In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 4

Caelus, who had approached unnoticed, calmly wiped the bloodstained dagger on the dead king’s clothes. The suddenness of the situation caused Bellona’s face to twist with anger. She stared in shock at the king, who had died without a chance to defend himself, and then suddenly erupted at Caelus.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“He dared to speak such foul words to the Goddess of Fidentia. I suppose I should cut out that filthy tongue as well.”

Ignoring her outburst, Caelus grabbed the lifeless king’s jaw as if he intended to crush it. Although it appeared as though he was defending her, Bellona found no comfort in his actions. His tone was far too lighthearted, completely at odds with his behavior.

“Hah…”

With an irritated sigh, Bellona stood up abruptly, roughly wiping the blood from her face with her hand. A knight hurried over and handed her a cloth, which she accepted. Meanwhile, Caelus, who had been acting as though he might cut out the king’s tongue, leisurely stood up and frowned.

“It seems you were too engrossed in conversation to dodge that, weren’t you? Or perhaps…”

Suddenly leaning in close, he whispered in a low voice, “You didn’t actually consider spreading your legs for that gem, did you?”

Bellona’s eyes flashed with a murderous glare, but Caelus merely chuckled softly before turning away. “You’d better clean up. We can discuss the gem later.”

Walking away as if he owned the place, he called out loudly, “Prepare a banquet! We must toast to our victory. The wine that flows over the corpses of our enemies tastes better than a woman’s lips—shouldn’t the Imperial Knights know that?”

Caelus’s joking remark was met with uproarious laughter and whistles from the Valensis knights. His actions and words seemed no different from those of rough mercenaries, befitting a man whose life had sunk to rock bottom. Grinding her teeth, Bellona glared at his retreating back.

Just then, Ether rushed over to report in a low voice, “The bodies have been taken care of in the palace’s back garden.”

“How many died?”

“…It’s impossible to count.”

Impossible to count?

This was the highest number of casualties they had suffered in any battle.

“What about the casualties among the Valensis knights?”

“…None.”

“What?”

Bellona’s eyes widened in fury, and Ether flinched, bowing his head deeply. “A few were injured, but no knights were killed.”

“Hah!”

The rage she had barely suppressed surged within her once more.

Caelus, who knew the Kingdom of Kellicus well, had informed only his knights about the poison, preparing them accordingly. Even though her teeth ground in frustration, Bellona understood why he hadn’t bothered to warn her. The Imperial Knights were destined to face him as enemies one day. To Caelus, there was no reason to save the knights of his sworn enemy, Impes.

Though she understood this logically, it didn’t stop the flames of anger from igniting in her heart again. The sight of her dead subordinates, unable even to close their eyes, flashed before her. Bellona’s cold gaze shifted to the corpse of the King of Kellicus. Her eyes, bloodshot with rage, stared at the lifeless old king as she gave a chilling order.

“Cut off his head and burn it with our fallen comrades. It might comfort their souls.”

“Yes, Commander.”

As Bellona moved, her squire, Eshil, promptly followed behind her.

***

From a distance, Bellona watched the flames roar as the bodies burned. She reflected on the times she had shared with her comrades who were now turning to ashes. Despite this, her gaze remained dry and lifeless. The realization that she had no tears left to shed for anyone, that her emotions had withered to nothing, filled her with a sense of horror.

“You’re still a good commander.”

Caelus had approached silently and now stood beside her, watching the knights burn to ash.

After a moment of silence, Bellona finally spoke, “You must be pleased. You’ve defeated so many enemies without even lifting a finger.”

“It sounds like you blame me.”

“Blame you? The fault is mine. Who else could I blame?”

Her self-deprecating words caused Caelus to sigh deeply. He attempted to console her.

“It’s not your fault. The blame lies with the master who sent them to their deaths.”

“As their commander, it was my fault for failing to assess the enemy.”

“You didn’t have time to assess them. Your duties extend beyond just commanding the troops, don’t they?”

His pointed remark made Bellona let out a hollow laugh. “It seems you, too, wish to mock me for being the crown prince’s mistress. Go ahead, mock me all you like. After all, it’s true—”

“I meant that your duties include monitoring the imperial family’s every move. Don’t belittle yourself.”

Bellona’s face flushed with shame at his words, which silenced her. She was uncharacteristically losing her composure. The deaths of her subordinates and the resentment she felt had caused her to reveal a weakness to him once again. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before.”

“I’m the same as always.”

“The more I think about it, the more I regret it. If I were still the crown prince, you would have been mine, either as a knight or as a woman.”

Bellona, who had been ignoring the strange things Caelus had been saying since the day before, replied indifferently, “We’ll settle this tonight.”

“Hmm, you seem determined to play the loyal dog. Despite all the time we’ve spent together, you’ve grown no fondness for me. Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“Hounds have no feelings.”

Having nothing more to say, Bellona turned away coldly. Her blood-red hair, like scattered flower petals, fluttered over her silver cloak as she walked away. Caelus watched her retreating figure silently until his aide, Akon, approached.

“My lord, the knights might misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand what?”

“You seem to care too much about a hound that licks the feet of the imperial family.”

“I don’t care for her; I pity her.”

“Pity her?”

‘To avoid death, I must kill this fine swordswoman with my own hands.’

There are things one desires but cannot have. If that desire is dangerous, it’s best to remove it without hesitation. Bellona Riknis was a dangerous enemy—had she been an ally, she would have been an excellent companion. But as the sword of his enemy, she was too dangerous to keep alive.

Caelus had resolved to eliminate her today, but he found himself hesitating.

‘If I were to speak to her once more, she wouldn’t even consider—’

Bellona Riknis was too talented to be killed so easily. If she had been on his side, he could have quickly reclaimed the throne. Regret gnawed at Caelus as he clenched his jaw.

***

Back in her quarters, Bellona leaned her exhausted body against the sofa and closed her eyes for a moment. Her condition was worse than she had expected, leaving her in a foul mood.

Where is that gem?

The symbol of the Kellicus royal family.

She didn’t know what power the gem held, but without it, this victory would be meaningless.

Bellona had received two orders for this war: Impes’s command to eliminate Caelus and the Empress’s command to retrieve the gem. Having failed to secure the gem, she was sure to face reprimand. Tomorrow, she would have to search the kingdom thoroughly, even if it meant tearing it apart. However, she didn’t even know what the gem looked like.

She had thought capturing the king would be enough, but Caelus had ruined everything by killing him.

“Hah…”

Nothing was going smoothly.

“I should wash.”

The lingering scent of blood clung to her body, irritating her, but she was too tired to get up. It seemed wiser to rest her eyes, even for a short while.

No matter how skilled she was with a sword, she wasn’t confident she could face Caelus in her current state.

Fighting a man of his caliber in a life-or-death duel would be challenging enough, even without her current physical limitations.

As she tried to clear her mind, the events of the day intruded upon her thoughts.

She had been saved by the man she was supposed to kill.

Moreover, his words today had been different from usual, and they bothered her. Despite her better judgment, her heart had fluttered at his probing remarks.

She knew what was right.

Caelus, with his noble character, would have made a better emperor than the ruthless Impes. But that was not for her to decide. It was said that the emperor was chosen by the gods, yet the gods had not sided with Caelus.

And most importantly, she belonged to the Empress. She could never align herself with him.

If given the chance to choose a new master, perhaps she might have sided with Caelus.

“Damn it!”

Cursing herself for indulging in such useless thoughts, Bellona’s frustration spilled over.

At that moment, she heard the voice of the apprentice knight, Mona, from outside.

“Commander, the water for your bath is ready.”

“Alright.”

Pushing aside her errant thoughts, Bellona rose from her seat with her usual impassive expression. Rather than forcing herself to sleep, it seemed better to relax her tense body in warm water.

There was no need to overcomplicate things.

All she had to do was follow the orders given by her master and protect her siblings.

It didn’t matter who became emperor or what happened to the empire.

Having finally come to terms with that, Bellona removed her armor and set down her sword, stretching her stiff body before leaving her quarters.

By now, the darkness of night had completely enveloped the Kellicus palace, which reeked of death.