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At the shabby pub at the corner of the alley, “Angel’s Drinking Habit,” a rather unusual scene was unfolding in a place frequented by burly mercenaries and Imperial soldiers.

*Clink.*

“Pour it.”

“Pour… what do you mean by that…?”

“What else? Just dump it down your throat.”

At Blanshe’s question, Helga tilted the glass and poured the drink into her mouth.

“Mmm! This feeling as it goes down my throat!”

“Indeed…”

Blanshe, who had been curiously examining the liquid in the glass, followed Helga’s lead and downed the drink in one go.

“…Ugh?!”

The moment she drank it, the strong aroma that shot up her nose made Blanshe grimace. In contrast, Helga calmly refilled the empty glass.

“Isn’t this drink too bitter?”

“Too bitter, you say?”

Helga snorted.

“You must have had an easy life growing up. After going through tough times, it just tastes like a sweet beverage.”

“…Is that so?”

Helga and Blanshe were sitting at a corner table in the pub. As the only female customers in a place reeking of men, the surrounding gazes naturally focused on them.

“Sigh… Just thinking about our Count being with that woman right now makes my stomach churn.”

“Watch your words. It’s disrespectful to our lady.”

“Come on. Between us, we can talk like this.”

“Not even between us. Our Lady Bella is the daughter of the Izakhel Duke Family. Even in private, show some respect.”

“Tsk. You think only the lady you serve is a noble? I’m also from a well-known noble family.”

Helga fiddled with her glass, perhaps reminiscing about the past.

“Well, now I’ve thrown away all that status and work under the Count.”

“……”

“Ah, of course, even if I had kept my noble status, I couldn’t compare to the Princess. No, and that appearance of hers is just unfair, isn’t it? She’s several times more beautiful than the rumors. Your Princess.”

“Her heart is several times more beautiful.”

Blanshe said proudly. Seizing the moment, Helga asked her a question.

“Now that I think about it, what’s your relationship with our Count? Last time, you said you were enemies.”

“I said we had a stubborn bad relationship, not that we were enemies.”

“Same difference.”

Helga picked up her glass.

“Let’s clear things up. Honestly, I don’t think you’re really a threat to the Count. Am I right?”

Blanshe fell into thought at Helga’s question.

Deep inside, Blanshe still harbored hatred for the Ruelberta Family. The past where she was used as an assassination tool and had a demon’s heart implanted in her body was a wound that would never heal. The resentment in her heart would not disappear until the Ruelberta Family was destroyed.

But if asked about her hostility towards Tristan, Blanshe couldn’t easily answer.

After their bloody fight on the department store rooftop, Blanshe had been watching Tristan. His cold and blunt attitude remained, but he wasn’t the ruthless villain she had imagined.

Still, Blanshe couldn’t completely let her guard down. That was entirely because of the Ruelberta Family that Tristan carried on his shoulders. After all, he was the head of the family that had ruined her life.

Caught in that conflict, Blanshe could only say this:

“…I made a promise to the Count. I will watch his end with my own eyes.”

“Oh my? How coincidental. I swore to protect the Count until his last moment.”

Helga downed her drink with gusto.

“Alright. If that’s the case, I accept it.”

Then, as if proposing a toast, she offered the glass to Blanshe.

“Sorry for attacking you out of nowhere last time. How about we wash away all the bad feelings we had for each other with this drink?”

Blanshe quietly took the glass Helga offered.

“Sorry, but isn’t this glass too small to wash away all of that?”

“Huh?”

“This much should be enough.”

Blanshe put down the glass and picked up the bottle next to her.

“You might not know, but I haven’t had an easy life either.”

She started drinking directly from the bottle. The remaining half of the liquor disappeared as if by magic through her mouth. Soon, Blanshe put down the empty bottle and said:

“The drink was quite sweet.”

Helga stared blankly at Blanshe, who looked relieved after drinking.

“Got me there… You acted weak in front of the kids earlier, but who knew you had this side to you…”

“Hmm. They’re just cute kids, aren’t they? I can’t help but adore children…”

“Heehee… Did hearing ‘mama’ make you want a child of your own?”

“…Honestly, I’m not sure.”

Bella had given Blanshe, the former assassin, a new life. Of course, it wasn’t anything special. Just an ordinary life where she could live like everyone else. A future where she could meet someone she loved, get married, and start a family.

But Blanshe still found it hard to imagine such a life.

“I don’t know if I even deserve that, or if such an opportunity will ever come to me.”

Blanshe muttered with a dark expression. Helga ordered more drinks and poured some into her glass.

“You’re saying some strange things.”

“Strange things?”

“There’s no way you don’t deserve it. No matter what kind of life you’ve lived, you have the right to be happy.”

“The right to be happy…”

Blanshe muttered with a dark expression. As she was about to empty her glass, Helga spoke.

“I know what you’re thinking, but wake up. I told you earlier, didn’t I? I’ll be the Count’s last. If you want to have his child so badly, you can have one after I’ve had ten.”

“Wh-what?! What are you talking about?!”

Blanshe almost spat out the drink in her mouth.

“Why would I have to have the Count’s child?!”

“Huh? Then whose child are you planning to have?”

“Not the Count! There’s no reason for that!”

“Heehee. Are you embarrassed?”

“No! If anything, you’re the one without shame! What do you mean having ten children?!”

Blanshe stammered in confusion. In contrast, Helga was completely at ease.

“Children who look like the Count are better in large numbers. Ah, just thinking about it makes me smile. Heeheehee…”

“Are you really planning to marry the Count? If so, I’m sorry to say… but our lady has feelings for him.”

Though it was an unpleasant reality, what Blanshe said was true. Just by observing Bella’s attitude when she was with Tristan, it was clear.

“At this rate… the two of them might really get married.”

Blanshe’s advice made Helga speak in a tipsy voice.

“It’s fine. The woman who bears the Count’s children will be the legitimate wife, right?”

“No, that’s so vulgar…!”

“And marriage doesn’t matter. I’ll be closer to the Count than any married couple.”

“You…”

Blanshe unconsciously covered her face.

Whether it was embarrassment or the alcohol, her face felt hot. How could this woman say such embarrassing things so casually…?

Just as Blanshe was thinking that…

“Hey. Don’t just play among yourselves, let me join in.”

A man with a scruffy beard approached their table. He was too drunk to stand properly.

Blanshe politely addressed him.

“Sorry, but we’re just relaxing among ourselves today. So…”

“Ah, then I’ll just sit for a bit. Okay? You girls do your thing. I’ll just watch.”

The man pulled up a chair and sat down without permission. His lecherous gaze was fixed on Blanshe and Helga. More precisely, on their bodies.

“Ahaha… It’s been a while since someone so blatantly picked a fight.”

“What?”

The man licked his lips as he eyed Helga’s body.

“What are you gonna do if I look? Huh?”

The man stood up. He placed his hand on the table as if threatening Helga.

“Women like you, pretty and with a good figure, are hard to find.”

“Thanks for the compliment. But hearing it from a man like you makes me uncomfortable.”

“Keuk. I like you. I enjoy breaking spirited flowers like you—AAAH?!”

“Oh my. Is that so? I enjoy breaking fingers of thugs like you.”

Helga’s hand twisted the man’s fingers.

“You’ve been stealing glances at my legs, haven’t you? Do you want to die? Or do you not want to live?”

“Wh-what’s the difference? AAAH?!”

Helga, who had twisted his fingers, slammed the screaming man onto the table.

“If my legs get worn out because of you, will you take responsibility?”

“H-how would looking wear them out? AAAH?!”

The man screamed every time his fingers were twisted. But despite Helga’s mercilessness, his bravado didn’t waver.

“Hey! F*ck! Let go! Do you know who I am?!”

“Are we acquainted? I don’t think so.”

“I’m a soldier of the notorious Aslan! If you lay a hand on me, you won’t get away with it!”

“Oh ho…?”

An unexpected name came up. Helga and Blanshe’s eyes met.

“Then you should know who I am.”

“How would I know? You idiot!”

“State your rank and name.”

“What…?”

Helga pulled something out from her pocket. It was a black strap, resembling a cord, which she tied around her left eye. It was the eyepatch Helga had worn since her days as a soldier in Aslan, all the way up to her position as Deputy Commander.

“State your rank and name. Unless you’ve got sh*t for brains.”

 

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