“Why did you order the porter to be struck?”

“His gaze kept lingering on me. It was unpleasant, and he wasn’t even properly listening to the Hero's words. When I saw that the Hero was uncomfortable, I instructed them to take action.”

“That porter is the Hero's reverse scale. What woman wouldn’t fall for a man who saved her life, risking his own? The reason she loses her temper every time she sees me is because she wants to make a good impression on him. And you had the audacity to order an assault on such a person right in front of the Hero!”

Linasien suddenly felt unfamiliar with the man raising his voice at her.

He had always been composed and unflappable, but now he seemed anxious.

This alone made her realize that even a shield knight is just a human.

Unable to suppress her rising emotions at being disregarded by Reinpolt, Linasien retorted sharply.

“What does a mere porter matter?”

“Mere porter? No matter his role, he is still a member of the Hero's Party!”

“I’ve never heard of a porter being part of a Hero's Party!”

“What…?”

“I said, I’ve never heard of it! Not once!”

It was only then that Reinpolt recalled how the porter had always disappeared when the party stayed at the imperial palace or a city, only to rejoin them naturally when they were about to depart.

Just as Linasien said, he had never shown his face in public.

The Hero's Party had never mentioned him or sought him out in front of others.

Suddenly, Reinpolt realized that no one except the Hero's Party had been surprised to see the porter being beaten. This was an unfortunate coincidence born of arrogance.

Even Reinpolt himself, certain of the Hero's death, had only reported that a limbless Lucy had fallen off a cliff.

If the demonic sword had witnessed this scene, it would have been shocked.

At the very beginning of the Hero's Party, Arsil had once questioned the Crown Princess about assigning the porter as a civilian.

It had been a minor incident two years ago, but it clearly showed how authoritarian and self-absorbed the Crown Princess was, as well as how Reinpolt, who had failed to properly inform her of the porter's existence, was of a similar nature.

“A mere porter was ogling the Crown Princess and ignoring the Hero's speech, and you expect me to just stand by?”

“Please!”

Reinpolt interrupted the Crown Princess, shouting.

Seeing Linasien’s startled eyes, he tried his best to regain his composure.

“Please speak with more dignity. It’s not fitting for the Crown Princess to use such common language.”

“Are you suggesting that such trivial expressions tarnish my nobility? I am Linasien Carlune!”

Reinpolt’s face grew stern.

How dare a woman raise her voice to a knight?

But as a seasoned politician, he put on the mask of a smile and gently reasoned with her.

“Because you are noble, you must perfectly master the art of surviving in a world full of those who seek to undermine you.”

“…”

“I apologize. The unexpected presence of a Hero before the grand council has made me overly sensitive.”

Linasien, who had been seething, took a deep breath and lifted her chin as the shield knight apologized.

“If you are to be my future husband, you must conduct yourself accordingly.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

His temples throbbed, but Reinpolt bowed his head.

After all, he was still her subject.

Satisfied that she had made her point, Linasien softened her tone.

“There is much to discuss, but let’s calm down first. We’ll talk later.”

“You are absolutely right. I shall take my leave. Have a good night.”

“Wait.”

As he turned to leave, she grabbed his arm and gently stroked it with her fingers, as if to convey that despite her anger, her affection remained.

Reinpolt, sensing her feminine gesture, let his heart soften.

After kissing the Crown Princess’s forehead, the two parted, gazing at each other as they did.

Observing the scene from the corner, Tigria quietly took notes in her notebook.

“Even in a relationship where there is genuine love, there is a tendency to establish a hierarchy. This can lead to conflicts, but also leaves room for reconciliation.”

After pondering for a moment, she added one more sentence.

“Is this really true love?”

Lin had a headache.

Not a figurative one, but an actual pain from being struck.

This was a problem.

His cheekbone, which was beginning to swell, throbbed, but Lin left it alone, lost in thought.

Enemies surrounded him, and even though Lucy was strong, there was a limit to how much she could protect him from multiple foes.

What should he do?

As he sighed, Lucy reacted.

“Lin, what’s wrong?”

They had just finished arguing over whether he needed treatment, and now Lucy was resting in his arms, trying to calm down.

She, too, was lost in thought.

‘I’m not helping at all.’

Although things were gradually improving, there was still a long way to go.

Earlier, she hadn’t imagined they would dare strike Lin so blatantly.

The more she tried, the more her body stiffened, and she let her guard down at critical moments.

She was frustrated and felt pathetic.

“It’s nothing. I just feel a bit stifled.”

“Is it because I’m sticking so close? Should I move away?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that this grand place doesn’t seem to suit me.”

Feeling awkward in such a spacious room, he didn’t seem to mind that a beauty like Lucy was clinging to him.

He made a sarcastic remark, but Lucy had been so clingy that Lin had nearly given up resisting.

“Is this your first time in a place like this?”

Although he had stayed in a private room at the Protect family’s mansion, he had been unconscious due to his injuries, so it didn’t really count.

“I’ve always stayed in places like this whenever we were in a city or the imperial palace.”

“Well… I always stayed separately.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Separately…?”

Sensing Lucy’s unease, Lin smiled slightly to reassure her.

“A porter has to gather information or purchase necessary supplies to prepare for the next journey. If I stayed in the palace or castle, it would have been too restrictive. So, I’d find a suitable time to stay at an inn and move about freely.”

Half of it was by choice, half by circumstance, but Lin hid the truth.

Thanks to this, he was able to accomplish many things.

For example, disposing of items obtained from defeating monsters to fund Naidrian’s research or sending letters.

Since it wasn’t exactly a lie, Lucy didn’t catch on.

Bang bang bang

Someone knocked on the door.

Very roughly.

Bang bang bang bang!

They tried to ignore it, but the knocking continued relentlessly.

“Ugh, who on earth is it?”

Annoyed at having their private time interrupted, Lucy trudged to the door.

She flung it open.

“…”

And then quickly shut it again.

Her heart pounded.

What was this? Why was that person here?

Why now, of all times?

Confused, wondering if she had seen wrong, she heard a cold voice from outside.

“Open it.”

Lucy flinched. After taking several deep breaths, she cautiously opened the door.

“Hello there.”

The person slipped inside with ease, moving with a childlike innocence that made Lin smile.

“I’ve been waiting for a man like you.”

“Actually, I’ve also… Ahhhhhhh?!”

She screamed as she saw Lin’s swollen cheek, cutting off the nostalgic code she had been reciting.

“What on earth happened to you?!”

Lin waved it off nonchalantly.

“Hello, Ravin.”

Ravin the Thief, ruler of Valtercroix, was here in Kaulan, the imperial capital, in the palace itself.

Her ponytail had grown back in the meantime.

“I must have been crazy to leave Lin in your care.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Even the headstrong Lucy was like a mouse before Ravin, the one rival she truly acknowledged, an unbeatable competitor.

She hadn’t mentioned it, but Lin’s necklace contained a small pouch with a lock of Ravin’s hair.

Perhaps, amidst all the misfortune, the reason Lin had remained unharmed was because of Ravin’s heartfelt wish imbued in that lock of hair. Lucy found it depressing but couldn’t deny it.

“I’m glad I came as soon as I heard the news after arriving. I can’t believe you left his injury untreated.”

Ravin looked at Lin in a panic, disinfecting the wound and applying gauze with the tools she had brought.

Lin, whose swelling had been severe, relaxed as the treatment ended and immediately fell asleep.

On Ravin’s lap.

It was a spot Lucy desperately desired, but she was too busy kneeling beside Ravin, getting scolded.

“I thought you swore you’d never let him get hurt?”

“Ugh…”

“Don’t cry. Do you think I’m Lin? Do you think I’ll go easy on you if you shed tears?”

“No…”

“Now tell me everything that’s happened.”

Lucy explained everything, from the incident in the Zuramon Archipelago to their arrival at the imperial palace.

“I thought I could protect him by staying close. I thought I could block every attack…”

“You should have considered all the possibilities. Your arrogance is excessive. You needed to go beyond vigilance to the level of prevention.”

Ravin kept her voice low, not wanting to wake Lin, who had finally fallen asleep.

Although Ravin didn’t know it, Lin’s body had forcibly entered a deep sleep as it recovered from the demonic energy's encroachment.

“I acknowledge your effort, but I clearly told you that you had to do it well. Effort without results is worthless.”

“What should I do? I want to do well, but I don’t know how. It feels like I’m in the dark. I want to protect Lin, but I keep getting tricked and outmaneuvered by our enemies. Please, teach me. I know you hate me, but think of me as a tool for protecting Lin and please teach me how.”

In some ways, Ravin was the person Lucy trusted most after Lin.

Lucy lived for Lin, and Ravin was a girl who loved Lin, so their understanding aligned.

“Lin kept looking at the Crown Princess?”

“He wasn’t paying attention to anything else, just staring at her.”

“Sigh…”

Was it lingering feelings or hatred?

Lin had said he no longer liked Linasien.

His dry, unhesitant answer had seemed sincere, but who knew what it was like when he actually faced her?

‘We will use everything. The Demon King, the Hero’s Party. To protect him, to save him.’

The words of the person who had sent her here kept echoing in her mind.

“Trust no one but Lin. Not me, not even yourself. You must be willing to become a disposable tool for Lin’s sake.”

She swallowed hard.

Her throat felt dry.

“Lin, that boy, and all of us are indebted to him.”

She couldn’t decide if it was right to reveal this.

“Let me tell you an old story.”

[You’d better listen. It’s very, very important. It’s related to the first and last regret.]

Suddenly, the pleasure-seeking demonic sword whispered, following Ravin.

Lucy had a bad feeling about this old story.

“It's a story about Lin, me, Arsil, and Linasien, the Crown Princess.”

But it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“You have no choice. Listen. And you must become a sword for Lin.”

Calmly, but with weight, Ravin began to recount the past.

Back to when they were young.

Back to the days when the Filthy Alley still existed.

Back to when they were innocent children in that dirty alley.