Ellena's fantasy

"Yes, we... will have two children. Our son should be sensible, and if he takes after his father, he will surely be an adorable child... Our daughter, on the other hand, will probably be as sweet and obedient as I was in my childhood."

"Captain Ellena!"

A deep voice interrupted Ellena's beautiful daydream, and she turned impatiently to look at the person who called her.

"Grissom, you found me for something?" Ellena asked, clearly annoyed.

A knight approaching two meters in height removed his silvery helmet and laughed heartily. "You don't have to be so formal, Captain. Can't I come to you just for a chat? After all, I am your vice-captain, Ellena."

He was Robert, one of the three dukes of the Grissom Kingdom, and the only heir of Duke Pitt Robert.

Looking at the face so different from Robert's, Ellena sighed and took a step back, avoiding the arm he extended to try to put around her shoulder.

She spoke coolly, "Please, call me Captain. So, what is it that you want?"

She didn't like Robert; even though he was one of the most powerful knights in the order, his gaze towards her was always odd. It wasn't quite desire; it was more of an inexplicable feeling, as if he were constantly scanning her.

"Don't be so cold! It makes others think we have a bad relationship," he said with a laugh.

"Our relationship is indeed not good."

"Ha, ha, ha... Cough!"

Faced with Ellena's compassionate gaze, Robert eventually cleared his throat and scratched his head before saying, "Irene... Captain! I've noticed that you've been getting close to that canary in the past few days..."

He looked solemn, glanced around, and lowered his voice, "I hope you'll pay attention. That person is not a good character."

Robert: Huh! How did you find out?

"He has connections with some noblewomen! Getting too close to him might damage your reputation!"

Ellena unexpectedly assessed Robert for a moment, raised an eyebrow, nodded, and then turned to leave.

"I understand."

As Ellena began to walk away, Robert called out desperately in the temple, "Lady Ellena! You must..."

His thunderous voice, akin to a battle cry, startled most of the people in the temple, and they all turned their heads to look in his direction.

"Silence."

Turning back, Ellena glared fiercely at Robert, her suppressed anger resonating in his ears. Immediately following, an immense pressure nearly caused him to kneel from weakness.

"I said, call me Captain."

"No next time."

"As for who I get close to... It's not the business of the Pitt family, and certainly not your concern."

Staring at the trembling Robert with an icy demeanor, Ellena snorted and continued to walk away.

"Pant... Hah..."

With his hands resting on his knees, Robert took painful breaths after Ellena had moved away. Seeing the various curious glances around him, he cast a resentful look in the direction Ellena had departed.

Before he could think much further, the priest's cold and anger-tinged voice sounded in his ear.

"Vice Captain Robert!"

"The temple prohibits clamor. Please understand that if there's another occurrence..."

Obediently lowering his head, Robert, with a sense of grievance, replied, "I understand, Your Grace."

The priest nodded and continued to preside over the ceremony, while the others withdrew their gazes.

"... It's all that damned canary!"

"Robert Bell!!!"

...

Rupert, watching Kanggrif on the roof again with a vacant gaze, clenched the broken bottle in his hand, and the glass pierced his palm. Feeling the pain, he seemed to have made a decision and spoke to Kanggrif.

"Kanggrif... Did you not make an oath?"

Kanggrif's eyes shifted slightly, and he hoarsely asked, "Why do you ask?"

Obviously, Robert hadn't pursued the matter. Why ask now? You should be thinking of how to escape!

Rupert, as if understanding something, began to laugh hoarsely, with tears streaming from his eyes, coughing as he said, "Cough, cough, so we are all compelled to make oaths... except for his child."

"I'll ask you one more time. Did you make an oath?"

Seeing the blood vessels in Rupert's eyes, Kanggrif felt an inexplicable fear. He moved backward slowly, stuttering as he spoke.

"What... What are you going to do!? Have you thought this through? My father won't spare you!"

Talking about his father gave Kanggrif some courage, and he furiously scolded the trembling Rupert.

"You good-for-nothing! What are you trying to do!? You... Ah!!!"

The shattered glass stabbed into Kanggrif's heart, and his piercing scream echoed throughout the dungeon.

"What's happening!?"

The stationed knights rushed in quickly, looking in horror at the bloody scene inside.

Rupert, hunching over, viciously squeezed Kanggrif's neck and repeatedly banged his head against the wall. Meanwhile, Kanggrif knelt on the ground convulsing, and blood spilled onto the floor.

"You don't understand. Only if you're dead, will no one betray him... Others will be safe!"

As knights rushed into the room, Rupert looked at them with a bitter smile and then hurled himself into the wall.

"Now... everything is back on track..."

...

"Captain!"

Ellena, after changing her clothes and just about to board the carriage, saw a knight running toward her. She turned back and asked, "What's going on?"

"Those two cultists, they committed suicide!"

"Suicide? At a time like this?"

Ellena clearly sensed something unusual, squinting her eyes, but didn't voice her thoughts. She pushed her hat, adorned with a white veil, and instructed the knight:

"If they chose to end their lives, so be it. After all, it's unlikely we'll get any useful information from the followers of the Painful Goddess. Just inform the two families. You go tell Countess Audrey. I'll personally visit the Bell family."

"Understood."

The knight hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ellena but didn't say anything, giving a nod before leaving.

Sitting inside the carriage, Ellena told the coachman, "Don't head back to the palace first. Go to... Duke Bell's residence."

Watching the passing scenery through the window, Ellena silently pondered, "Robert, did you do something?..."

...

"Although that's what it seems, if I had actually killed those two idiots, this avenger would've taken me out first..."

Recalling the performance of Kanggrif and Rupert, Robert shook his head and sighed silently. "I just hope Rupert isn't truly an idiot and that he can see through Kanggrif's act."

I threw the bottle right next to your face. If you can't seize the opportunity, then I'll really lose respect for you! If I had the ability to confront the mastermind directly, I wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to set up this situation!

[Why not act directly?]

[Kill, kill, kill!]

"Reckless!"

[You traitor to the demon!]

"I wasn't a demon to begin with!"

"Intellectuals, conspiring is more interesting!"

"Yes, we have a plot!"