Night fell over Castle Carter like a silent veil.
Lusian walked toward his chamber, exhausted—by the battle, by the orders he had given, by the weight of a future only he truly understood. Adele followed three steps behind, so quiet she seemed to glide rather than walk.
When the door closed, the usual ritual began.
Without a word, Adele moved ahead of him. She placed her spear against the wall. Lit the essence lamp. Prepared warm water. Checked the room's temperature. Laid out his night clothes on the bed.
Her movements were soft—almost ceremonial.
When they were alone, she was always like this: serious, impeccable… and strangely close. A mixture of devoted attendant, disciplined warrior… and something deeper she herself did not understand.
When Lusian sat down, she knelt to remove his boots.
"Adele…" he tried gently. "You don't have to do all this."
She looked up. For a brief second, her firm expression cracked into a faint blush.
"It is my duty," she whispered. "No… not obligation. That is how the duchess taught me."
Then she lowered her gaze, as though she had said something improper.
Lusian sighed. Arguing was pointless. It had always been this way. For Adele, serving him was not a task—it was part of who she was.
When he lay down, she extinguished the lamp and, as she had every night since arriving in the county, slipped into the bed beside him.
Not to do anything.Not seeking something physical.
Only to take his hand—as if that simple act kept her alive.
He felt her cheek rest against his arm. The gentle warmth. The shy, uneven rhythm of her breathing.
"Adele… truly. You don't need to sleep here."
She trembled faintly.
"If I sleep far away… I feel like I'm failing to protect you."
That was not the whole truth. Lusian knew it. Anyone with the slightest sensitivity would.
But Adele… was innocent. Dangerously innocent.
Sometimes, when she nestled against him, Lusian would see the reflection of the white tiger's great blue eyes mirrored in her own:
Absolute devotion.Unconditional loyalty.
And, without intending to, a thought crossed his mind—
The original Lusian… why did he never fall in love with her?She's beautiful… brave… loyal unto death.Perhaps… he did. And the story simply never said so.
The idea struck him like lightning.
What if Adele had been his lover?What if that impossible loyalty came from more than duty?
Adele wrapped her arms around his waist—innocent, sincere—resting her face against his chest.
"Good night… my lord," she whispered with a tenderness she herself did not understand.
Lusian closed his eyes, offering no reply.
Sleeping beside Adele was… dangerous.
For what he felt.And for what she believed.
Raised by Sofia Douglas, Adele had been taught an older ideal:
"You serve your lord with your life… and with your heart."
And somewhere along the way, the girl who grew up beside a gentle "monster" came to believe something profoundly naïve—
That holding him.Touching his hand.Sharing his bed.
…was simply the natural way a woman became pregnant.
She did not understand the world.Only that she already belonged to him.
The following morning, as they took breakfast in the main hall, Emily found herself unable to stop watching Adele.
The young Douglas stood a few steps behind Lusian, as always—silent, attentive, adjusting small details without instruction. Her white tiger rested beside her, breathing calmly, eyes forever alert.
There was something about that image—the perfect synchronization—that unsettled Emily.
Finally, she leaned slightly toward Lusian.
"Lusian…" she asked quietly. "What kind of bond do you two share? I don't mean merely escort and master. It's deeper, isn't it?"
He set his cup down with a soft sigh.
The question was not unexpected. Only inevitable.
"Yes," he answered calmly. "Adele and I have been together for many years. When she was eight, her village was destroyed by a magical beast."
A high-level tigress. It razed everything.
Adele survived by hiding beneath the wreckage of her home.
Emily lowered her gaze, suppressing a shudder.
"My mother arrived there during an expedition," Lusian continued. "She was riding Thunder, and her guardian beast accompanied her. She killed the tigress."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"But she found something else—a cub. A white tiger of epsilon affinity. A beast destined to become a living calamity."
Emily's eyes widened.
"And she gave it to Adele?"
Lusian nodded.
"She also discovered that Adele had gamma affinity for beast taming. She was perfect for him. They grew together from that day on—slowly at first. My mother regulated the tiger's growth so Adele could handle him. But now, with the mana phenomenon… there are no limits. He's risen from level 52 to 60 in mere weeks."
Emily watched from afar as Adele gently stroked the tiger, as though it were part of her own soul.
"Is that why she serves you?" Emily asked softly.
Lusian lowered his eyes.
"My mother told her that her mission would be to protect me… until the day she died. Adele accepted those words as a vow. Not a duty."
Emily felt a quiet ache in her chest as she observed the girl—so fierce in battle, so timid with Lusian—watching him as though she breathed through him.
Something deeper than a pledge.Older than a promise.
Absolute loyalty.Silent affection.
And a love Adele did not yet know how to name.