In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 12

Caelus’s brow furrowed sharply, a sign that his resolve had not yet fully solidified. “Do you not value your life?”

“I do. That’s why I’m carefully considering whom to serve as my master.”

“Your master is His Majesty. Are you not aware of that?”

Bellona remained silent, the coldness in his voice making her momentarily hold her tongue. A sense of frustration swelled within her. It was pitiful to see Caelus still placing all his trust in the powerless Emperor, blind to the dangers looming ahead. But it wasn’t as if she could lay out the entire truth before him.

“There’s one thing you’re mistaken about,” he continued.

“……”

“You have no right to choose your master. It is the master who keeps the dog, not the dog who chooses the master.”

A frigid tension settled between them. Realizing it was too soon to gauge his true intentions, Bellona decided to take a step back.

“What is it you wish to ask of me?”

“Join the Imperial Guard.”

“Is that an order?”

“I believe I said it was a request.”

Just as she was about to respond, another unwelcome visitor interrupted.

“Sir Bellona Riknis, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence.”

Despite the attendant sent by Impes, the two of them continued to stare at each other in silence. His presence seemed even more intense, more ferocious than it had moments ago.

Bellona finally bowed her head with careful deliberation. “You’ve made a request, so please allow me some time to consider it. For now, I’ll take my leave.”

With a calm demeanor, Bellona departed the room, her eyes growing cold as she followed the attendant.

***

Standing before the familiar door, Bellona bit the inside of her cheek to steady her nerves.

As she stood outside Impes’s office, a place she had frequented more often than her own home, memories of her past self, full of naiveté, flooded her mind. She remembered how her heart had fluttered with excitement the first time she stood here, feeling as though the entire world was at her feet. She had lived in the delusion that she had everything, blind to the fact that her life was about to spiral into ruin.

Suddenly, a question crossed her mind. When had he decided to use and discard her? Was it from the moment he extended his hand during the vice-commander’s trial? Or perhaps…

“Your Highness, Sir Bellona Riknis has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

As the door opened, the familiar surroundings caught her eye, reminiscent of the last time she had visited his office before her death. The only difference was the man inside.

He still hadn’t shown his true colors. He appeared every bit the beautiful, noble crown prince.

“Welcome,” he said, his tone lighter than before, causing her to stifle a laugh.

It seemed he had tried to mimic Caelus’s manner but found it impossible to maintain the lofty bearing of a crown prince to the end. After all, a man who couldn’t shed his nature until the very end wouldn’t change in just a few days.

“You called for me.”

Standing at a distance, Bellona asked about his purpose, to which Impes tilted his head slightly, a faint smile on his lips. Placing his pen aside, he propped his chin on his hand, his gaze traveling over her. She could now recognize the lascivious glint in his eyes that had escaped her notice in her youth.

“You look quite beautiful from here.”

“……”

“You’re skilled too. Truly, a desirable talent.”

“Thank you.”

Bellona responded with a blank expression, unmoved by his empty flattery. She was no longer the naive girl who would have been swayed by such words.

“Come here.”

A shiver ran down her spine. He always spoke to her in that tone, as if calling for a favored pet. Even on the morning of her final battle.

Forcing her feet to move, Bellona approached him, standing stiffly as she stared into the distance.

“How stiff, like a proper knight.”

“……!”

Her unblinking eyes, as lifeless as a wax figure, flickered for the first time. Hearing him repeat those words from the past made her heart pound heavily. Long-repressed emotions surged to the surface—anger, shame, making her head spin.

As if finding amusement in her reaction, he chuckled softly. “Your face has turned red.”

“…I apologize,” she muttered, turning her head slightly.

Impes rose from his seat and deliberately stood before her, leaning in close. Bellona remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the air.

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m pleased. I rather enjoy seeing you react to me like this.”

She was bewildered. His behavior was different from what she remembered, and it left her confused. Impes was not the type of man to pay attention to a mere knight. He only kept the best by his side, enjoying the attention it brought him. He had only begun to take an inappropriate interest in her after she became the commander of the knights.

So why was he so interested in her now, when she was just an ordinary knight?

“Have you thought about what I said earlier?” he asked.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been focused on the trials…”

“Ah, yes. You made it to the final round, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“See, my judgment was not wrong.”

His eyes crinkled with a satisfaction that she found sickening. That insincere smile, which had once ensnared her into a hellish nightmare, now only served to stabilize her racing heart.

Though five years had passed, to Bellona, it was as if those events had only occurred days ago. The memories and emotions from that time were still vivid, to the point that she had to consciously suppress the murderous intent that rose within her whenever she saw him.

The brief flicker of emotion within her settled back into cold composure. Whether or not he had changed, what did it matter? How trivial it was to be shaken by such a thing. Even if he apologized now, there would be no forgiveness.

Bellona reverted to her emotionless state, like a wax figure devoid of life.

“You’re sure to become the vice-commander. Who knows, you might even become the Empire’s first female commander.”

“……”

Seeing her unresponsive, Impes chuckled again. He tapped his cheek thoughtfully, then, as if struck by a sudden idea, his face lit up with a bright smile.

“Fine, just become the vice-commander. I’ll ensure your future is secure.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Even with the dagger concealed within her question, Impes, drunk on his own power, continued, “Once you’re the vice-commander, I’ll appoint you as my personal guard. If you carry out your duties well, I might even promote you to the commander at my discretion.”

“And if I fail to become vice-commander, what happens to me then? Will you cast me aside?”

Her loaded question momentarily froze Impes’s expression. He soon let out a laugh, his eyes once again roving over her body with that lecherous gaze.

“Such a waste.”

“What would be wasted? My sword, or…”

“Or?” he asked, intrigued, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Or my loyalty to you?”

His eyes, which had been soft moments before, narrowed in displeasure. Changing his expression as if he had made up his mind, he stared at her with serious intent.

“You seem ambitious, sharp-minded, and, most of all, you have the guts not to cower before me. I like that.”

“……”

“Of course, what I like most is your sword.”

Suddenly, his pale hand grasped a handful of her red hair.

“I’m tempted by other things as well, but I’m not such trash that I would do anything indecent to my own subordinates.”

Indecent? Trash?

It seemed he knew himself well. Yet his vile nature remained unchanged.

Suppressing the urge to laugh, Bellona maintained her stoic expression.

“I don’t know the extent of your ambitions, but whatever they are, I have the power to make them come true. So, give it your all. Climb to a position no one can challenge.”

Until I want to claim you as mine.

His final words were whispered as if sharing a secret, before he pushed himself off the desk. Returning to his seat with a calm demeanor, he spoke with a newfound gravity.

“Show me your resolve tomorrow. If you do, I will be pleased to respond.”

Indeed, Impes had not changed. He dangled sweet bait before a mere knight, making it impossible to refuse, while hiding a cruel trap behind the mask of a benevolent lord. It was his way of taming a stray dog with no master.

The man who had once sought her permission at the training ground was no longer there. The situation had changed, and now he demanded she fly to him, lured by the promise of a grand future.

So she would do just that. She would make sure his filthy gaze and twisted heart were directed entirely at her. And this time, she would ensure he could never discard her.

In this life, it won’t be me who’s cast aside, Impes—it will be you.

Loosening the tight grip on her fist, Bellona offered a loyal knight’s bow before exiting the office. She was looking forward to tomorrow. The mere thought of seeing Impes’s reaction filled her with anticipation.