Episode 32

But Yuric was a child who was only ten years old. In the original story, he failed to establish a position in Lagrange because he could not sign a contract even with the lowest shadow demon to become an adult.

‘With Dietrich's help, Yuric signed the contract with Amon but that was after he became the Grand Duke.'

“Haa.”

Yuric quickly hugged me, who was lying on the floor. I raised my head up at his deep sigh. 

“Yuri?”

“Don’t stay here. It’s dangerous.”

Yuric carried me over the wall with just one leap. In the forest of withered roses, I can see Marilyn fidgeting around in her place. 

“Here.”

“.....Malilyn?” (Marilyn?)

“Princess!”

She was looking for me, and came up in a hurry and looked at me. 

“Where have you been!”

“Malilyn…”

“Heavens! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

At Marilyn’s question full of panic, that’s when I looked down on myself. There were scratches of thorns and small cuts on my fair skin. 

‘Uh. I think it hurts more now that I’m aware of it.’

When I frowned at the dripping blood, Marilyn moved quickly, saying she would bring medicine. 

“Please wait. I will get the medicine.”

“Hmm okay.”

When Marilyn disappeared into the palace, I looked for Dietrich’s figure. 

‘Where is he when I’m hurt here?’

A subtle sense of sadness filled up my throat. 

“Why did you look for me?”

“Because I can’t see Detrie.”

“I don’t know, stupid. You’re always only looking for Dietrich.”

Yuric pouted his mouth at my words and called in Amon. The gray-green shadow seeped into his body. 

“What’s that?”

“My demon.”

“But Yuric didn’t have a debon.”

With my words, Yuric asked back with his eyes wide open. 

“How do you know that?”

‘Because it was in the book?’

I didn't have anything to answer, so I averted my eyes and feigned ignorance. Then, Yuric made his own guess and shrugged his shoulders.

“Did Dietrich tell you that? Well, it’s like a demon that he gave me.”

“Give me a debon, too.”

I’m quite jealous of what he said.

‘I’m the younger sister here but why did he give the demon to the wrong guy?’ 

I wasn't born with the ability of the shadow, so I couldn't contract with the demon directly, but it would be possible if he helped me. 

‘If I had signed a contract with a strong demon, I would have been able to blow them away when guys like Alphonse attacked.'

“No. If you sign a contract with a demon, you won’t be able to live long.”

“......huh?”

I’ve never heard of such a thing. I widened my eyes at Yuric’s nonchalant attitude, as if I should always know. 

“If you have a debon, you won’t live long?”

“You didn’t know? The contractor loses his life in return if he becomes weaker than the shadow demon and cannot control it or if the demon is taken away by someone else."

I recalled Baal at Yuric’s explanation. Was the ash-gray demon who said he didn't like Dietrich very much, actually waiting for an opportunity to take his life? 

“That’s why Langrange selects his successor in this shitty way.” 

The ability to deal with the shadow demons was not solely attributed to the children of Lagrange.

Occasionally, other northern families also had a child who could make a contract with the demon, so Lagrange was looking for a particularly strong, cold-hearted, unhuman successor.

Because he had to take away the shadow demon of a child born in another family. 

'Thanks to such cruelty, he must have been governing this vast northern part for a long time.'

But I didn't know that there were terrible conditions in which people would lose their lives in return. Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable about Baal being my nanny.

“.....Yuri, will Detrie die?”

“Who knows.”

“Will Yuri alsso die?”

“Anissa, all people will die.”

Yuric smiled unlike that of a child and patted my head. Marilyn, who brought the medicine just in time, bent her knees in front of me.

“Princess, we need to apply the medicine. It’s going to scar.”

“It’s fyne to get a scar.”

I'm not going to be a celebrity in this world, what does it matter if I get a scar? Then, with my words, Marilyn and Yuric freaked out at the same time.

“No!”

“No!”

I suddenly looked at the two who raised their voices at me, and tilted my head, looking at them blankly.

“Huh?”

“My lady, your skin is as pretty as a white jade! If you get a scar it will be a big problem!”

“I’m pwetty?”

I know very well I was pretty. But I felt good that Marilyn adored me, so I hugged her and asked for no reason.

“Of course, my lady. The young lady is the cutest, most adorable and loveliest among the princesses in Lagrange.” 

‘You’re not saying I’m the prettiest.”

Well, Liatris's Veronica was beautiful enough to be chosen by the demon Succubus who controls people with her beauty. 

“Why did Yuri scream? Yuri thinks I’m pwetty, too?”

With my arms wrapped around Marilyn's neck, I turned my head and looked at Yuric. Then the boy, who stretched his arms toward me and shouted, "No," hurriedly fixed his posture.

“What? Oh, what?”

“Hm?”

“....what’s so pretty about you? Not even a bit.”

Yuric pouted his mouth in heavy denial. I was small in a way. I looked down at my chubby hand and then shrugged. 

“Okay.”

When I gave up blandly, the boy looked at me and rolled his eyes. At that moment, Yuric's eyes, in the sun, shimmered like a jewel in the sea.

I stared at it blankly, like the ripples of a wave swaying in the wind, shining in a subtle glow under the afternoon’s sunlight.

'I want to go see the sea.'

“Yuri’s eyes are like the sea.”

“Sea?”

“Hn! Sparkling, twinkling sea.”

I leaned forward and put my hand on Yuric's eyes. As I groped the boy’s face, his face turned red as if it exploded. 

‘Well, this is what happens when we talk about his eyes.’

“....but, have you ever been to the sea? I’ve never been to the sea either.”

At Yuric’s question, with a prickly snort, I played innocent. Of course, I’ve never been to the sea since I was born as Anissa. I’ve never been out of Dahlia Palace, nevermind the sea.

“I, I saw prom a picture.”

“You saw a picture of the sea?”

“Uh, huh.”

Fortunately, Yuric seemed to believe me. The boy with his narrowed eyes made a humming sound and took out a white pouch with his arms as if he had only thought of it.

“Ah, I went to get this.”

“What’s thith?”

“Bread.”

I widened my eyes at Yuric's answer and wrapped my hands on the pouch he was handing me. 

Yuric was originally a pretty-looking kid, but he was thirty times prettier because of the halo effect from the bread pouch. 

“Bread! Kyahh!”

“.....you like it that much?”

“Yea!”

‘People who give food are people I like!’

I clapped my hands and said I liked it, and then I took the bread out of the pouch and rubbed it on my cheek.

It wasn't a dull ink-colored bread from Dahlia, but a croissant made with plenty of butter, there’s no way it wouldn’t be good.

‘I’m going to share it with Dietrich.’

Yuric watched me for a moment with my nose buried in the croissant, and soon burst into laughter.

"I think I know why Dietrich keeps you by his side."

I tilted my head at Yuric’s words.

“Huh?”

“It would have been a hassle to protect you. Or is there something else up here?"

He narrowed his brows as if he were pondering for a moment. I moved my head, pressing down on the wrinkles on his forehead. 

“Detrie is protecthing me?”

“That’s right. Anyway, Liatris’s kids won’t mess with you because he’s keeping watch.”

“Then, who’s protecthing Detrie?”

I uttered out the question that I always wondered. The saint Charlotte was protected by the protagonist Hermann and Dietrich.

Those who cheered on the hero and the empire protected Hermann. So who's going to protect the villain Dietrich?

Has anyone ever existed to keep him from the grasp of Derek Lagrange?

“I don’t know…”

Yuric couldn’t answer me.

* * *

“She’s asking who’s going to protect you?”

The girl, as gorgeous as a blooming rose, came down from the air with a giggle. The dark blonde reflected in the sun flutters in the wind.The shadow demon slithered, which she had stepped on her feet, flapped its wings and expressed displeasure. 

“What?”

On the wings of the Griffin was a leash tied to the neck of the demon, Dietrich tilted his head at an angle.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m talking about your sister. She asked Yuric who the hell is protecting Dietrich.” 

Instead of answering Veronica's words, he hardened his expression.

“.....Don’t spy on Anissa, Veronica.”

“Don’t order me around on a topic when you’re not even the family head, Dietrich.”

Veronica smiled enchantingly and lifted Dietrich's chin with her hand. Although she was very tall for her age, he was still a little taller.

“Well, that makes you more attractive.”

“Get lost.”

Dietrich did not tolerate Veronica's rudeness. She laughed without a single groan, even though her hands were slapped.

“Oh my, that hurts.”

"All the dogs of Liatris don't know how to bark at people." [1]

[1] Same with Yuric, the kids of Liatris don't know how to pick a fight or bark at the right person, meaning they just run their mouth to anyone and everyone.