All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 32

In that brief moment, Emilion caught sight of Verdi.

She had both hands over her mouth, which had opened in shock, and her eyes were widened to their limits.

To cause such a major accident with the sword borrowed from the princess.

Emilion’s vision darkened as he wondered how he would face the aftermath.

Even resigning from the position of Knight Commander might not be enough. No, it would be fortunate if stepping down was all it took.

‘Damn it.’

Emilion rapidly suppressed his aura and desperately prayed for divine intervention.

A miracle to stop this sword and drain its power.

Then, a dark figure appeared before his eyes.

The crimson eyes that suddenly filled his vision were so chilling that Emilion’s body froze.

Crash!

His sword energy was forcibly diverted and shot into the sky.

A strong impact struck Emilion’s wrist.

“Ugh!”

Emilion was thrown to the ground. The Hero’s Divine Sword he had dropped spun through the air and struck the ground like an arrow.

“Aahhh!”

Women’s shrieks echoed.

To Lucienne, the whole sequence of events was over in a flash.

Her vision had been entirely filled by Paello’s broad back.

She had always thought he had an exceptional build, but now his back seemed like a sturdy fortress wall.

But why was he standing in front of her?

Paello exhaled and looked at Lucienne. “Madam, are you alright?”

A thin red line had formed on his left cheek, and blood was streaming down from it.

Lucienne, who had been staring blankly at Paello, snapped back to her senses.

“Ah! Blood!”

She hadn’t realized how dangerous the situation had been.

But she fully understood that Paello had protected her and gotten injured in the process.

Her heart sank.

“Y-Your Grace! Your face is bleeding! What do we do!”

Panicking, Lucienne urgently called for a doctor. She took out a handkerchief and tried to stop Paello’s bleeding.

“Ugh, what a shame on such a handsome face!”

Truly, Lucienne felt devastated, enough to forget she was in another person’s body.

“That face is a national treasure, no, a world heritage! A scar would be unforgivable. Handsome men must be protected.”

Lucienne, too startled, didn’t even realize she had said her inner thoughts aloud. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she anxiously checked whether the bleeding had stopped.

Paello’s gaze, watching her, also wavered intensely.

When Lucienne had stepped between Emilion’s sword and herself, Paello had moved before he could think.

Before his mind registered it, every nerve in his body had bristled.

The moment he saw Emilion’s blade aimed at Lucienne, his heart trembled like an earthquake and erupted like a volcano.

His blood surged so rapidly that his ears buzzed.

In that instant, only one thought consumed him.

He had to protect his wife.

With a wooden stick infused with aura elevated to its absolute peak, he had intercepted Emilion.

To face the Hero’s Divine Sword, also infused with aura, head-on was suicidal even for Paello.

So, he chose to strike Emilion’s wrist and deflect the attack upward.

It was the perfect decision.

Had Emilion been more determined, blocking the attack would have been difficult, but he, too, had recognized the situation and withdrawn his killing intent.

There was a slight sting as the aura grazed his cheek, but to come away with just that was incredibly lucky.

Now, Lucienne was worried about him. Her flustered expression and muttering were filled with sincerity.

‘Whew.’

Only then did Paello feel a wave of relief.

At the same time, his heart warmed. A ticklish sensation stirred in one corner of his chest. A blend of first-time fluttering and the joy of having protected something precious enveloped him.

‘Ah, so this is happiness.’

Paello wrapped his hand over Lucienne’s, which was still pressing the handkerchief to his wound.

His eyes softened naturally. The corners of his mouth lifted gently with relief.

“I’m really alright, madam.”

“Ah…”

Lucienne’s cheeks flushed a rosy red. He could feel the quick thumping of her heart from her soft hand.

She was utterly lovable.

Overwhelmed by his emotions, Paello leaned down without thinking and pressed his lips to Lucienne’s cheek. There was a stir around them, but he paid no mind.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, madam.”

‘Gasp!’

The moment Paello’s whisper brushed her cheek, Lucienne felt as if her face might explode from the heat. Her heart pounded madly.

‘W-what is this guy doing? E-wveryone’s watching!’

Lucienne’s vision spun. She was so stunned that her thoughts froze, leaving her unsure how to move.

“Your Grace! I brought the doctor!”

What brought her back to her senses was Joad and the doctor, who had rushed over in a panic.

“Y-you need to be treated.”

As Lucienne hastily stepped back, her gaze fell on the gray bear awkwardly standing there.

Meanwhile, the cubs had clung to the gray bear again and were rubbing against him.

“Hey, stay still. Got it?”

The gray bear, sensing Lucienne’s command, plopped down on the spot.

As the jaguar hesitantly crept closer, the gray bear pulled it in with his forepaw and settled it beside him.

“Haa…”

Lucienne let out a long sigh.

It felt like something huge had just passed, but at least things seemed under control now.

“P-Princess, are you alright?”

Turning at the flustered women’s voices, she saw Verdi sitting on the ground, pale as a sheet.

The Hero’s Divine Sword was embedded deeply in the ground just a meter from Verdi.

Emilion struggled to rise and then knelt before Verdi with a devastated expression.

“I have committed an unforgivable sin, Your Highness. Please punish me.”

Verdi, lost in confusion, gasped for breath several times.

The Hero’s Divine Sword appearing as the grand prize of the hunting competition, and ending up in her hands through the roulette, had all been thanks to her meticulous scheme.

The princess receives divine favor.

It was meant to be witnessed by many nobles.

If she could even win and claim the Hero’s Divine Sword, it would be perfect.

Verdi wasn’t skilled with swords.

Had she regressed to her childhood, she could have trained and stopped Paello’s marriage, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

So, she planned to share the victory with Emilion and obtain half of the ownership of the Divine Sword.

But when the unexpected variable of Paello’s participation arose, she changed her plan.

A pheasant instead of a chicken. (*a Korean saying used when an unexpected turn results in a more favorable outcome)

No, Verdi, with the aim of eliminating the Demon King and claiming the highest imperial throne through the legitimacy of her bloodline, had chosen the God of Battle over the Hero.

No man would refuse the Divine Sword, she was confident, especially anyone who might have to face the demon race.

If she could share the prize with Paello, her plans could proceed faster and more precisely.

Part of her plan had gone awry due to Lucienne’s unpredictable actions and Paello unexpectedly acting like a devoted husband.

It was irritating. But ultimately, it didn’t matter much.

Lucienne would die at Emilion’s hand anyway, and Paello was destined to be hers.

Verdi entrusted the sword to Emilion as originally planned.

Emilion truly was strong. Even when monstrous large beasts appeared, he dispatched them quickly.

Then, another anomaly occurred. Every time Verdi fired a green flare—five times in total—there had been the same number of return signals.

‘What? I deliberately handed out crappy weapons, though.’

But no more flares came after that. Given that fifteen large beasts had been taken down, it wasn’t unreasonable.

So, Verdi thought of the final prey to be hunted.

The gray bear that had once led Emilion to victory.

It had been found in the arena. So she hurried off with Emilion.

What happened next unfolded in an instant.

When Emilion’s Divine Sword aimed at the gray bear had unintentionally targeted Lucienne, Verdi truly thought the heavens, no, the entire universe was helping her.

If Lucienne died here, things would become much easier.

Taking a widowed man under her wing would be simple.

Even if Emilion became a sacrifice, if she could gain Paello, it was a much greater benefit.

But then, the chilling blade landed right in front of her. Just two or three steps away.

The sound of the Divine Sword embedding into the ground was unnervingly sharp, and Verdi felt a terror as though her neck had been pierced again.

She was too dazed to keep standing.

When she regained some awareness, Paello was kissing Lucienne’s cheek.