Imperial Academy.
Watching the night sky illuminated by countless fires and soaring fire-arrows.
"!"
Elisa could no longer stay in the room and wait.
"Miss Elisa...?"
"Move!"
Ignoring the cries of surprise from Leitman's men, she jumped straight out of the second-story window.
She thought of nothing else.
She just wanted to get to him.
Then, she saw it.
"..."
"Time's up."
Splatter!
There was Silas, holding his sword, cleanly letting the Archbishop's head roll. That hairy face was covered in tears and snot, frozen in a mask of pre-death terror.
"Mmh? Elisa, you came just in time. Come here."
"..."
How could this be?
His intestines were hanging out of his abdomen, and an arrow was lodged in his shoulder.
His body was covered in countless intersecting wounds, each one more horrifying than the last.
"Hold this sword. Take off your hat, too."
"..."
Greasy, blood-stained hands removed the hat Elisa had used to hide her hair color under Silas's orders. As the night wind blew, her snow-white hair became slightly matted with Silas's blood.
Clatter, clatter.
Leitman arrived hurriedly with his men.
"Lord Silas, you..."
"..."
Not just his men—the commoners and nobles placed in the safe zone had all come. They stared as Silas dragged his intestines with one hand while handing the sword to Elisa with the other.
Then he gripped Elisa's hand and raised it high.
"Victory belongs to the Elisa family! I have fulfilled my mission and completed the task entrusted to me by the Princess!"
"..."
Leitman caught on instantly and was the first to drop to his knees.
"Mission accomplished! Thank you, Princess Elisa, for saving the Holy City!"
"..."
Then Leitman's men knelt as well.
The commoners and nobles, who were initially confused, looked at Elisa and slowly began to understand the "truth."
It was the young girl before them and her knight who had saved the city.
"So she is a descendant of the Elisa family..."
"So fierce... he can still move with his guts hanging out. That sword instructor must be the descendant of a Great Knight who served the Elisa family, just like in the books?"
"..."
"Mama, why is the white-haired sister crying?"
"Shh, the Elisa family suffered great humiliation in the past. She must be happy to reclaim her glory... Honestly, I want to cry too. We're actually alive."
"..."
But they misunderstood.
Elisa had wanted to say since yesterday: Don't go.
"How was that? From now on, you won't be a fallen princess anymore."
Silas was exhausted. But resolving this in just three simulations was easier than he had expected.
Phew.
Finally finished off that drug-addicted prick.
"...I hate you!!!"
"?"
Why was she crying so hard?
Didn't I survive?
"..."
Forget it.
I'm truly tired; I'll leave the healing to Elisa. If she uses too much blood, I'll let her suck more when I wake up.
Damn it.
That's what I'm talking about. How could the Archbishop win? I had archers, troops, traps, and even a healer. Combined with me as a vanguard who completely ignored life and death, there was zero chance of losing.
Falling onto Elisa's tits now, she probably wouldn't say anything. Mmh, they're quite soft.
The next day.
Imperial Academy.
Many people wanted to visit Silas, but Elisa rejected them all.
Her hands were wrapped in bandages because she had given Silas a massive amount of blood. Her mother once said that if you give too much at once, the master-servant relationship changes. But she didn't care.
"...Princess Elisa."
Leitman knelt before her. "I am sorry. Actually, before the plan began... I wanted to be the vanguard. But Lord Silas refused and told me not to tell you."
"I don't have time for idle chatter with you."
The current Princess was irritable toward everyone.
She only stayed by Silas's side when no one else was in the room.
Staring at that face, her chest felt tighter and tighter.
"..."
Perhaps there were many things outside that needed handling.
But Elisa didn't want to do anything except stay here, doing everything she had grown accustomed to.
Wiping the floor, washing the sheets... then taking care of Silas's feeding and watering.
Even after doing all this, Elisa still felt empty.
Mmh.
Her status might be as he said—no longer a fallen princess. The Leitman family and other nobles in the city would surely acknowledge the Elisa family now that he had helped.
But to pursue a girl... did he have to go to such lengths?
She had felt the pain of having her intestines pulled out.
At a time like that, Elisa couldn't smile. But Silas could.
The day grew late.
Elisa hadn't eaten anything; she just stayed in the room, sleeping by the bedside. At mealtimes, she would feed Silas.
She was hungry but had no appetite.
She knew Silas was alive and would definitely wake up.
But when she saw those eyes, where would she start? "Uncle and niece" was just a facade... did he remember?
Their relationship wasn't this good at the start. Back then, she probably would have sucked a bunch of blood and run away.
Right.
That was it.
She had never truly experienced life and death. Her self-proclaimed "punishing nobles" was just stealing money. The only thing she had seen was her parents' heads hanging on the city wall. But compared to what her parents endured, she had only fled and wandered.
It was the same with her aunt; he handled everything personally... while she, who kept talking about revenge, vomited after seeing the puddles of hair and bone left by the Archbishop's feeding.
She couldn't help but think: that was the path to power and reclaiming the Elisa family dignity, but she hadn't even stepped onto that path, nor did she have the courage. It was the man lying on the bed who was walking it for her.
Fortunately, she could still wash the sheets. Perhaps because of the continuous travel and mental tension, she fell asleep by the bed.
"..."
Not long after, Silas, still wrapped like a mummy, woke up.
In the dim room.
Silas sat up and glanced at Elisa sleeping by the bed, her snow-white hair drawing complex patterns across her cheeks.
"..."
Just a tiny movement woke her up.
"Why is your face more haggard than mine, the injured one? Want a drink?"
Silas reached out. He felt his body was very light and relaxed now.
The reason was obvious—Elisa's hands were covered in bandages.
"..."
Elisa didn't speak; she just stared blankly at Silas.
Then, her face got closer and closer.
"?"
Until her soft, slightly chapped lips touched his.
"You... said it yourself. You are my knight."
"From now on, without my order, you are not allowed to act on your own!"
"..."
Silas didn't argue, because tears were starting to shimmer in the little chef's eyes. Her body began to tremble.
"Wooo... I-I was... so scared."
"..."
It would be impolite to argue now.
Silas sighed and grabbed her shoulders.
"Hah-uuh...?"
He forcibly took her tongue.
Elisa's eyes widened slightly, then she gave in after a moment. Her small, fragrant tongue responded clumsily.
So annoying.
Just a kiss dispersed so many sad thoughts. Being this happy might make her actually say she liked him... yet he just had to lewdly knead her breasts. Fine, she'd let him knead them for now.
"Elisa, did your tits get smaller from hunger?"
This man was taking a mile; he even reached inside her clothes to feel them.
But...
Hiss.
"..."
Elisa gave a small bite to Silas's shoulder. She didn't suck blood, just a bite.
She could no longer deceive herself.
It wasn't just because of loneliness that she wanted Silas to go back to the cave with her as a servant or knight. She wanted this man to be by her side forever.