In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 35

Bellona left the palace and hurried to her quarters. Caelus’s sudden orders had left her pressed for time.

As she opened the door, Eshil, who had apparently been waiting for a while, jumped up with a worried expression.

“Sir Knight! Where on earth have you been? I’ve been so worried! And your hand—what happened to it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing…”

Eshil’s eyes widened as she looked at Bellona’s bandaged hand with concern.

“Oh! The Order is in an uproar because of you.”

Bellona ignored most of Eshil’s excited chatter and hastily packed a few essential items into her bag.

“What happened with the Order?”

“They said the Crown Prince and the Prince visited this morning, and now the entire Order is in chaos. They were even holding your hand—”

“Eshil.”

Eshil, in the middle of eagerly recounting the events, suddenly fell silent at Bellona’s firm tone.

Bellona gave her a serious look and ordered, “Pack your things.”

“What…?”

“Only the essentials. I’ll buy the rest when we get there.”

“Are… are you really planning to leave the palace?”

Bellona hadn’t been able to explain everything to Eshil when Caelus arrived earlier, and there was no time to go into details now either. But it didn’t matter; even if Eshil refused, Bellona had already decided to take her by force if necessary. Now that Mona and Ether had shown their true colors, there was no way she would leave Eshil behind.

“I’ll explain on the way. For now, don’t ask questions—just do as I say.”

“Sir Knight, what about your siblings…”

At the mention of her siblings, Bellona’s eyes flashed sharply. “Hurry. Once you’re ready, go straight to the children. I’ll meet you there tomorrow.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Eshil’s eyes gleamed with determination as she nodded. Bellona felt a deep appreciation for her unwavering loyalty, and with a soft smile, she tousled Eshil’s hair affectionately.

“I’ll make sure you’re happy.”

“You have to take responsibility for me for life!”

“Of course.”

Though Eshil responded playfully, her face flushed red, and she beamed with a bashful smile.

“On your way, tell Net to come to me.”

“Net?”

“Yeah.”

Eshil nodded and hurried out, but just before she left, she paused as if she had remembered something. “Oh, Sir Knight! Mona’s gone missing.”

“…Really?”

“She hasn’t been back to her quarters for days, and Sir Ether has been frantically searching for her.”

“I see. Alright, hurry up. And remember, no one can know we’re moving.”

“Oh… right.”

Eshil looked puzzled by Bellona’s calm reaction but quickly left the room.

After pretending to be busy for a moment, Bellona let out a sigh and sat down on the bed. Mona would be locked up in the prison until Caelus left the palace. If Mona rejected her proposal tonight, she would leave as a corpse.

Bellona hadn’t informed Caelus of the final order she’d given Mona. If Caelus, who detested being entangled with the imperial family, found out, he might kill Mona on the spot.

A strange suspicion crossed her mind. In the past, Caelus hadn’t been so averse to getting involved with the imperial family. Why was he so vehemently against it this time?

And where had his usual cold, calculating demeanor gone? The man she knew in this life often displayed emotional outbursts, and that had ruined her plans to seduce Impes more than once.

He even showed a possessiveness and obsession she hadn’t seen in the past. It was likely that these unnecessary tensions would become a problem as they moved forward.

“Ha, maybe it’s because he’s still young.”

Shaking her head, Bellona was about to rise when she heard a voice outside the door.

“Sir Bellona, it’s Net.”

Net.

The thought of facing him made her chest ache. His gruesome death in the past was still fresh in her mind.

Net had been one of the few knights who had followed her loyally, even when the others had dismissed her. Back when he was just an apprentice, he had always looked up to her with admiration in his eyes.

On the day he became a full-fledged knight, he had been so overwhelmed with emotion when she pinned the insignia to his cloak that he had cried. He was a man of a gentle nature, someone she could trust completely. Though, if he ever betrayed her, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

Still, Bellona had decided to take Net with her this time. She didn’t want to see him die a pointless death again. With all the wars that lay ahead, she wanted to keep him close and protect him.

Bellona quickly composed herself and called out in her usual, emotionless tone, “Come in.”

Net entered swiftly and saluted her with the formality expected of a knight.

“You called for me, Sir Bellona.”

Bellona hesitated, unsure of how to begin, but then quickly abandoned her thoughts. She could offer him a chance to change his fate, but the choice was ultimately his. This wasn’t something she could persuade him to do.

“I’m leaving the palace tomorrow. I want you to come with me.”

“…What?” Net blinked, completely taken aback by the sudden request.

Bellona frowned, unsure of how else to explain. She wasn’t used to persuading others—giving orders was more her style. The only words she could think of sounded like commands.

Net, watching her, seemed confused as to whether he had heard correctly and asked, “You’re leaving the palace tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“And you want me to come with you?”

“Yes.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you if you agree to come. I can’t say more now.”

Bellona knew she was being unfairly vague, but she couldn’t risk telling him more. If he refused, the situation could turn against Caelus, and she didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to spread rumors about her stealing a knight from another order.

Net pursed his lips and tilted his head in thought, his red, curly hair bouncing as he did so. Bellona suddenly remembered that this had been his habit in the past. Whenever he was deep in thought, he would tilt his head and pout like that.

Seeing this, Bellona realized he was seriously considering her offer. Unable to bear the suspense, she blurted out the same words she had told Eshil. “I’ll make you happy.”

“…What?”

“You won’t regret it.”

She had spoken with sincere intention, but embarrassment soon flooded her, and her cheeks flushed red.

Net blinked rapidly, seemingly stunned by her words, and then his lips twitched into a smile. He suddenly knelt down and responded in a booming voice, “I’ll follow you! So please make sure you keep that promise!”

“Ha…”

Bellona sighed, feeling both relieved and mortified at the same time.

“Go get ready. Follow Eshil, and we’ll meet tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

“And remember, move discreetly. No one can know.”

Net’s expression turned serious, and he nodded firmly, understanding the weight behind her words.

Once Net had left, an overwhelming sense of fatigue washed over Bellona. She collapsed onto her bed, gazing around the familiar yet distant room.

Leaving the palace felt strange. She remembered the day she had entered the palace with ambitions of rising to the top as a knight. Back then, she had been so bright and innocent.

Of course, there had been many moments when she wanted to give up from exhaustion and frustration. But looking back, those days as an ordinary knight had been the happiest times of her life.

In the end, her foolish greed and blind arrogance had turned this place into a prison of her own making.

A bitter smile tugged at Bellona’s lips as she lay there, recalling her past. She couldn’t afford to forget. If she ever found herself tempted by comfort and luxury, she couldn’t allow herself to let go of her revenge.

Knowing all too well how fragile the human heart was, she continuously replayed the memories of her darkest days, ensuring she never lost sight of her goal.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she was about to drift into sleep when an unwelcome voice interrupted.

“Bellona!”

At the rude tone, Bellona’s eyes sharpened. She rose slowly, running her hand through her tousled hair before opening the door.

Ether stood there, furious, his eyes scanning her room.

“What is it?”

“Have you seen Mona?”

“Why are you looking for her here?”

Feigning innocence, Bellona’s calm response only fueled Ether’s suspicion. He shoved past her, storming into the room, glaring around as he searched.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Mona’s missing! She disappeared after she met with you!”

Bellona stared at Ether as he shouted, then suddenly let out a mocking laugh. “Did she run away? Perhaps you pushed her too far, and she couldn’t take it anymore.”

“What?! Just because I’ve been lenient, now you don’t know your place, huh?”

Ether’s eyes blazed with anger, but Bellona turned her back on him and walked toward her desk. She picked up the sword that rested beside it, not the practice sword she usually carried, but her real, sharpened blade.

“You—! Are you trying to fight me?”

Bellona, now facing him again, calmly inspected the gleaming edge of her sword before fixing her cold gaze on Ether.

“Shall we?”