The wind howled across the plains. All Lita could hear was the sound of the wind whipping through dry grass and fallen leaves.
Although she had carelessly revealed that Cecilia knew her true identity, it wasn’t fatal. Her choice itself wasn’t wrong—she had simply misjudged Aertel’s stance.
If Aertel held the same respect and trust for the princess as the other Holy Knights did, then her earlier words could make it seem like Cecilia was vouching for her. That would greatly reduce the danger Lita posed in Aertel’s eyes.
Lita knew she couldn’t retreat now, and she definitely couldn’t run. If she didn’t resolve the situation and convince Aertel here, the problem would only fester.
‘What a pain. I’m terrible at this kind of thing!’
The only thing Lita could rely on now was that Aertel’s entire purpose was to maintain stability.
‘Just grit your teeth and go for it.’
Lita lifted her head again, swallowing the saliva in her throat.
“Lady Aertel, you’ve already made up your mind to eliminate me, haven’t you? You just don’t have aä¸‹ä¸€æ¥ plan… no, it’s that you haven’t figured out how to handle the aftermath after getting rid of me, am I right?”
“Lita, we both know what you are.” Aertel’s voice was as steady as a rock, as if the mere fact that she stood there meant Lita had no chance to resist. “Your existence is a threat. Cecilia knew your identity yet still bestowed the Golden Blood upon you. That means the threat was introduced into the royal family by her. That alone is enough to hold both of you accountable.”
Yes, if you set aside the possibility that she had charmed Cecilia into sneaking into the Royal City, then to most people, it would look like Cecilia had colluded with the Demon Race right before the Royal Selection. That would change everything.
As for the truth, even if Lita and Cecilia told everyone, hardly anyone would believe them. After all, people wouldn’t gamble on a potential conspiracy. That was just how it was with the Demon Race.
Right, and there was this too. Since Aertel didn’t trust Cecilia, she also probably didn’t have much faith in the other princesses. That gave Lita one more thing to rely on.
Appeal to reason. Appeal to emotion.
Lita recited that twice in her mind, then spoke again, “You already know, don’t you? Getting rid of me isn’t the end of the trouble—it’s the beginning.”
Aertel didn’t answer, but the slight raise of her eyebrows was clearly an acknowledgment of Lita’s words.
Seizing the opportunity of Aertel’s silence, Lita continued, “That’s right. If I die, it might bring you a moment of peace. But how would you explain it if you killed me with your own hands? Would Lady Cecilia stay silent about it?”
Aertel still said nothing.
“Would the other nine princesses stay silent? If others… if Lady Lilia investigated and found a single anomaly, then accused Lady Cecilia—what would His Majesty do? What would others take the chance to do?”
‘Yes, that’s it. Keep talking, keep thinking. Paint a picture that’s both credible and chaotic.’
If possible, she could even use the Twin Moons, who hadn’t acknowledged her, and their master to spin this further.
“If it weren’t Lady Lilia doing this, but Lady Amelia, then what about Lady Eliya, who has been in contact with me these past few days? Or Lord Silver Fang, who trained me, and his master Lady Rosalia? Even Xingxian, who fought me in a duel—would all of them be charged with crimes?”
She had to use the worst possible scenario to shake the stability Aertel wanted to maintain. That was the only way to truly move her.
As Lita thought this, she felt Aertel’s pressure suddenly intensify. The same invisible pressure like a giant wave that she had felt before surged back over her.
Lita knew this was the critical moment. She straightened her body again, facing the overwhelming pressure from Aertel head-on.
“The reason you’ve remained silent isn’t that I’m not dangerous. It’s that the Royal Selection is imminent, and the slightest disturbance could cause an uproar. What you protect is order and stability. Perhaps you think I’m dangerous, but my death, Lady Cecilia’s loss of trust, the chain reaction from all of this—it could bring even greater chaos!”
These words had been admitted by Aertel herself. Lita was just embellishing them now, aiming to throw out a result that Aertel absolutely wouldn’t want to see.
“By then, the rift within the royal family caused by a crisis of trust—how much would that affect the entire kingdom? Even you might not be able to—”
Boom.
The overwhelming pressure, like someone squeezing her heart, and the burst of intense aura forced Lita to shut her mouth.
“Are you threatening me?”
‘I can’t back down!’
“No!” Lita spoke again, making the most standard knight’s salute she could manage. “I’m only stating a fact. From the very beginning, I was never a blade aimed at the kingdom. I exist solely to protect Lady Cecilia!”
“Heh.” Aertel laughed—whether from a hint of interest in Lita’s words or from mocking disdain was unclear. But the pressure eased slightly.
“Go on. I want to hear how you plan to defend yourself.”
‘I have a chance!’
“Alright. Lady Aertel, I will tell you everything from the moment I met Lady Cecilia…! That is precisely why Lady Cecilia chose me. Not only because I can see the full picture of the curse, but also because she trusts me. Everything that happened in Solus City was a manifestation of my genuine feelings!”
“Hmm.” Aertel nodded.
That single “hmm” made Lita lose confidence. She had said everything she could—how could it be brushed off so lightly? What did “hmm” mean?!
“Do you… not suspect that everything in Solus City was a plot I staged to infiltrate the Royal Capital?”
“No. There’s no need for Doris to conspire with you at the cost of her life just to send you to the Royal Capital. I personally searched her home. The situation inside matches what you said and what the Solus City report stated. If anything, the possibility that you two secretly planned something during that opportunity is more likely. A scheme of that level would be easy for Cecilia.”
‘This woman is no joke.’ While everyone else saw Cecilia as a decoration, she could say such things with confidence. It seemed she knew far more about everything in the Royal Capital than Lita had guessed.
“But, Lita, how can I guarantee that every word you’ve said is true? Using lies to deceive others is a trick your kind excels at. Even I could easily fall into a trap of lies.”
‘If I were actually good at deceiving people, would I be in this mess?!’
‘Damn it! This is the first time my race has put me in such a disadvantageous position!’
Lita could only grit her teeth and continue, “Lady Aertel, I swear to you that Lady Cecilia and I have no ill intentions. If I need to make an oath, I will do so in Lady Cecilia’s name, by the Golden Blood bestowed upon me—”
“Do not swear by the Golden Blood!” Aertel suddenly interrupted. “Do not defile the existence of the Golden Blood with your words.”
‘My sincerity is defilement in your mouth?’
“You are not human.”
‘As if you are!’
Aertel closed her lips and let out a soft sigh. “Fine, Lita. Whether your words are lies or not aside, I admit that forbidding you from swearing by the Golden Blood was my mistake. So answer me this: why do you serve a princess who bears a curse, has no power, and is rejected by everyone?”
Lita was still fuming from Aertel’s earlier interruption. Her repeated explanations had only earned a single “hmm.” Her oath wasn’t trusted. She didn’t know what else she could do.
Though she had managed to stay calm not long ago, if she could maintain that state, Cecilia would have long since trusted her completely.
Now, faced with Aertel’s question, the words just spilled out.
“Is it wrong for me to like Lady Cecilia?!”
Lita didn’t know why she blurted that out. It was a lie. It was anger. She couldn’t possibly fall for a “McSpicy Chicken Burger.”
“And how do you prove that?” Aertel asked.
“How else can I prove it?! Isn’t being her dog as a Succubus enough?!”
Lita was still speaking out of anger, but by now her mind had cleared up a bit. The words were already out, and she found herself bathed in Aertel’s meaningful gaze. She had no choice but to keep going.
“She knew I was of the Demon Race, yet she still willingly gave me her Golden Blood. In that moment of crisis, there might have been some urgency, but it wasn’t blind action. Lady Cecilia weighed the options and made a choice. She alone didn’t see me as just another scheming demon. She chose to trust me!”
Aertel remained silent, as if deep in thought. Her eyes, fixed on Lita, seemed to hold many expressions that Lita couldn’t read.
After a long while, Aertel slowly spoke again, “What do you like about Lady Cecilia?”
“Her face…?”
“Her face?” Aertel echoed.
“Yes, her face! It’s like a doll’s. That face is way cuter than the other princesses’. She’s adorable but always has a stern expression. It has a certain dignity, but with her small stature, it’s actually quite endearing, isn’t it?”
“And her golden hair is cute too. And her height—I don’t know if it’s because of the curse, but this height is just right. It gives you a desire to protect her without making her seem too childish.”
“Her weight too. She’s like a little animal lying on you—not heavy at all, yet with a pleasant solidity. Holding her in your arms is so comfortable!”
“Oh, and speaking of holding her, her look of grievance is also very lovable. It makes you want to comfort her properly. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have such a deep relationship with Lady Cecilia. She was willing to entrust her true heart to me, and I want to repay that sincerity.”
“And also—”
Lita had no idea why she was rambling on so much about the “McSpicy Chicken Burger’s” good points. Compared to when she was explaining the stakes to Aertel, she felt like she could go on like this for an entire day.
“Enough.”
After a long pause, Aertel let out a long sigh, cutting off Lita’s lengthy speech. Then she looked at Lita with an extremely complex expression, gazing for a while as if looking at another version of herself in a mirror.
With an expression that seemed to say “I don’t understand you lesbians,” Aertel raised her hand. “Fine. I understand you’re serious now.”
‘Serious about what?!’
Still, other than the part about liking Cecilia being a lie, everything else she had said was from the heart.
“However,” Aertel’s tone suddenly shifted again, cutting off Lita’s wandering thoughts, “I still cannot trust a member of the Demon Race. Not unless you can prove that you pose no harm to the Royal City.”