TPOTLPIM Chapter 25

While Teros waited with a racing heart for Cecilia's response, Cecilia heard the strains of a minuet melody drifting through the crack of the closed door. Right about now, inside the banquet hall, men and women would be gathered together, dancing delicate minuets. That melody stirred memories of dancing with Dmitri on the night of the eve ball. The bitter feelings she had while dancing with Dmitri, the regrets about days past, came rising up.

The feelings from that time weren't lingering attachment, but rather a kind of realization.

Those who do nothing can obtain nothing, regardless of the size of their heart.

Cecilia decided to cast aside her attitude of postponing decisions. A proper conversation with Teros was necessary. She was still bewildered about whether she was doing well, but she clenched her fists tight and looked squarely into Teros's eyes.

"Th-the incident yesterday wasn't unpleasant."

Eyes asking 'Really?' gazed at her. She seemed too embarrassed to answer about her feelings regarding yesterday's events, so she simply blushed without saying anything.

But even that reaction was enough to relieve Teros. It was like a lifeline being lowered to him as he was about to fall off a cliff. After the relief came expectation, and his heart began to beat anew with different meaning.

"It was good, honestly."

Oh my. When an answer he hadn't even expected came back, Teros felt as if his feet were floating in mid-air. The ecstasy from yesterday's events hadn't been his emotion alone. The corners of his mouth naturally lifted and a foolish smile began to flow out without him realizing it. If the members of the Red Knights saw this, they would be shocked.

Teros struggled to suppress the urge to pull her close and embrace her tightly. He couldn't mess things up again without having fully confirmed her feelings.

He stood there as if his feet were rooted to the spot, gazing at Cecilia. Like a loyal dog silently protecting her, he waited for her next words.

Perhaps not expecting Teros to remain frozen like that, her face turned bright red.

"I said it was good, didn't I? Yes, I like it. I'm saying I like it! Oh, really."

Cecilia seemed flustered and began fanning herself with her hand.

As soon as those words ended, as if permission had been granted, Teros pulled Cecilia into his arms.

He felt a fullness that filled his heart completely. An emotion beyond simple satisfaction. It was a feeling he'd never experienced before.

He felt Cecilia's small hands, not knowing where to go, fumbling as they slowly wrapped around his back in return.

It felt ticklish, like being tickled with a feather.

Teros carefully stroked her soft blonde hair that he had always wanted to feel.

"I like you too, Cecilia."

He expressed his heart in response to hers, but instead, he felt Cecilia in his arms stiffen and freeze.

Cecilia loosened the arms that had embraced him and gently pushed against his shoulders to escape from his embrace.

"That's exactly it. The reason I've been hesitating all this time. Even hearing you say you like me, I don't feel reassured and only feel anxious. Your Lordship's feelings are due to the love potion, aren't they."

He had nothing to say about this part. Could he confidently say that this emotion he'd never felt before wasn't because of the love potion?

"Ah, I don't want to blame you. It's all because of me, isn't it? But I'm confused about whether I should accept those feelings as genuine. I'm also worried about what will happen when you wake up from the potion."

Teros racked his brain about how he could resolve her concerns. Though everything had been clear to him, he didn't know what to say about this part.

He took both of Cecilia's hands in his.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just let me stay with you."

His words were withdrawing everything that had existed between the two of them. The relationship between the two that had been maintained through the coercion of marriage demands was overturned in an instant.

"Is it alright to postpone the marriage? If the love potion's effects disappear while we're newlyweds, I think I'll be far too heartbroken."

Teros nodded his head vigorously. Marriage was nothing more than a means to be together in the first place. Meeting Cecilia, he had without realizing it let go of so very many greedy desires. If not a wife, then a lover; if even that was rejected, then a friend. By whatever name, as long as she would remain by his side, that would be sufficient. He even felt apologetic thinking that she had suffered in hesitation all this time because of this matter.

What brought him a little joy in the midst of all this was that she wasn't saying she wouldn't marry, but had proposed postponing it.

"Let's do that. No matter when we marry, I'll promise you one thing. Even if I awaken from the love potion, I will strive to become a good husband."

Though of course that wouldn't satisfy you. Cecilia didn't seem to want the dry married life that ordinary nobles experienced. He could clearly tell that love was important in her idea of marriage's requirements. If she only looked at his wealth and power, there would be no reason for her to refuse his proposal.

Since feelings of love couldn't be forced, Teros couldn't promise to love her forever. That would be nothing more than an empty promise made while intoxicated by emotions caused by the love potion.

After thinking, he decided to step back even further for her, who was anxious.

"No, just be with me. Even if I wake up from the love potion, I will marry you, but if the stupid me at that time doesn't meet your approval and you reject me, I'll accept it."

At his desperate gaze, Cecilia thought for a moment.

If the choice about marriage that he had continuously emphasized was truly in Cecilia's hands, couldn't they at least date now that they had confirmed each other's hearts? Teros also says now that he would marry her even after awakening from the love potion, but when that time actually arrives, he could have different thoughts, and as long as they weren't bound in a marital relationship, Cecilia could respect his position as well.

Imagining what Teros would be like after awakening from the love potion, suddenly a pitch-dark future was drawn in Cecilia's mind. Teros's cold eyes, sneering mockery, rigid speech. Just imagining it made her heart ache—would I be able to endure that day?

'Later matters are problems I must carry with me. Right now, let me think only of the present.'

Refusing him out of fear that he might change would, in the end, be wounding him to avoid getting wounded myself.

After her thoughts concluded, she gave a small nod of affirmation, and at the same moment, firm arms pulled her close once more.

Cecilia buried her forehead against Teros's shoulder, suppressing her complicated feelings.

You can't know what lies at the end of an unwalked path. Then there's nothing to do but go see for yourself.

Cecilia decided to take the hand that Teros had extended.

While the newly beginning man and woman whispered secret talks on the terrace, the people inside the banquet hall were preoccupied with searching for Teros's whereabouts.

The victor was nowhere to be seen. The nobles who had been hoping to attach at least one more word to him in this opportunity began falling into disappointment one by one as time passed without his appearance.

Even when the emperor himself stepped onto the platform and began commending the efforts of this equestrian competition as the banquet was reaching its peak, people began looking around for Teros with eyes that held fear mixed with disappointment.

"Damn, where the hell is this bastard?"

Dmitri also began running about here and there with Rosein, searching for his younger brother's whereabouts. Given the situation, worse curses were about to burst forth, but he barely restrained himself because it was in front of Rosein.

When the emperor's speech ended, the natural sequence would be for Teros to step up onto the platform together and receive everyone's applause.

If the victor was absent even after the emperor's lengthy speech concluded, there would be nothing more embarrassing than that.

Whether knowing Dmitri's anxious heart or not, the emperor's speech was racing toward its end.

"...Therefore, I shall introduce today's winner, Sir Teros, Marquis of D'Anstone."

It was ruined. The emperor had already called Teros's name. When no one answered or walked forward, the entire gathering was instantly enveloped in cold silence. Everyone except the emperor had known he wasn't present from earlier, but being in front of the emperor, everyone could only roll their eyes around without saying a word.

Creak—

At that moment, the terrace door opened and Teros appeared. Seeing people's gazes shoot toward him like arrows as soon as he opened the door, Teros was momentarily flustered but quickly grasped the situation.

Instead of hurrying, he confidently walked through the people, heading toward the platform where the emperor stood. As if it had been originally prepared for a dramatic entrance.

People parted to clear a path as he walked, and everyone's gaze followed him. Teros walked even more slowly, leisurely picking up a champagne glass from a tray held by an attendant as he stepped onto the platform.

Just before stepping onto the platform, he saw Hadel and Asen Odik standing in the very front row of nobles gathered before the platform.

Teros, who had been feeling elated as if walking on clouds after hearing Cecilia's heart, unknowingly winked at Hadel.

Hadel, who had been under suspicion for attempting to poison Teros at the Hasblue estate, had since been docile to Teros like his underling, promising to exert his utmost effort to connect Cecilia and him. That promise was a pact achieved by Teros's intimidation to manipulate Hadel and Hadel's scheming to conceal his true intentions and approach Teros.

'Has Teros finally gone mad?'

Surely that wasn't a wink. Seeing such an uncharacteristic behavior, Hadel immediately furrowed his brow in displeasure, but given his position of needing to stay in Teros's good graces, he forced a gentle smile by pulling up the corners of his mouth. When he clapped his two slender hands fluttering like butterflies, other nobles simultaneously began sending enthusiastic applause.

"Sir, you seem to be in good spirits today."

"Everything is thanks to Your Majesty's grace."

"Oho."

The emperor looked at Teros with curious eyes, finding him strangely cheerful and even making flattering remarks he usually didn't make.

When the applause died down somewhat, Teros opened his mouth to give his victory speech.

Meanwhile, Cecilia hid behind the door while Teros walked out first and drew everyone's attention, then secretly entered the banquet hall when people's gazes turned forward.

It would have been a disaster if she had thoughtlessly entered together with him. Who would have thought that people's attention would be drawn this way the moment the door opened?

Having mixed in with the people, Cecilia wanted to see Teros giving his speech up close, so she pushed through the crowd toward the front row.

"Asen, there you are."

Cecilia greeted Asen, who was applauding in the front row.

At that moment, Hadel, who was next to Asen, saw Cecilia and suddenly stuck his head out to speak to her.

"Congratulations on your husband's victory, Miss Cecilia. Isn't he truly magnificent?"

"Husband, what! Research Officer, don't you even know what 'husband' means?"

"I know. I know very well indeed."

As expected, Hadel was putting all his effort into pairing Cecilia and Teros today as well.

Just as she was about to retort further to Hadel, a familiar smell brushed past Cecilia's nose.

'Why does this smell come from here?'

She tilted her head. Though faint, it was the sulfur smell she had grown sick of in the weapons research lab at the Serin estate.

'Are they planning fireworks?'

It would be understandable if they had piled up fireworks for a display. But was there any reason to pile fireworks in the banquet hall?

"Asen, don't you smell something strange?"

"Huh? I don't really notice. What kind of smell?"

Cecilia continued rolling her eyes around due to the strange feeling. She had to find the source of the familiar and unpleasant odor.

In front, Teros had begun his victory speech, but his words didn't register in her ears.

Then, Cecilia witnessed the strange hand movements of a guard knight standing behind the platform. Small sparks flew from his hands as if he was lighting a flint.

"Explosion..."

Asen looked at her puzzledly at Cecilia's bewildered murmur.

"No!"

She reflexively shouted and ran toward the platform where Teros was.

Teros, who had been giving his victory speech, closed his mouth upon seeing Cecilia suddenly running toward him. Her expression was far from normal. She wasn't someone who would make such an impulsive action of running this way for just any matter.

He instinctively sensed danger lurking around him. Though he didn't know what it was, she shouldn't come this way.

Rather, he and the emperor should go that way. Cecilia was now running from a safe area toward a dangerous area, opposite to a normal person's reaction. Teros moved quickly to get the emperor beside him and Cecilia as far away from the platform as possible.

BOOM—

With an ear-splitting explosion, sharp metallic ringing echoed in his head.

Shaking off the piercing headache that made his head buzz, Teros barely lifted his eyelids. He felt warm liquid flowing from his ear down along his jaw.

He, who had fallen face-down on the floor, first examined his own body. The recent explosion was judged to be from a bomb's power. In a situation where it wouldn't be strange for limbs to be blown off, fortunately all his limbs were intact.

"Cecilia!"

He checked on Cecilia, whom he had embraced and protected in his arms. She didn't seem to be injured anywhere, but appeared to have momentarily lost consciousness.

His hearing wasn't working well. Even his own voice calling her was muffled. When he carefully tapped her shoulder and called out, her eyelids trembled and soon her lake-like blue eyes appeared.

Teros gave her a gentle smile so she wouldn't be startled.

'Thank goodness.'

As he looked at her, his vision kept going dark and returning repeatedly. He felt like he might lose consciousness.

Looking around, the sight of people fleeing in panic reminded him of a hellish scene in a famous painting. Seeing the soundlessly distorted expressions felt strange. It seemed no one was thinking of coming to help them.

Cecilia needed treatment. Teros searched with bloodshot eyes for Hadel, who had been in the very front row before the platform. Among several nobles who had collapsed from the explosion's aftermath, he saw Hadel standing stiffly frozen. Fortunately, he had neither fled nor been injured. However, he stood there as if nailed to that spot with eyes that seemed to fear something other than the explosion, showing no thought of approaching this way.

"Hadel."

After calling several times with no response, Teros gave up on his help and turned his head to look for someone else to assist.

Looking to the right, he saw the emperor's figure collapsed on the red carpet like a stiff wooden log. Oh no, I abandoned the emperor.

'Well, whatever.'

I'm not even a royal guard. Why aren't the escorts coming? I need to quickly evacuate to a safe place. His continuing thoughts stopped abruptly as his consciousness faded.