By Zephyria 
In his passionate purple eyes, the shadows of burning flames were shaking wildly. His fierce eyes, which seemed even ferocious, wandered sharply in the air, and as soon as his eyes met mine, they transformed into a desperate and heartbreaking feeling. I put all my complicated thoughts aside for now and just smiled with my eyes. I was signaling to him, who must have been burning with worry while coming here, that he could rest assured now, that I was safe.
“……!”
…That’s what I sent, but Adrian’s eyes, which had been desperately softened, narrowed sharply again. Anger, which he no longer seemed to want to hide, overflowed on his face.
Ah. Come to think of it, the taste of blood was still lingering in my mouth. My eye sockets were throbbing and my eyes seemed to be less open than before, so I must have bruises all over my face. To make such a face and smile at him as if I was okay, it was bound to have the opposite effect.
The scene visible through the open doorway was a mess. The subordinates of the Crown Prince’s palace who had cooperated with Jonas Grachio and the knights Adrian had brought were wearing the same attire with Adrian’s crest on their chests, some were being tied up and some were tying them up. Those who had captured their colleagues, whom they had thought were on the same boat until just a few hours ago, didn’t have bright expressions either.
“How dare you not let go of that impudent hand immediately.”
“E, Adrian Crown Prince…!”
It was a ferocious voice as if it had just come up from hell. Jonas Grachio, who had been chattering about bastards and whatnot until the person in question appeared, froze with a pale face while grabbing my collar.
Seeing Adrian approaching me and Jonas with large strides as if he was almost running, the tension that I didn’t even know I had melted away.
I thought I wouldn’t die. He’s a terribly annoying guy, but Allen wouldn’t let me die. The pain of the body is just a moment to endure. Compared to what I’ve experienced in the past Iterations, it’s nothing. I was gritting my teeth and enduring somehow like that…
“Ugh, Adrian…”
I don’t have to grit my teeth and endure anymore. That certainty and relief spread throughout my body in an instant.
Adrian, who had a ferocious face as if he was going to kill Jonas Grachio right away, came closer and closer, but as soon as he came this way, he didn’t even have time to care about Jonas and took care of me first. I heard the sound of Jonas Grachio, who had been kicked by Adrian, tumbling to the ground, but neither Adrian nor I turned our heads.
“Noah…, I’m sorry. Because of me, because of me…”
He couldn’t even hug me tightly, who was covered in bruises, for fear that I might feel pain. It was me who squeezed into his cold arms. Adrian’s white fingertips, which had fallen on my cheek, were as cold as ice, showing how tense he had been.
“Ah, this is not the time.”
It was also new to see Adrian in such a state of confusion and panic. Adrian reached out his hand behind him without looking, and a polite hand handed him a bundle containing Potions. The one in Andrew’s study was also a product, but perhaps the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince after all. The color of the Potion was completely different.
“Wait a moment, it will be cold, but please bear with it.”
He said that and opened the lid of the Potion and poured it directly over my head. Of course, he gave me something to drink separately. It was a luxurious way to use Potions that only the Crown Prince of a country could think of.
The throbbing pain all over my body quickly subsided. The unpleasant smell of blood that had been lingering in my mouth also disappeared as if washed away. I felt completely fine now, but Adrian seemed to be determined not to stop this luxurious Potion shower until he had emptied all the Potions he had brought. I couldn’t let that happen. I matched Adrian’s rhythm, who must have been surprised for a moment, and only stopped Adrian when there were about three or four Potions left.
“Stop. I’m fine now.”
“But…”
“Rather than me, give it to Nicole, okay?”
In fact, from the moment I saw Adrian taking out the Potion, I wanted to use it on Nicole right away. From the moment she was pushed over by Jonas Grachio, I don’t know if she hit something wrong, but Nicole was still unconscious. It was a relief that I could be sure that she was breathing, even if slowly, from her chest that was rising and falling, but if I couldn’t even be sure of that, I probably wouldn’t have been able to bear it. It’s okay for me to be in pain. It’s okay for me to die…, I felt quite sorry to think of closing my eyes leaving Adrian, Carlisle, and Andrew behind, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t accept. But if someone else, especially Nicole, crossed a river that she could never cross again because of me…
Just imagining it made my body temperature feel cold. I shook Adrian’s collar as if urging him. The Potion that Adrian had brought was of such high quality that it could revive anyone as long as they were still breathing.
“Ah, that Chamberlain, you mean.”
Adrian was indeed a faithful fiancé who loved me. But at the same time, he was also a self-righteous Crown Prince who regarded the lives of his subordinates as less than a hangnail. His purple eyes, which had cooled down, looked at Nicole lukewarmly as if measuring her value. …I know too well what he’s going to say next.
“He’s certainly loyal, but do we really need to keep that child by our side? Wouldn’t it be better to find someone new who is more obedient and capable? If possible, I’d like someone who is capable of protecting you at any time.”
My heart seemed to sink to the bottom. I somehow cleared my throat, which felt like it was choking, and opened my mouth as if I was strong.
“…If it weren’t for Nicole, I would probably have died a long time ago.”
It was the truth without a single lie. It was clear that Nicole and Mrs. Seymour had supported me without changing in countless repetitions. If it weren’t for those two kind mothers, I would never have been able to reach this point. I would never have known the affectionate heart of my fiancé who had cherished me throughout my life in the first Iteration that I had completely forgotten.
In the game created by Allen, Nicole was just a passing extra, not a Love interest, a protagonist, or a villain… But he, who had been by my side like a younger brother and sometimes like a friend, was the most special protagonist in Noah Hamilton’s life.
“……”
Adrian’s eyes still had a displeased look. He probably doesn’t like the fact that I’m so friendly with someone other than him. I didn’t add any more words and just looked up at Adrian earnestly. Adrian soon sighed deeply and collapsed on my shoulder. His arms, which were hugging me, were stronger than before.
“Okay. I can’t beat you. It’s a fact I’ve known deeply since I almost lost you once.”
With his forehead buried in my neck, Adrian raised only one hand and waved it vaguely in the air. Then, one of the knights who was holding the Potion immediately approached Nicole and fed her the Potion. Nicole, who had been in a deep sleep, soon seemed to wake up, groaning.
Is everything finally over? Ha, what on earth is going on…
“Well, you two. It’s good that you’re getting along so well, but can you tell me what to do with this damn bastard?”
As I was relaxing my whole body and burying myself in Adrian’s arms, I heard a cheerful, slimy voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time. I raised my head sharply.
“Lennox!”
“Don’t let go of this! Where do you think you’re going!”
“Ah. It’s been a while, young master. Or… Should I call you Her Royal Highness now?”
It seemed that Lennox had been entrusted with Jonas Grachio’s custody, and he was lightly stepping on him, who was tightly bound by magic. Lennox seemed to have been contacted by the Crown Prince and rushed here.
“By the way, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, shouldn’t you be more careful in managing your subordinates? A really big deal almost happened.”
Looking at his eyes, which were smiling unusually brightly, it was clear. This Archmage’s mood was at rock bottom right now. At other times, he wouldn’t have listened to Lennox’s criticism, but this time, Adrian seemed to be keenly aware that it was his responsibility, and he just whispered sorry to me again. I didn’t say I was okay or not, and just stayed in his arms.
“…I want to go home. I need to rest for a while without thinking about anything.”
Adrian said that he wanted to take me to the Imperial Palace right away, but he would refrain from doing so. He said that the mansion seemed safer than the Imperial Palace in this situation. There were also many things to be sorted out before the National Wedding Ceremony. I didn’t bother to bring up the story of Beatrice at this timing.
Around that time, Nicole seemed to have fully regained her senses, and with Lennox’s cooperation, those who had plotted this were mostly suppressed, so now it was really time to go back. In the end, it was fortunate that things were successfully concluded without giving Allen a chance to intervene until the end.
I had a bit of a hard time, but it was just a happening. It was something that should have ended just like that…
“Do you think I’ll be caught like this! Haha, even if I go, I’ll take one more person with me!”
Jonas Grachio, who was being dragged away by Lennox, stopped just as he was about to leave the door and shouted that out of the blue. Then, he slammed his head hard against somewhere on the doorframe with a bang. What…? I felt a faint vibration from the floor… And then, it exploded with a bang! The acrid smell of gunpowder and hot flames burst through the narrow secret room in an instant and engulfed the entire Safehouse. It seemed that some kind of device had been set up in advance so that it could be detonated immediately in case of emergency.
Bang, boom, crash! As if the installed device was not the only one, a series of explosions soon followed. It was a scene of chaos, but Lennox immediately put up a barrier around himself and me, and Adrian also immediately protected his body with the power of the Magical Artifact he always carried with him, so there was no major damage. I was wrapped in Adrian’s arms, quietly watching the black smoke and loud explosions that Jonas Grachio had set off for no reason. Suddenly, an ominous premonition flashed through my mind.
“…What about Nicole?”