Chap 20

Meanwhile, Roderick moved far ahead.

His bright blue eyes were tinged with madness, a thrill of slaughter lifting the corners of his mouth.

Roderick's condition seemed to be worsening. His excitement in battle was evident.

It was a typical day, and the battle with the monsters began.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant."

"Yes, my lady?"

"Do they always have this much fun?"

She had asked the lieutenant, but another person jumped in, perhaps feeling guilty.

"Fun? We're on guard duty!"

Right. It must be nice to relax when your superior is working hard.

Sitting on a large rock that had been unearthed during the battle, Diana rested her chin on her knees, watching the monster parts scattered in the air.

Roderick's movements were so clean it was like watching a restrained dance.

She thought her second eldest brother would probably lose to him. Would he be an equal match to her eldest brother?

Perhaps the weariness of the search was taking its toll. Her expression gradually faded.

Diana had become as coldly beautiful as their lord.

"But are you alright with this?"

Daren asked, his gaze fixed on Roderick.

"What do you mean?"

Noel had already fallen asleep in Daren's arms.

"It's just that such scenes might be upsetting for a lady of your stature."

Even when the monsters first appeared, she hadn't screamed or panicked.

Even new recruits froze in fear before monsters.

It was unexpected for a delicately raised noblewoman to remain unfazed in the face of violence.

Ah, what am I saying.

"I'm from the Beatus family."

"..."

With that one statement, it seemed like everything was explained. Diana shrugged.

The Beatus family wasn't infamous among villainous families for no reason. They were known for murder, torture, and even curses.

Indeed, her family could cast curses, though she didn't know how. They likely used magic stones for this purpose.

In the original story, Felice Schwartz suspected the Imperial family, but it was more likely her family who had cursed his.

The Beatus family were the Imperial hounds, doing dirty work behind the scenes.

Diana, who grew up in a family exposed to all sorts of atrocities, was not afraid of mere monsters.

Her words left the knights with complex expressions.

"But, lady, haven't you always stayed at home? This must be your first time dealing with such rough matters, right?"

Indeed, everyone thinks she's a homebody, as the rumors say.

However, even at home, she experienced the harshness of the world.

The minimal duties imposed by her family included various trainings.

She was taught not only assassination techniques but also the art of infiltration. The intensity of these trainings for the direct descendants of the family was severe. It was almost as if they were training human weapons.

Reflecting on what she had gone through, she felt somewhat insane.

That's why she found formless ghosts the most terrifying. If they had a form, she could maintain her indifference.

"Curious?"

Diana asked meaningfully, tilting her head slightly, her chin propped up. Her slightly raised smile was captivating, but her eyes were not smiling.

Why did this seemingly unfamiliar lady exude an aura similar to their lord?

The knights shivered at her chilling presence and shook their heads.

"Not curious!"

"Alright."

At the knights' disciplined response, Diana genuinely smiled.

The battle was over. Roderick, who had planted his sword on a corpse, was throwing off his sticky black gloves.

Diana took the black leather gloves from Daren's hand and approached Roderick.

After a fight, only the lieutenant, Daren, was allowed to approach the sensitive Roderick.

But now, there was an exception.

"Roderick, good job."

Receiving the gloves from her, Roderick's face was expressionless. Diana didn't care about his reaction and behaved affectionately.

"See? I've cleaned these hands."

"...."

He didn't respond to her comment about his possible germophobia.

"Roderick, can you hear me?"

She tiptoed to touch his cheek.

The night air had cooled, making her fingertips cold. At her chilly touch, Roderick momentarily closed his eyes.

The uncontrollably surging energy inside him began to calm down.

Roderick, leaning quietly against her slender hand, looked like a tame sheep.

With a scene akin to a trainer taming a wild beast, Diana's status among the knights grew.

As the knights tactfully made space for the couple, the two of them stood there, having their own moment.

However, their conversation was anything but romantic.

"Roderick, I didn't want to be a nuisance, but I really want to wash up."

"...."

His blue eyes lazily opened between his thinly raised eyelids.

"Don't you want to wash up too? You've been covered in monster blood for days. What's the point of just changing gloves?"

"….Alright."

How strange.

Roderick's behavior was erratic. He could be irritable and edgy, but sometimes he became docile and gentle.

Like now. Even when she playfully poked his cheek, he just let her. Not typical of him.

"I heard there's a stream nearby. I'll go first."

What does it matter? She thought nonchalantly and turned away, but she had to stop. Roderick had grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going alone?"

His deep voice was charmingly heart-fluttering.

Was it her imagination, or did it sound like he was asking, 'Where are you going without me?'

Search "seduced the doomed" at "redcatty . com" to read ahead chapters.