In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 2

Bellona greeted him with the decorum befitting a knight. “You’ve arrived, Your Grace.”

“You got here early.”

“We’ve only just arrived ourselves.”

Caelus, who had been staring at her with an impassive expression, glanced around before clicking his tongue in disapproval.

“You’ve brought quite the entourage. I would have thought the Goddess of the Sword could handle a few barbarians on her own.”

Bellona ignored his mocking tone, her gaze drifting to the black glove covering his hand. Despite his royalty lineage and striking appearance, the man was missing one hand. He had not only been stripped of his position as crown prince but had also lost a hand to someone’s treachery.

Yet, Caelus continued to risk his life in battle for the empire. Together, they had crushed dozens of enemy forces. He fought in every battle, giving his all. But knowing his true motives, Bellona couldn’t allow herself to grow close to Caelus.

His real goal was to prove his worth to the empire, to make himself known to the people, and to claim his rightful place by showing that even though he had been cast out, he could still bring prosperity to the empire. But this ambition posed a threat to the masters she served.

Still, his goal was nothing more than a futile dream. It was impossible, yet this man couldn’t let go of his attachment to the throne. Despite that, Bellona admired his pride.

Moreover, having fought alongside him on the battlefield, watching each other’s backs, she couldn’t deny a sense of camaraderie had formed between them.

And yet, today, she had to kill him with her own hands.

Though she had never shown mercy in battle, today, for some reason, her heart was uneasy. She averted her gaze, hiding her troubled expression from the man who looked at her with his usual confident smile.

“Scouts will move out at dawn. Until then, rest and recover from the journey.”

“Has something happened? You seem colder than usual.”

“I’ll order the tents to be set up.” Ignoring his remark, Bellona signaled to Eshil, who had been waiting nearby. She turned to return to her tent, but Caelus, dismounting from his horse, called out to her.

“Sir Bellona, I’ve heard rumors that you’re to marry Impes.”

Bellona sighed softly, her back still turned to him. Idle chatter only served to stir unnecessary emotions. She intended to leave without responding, as usual, but Caelus’s provocation rooted her in place.

“So, you’re wagging your tail at those who treat you like a dog because you want to be Empress?”

“……”

“That’s a pity. If I hadn’t been robbed of my place, you could have been mine. But at least I wouldn’t have treated you like a dog.”

Bellona slowly turned to face him, silently watching as he mocked her. Caelus had once been described as a crown prince who was upright, kind, and gentle. But now, the man before her was no different from a bitter knight, filled with venom.

He was venting his resentment toward the imperial family by mocking her, a mere hound.

If misfortune hadn’t consumed him, she might never have seen this side of him. Abandoned even by the gods, he had lost everything and now lived under the constant threat of death. Because his very existence was a threat, the current crown prince and Empress spared no effort to eliminate him.

Each time he narrowly escaped death, his once gentle nature withered away, leaving only bitterness behind.

While Bellona could understand his transformation, she found his stubbornness frustrating. If only he had abandoned his ambitions and sealed off his grand duchy, he might have saved his life.

But alas, Caelus’s unfortunate life would soon come to an end. His pride would be extinguished by the blade of the Goddess of the Sword—if she willed it.

Bellona was confident she could defeat him.

Unable to join in mocking him, she quietly turned away. Soon, she would be the culmination of the misfortune that had hounded him.

***

She didn’t sleep a wink that night. Bellona stared blankly into the darkness.

Despite the Empress and crown prince’s orders, Caelus was still an imperial family. Assassinating a member of the imperial family was a grave crime. If it became known that she was the one who killed him, her life would be forfeit, no matter how many accomplishments she had achieved.

And she didn’t want to marry Impes under the protection of the imperial family after killing Caelus. Though it might save her life for now, it would forever be a weakness they could exploit.

She knew all too well how mercilessly they would wield that weakness against her. They were already using her younger siblings as leverage to control her like a dog.

Her beloved siblings were the leash around her neck—a leash that would be the first to snap if she ever bared her fangs at the imperial family.

“Sigh…”

A sigh of frustration escaped Bellona’s lips, impossible to suppress. She felt as if she were teetering on the edge of a cliff.

What should she do?

If she sacrificed her life, there might be a way to survive. But living as nothing more than Impes’s plaything—what meaning would that hold?

Though she agonized over it all night, there was no path that spared Caelus’s life. If she disobeyed the order, her siblings would be the first to suffer.

Unable to find any answers, Bellona left the tent, hoping to clear her head. She hadn’t slept for two nights, and she needed to gather her wits.

She entered the familiar forest and squatted by the stream, preparing to wash her face when she heard a voice she least wanted to hear.

“Couldn’t sleep out of excitement, or were you plagued by troublesome thoughts?”

“……!”

“I couldn’t sleep either, too many bothersome worries on my mind.”

Bellona stood up and turned to see Caelus, smiling warmly in contrast to the previous day, standing nearby. If it weren’t for his bright yellow eyes that resembled the Emperor’s, he would have been almost invisible in the dark, blending in with his black clothes. His dark hair occasionally fluttered in the breeze, barely visible in the moonlight.

Yet his commanding presence was unmistakable. Even without saying a word, the sheer force of his aura was overwhelming.

Caelus was a strikingly handsome man, with a completely different aura from Impes. While Impes, who resembled the beautiful Empress Violentia, had delicate features, Caelus had inherited the Emperor’s strong, imposing build.

As befitted members of the imperial family, both men possessed such captivating looks that they were unforgettable at first sight.

But Bellona’s gaze remained calm. To her, Impes was merely a master she served, and Caelus was nothing more than a deposed crown prince with a tragic fate.

Yet, having seen Caelus’s skill up close, she couldn’t help but admire him as a knight. It was an instinct she couldn’t suppress—her heart raced at the sight of a talented warrior.

But whether by choice or circumstance, she had no intention of showing mercy to a man who had become her enemy. Nor did she have any desire to offer him kindness.

As Bellona remained silent, Caelus, observing her, let out a small laugh and turned away. It seemed he had gone for a walk due to insomnia and had run into her by chance.

But before he could leave, Bellona stopped him. “What are you doing wandering around without your sword?”

Caelus paused, still facing away from her, before responding, “Aside from the Goddess of the Sword, nothing can lay a hand on me. You know that better than anyone.”

“And have you forgotten that the Goddess of the Sword is a dog to those who seek your life?”

Her blunt words made him finally turn around. He tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips as if he found her comment unexpected.

“Even if you’re a dog, would you really turn on an ally with a war on the horizon? There is such a thing as chivalry.”

“I prioritize my master’s orders over chivalry.”

At her straightforward declaration of war, Caelus’s gaze grew cold. They stood still, neither moving an inch, but both were acutely aware of the other’s strength, and tension crackled between them.

Another silence fell, but this time, the atmosphere between them was charged with tension, as if they might clash at any moment.

Caelus eventually broke the tension with a relaxed smile. “Let’s save our duel for after this hunt. That way, you’ll have a valid reason to challenge me. If you strike from behind, you’ll become a regicide, and I doubt you naively believe they’ll protect you to the end, do you?”

“……!”

“Even if you are a dog, I know you’re not a foolish person, so until our duel, I’ll trust you to watch my back.”

Leaving her with those words, Caelus turned away again, walking off with a confident stride, showing no signs of caution.

Bellona remained rooted in place, watching his retreating figure.

Regicide. The justification for such an act.

There was no reason to refuse the consideration he had given her.

And she was confident. Confident she could defeat him and gain glory.

With a cold gaze, Bellona watched him until he became a small dot in the distance.

The worries that had plagued her all night suddenly cleared away.