COARV Chapter 13

Kallis's voice barely registered.

Because... from his hand—gripping mine far longer than necessary—I felt a strange power. Similar to the divine energy flowing through my own body, yet wrong. Like facing the same pole of a magnet. That peculiar, visceral discomfort.

Now that I thought about it, how was Kallis even alive?

At the wedding hall, I'd known with absolute certainty I was dying. The Grand Temple had taught that a Stern and her covenant partner met the same end.

Looking back, those words must have meant the tragedy at the wedding hall. If I'd sensed death approaching, then Kallis had stepped to the threshold himself.

Lesche Berke saved me, true. But he'd saved only me.

Kallis should have died for failing to honor his vow. Or at minimum, suffered grievous injury.

Yet no matter how I looked at him, Kallis was far less damaged than I was. His external wounds were minimal.

Which meant...

"...Kallis."

The realization came slowly.

The place, the time. Everything already arranged. Kallis had been a covenant partner meant to share divine power with a Stern, and in this territory existed another Stern besides me. A Stern who was a saint descended by God's will—who could arbitrarily omit the holy water and priests absolutely required for a wedding ceremony.

"Did you... marry Lina?"

"......"

Before marrying me, Kallis had undergone the covenant ceremony overseen by the Grand Temple.

A preparatory ritual for a Stern's wedding. He'd immersed both hands in specially prepared holy water, completing the rite that prepared him to become a Stern's husband.

The covenant ceremony was rather like ritual purification. It marked readiness for marriage, but didn't immediately bind him to his partner.

True binding came at the wedding itself.

Which was how Lesche could perform an abbreviated covenant ceremony and marry me immediately.

Which meant...

Kallis, who'd already undergone the covenant ceremony, could theoretically marry any Stern. No one considered this possibility—Sterns were rare enough that perhaps one or two existed on the entire continent.

But Lina was a Stern.

"So you chose to marry Lina... and survived. Far more intact than I did."

"......"

I didn't know what expression I wore while looking at Kallis. Only that my body trembled with rising betrayal. Surely that showed on my face.

"I was coughing blood, nearly dead, and never once thought of anyone but you."

"......"

"But you already held a temporary marriage with Lina to survive."

What had I been waiting for? What pathetic thing had I waited for, alone?

I dragged both hands slowly down my face. The pressure against fragile, exhausted flesh. White flashing behind my eyelids. Darkness following. Then Kallis's wavering pupils, suddenly sharp and clear.

"Seria."

"I regret the time I spent loving you, Kallis."

Shock spread across Kallis's face. He spoke in pleading tones.

"Seria, be angry with me all you want. But my marriage was temporary, and you married the Grand Duke temporarily too. Am I wrong?"

"So?"

"Let's divorce. Both of us divorce and remarry. I'll prepare the most magnificent wedding ceremony. We can start over from the beginning. We have time..."

"Time?"

I stared at Kallis's trembling pupils.

"You think time is enough?"

What use was time now?

"I've lost my feelings for you. You think time fixes that?"

"Seria!"

I wrenched my hand from Kallis's grip—still holding me tightly—and left the bedroom in slippers and bare feet.

Behavior I'd never normally permit. Seria was a villainous wild child, yes, but a perfect noble lady. I hadn't wanted to change all at once and invite suspicion.

But maintaining that facade felt utterly pointless now.

I'd nearly died despite living virtuously. For what? Why had I been so careful?

"Seria!"

Kallis chased after me and grabbed my wrist. His grip was too strong to break.

"Let go!"

The knights still standing by the door with grave expressions immediately seized both Kallis's arms, restraining him.

Captured in an instant, Kallis shouted in fury.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't you know who I am? Release me at once!"

"Our apologies, Marquess."

"Forgive us."

Arms held fast, Kallis stared at me. I didn't spare my former fiancé a glance, walking—nearly running—down the corridor.

The corridor was rather cold. Clutching my shawl, I walked the long hallway alone and sighed.

If the wedding had proceeded as planned, what would I be doing now?

I'd be busy.

Frantically preparing to attend the reception for the nobles who'd witnessed the ceremony. All of that had dissolved into chaos by now.

Even if I somehow ended up marrying Lesche at the ceremony, the reception was genuinely being held in mine and Kallis's names.

Would Lesche attend a reception prominently listing Kallis's name instead of his own?

Setting aside how absurd that was, would Lesche Berke's personality even tolerate it? Having thought this far, I could formulate my next plan.

Lesche Berke saved me for a reason. I'd ask him that reason and decide what came next.

Original plot be damned.

I didn't know anymore. Had one near-death experience stripped away all my fear?

First...

I couldn't meet Lesche looking like this. Currently I wore indoor slippers, a white nightgown, and had barely managed to throw a shawl over it all.

Besides, my arm was starting to hurt. Rolling up the long nightgown sleeve revealed blood seeping through the bandage, brighter red than before.

The bleeding won't stop.

Pain crashed over me belatedly. I grimaced. Kallis's intrusion had made me forget. To return to my bedroom and put on the simple dress the maids had laid out before going to the main castle, I needed to go back.

But Kallis would obviously be camped outside my bedroom door waiting. Right now, I didn't want to face him. The betrayal I felt toward Kallis was enormous.

Should I go in through the window?

The only way to reach my bedroom without encountering Kallis was climbing through the window. While considering this, I looked out the corridor windows.

As always, frost covered the glass.

The window approach is better.

I'd just decided this and started walking when I came face-to-face with a familiar person.

"Huh, my lady!"

Chief Aide Linon. His eyes went wide at my attire before he cried out in dismay.

"Do you think this is the warm south? The central plains' winter is brutally harsh..."

Linon hurriedly moved to remove his outer coat for me, then hesitated. Literally froze mid-motion before opening his mouth uncertainly.

"My lady? I'm actually quite frail constitution-wise, you see... When I catch cold, half of Berke operations grind to a halt..."

"Who asked you to undress?"

"But if you catch cold, that becomes my problem too. Ah, ah, ah!"

...What a peculiar person.

In the original novel, Linon was described multiple times as extraordinary talent. He'd graduated as valedictorian from Altair Academy—notoriously difficult to enter and even harder to graduate from.

Was Lesche Berke truly exceptional for employing such talent as his aide?

"First, Lady Seria? Please return and properly dress yourself. Then we'll go to the main castle together. His Grace's work should be finished right about now."

"Did His Grace summon me?"

"No?"

"Then why?"

Linon asked with deceptively innocent eyes.

"Don't you have much to discuss with His Grace?"

"I thought you were a mind reader. Let's go."

"I hear that often."

Linon smiled broadly while following me.

Can't exactly climb through windows with the Grand Duke's chief aide in tow.

And I absolutely refused to show weakness to Linon—we weren't remotely close. Admitting I was uncomfortable facing Kallis or whatever else.

I hoped Kallis had left my bedroom door...

"Seria!"

Of course not.

Kallis still waited outside my bedroom. Standing with arms crossed and rigid expression, his gaze passed over me to Linon walking beside me. Kallis's face went abruptly cold.

"What business do you have here?"

Linon looked puzzled.

"What business? Escorting a lady is a gentleman's duty, is it not?"

"That's settled then. I'll escort her the rest of the way."

"Goodness. Marquess, forgive me but that won't do."

"Why not?"

"We live in a world where partners are stolen at balls and knife fights break out over it. I can hardly engage in knife fights with Your Lordship...?"

"......"

Understanding Linon's meaning, Kallis's expression hardened.

Linon wasn't a knight. Which meant he couldn't duel as equals with Kallis, who'd received knight investiture. Instead, a knight from Linon's organization would need to issue the challenge on his behalf—and Linon currently belonged to Berke.

A Berke knight fighting the Haneton Marquess lacked appropriate standing. Given the Gleick Empire's long-standing social customs, when family heads were considered equals of rank...

It developed into the remarkable leap that Lesche Berke would need to duel Kallis on Linon's behalf.

Wasn't that demonic talent? Linon's gift for making illogical arguments sound reasonable. Still, if Kallis possessed any aristocratic sense, he should back down at this point...

"If that's the condition for escorting Seria, I'll gladly accept."

"Marquess...? Are you serious?"

"Do I look like someone who'd worry about a duel right now?"

Poorly concealed anxiety threaded through Kallis's voice. Definitely directed at me. Indeed, Kallis kept glancing my way.

Not even remotely funny.

I decided to pretend he was a stranger.

"Wait here, Linon."

"Seri..."

"I'll change clothes and return."

Only then did Kallis flinch back. Linon bowed his head.

"As you command, my lady."

I entered without looking back, pulling the bell cord to summon the maids.

I quickly dressed in the comfortable indoor gown they'd laid out earlier, wrapped myself in a cloak, then seriously considered exiting through the window again. Ultimately accounting for my injured arm, I simply opened the door and walked out.

"Seria, let's walk together. We need to talk."

As if he'd been waiting, Kallis blocked my path.