STVWDTD Chapter 12

You're High-Maintenance, You Know That?

"Noel. You're not hurt, are you?"

Noel shook his head silently in response. His gray hair tickled her cheek.

Noel clung tightly to Diana's neck, burying his face. Diana patted the child's small back as she walked.

Noel's condition had been off since they'd found Felice.

The child wouldn't explain why his body had shrunk.

When she'd asked if there was a spell to clean clothes, he'd only said he couldn't use magic for a while.

Honestly, she hadn't been counting on the kid's magic. This world had magic, so even if the child's body shrank, as long as he was healthy, she tried not to question it.

Noel's mood had stayed low, so she'd taken him aside to the waterside to ask, and—

'Don't abandon me!'

Oh god. He'd burst into heartbroken tears. The anxiety he'd been bottling up—that she might abandon him—had exploded.

She couldn't blame him. She'd been indifferent to the illegitimate child until now, and with them heading home, his situation remained undecided.

'You're my little brother. We're going home together.'

Why would I abandon you? Once she'd soothed him, the child finally stopped crying.

Noel had clung to Diana's embrace with tear-filled eyes.

He hadn't left her arms for a single moment since.

First Rodrick's separation anxiety, now one more case added.

"Sister-in-law."

Fine sky-blue hair popped into view. When their eyes met, Felice smiled as brightly as sunlight. The lost earring dangled from his ear.

"Should I carry him?"

"No, I'm fine."

At her words, Noel burrowed in harder. Felice smiled and walked beside her without leaving her side.

"Because he's the baby of the family? You two get along well."

"You and Rodrick seem close too, Felice."

"Haha, right? It's my one-sided crush, though. I love my brother more."

At those words, Rodrick's body visibly stiffened ahead of them.

The knights with keen senses rubbed their goosebumped arms at Felice's comment. A playful knight even fake-gagged. Ugh.

"The child is so cute. Maybe I should ask Father to have another one."

'Is he sane?'

She'd heard the duchess had passed away when the Schwartz brothers were young. That meant either bringing in a new mother or adopting from outside. The family would never allow it.

Plus, didn't you just say you were scared of your father?

"No! Sister-in-law having a nephew would be faster! Right, Sister-in-law?"

Hey. Sub-male lead. I haven't even proposed to your brother yet. Isn't thinking about children premature?

"Ahaha. I suppose so?"

But unable to explain the situation, Diana had to play along with Felice's tune.

"Wow, how beautiful would a child born from a fairy be? My brother's handsome too. If they took after both of you, they'd be the best on the continent!"

Felice Schwartz, the missing person. The search party that had come for him was completing their mission and returning.

"Rather than such distant future talk, I'd like to hear about the Young Master."

They'd come in deep—even getting out of the forest wasn't easy.

"I didn't get to hear why the Young Master entered this place."

The path was rough, and monsters kept appearing to slow them down.

Each time, Rodrick took the lead. Every time he got drenched in blood alone, her heart ached.

"So you're saying you were floating face-down in the water because of paralysis poison?"

"That's what I said, Sister-in-law. I really thought I was going to die. If I'd been face-down a little longer, I would've run out of air and crossed over."

Once Felice got started, he stuck by Diana's side, rattling off every detail of his adventure without pause.

"How fortunate that I ran into you. Ah, I didn't interrupt an intimate moment between you and my brother, did I?"

"Of course not."

Diana hid her expression with a smile, organizing her thoughts.

To summarize the story so far: the sub-male lead had run away from home to break his brother's curse. Though he insisted it was going out, not running away.

He'd seen characters related to curses in an old book at home and had impulsively come to the Black Forest—also called the Forest of Fiends—a demon realm.

Noel had said this forest was poison to cursed people, but from that bright expression, he didn't seem to know?

"So did you gain anything?"

"Of course! I found magic stones in this bag and some stone tablets with ancient writing. I'm planning to research them when I get home. I brought tons from the labyrinth. I'll use these to find a way to break my brother's curse."

Felice lifted the bag enchanted with lightening magic, speaking proudly.

Diana's brow furrowed as she looked at the bag.

An ominous aura. Bright red magical power was wafting off it. Why am I only seeing this now?

It looked dangerous. Like something she should throw away immediately.

"Mister."

"Hm? Me?"

Noel, who'd been burying his face in Diana's neck, jerked his head up. His red eyes gleamed strangely.

"Mister."

At the title he'd never heard before, Felice froze mid-smile.

"Um, Sister-in-law is 'sister,' so why am I 'mister'?"

"Because you're mister's brother. Mister."

Noel cleanly ignored Felice's protest, pointing at the bag with his plump sausage-like finger.

"That thing—"

"Everyone scatter!"

The attack was sudden. A burning stone fell like a meteor, and the knights dispersed.

Diana tried to move while holding Noel, but Felice was faster.

He scooped up both Noel and Diana in his arms and leaped high. In an instant, Felice landed on a tree branch and exhaled.

Despite the child and her combined weight being considerable, Felice stood lightly.

The knights had teased him about being weak, so she'd really thought he had no strength—surprising.

As expected of the sub-male lead. The future duke would become as much a war maniac as his brother.

Feeling her gaze, Felice glanced at the battlefield, then looked down and grinned.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, you can put me down now."

"Nah, you're light. Even if it's uncomfortable, please bear with it a bit. My brother will finish up soon."

As Felice said, Rodrick was single-handedly taking down the crocodile-like monster.

As she tracked Rodrick's movements with her eyes— Noel, held in her arms, urgently reached out.

"Mister, the bag!"

Was the bag exposed to the burning stones? The half-burnt bag dropped to the ground with a thud.

At the same time, everything inside spilled out.

Thump—

The stone tablet inscribed with ancient writing tangled with magic stones, beginning to emit an ominous magical power.

Her heart throbbed uneasily.

This wasn't the curse that had been medicine for her. It was something fundamentally different.

The stone tablet and chunk of magic stones that had fallen to the ground glowed red. The aura was ominous enough to poison someone with a curse.

She felt it instinctively. Rodrick's in danger. This will affect Rodrick.

"Put me down."

"No, wait a moment, Sister-in-law."

"Move."

Before she got an answer, Diana handed off Noel and jumped down from the tree. She landed safely and quickly shifted her gaze to Rodrick.

"Rodrick!"

Sure enough, the ominous aura that had been seeking prey instantly engulfed Rodrick.

His breathing grew rough, escaping thickly between his teeth.

Madness. His eyes filled with red insanity as he lost himself to slaughter. Losing his reason, he growled like a beast.

"Everyone, formation!"

The knights straightened their drawn swords. Rodrick stood at the tips of their blades.

The explosively released killing intent froze the knights' bodies.

This time, they'd have to fight for their lives. With that resolve, the knights swallowed dryly.

No one dared step forward easily under that piercing gaze that looked ready to tear everything apart.

"My lord."

Daren approached Diana, who'd come closer, sweating coldly with a meaningful look.

"Please retreat, Lady."

Rodrick stared at her with bloodshot eyes. He'd spotted the weakest prey.

"How long can you hold out?"

Hold out. As Diana said, blocking was all they could manage. Even if it meant wounding their lord, they had to stop him.

So he wouldn't consume his own flesh. So he wouldn't self-destruct. Their lives were secondary.

"We won't last even a few minutes. Three at most."

"Good. One exchange. Just block him for one exchange before I get close."

"What do you mean—!"

Rodrick reacted to Diana's movement. The knights rushed him simultaneously.

Sword met sword with flying sparks. Even while losing his reason, Rodrick's swordsmanship was excellent.

Facing six swords alone, he crushed them with technique and strength.

The knights barely holding off his attacks couldn't land a single wound on Rodrick. Instead, the knights were being shredded.

Every second counted.

Diana quickly shed her heavy outer robe. She needed to make herself as light as possible.

Hah. Her entire body was pounding so hard her head spun. Stripping off the robe, she gripped the dagger she carried and ran toward Rodrick.

"Sir Daren!"

One exchange. At her shout, the six attacked simultaneously. Losing patience, Rodrick exploded with sword energy, slamming them in all directions.

In that split second as they flew back, she raised one hand high while protecting her neck with the dagger.

CRACK—!

A sound loud enough to make listeners' ears ring echoed throughout the forest.

The force was tremendous enough to turn Rodrick's head.

Everyone stared at Diana, frozen.

Pink eyes quickly checked the sword aimed at her throat. Fortunately, she'd blocked with the short blade—it hadn't gone deep.

While Rodrick's movement stopped, she quickly knocked his sword away, then pulled him close and slammed their lips together.

No—she bit his lip.

The taste of blood. At the direct taste of blood, the existing madness faltered and quieted.

She sucked in the curse greedily through the slightly parted lips.

"Haa—"

The rampaging curse thrashed inside her mouth.

At the sensation tearing through her mouth, Rodrick stiffened. He dropped his sword and leaned his body into her.

Had the boiling slaughter transformed into lust?

The long kiss that continued grew increasingly thick in intensity.

She kept drawing in the curse as much as she could. The foreign curse seemed to flow back, unable to be absorbed into her body.

"Lady...?"

His consciousness returning, his eyelids trembled. At the scattered voice between his lips, she released him slightly.

"Hah. Hah."

Diana smiled weakly at the blue eyes focusing clearly. Words tumbled out without passing through her brain.

"Hah. You know what?"

Nosebleed trickled down.

"You're really high-maintenance. You know that?"

She wiped the hot liquid flowing down with the back of her hand, brow furrowing.

"Ah."

"Lady?"

"It hurts."

She fell backward.