In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 45

Bellona slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust her blurred vision, and turned her gaze to the window. Surprised by the bright morning outside, she quickly sat up, only to wince in pain.

“Ugh!”

Her lower body ached, sore from the night’s exertion. Her body, crushed under his weight, felt as if it had been battered.

Looking to the side, she noticed that Caelus was gone. She stared blankly at the empty space beside her, a quiet sigh escaping her red lips.

In a way, it was a relief. Facing him in this state would have been even more embarrassing.

“Hah…”

Looking at her bare body, she let out another sigh. He had kept his word. He had said he would make her cry all night, and indeed, she had spent the night sobbing in his arms like an animal until dawn.

Not only because of the overwhelming pleasure she couldn’t control, or the comfort of his warm embrace, but perhaps also because of the tenderness she had never felt while living as Impes’ mistress.

Though his words had been harsh, his touch was undeniably gentle. His hands, which caressed her body, and the way he looked at her, had been filled with nothing but caution and regret.

Still, what had she done?

There were knights nearby, and her siblings too, yet she had given in to such reckless behavior.

It was pathetic. While obeying commands had become second nature to her, she could have refused him at that moment.

If she had rejected him, Caelus might have pretended to be frustrated but would have accepted it in the end.

Knowing this, she hadn’t even tried to stop him. Foolish pride and meaningless defiance had led her to this.

Her face, twisted with self-loathing, suddenly shifted to worry.

Surely no one heard us.

Though she had tried to hold back, there had been moments when his fierce movements had caused her to let out sounds beyond her control. She feared someone might have overheard them.

Ignoring her discomfort, she jumped up and rushed to the bathroom.

She had to return to her room before her siblings woke up. She couldn’t bear the thought of being caught by the knights, but more than that, she couldn’t let her siblings see her like this.

As Bellona finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, she froze in place. Caelus was standing by the window.

Startled, she quickly rushed to the bed and covered herself with the blanket. She frantically looked around for her clothes, only to find the man had turned around, staring at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“What are you looking for?”

“Ah… My, my clothes…”

“I threw them away.”

“Sorry?”

Her eyes widened in shock at his unexpected answer. Caelus, watching her intently, suddenly let out a light laugh and approached her.

Her appearance—wrapped in a thick blanket, blinking nervously—was so unlike her usual self that it amused him.

Suppressing his laughter, he narrowed his eyes and said something absurd.

“Isn’t this cheating?”

“…Sorry?”

“If even that look is seductive, what am I supposed to do?”

His words, as smooth as butter, made her frown.

Gradually, the same mischievous glint she had seen in his golden eyes the night before returned. Worried that her bare skin might be visible, Bellona clutched the blanket even tighter, hiding herself more securely.

Because of this, her small face seemed to float in the air, making her appear even more vulnerable.

Caelus, whose lips had been twitching, suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter, so genuine that it brought tears to his eyes, left her feeling both incredulous and irritated.

“Where are my clothes?”

“Hah… I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this.”

Still unable to fully erase the smile from his face, he walked toward the window and retrieved a package that hadn’t been there before, offering it to her.

“What’s this?”

“Clothes. Your clothes were completely soaked yesterday, so I had no choice but to throw them away and buy new ones.”

“I could have just dried them…”

She had wondered where he had gone so early in the morning. It seemed he had gone out to buy her new clothes. The unexpected thoughtfulness softened the annoyance she had felt a moment ago.

Now that she thought about it, he was also dressed differently from the night before.

Having only ever seen him in either his uniform or armor, his casual attire felt strangely unfamiliar.

Yet, even so, his natural elegance shone through, a testament to his noble lineage.

As she lowered her gaze, she cautiously peeked inside the package. Just then, his concerned voice came from above her head.

“How’s your body? Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“You’d say you were fine even if you weren’t, wouldn’t you?”

His voice, which had grown stern again, sounded like a scolding. When she looked up, he let out a short sigh and turned back toward the window.

“Hurry up and get dressed. I won’t look.”

Bellona stared at his back for a moment, then quickly regained her senses and hurriedly began dressing.

The pants were a bit tight, but it was far better than wearing her soaked clothes.

More than anything, she needed to go downstairs before her siblings woke up. While they tended to sleep late, the real problem was Esil.

What excuse could she possibly give her?

“Why did you let him live?”

The sudden question made her freeze as she was buttoning her vest.

Her mind, which had gone momentarily blank, quickly recalled the man he was referring to.

Caelus must have heard about Ether by now, considering he had been at the imperial palace at the time.

Bellona calmly fastened the last of her buttons and answered without hesitation, “He was once my comrade.”

“That’s why you so cleanly cut off his arm—an arm that belonged to a knight.”

Something about the cold tone of his voice suddenly triggered a forgotten memory.

The image of Caelus, who lost his arm in an assassination attempt by the imperial family and always wore a glove to cover it, flashed in her mind.

For a moment, her heart raced.

Does he remember that time?

She quickly dismissed the absurd thought.

‘How could Caelus know about that?’

Swallowing her amusement at the ridiculous notion, Bellona finished buttoning her vest and straightened her posture.

“I’m dressed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going.”

Caelus turned around slowly, his expression unreadable as he stared at her. The childish grin that had once been on his face was long gone, replaced by a cold, serious look that caused her expression to harden as well.

“You should have killed him.”

“……!”

Why was he saying this?

His expression almost looked as if he were upset that she had cut off Ether’s arm.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“I’m asking why you left the risk alive.”

Her wide eyes narrowed slightly at the words, realizing that his concern seemed to be for her.

“If you have something you wish to say to me, please speak plainly. My inadequate mind is having trouble understanding Your Highness’s meaning.”

Caelus, who had been staring at her intently with his hands in his pockets, slowly approached.

Looking down at her with a haughty expression, he suddenly bent over until their eyes met.

“In the future, just kill them. If anyone like that comes for you, kill them without hesitation. Leave no room for mercy.”

“……!”

“Are you afraid to take a life?”

Not in the slightest.

Before her regression, her hands had been so drenched in blood that there were few days when she wasn’t taking lives.

“I’m not afraid.”

“Then from now on, just kill them. Don’t make the mistake of sparing anyone out of half-hearted sympathy, or knocking them out with the flat of your blade and trying to recruit them as subordinates.”

“……!”

“You never know who will stab you in the back the moment you turn away.”

His cold, ruthless, and yet sharply logical words left Bellona speechless.

No matter what her reasons had been for sparing Ether and bringing the other knights along, Caelus’s words were undeniably true.

Using an enemy to hatch a plan was like wielding a double-edged sword. If that plan went awry, the sword would surely turn on her.

Knowing this, she had still let Ether live, intending to use him as bait to slowly tighten the noose around the necks of the imperial family, even at the risk of her own safety.

Swallowing a sigh, she lowered her head. “I will keep that in mind.”

“Good. Now let’s go eat.”

“I need to check on my siblings—”

“They’re not here. They’ve all gone out to explore the City of Abundance.”

“Sorry?”

Bellona’s expression instantly froze. Her green eyes filled with unease as Caelus quickly reassured her.

“The knights are with them, so there’s no need to worry—”

“Where are they?”

“I told you, the knights are with them.”

“I asked where they are. I need to go and see for myself.”

Seeing her unusually protective demeanor when it came to her siblings, Caelus recalled what Akon had once reported to him.

“She has two younger siblings, and it seems the youngest is in poor health. The Empress even arranged for treatment at the imperial palace. That’s likely why she’s so loyal, to the point of earning the reputation of being a ‘loyal hound.'”

A different light flickered in his eyes as another memory flashed through his mind.

“If I do well in today’s education, will I be allowed to see my siblings tomorrow?”

‘Education?’

“Your Highness!”

“…They’re in District 1 of the square. You’ll find them there.”

“I’ll be back shortly.”

Without a glance back, she hurried out of the room, leaving Caelus’s expression to turn cold.

The Empress arranged for treatment for a mere knight’s siblings? That Violentia?

His golden eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity. It hadn’t seemed important in the past, but now things were different. Bellona had died too, which meant her siblings likely hadn’t survived either.

And then there was that word—education. What kind of education had she endured? Did it mean she couldn’t see her siblings unless she did well in them?

Back then, he had been too distracted to question it, dismissing the word “education” as nothing more than knight training. But upon deeper reflection, it didn’t seem so simple.

As Caelus carefully pieced his thoughts together, a strange light crossed his eyes, followed by a sigh of realization.

“Ah… So, your goal was revenge all along, wasn’t it?”