In This Life, I Will Be Your Dog - Chapter 6

As she watched the man slowly collapse, Bellona’s mind seemed to go numb, unable to process what was happening. How could this be? The blade had merely grazed his clothes.

And then, a terrifying thought struck her.

No, it can’t be!

Bellona’s eyes fixed on the blade she held, and she rushed over to the fallen man. Struggling to support his massive frame, she called out to him urgently.

“Your Grace!”

“Cough! I never expected… the blade to be poisoned as well…”

“T-that’s—”

“Just like its master… A treacherous… bastard…”

As his faint breath grew weaker, Bellona looked down at the man in her arms, her expression cold and hardened. Even if she tried to explain that it wasn’t her doing, it wouldn’t change anything.

Even if it wasn’t her intention, she had planned to take his life anyway.

“Ha… I guess I should… claim the price for your life…”

“……!”

“Protect His Majesty… as a knight… Cough!”

Another gush of dark red blood spilled from his mouth.

“Your Grace!”

“Protect the Empire… His Majesty… And… my clothes, in the pocket…”

His arm fell lifelessly as he spoke his final words.

He was dead.

Caelus Perekinon de Fidentia was finally dead.

But there was no joy in it. Far from feeling triumphant, for the first time since she became a knight commander, tears welled up in Bellona’s eyes.

It wasn’t guilt or sorrow that brought those tears.

It was pure rage.

Rage at whoever had dared to poison her sword, and an uncontrollable fury toward the one who had orchestrated this without trusting her.

***

That night, Bellona rode like a madwoman and arrived at the imperial palace at dawn. She headed straight for Empress Violentia’s chambers. She had first sought out the crown prince, only to learn he was with the empress.

Her face was a mask of exhaustion after riding nonstop through the night, on top of three days of battle and a duel with an extraordinary man. It was no wonder she looked so disheveled.

But what made her face even more a mess was the tension pulling her nerves taut, as if they were about to snap.

She couldn’t understand it. Why was she so furious when the man she had intended to kill was dead?

Reaching the empress’s chambers with hurried steps, Bellona took a moment to catch her breath and conceal her emotions. She needed to know who had ordered this and who had carried it out.

“You’ve arrived already, Sir Bellona?”

“Announce me.”

The maid, usually composed, flinched at Bellona’s unusually harsh tone and quickly withdrew to announce her presence.

“Your Majesty, Sir Bellona has arrived.”

“Let her in.”

The crown prince’s nonchalant voice suddenly brought to mind the image of Caelus coughing up blood as he died. Gritting her teeth, Bellona suppressed the rage that threatened to rise again and entered the chamber.

“You’re here sooner than I expected.”

“I greet Your Majesty, the Empress. I have returned, Your Highness.”

Though her face remained as obedient as ever, her green eyes were dark and turbulent, as if they held the blood of the man who had died the previous night.

“You’ve done well. From the looks of you, it must have been quite the battle.”

The empress’s voice, far gentler than usual, suggested she knew all too well whose blood was staining Bellona’s armor.

Could it be that the empress had acted on her own?

“How did it go?”

The crown prince’s blunt question made Bellona bite the inside of her cheek, but she forced herself to respond calmly.

“The task you commanded has been carried out.”

“I knew it! I expected nothing less.”

The bright smiles of the mother and son, as if all was right with the world, made Bellona’s chest tighten. For the first time, she felt a deep sense of self-loathing for the sword she had wielded.

“What did you do with his body?”

“…I left it at the palace.”

“What? You should have disposed of it without a trace! How foolish!”

“……”

“A smart woman like you, doing something so unlike you.”

As the crown prince raised his voice in anger, the empress’s displeased tone followed. “And did you bring me what I asked for?”

“That, I have not yet—”

The empress gave her a disdainful look.

There was a moment of silence before Empress Violentia, seemingly having made up her mind, issued an order, “Kill all the knights of the Grand Duchy. Let it be known that they died in fierce combat.”

“Your Majesty, must we—”

The empress’s cold eyes narrowed dangerously as Bellona began to object. “Why are you barking so much today? Did I ask for your opinion?”

“…I apologize.” Bellona bowed her head, her eyes burning with rage.

“Crown Prince.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You take care of things there. It seems this child needs to be re-educated.”

The empress’s icy tone made Bellona’s hands tremble involuntarily—a reflex born from years of being trained as a hound.

“Mother, please calm your anger. The campaign was quite difficult, and it seems Bellona is a bit out of sorts. I’ll handle the rest.”

With Impes’s soothing words, the empress relented, albeit begrudgingly. “Hmm, hurry it up. And make sure Caelus’s body is burned where no one will ever find it.”

“Don’t worry. Mother, you should rest easy—”

“You may leave now.”

Suddenly, the empress cut off Impes and waved her hand dismissively. Though something felt off, Bellona obediently bowed her head and left the room.

She hadn’t walked far when the crown prince’s attendant caught up to her, relaying his master’s message. “He asks that you wait in your chambers. Prepare yourself and be patient.”

Prepare myself.

Bellona tilted her head back, letting out a sigh of frustration. She knew all too well what those words meant.

She trudged back to her quarters, stripping off her armor, which was soaked with sweat and blood, and stepped into the shower, letting the water pour over her.

No matter how much she washed, the scent of his blood seemed to linger, as if it were etched into her very being. She couldn’t forget those bright yellow eyes that had dimmed as they looked at her in his final moments.

Who could it have been?

Who had dared to handle her sword and coat it with poison without her permission?

The only person who had unrestricted access to her quarters was her squire, Eshil. But it couldn’t have been her. Eshil was too gentle a soul, unable to kill even a beast, let alone a person.

So who was it? Who?

Then, suddenly, something Impes had said came back to her.

“Mother, you should rest easy.”

And the empress, Violentia, who had hastily cut him off.

No!

Bellona’s eyes widened in shock.

If the empress was ruthless enough in her ambitions, she might very well be capable of assassinating the emperor himself.

Caelus’s desperate plea to protect His Majesty echoed in her ears. Did that mean Caelus had known that the emperor’s life was in danger?

Doubt began to creep into her mind as she pieced together the events.

Now that Caelus was gone, there was nothing standing in the way of Impes becoming emperor. And yet, her sharp instincts warned her that the emperor might still be in danger.

I need to check the situation at the imperial palace.

Bellona hurriedly finished her shower, dressed, and habitually secured her sword at her waist.

She was just about to leave with a determined look on her face when she suddenly stopped, remembering something important. Quickly, she rummaged through the clothes she had discarded earlier and found the gem.

What is this?

The gem, with its mysterious hue, had been taken from Caelus’s body after his death.

Why had he given it to me? Had he entrusted it to me to deliver to His Majesty?

She didn’t know what the gem was, but considering he had given it to her as he lay dying, it was undoubtedly important.

She noticed a spot of red on the gem, likely stained with Caelus’s blood.

It felt like a relic he had left behind, so Bellona didn’t bother to wipe it clean. She decided to keep the gem with her until she understood its significance.

Having collected herself, Bellona hurriedly left her quarters.

She moved cautiously, scanning her surroundings, and made her way toward the imperial palace, skirting the garden and taking a roundabout route to avoid the crown prince’s residence.

An unusual look of anxiety was etched on her face as she quickened her pace, her palms sweaty with tension.

She needed to return before the crown prince arrived. Even so, she felt compelled to confirm the situation at the imperial palace with her own eyes.

Moving swiftly to avoid drawing attention, Bellona carefully observed the imperial palace from a distance.

Everything seemed normal on the surface.

Am I being too paranoid?

Just then, she noticed the chamberlain leading someone into the imperial palace.

The woman following behind him looked strangely familiar. Squinting, Bellona tried to get a better look at the woman, and her face paled in shock.

Why is she here?

Her subordinate, who should have been at the Kellicus palace, was now entering the imperial palace dressed in a maid’s uniform instead of her knight’s armor. And in her hands was a tray with a medicine bowl.

It was definitely Mona.

What’s going on?

It was a suspicious sight, no matter how one looked at it.

At that moment, something she had forgotten came rushing back to her. Last night, it was Mona who had called her for her bath.

Normally, it would have been Eshil who came to fetch her. But because Mona had been in her service for a long time, Bellona had thought nothing of it and left her quarters without hesitation.

Without her sword.

No…