Chapter 40

“Ugh! S-Save… Aah! Aah! Ugh!”

Anthony’s body bounced like a ball as Calix continued to kick him in the gut. Even though it looked like he was kicking at random, it wasn’t. He was kicking him in the areas that would hurt the most.

Bam, bam, bam. A dull noise echoed throughout the hallway.

Anthony tried to shrug and escape but to no avail.

He struggled to stand up and tried to escape, but the Grand Duke’s knights caught him, and he was thrown back in front of Calix.

Anthony was in terrible pain, and foam began to form around his lips.

He struggled to alleviate the pain, but that was all he could do.

The Grand Duke stopped kicking him when Philip came running towards him, calling out.

“Your Excellency!”

Philip trembled when he saw his son lying on the floor as if he was dead, But he didn’t dare to stand in the way of the Grand Duke.

Calix’s red eyes scanned the surroundings slowly.

Goosebumps ran down the spines of the people there, as they looked so lifeless, unlike how they looked just a while ago.

“What’s going on there?”

“I think I heard some noise from over there. Didn’t you hear anything?”

The end of the hallway began to buzz. People were coming this way to find out what exactly was happening.

The noise made Calix turn around and move faster towards Asella.

Her pale face reflected in his expressionless eyes.

Her pale eyes wavered slightly as she stared down the hallway. Her hands fisted her skirt so tightly that the bright blue veins protruded from her pale skin.

It was such a disgrace.

She was ashamed of how this situation would appear to others.

At the sight of him getting closer, startled, Asella stepped back, but he was faster than her.

Instantly, the distance between them narrowed.

“…!”

In a flash, Calix’s firm arms tightened around Asella’s waist.

Bewildered, Asella pushed him hard, but Calix did not budge. Rather, he tightened his grip and pulled her even closer to him.

The pointless rebellion came to a halt.

Asella could not look at Calix, nor could she push him away, for that matter. She was dizzy, and her gaze dropped to the ground.

Calix looked down at Asella, who was embarrassed and didn’t know what to do.

“Lean against me. You don’t have to let others see your face.”

“Ah.”

Asella’s mouth dropped open as she finally realized Calix’s intentions.

She stood with her back against the crowd of people.

She leaned against him, so they wouldn’t be able to see her swollen face.

“Ryzen.”

The Grand Duke’s loyal aide knew what to do only by his master’s calling. Following Ryzen’s gesture, the Benvito’s knights blocked those approaching from afar.

“Bring me the veil.”

A short command was given, and soon a delicately crafted veil was handed to Calix.

The veil with colorful embroidery on the edges was wide enough to cover her face and hair, resting softly on her shoulders.

Calix, who had placed the veil over Asella’s head himself, asked to confirm.

“Is it uncomfortable?”

“No, I’m fine.”

The suffocating veil was not a subject she would complain about at this moment. It gave her a sense of relief that at least she didn’t have to show her swollen face in front of so many people.

As soon as he was assured that the veil was firmly in place, Calix turned his head away.

Anthony, who had come to his senses in the meantime, was slowly getting back on his feet with the help of Philip.

Philip shouted for a doctor nervously. But none of the servants could do so because of the Benvito knights who surrounded the area with a grim presence.

“What are you doing just standing! Go and get a doctor, quickly!”

“That won’t happen.”

Calix interrupted Philip’s words.

His arrogant smile made Philip feel as if he had been thrown into a field of blowing snow and wild wind. A chilling sensation rose up on his lower back, making him shiver.

“A mere piece of trash with no title or rank insulted the Grand Duchess.”

Calix’s red eyes had an eerie, mysterious glow to them.

“And the ones who were supposed to be protecting their master were just standing idly by and watching.”

The servant trembled as they stood in their place. The Grand Duke expressed it indirectly, but it was a clear insult, for they knew exactly what he meant.

With the exception of Cecile, who collapsed unconscious, none of them tried to stop Anthony or restrain his actions.

From watching the Grand Duke’s aggression towards Anthony and the tenderness he had shown towards the Grand Duchess, they realized something…

How wrong of a choice they made…

“I won’t stand still if you touch my things.”

Hearing what his lord had said, Ryzen’s brow furrowed.

He was a capable vassal of the Grand Duke. Naturally, he knew the personality of his lord; he didn’t like doing unnecessary work and left it all up to his subordinates to do so. But because of some worthless piece of trash that didn’t know their place, he began to do things he didn’t need to bother doing.

On top of that, it was his lord’s wedding.

Calculations quickly went through Ryzen’s mind about how to dispose of Anthony’s body and how to keep the mouths of those who were watching the whole thing shut.

His lord was a possessive man.

It didn’t matter what thoughts Calix had of her, now that Asella Chartus became Asella Benvito.

All that mattered was that she was his wife and the only one with the surname Benvito aside from the Grand Duke.

“Death will be the only thing that awaits the dog that bites its master.”

As soon as Calix had finished, the Benvito knights drew their swords.

As the heavy metallic clang sound echoed eerily in their ears, the servant of Chartus let out a short scream as they gasped for air.