaming golden eyes turned to me expectantly, throwing questions like demands.
Unfortunately, since I hadn’t achieved what I wanted, I had nothing satisfactory to answer.
“I couldn’t see properly. If only I could look one more time…”
“That’s not possible. I thought I explained sufficiently why that’s forbidden magic?”
With this firm answer, Caligo slowly began to wrap around my neck.
The smooth and firm sensation tightening around my collarbone was cold and sharp.
“I know. But… I missed hearing the most important part.”
“Still not possible. You waking up after three days is only because I was here. Without me, it would have taken at least a week just to regain consciousness.”
Caligo continued endlessly with a long lecture, chattering away with nagging words.
He must have been quite worried about me.
Come to think of it, Caligo was quite kind for a demon. Maybe not to others, but at least to me.
Whenever I asked for something, even while complaining, he never failed to grant it.
Sometimes when I showed even slight signs of pain, he would bring all sorts of strange medicines from who knows where…
If there was one flaw, it would be his dishonesty… but lies are natural for demons, so well.
“Caligo, were you worried about me?”
“What’s that, why ask such a thing? Of course I was.”
Caligo, who had been wrapped around my neck, stopped moving and instead questioned back as if dumbfounded.
Both Abel and Caligo say it’s natural for them to worry about me.
Somehow… this feels a bit strange.
“Why?”
“Because I like you.”
Caligo simply added “I always say that, don’t I?” while flicking his tongue and tilting his head.
The small snake’s head curved sideways adorably.
