In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 36

As Bellona slowly approached, Ether, who had initially advanced toward her threateningly, began to retreat, step by step.

“P-put that away!”

“I’m always ready for a duel. But you should be careful. I’ve been practicing cutting down enemies with a single strike lately.”

“Bellona! Ugh!” Ether gasped as the tip of her sword stopped just before piercing his throat. The cold steel brushed against his skin, and his eyes widened in terror.

“Ether.”

Though she didn’t use any honorifics, her tone was so menacing that Ether was left trembling, unable to speak.

With her bandaged hand tightening around the sword hilt, it seemed as if she might slice through his neck at any moment. Ether let out a soft groan as he instinctively tilted his head back to avoid the blade.

Then, Bellona spoke again, her voice as sharp and deadly as the sword she wielded. “This is the last time I’ll tolerate your insolence. Don’t test my patience again.”

I’ll rip you apart soon enough anyway.

Swallowing the rest of her thought, she pulled back her sword and motioned toward the door with her head. “If you understand, you should leave now, Sir Ether.”

Finally able to breathe, Ether glared at her with a furious expression before fleeing the room without looking back.

“Hah…”

Bellona closed her eyes tightly, struggling to suppress the overwhelming urge to slice his throat. The frustration of holding back had made her bite the inside of her cheek until it bled.

Clicking her tongue in frustration, she glared at the door through which Ether had just left. Perhaps Caelus was right—leaving the palace soon would be for the best. She couldn’t guarantee when her patience would run out and lead her to dance with the sword again.

She glanced at the half-packed luggage and began to move once more. Even so, the lingering anger within her refused to subside, so she thought of what she would do once she reached the Grand Duchy.

When she arrived in Camirus, she planned to spend a few days with her siblings and enjoy the freedom to wield her sword as much as she wanted. She looked forward to training with Caelus again, just like before, and witnessing the training of the Valensis knights with her own eyes.

Now that things had come to this, she wanted to be of help to Caelus and the Valensis knights. Thinking about heading to the Grand Duchy, a place she had once dreamed of, filled her with excitement, and a faint smile finally appeared on her face.

***

Caelus, who had come early in the morning, frowned when he saw Bellona’s haggard face.

“Did you not sleep?”

“I did.”

Bellona pressed her heavy eyelids tight, unwilling to admit that she had slept less than three hours after returning late from visiting Mona.

His gaze, filled with suspicion, lingered on her for a while before he turned to look at her luggage. “Is that all you’re bringing?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s more convenient to travel light.”

Nodding, Caelus suddenly pulled out a pouch and handed it to her. Bellona stared at him and the pouch alternately, her face questioning what this was. Without waiting for her to accept it, he grabbed her hand, placing the pouch in it, speaking kindly.

“It’s a long journey. Stay at good places and get enough sleep. Don’t skip your meals. And switch to a better carriage as well.”

Bellona glanced at the heavy pouch of money before casually tucking it inside her clothes. Her unexpectedly compliant reaction almost made him laugh. A woman who seemed indifferent to everything certainly didn’t mind money, it seemed.

Struggling to keep a straight face, Caelus smirked. “If you need more, tell me directly. Don’t go taking it from random knights.”

“I planned on paying it back.”

Her shameless response made him chuckle again. Then, something crossed his mind, and he asked without hesitation, “What did you do with the money you got from Akon?”

“I found a place for my siblings to stay.”

“I told you to ask Akon for help.”

“I asked for help—with money.”

Her straightforward answer left him narrowing his sharp eyes.

‘Did she not trust me?’

“I should be going now. As I mentioned, please take care of Mona.”

“It will take about ten days to reach the Grand Duchy. If you feel lonely on the way, you can stop and wait in the Kingdom of Michelan.”

He awkwardly cleared his throat and looked away. Bellona, as usual, bowed her head without a change in her expression.

“Take care. I’ll be waiting at the Grand Duchy.”

He hadn’t expected her to smile or say anything warm, but her cold and distant attitude annoyed him nonetheless.

“Then, I’ll see you soon.”

As Bellona calmly turned to leave, Caelus, frowning at her unshaken demeanor, suddenly grabbed her wrist. Her green eyes widened in mild surprise as she looked at him, waiting for an explanation. Suppressing the urge to capture those red lips, Caelus pulled out the sword at his waist and held it out to her.

“Take it.”

“Pardon? But this is your sword—”

“There are plenty of bandits on the road. If you, my wife, try to fight them with that worn-out sword and get captured, I’d be in trouble, wouldn’t I?”

His casual use of the word “wife” sent a shiver down her spine. This time, she couldn’t hide her fluster as her face reddened. Caelus, hiding a smile, fastened the sword around her waist.

Bellona gently touched the sword, which was far better than the one she had used in the past, and spoke quietly, “I’ll keep it safe and return it to you.”

“I didn’t give it to you to keep it safe. I gave it to protect yourself.”

“I understand.”

Sending her off like this made him uneasy. He had assigned five skilled knights to accompany her, but still, something felt off. Once, he would have laughed at the thought of worrying about her.

The Goddess of the Sword back then had swept through dozens of enemies on her own like a storm. But the woman in front of him wasn’t that same Goddess. She was still skilled, of course, but nowhere near as strong as she used to be.

“Can I leave now?”

Irritated by her indifferent tone, Caelus turned and left her room first. Even as he crossed the training grounds and headed toward the back of the palace, he kept his mouth tightly shut, sulking. Bellona, following quietly behind him, paid no attention to his bad mood, instead focusing on the sword he had given her, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

It wasn’t every day you got to hold such a fine blade.

Lost in thought, Bellona didn’t notice when Caelus stopped in his tracks and ended up bumping into his chest.

“You seem to be enjoying the thought of being apart from me.”

“Apologies, I was just looking at the sword.”

“Hah…”

Caelus sighed in annoyance, glaring at her. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Was he the only one fretting over this?

“Do you not feel that I’m concerned about you?”

“What… concern?”

“Ugh, never mind.”

Spinning around abruptly, Caelus strode toward the horse waiting by the rear gate of the palace. Bellona, watching the way his red cloak billowed behind him, couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Anyone could tell how he felt. His emotions were so transparent that they practically radiated from him. He blushed, got angry, and smiled whenever he saw her. She could feel his heart so clearly that it was almost visible.

Sometimes his feelings were overwhelming, but at the same time, she found herself wanting to provoke them further. She wanted him to fall so deeply for her that nothing else mattered, to the point where he would grant her every wish.

“Bellona Riknis, you really are wicked.”

Suppressing a bitter smile, Bellona hurried to catch up with Caelus. He was stroking the horse’s mane, his expression indifferent as she approached. It seemed he was still sulking.

“When you leave the palace, the knights will be waiting. Once you meet up with them, depart the empire immediately.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gripping the reins tightly, he gestured for her to mount the horse. But just as Bellona was about to put her foot in the stirrup, she suddenly turned back toward him and, without warning, kissed him on the cheek.

Caelus’s eyes widened in shock, as if his soul had left his body. It was only a kiss on the cheek, but he couldn’t move, as if he’d been paralyzed.

“I’ll be waiting. Please hurry, Your Highness.”

With her usual indifferent expression, Bellona mounted the horse and swiftly turned its head, riding off before Caelus had the chance to recover. He stood there, watching her red hair flutter in the wind, dumbfounded. Then, realizing what had happened, he cursed under his breath.

“Damn it!”

She got him again. In the brief moment he let his guard down, that venomous woman had once more spread her deadly poison into his heart and fled.

Rage surged inside him. Why had he stood there like an idiot at that moment? He should have retaliated, showing that insolent woman exactly what happens when one dares to provoke him. He should have made it unmistakably clear.

Now, he regretted not seizing her lips in his charade of playing the dignified prince. Grinding his teeth, he swore he’d teach her a lesson on their wedding night. Yet, despite his resolve, he found himself staring endlessly at the spot where her red hair had disappeared into the distance.

The fiery intensity in his eyes gradually dimmed, replaced by an inexplicable worry. It seemed he would need to bring forward the departure date.

Turning swiftly, he quickened his steps.