The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 105

“The mistake was underestimating you because you were a servant. How does it feel now that your betrayal has been exposed?”

Despite Livi’s sudden words and actions, Lia didn’t flinch even once.

She simply smiled faintly and lowered her head slightly.

As if offering a light apology.

Because of that, the knife pressing against her neck loosened, and Livi relaxed his grip.

“I simply have less to say now. I apologize. Young master.”

Lia remained remarkably calm.

This was nothing.

She could handle it easily.

After all, Livi wouldn’t kill her here.

If he did, he’d have to deal with Eliza immediately.

This exaggerated display was just a threat.

A demonstration that he could kill her anytime he wanted.

Livi wasn’t concerned about Eliza finding out.

He didn’t expect her to say anything, and he dismissed anything that couldn’t be proven.

Even if he really did intend to kill her, it didn’t matter.

She had long since made up her mind to accept whatever came.

For some reason, Judas’s image flashed in her mind.

He, who faced death with dignity.

No, the child who became more proactive in the face of death.

…But he was no longer a child, and he was now Eliza’s man.

Slightly different, but in some ways similar to herself.

She too had decided to stay by Eliza’s side, ready to die if necessary.

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Livi said, sheathing his dagger and stepping back.

“I came to check the truth of it and maybe offer you a chance. It might be your last chance, you know. The atmosphere has been pretty tense lately.”

Lia knew Livi’s objective.

He was certainly targeting Eliza, the genius mage who must have a grudge against the Bevel family.

This was his attempt to prepare for that.

The other brothers were the same.

They used to try to control him, but now, he had surpassed any level of restraint.

Eliza’s power had grown too great.

Cain had chosen to increase his own strength and size, but Livi seemed to be taking a different approach.

“What do you want from me?”

Lia asked.

“I’m more curious about what you can do for me. More than that, I’m curious if you’re even willing to do anything.”

“I’m truly sorry about the misunderstanding in the current situation.”

Lia thought about it.

What Livi wanted.

‘Eliza’s weakening.’

She didn’t know what judgment he had made through today’s impeLial guard confrontation.

But no matter how much he was at a disadvantage, Lia wouldn’t side with Eliza’s enemies.

The children influenced heavily by Narcissisa, just like the Duchess, hated Eliza.

They believed that Eliza had taken a portion of the wealth and honor that they thought belonged to them.

Inheriting the power of fire had indeed been valuable.

But the one who was the actual inheritor didn’t even intend for that to happen.

Now, it was purely the fault of the Bevel family members that Eliza might consider using it.

Lia decided to leave them with one last lie.

Even if it was just Livi, it was enough.

Livi might not believe this fully, but it didn’t matter.

Her role was almost complete.

Livi, or perhaps another brother, might come after her life.

Lia had decided to use him.

The truth she hid would be better left undiscovered for Eliza’s sake.

“It might be hard to believe, but I have something that you might like to hear, young master.”

“I know it’s hard to believe. Alright, tell me anyway.”

“You’ve probably heard about the lady’s bodyguard knight.”

“Of course, I’ve heard.”

“Sir Judas, he is someone very special and precious to the lady.”

“…What?”

Livi raised an eyebrow.

He was shocked.

But Lia’s expression didn’t falter.

“…Wait, are you telling me that the rumors going around like some cheap romance novel were actually true? Eliza?”

“As far as I can see, yes.”

“Unbelievable… Are you telling me this as useful information? Does that bodyguard have no interest in her that way?”

Lia simply smiled.

As if she had already given enough information.

Livi was skilled at handling people.

Even if he arrived empty-handed, he could easily turn anyone into an ally.

His natural observation skills, psychological tactics, and eloquence.

No one can withstand it.

But Lia knows.

The natural enemy of such a cunning and intelligent person is none other than an ordinary, thoughtless, and ignorant human.

Levi’s face, about to confront Judas’s unshakable confidence, was drawn with a righteous expression.

“Judas…”

Levi quickly made a judgment.

The elite guard showdown.

Among them, Judas had shown an overwhelmingly impressive performance.

Furthermore, the expression on Eliza’s face as he smiled at Judas was not a mere delusion.

If she drew him in from various angles, she would have the upper hand.

On the other hand, Eliza would be at a disadvantage.

‘Should I believe this or not?’

So far, Lia had deceived Bevel countless times with subtle tricks.

It’s hard to believe.

But it’s worth confirming.

‘Meeting for a brief moment isn’t that difficult after all.’

If it’s the truth, that’s good. If it’s a lie, it’s still information with little downside.

“If this is another lie, then it won’t be the same as before.”

Even under threat, Lia simply smiled and lowered her head.

Levi found her behavior strange for a moment.

There aren’t many people who can keep a straight face even when a knife is held to their throat.

‘What is her real identity…?’

Doubts began to surface about the Lia he had known so far, but he had no time to confirm them now.

Seeing Lia smile even while being threatened with her life in her hands, Levi felt uneasy but chose to step back for the time being.

For Lia, this was what she had wanted.

She would vanish along with the truth.

If Levi’s direct descendants killed her, it would become a reason for Eliza.

A death that only brought profit.

“I hope you have a good result, regardless.”

***

“Do you think Levi oppa will do well?”

Sarah asked, sounding anxious.

She wanted to rescue Narcissaas soon as possible.

She couldn’t imagine how much pain he was in.

Narcissahad participated in the trials a few times as a witness.

Each time, he showed up in a horrific state.

His appearance was, quite literally, a mess.

Gone was the confident figure he once had.

“Don’t worry. If it’s Levi hyung, he’ll surely have some way.”

“But, Cain oppa and Levi oppa weren’t really keen on bringing mom back, were they…?”

“Well… that’s true, but maybe they’re just being cautious?”

Even after leaving the matter in Levi’s hands, the two kept exchanging concerns.

At that moment, a man approached them.

“Good day.”

The warm smile typical of a religious figure.

His white robes were dazzling.

Achan and Sarah both recognized him well.

“May blessings be upon you.”

The Pope of the Moon Church.

It was Nadab.

“You seem to have many concerns. May I be of help to you?”

The Pope, who had taken over Anggra’s role and duties, smiled warmly.

***

After Judas had finished washing and changing clothes, someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it…?”

When he opened the door, a man stood there.

Blond hair and a gentle demeanor.

Bevel’s second son.

Levi di Bevel.

Levi smiled at Judas in a friendly manner.

“First time meeting up close, isn’t it?”

“What do you need?”

Judas’s response was somewhat curt.

His eyes scanning from top to bottom.

A clear check to see if anyone else was around.

It was not just rude, but arrogant.

Levi shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“Aren’t you being too cautious? I don’t recall doing anything that would make you hate me. The match earlier, too, didn’t mix in any personal emotions.”

Well, Judas found it hard to agree.

There may have been no personal history, but in the end, Levi was an enemy of Eliza.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“It’s a long story.”

Levi glanced between Judas’s room and the hallway.

“Shall we talk while leaving our guest outside?”

“Hmm…”

Judas slightly furrowed his brow.

It was annoying, but he couldn’t just kick him out coldly.

After all, he was supposed to be a noble.

“Well, come in then.”

Levi stepped into the room, looking bewildered.

Though he didn’t show it, he was inwardly flustered.

‘What’s with this guy…?’

He’d never encountered someone so blatantly rude in his life.

Sometimes, there were people who didn’t know his true identity and acted this way.

Even they were quick to apologize once they realized.

But this rock-like man in front of him was doing this even after knowing who he was.

There had never been anyone like this before.

He was a kind of person Levi had never encountered in his experience or information.

As skilled as Levi was in intelligence operations, he was weak when it came to dealing with someone who didn’t fit into his data.

‘Is this even… okay?’

He was the one holding the questions that his opponent should have been asking.

After Levi entered, Judas locked the door.

Click.

The sound sent a chill down Levi’s spine.

There were only two people in this room—Judas and himself.

Levi didn’t have the confidence to defeat the bulky man who looked like he could easily take down an ogre with his bare hands.

He had left his guards behind, hoping to lower his opponent’s guard, but that had been a fatal mistake.

“You probably wouldn’t want to drink tea from a sweaty man, would you?”

“….”

“Would you like me to bring you a glass of water instead?”

“No, it’s fine, forget it…”

Levi stammered, not knowing what to say.

How was he supposed to charm someone like this?

Judas slumped down on the sofa and gestured to the space in front of him with a flick of his chin.

He inwardly scoffed at Levi.

‘He’s one step below Eliza.’

If it had been Eliza, he wouldn’t have given up control even in this situation.

No one could compare to Eliza, after all.

Judas decided to take the initiative in this situation.

He brought over a previously set moonlight sword and began wiping it with a dry cloth.

Levi’s expression across from him froze in a way that was almost comical.

“I haven’t had time to tend to my sword lately. I hope you understand.”

“…”

Judas continued to gently clean the jet-black sword.

His body language was making it clear that he wasn’t happy with the situation.

“My master always said that a knight’s sword is his second life.”

Master.

Levi quickly grasped the meaning of the word and its background.

He knew about the relationship between Judas and Gawain.

Gawain had once lived in the Bevel family’s main house.

That common denominator connected them.

Using a mutual acquaintance to get close was a tactic that worked on just about anyone.

Levi decided to take advantage of it.

“Oh, you trained under Sir Gawain, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a great knight. Even when he lived at the main house, he was famous. You had an excellent teacher.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“…”

To Levi’s surprise, Judas didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in his words, let alone any sense of appreciation.

In fact, he seemed annoyed by it.

The unfairness of using bloodlines, academic connections, or social ties—things like that—was something Judas clearly despised.

His indifferent and detached expression was starting to resemble Eliza’s more and more.

Though he was unaware of it.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Seeing Judas’s firm attitude, Levi was certain something was wrong.

But now that he had come this far, there was no turning back.

Even if he was dealing with a rebellious street thug, it would be difficult for him to turn down the proposal.

After all, Judas was just someone with a contractual relationship to Eliza.

On the other hand, Eliza wasn’t the same.

So, separating Judas from Eliza would be more effective than any other method.

Levi calmed his mind and began to speak smoothly.

***

After washing up and changing into his pajamas, Eliza had left her hair to Lia’s care.

At that moment, sounds came from outside the door.

Footsteps.

The sound of the door opening.

Murmurs of conversation from beyond the closed space.

Then the door closed again.

Two people had entered the room.

Someone had come to Judas’s room.

And now, there were two people in the same room together.

“…….”

Eliza looked down at the ring.

Her right hand’s fourth finger. The ivory-colored ring.

She wanted to summon him immediately.

This feeling, for some reason, felt awkward.

The Princess’s proposal from earlier in the day still lingered in her ears.

The sight of Judas, firmly rejecting it.

Who is Judas with in that room?

What should she do about herself?