Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

Subaru Natsuki's loud laughter even reached outside the side hall.

The parties still locked in a standoff were completely baffled as to what exactly was going on!

The wrinkles on McCrotov's forehead deepened.

Natsuki Subaru reluctantly stopped laughing and said:

"Hey, that's why I said I can't get along with you bunch of pedantic scholars. I saw you were feeling down about the past, so I told you such a funny joke, but you didn't even laugh!"

"What a waste of our good intentions!"

Natsuki Subaru spat out a mouthful of spittle in disdain.

"You... I've said so much, don't you care at all about Princess Capella?!" McCrotov's fingers trembled as he questioned her.

"You keep her by your side all the time, don't you have any feelings for her at all?!"

Natsuki Subaru, however, seemed to have heard some inexplicable question.

"What does our relationship with our mount have to do with those old grievances you're bringing up?"

McCrotov was speechless for a moment.

He just brought up Capella's most embarrassing past and even admitted to the mistakes the royal family made back then.

The purpose was to let Subaru Natsuki know more about Capella.

Seeing that Capella was now just a head in Subaru's hands, he could roughly guess that Capella must have done something to anger Subaru to deserve such punishment.

He didn't expect Subaru to exonerate Capela, nor did he have the right to demand that Subaru forgive her.

He simply wanted the man who had brought her by his side to know that the bishop of lust, now reduced to a head, had once been an innocent girl who would sunbathe in the courtyard, remember the names of her maids, and stand up for demi-human children.

This feeling stemmed from the guilt that McCrotoff had accumulated throughout his life serving the royal family.

He had witnessed the strange disease sweep through the royal family and had seen the palace that never saw sunlight.

As the old king breathed his last, his eyes still held the sorrow of the royal family's extinction and his helplessness in the face of it all.

McCrotoff's loyalty to the royal family was never less than his loyalty to the country.

That's why the guilt he felt for participating in deciding Princess Capella's fate has always been buried deep in his heart, never fading away even after decades.

Now that the royal family has been destroyed, Capella, who has become a cultist of the witch, is the last remaining bloodline of the royal family in the public eye.

Even if he couldn't restore her status as a princess, Mycroft hoped that she could at least retain some dignity as a human being in the future.

But after saying all that, all he saw was Subaru Natsuki's hand on Capella's head.

The hand didn't stop, and Subaru Natsuki's gaze towards Capela remained unchanged.

Despite the old man's many words, the man in front of him still held Capela close, as if who she was or what she had done in the past had not affected her position in his eyes.

McCrotov stood there, stunned for a moment.

He suddenly realized that what he wanted the man in front of him to do, the man had already done.

This man will not pity Capela, nor will he care whether she has the status of a princess.

For him, Capella was merely his mount.

So she was kept by his side, held in his arms, and protected in a way that was hard for others to understand.

This is perhaps the best treatment Capela can get right now.

Even knowing this, McCrotoff still had one thing he had to say.

This statement reflects the selfish desire of an old man who served the royal family his entire life, and who still wanted to plead for the princess's life.

“Young man… no, Lord Subaru.”

The old man suppressed the pent-up anger in his chest and looked at Capela in the cloak again.

"I just said all this in the hope that you will not change your attitude towards her now because of her past."

At this point, McCrotov slowly lowered his head.

"I beg you, as long as she doesn't truly threaten your life, please spare her..."

Natsuki Subaru looked at the old man's drooping white hair, and his impatience gradually turned into inexplicable confusion.

"Old man, you've asked the wrong person."

He lowered his head and lifted the cloak to prevent Capela from sliding further down.

"It's our own mount, we cherish it too much to bear taking its life."

McCrotov looked up in surprise.

Subaru patted his cloak, his tone even more matter-of-fact.

"Don't worry about whether she will hurt our family in the future."

"Even if our mount wants to do something heinous that would offend both gods and men, we'll still love it!"

"We have water at home, so we'll give it to Capela to drink first!"

Mycroft's prepared words of persuasion suddenly got stuck in his throat.

Suddenly, there was no movement under the cloak.

Capela stared wide-eyed at the fabric covering her face.

She was still feeling uneasy, wondering if Subaru Natsuki would re-examine her with the same gaze as everyone else after hearing that story and lifting his cloak.

Disgust, pity, fear.

No matter which scenario occurs, she will immediately retaliate.

She had even planned how to ridicule the man, how to use the most vicious words to tear apart his disdain before he could even open his mouth.

Subaru's voice came through the cloak without the slightest hesitation.

Even though he knew so much, his attitude remained unchanged.

He still treated her like a mount...

His confident demeanor just now made it seem as if even if she were to commit an heinous crime, he would still consider her his most beloved...

like...

Capela's teeth tapped together slightly.

Immediately afterwards, that tremor spread along her jawline all the way to her mutilated body, impacting the deepest witch genes within her.

The long-awaited factor leaked... but she couldn't suppress it no matter what she did.

When she was a princess, she never lacked love.

Her family cherished her dearly, her subjects expected her to become the next queen, and everyone believed that she would lead Lugnica to new heights.

Back then, all she had to do was reach out her hand, and love would come from all directions.

But later, illness took it all away.

Treatments failed time and again, and the strange disease spread from her to other members of the royal family.

Desperate, the royal family poured their treasured dragon blood into her body, but instead of curing her illness, the curse contained in the dragon blood turned her familiar face and body into a jumbled mess of flesh.

From that day on, respect turned to disgust, and expectation to fear. The love that had once been eagerly offered to her was taken back, one by one.

It was then that Capela realized that appearance is the ticket to being liked.

She began to observe every pair of eyes that looked at her, judging from the subtle pauses and glances that indicated what kind of face, body, and smile the other person liked.

Unfortunately, she has already turned into a monster...

No matter how well she performs, everyone will still avoid her...

Until one day, the lustful witch factor brought by "that woman" responded to her, giving her the ability to truly satisfy everyone's desires.

So she changed her appearance to win praise and plunder the love of those willing to give their lives for beauty.

But almost instantly after she gets it, she realizes it.

Those people loved the face she temporarily conjured.

As long as that face continues to change, the love that was once so steadfast will immediately vanish.

No matter how many people kneel at her feet and swear allegiance, they cannot bring her true peace and satisfaction.

A thirsty person and a person dying of thirst react differently when they see water.

If a thirsty person gets water, she will choose to drink it down in large gulps.

But a person who is about to die of thirst will see water and rush towards it with their last bit of strength, clinging tightly to the container of water, unwilling to let go of even a single drop.

Capella, who had lost everything and was left alone to die in the secret chamber of the palace, had long since crossed that line of thirst.

As she received more and more love, Capella gradually realized...

The love and adoration of one or two people cannot make her feel at ease.

Only by pursuing quantitative change, forcing the whole world to give her love, can she possibly avoid dying of thirst when she loses the love of others...

So she began to orchestrate everything: the Witch Cult, the Aiko Organization, and the King.

But the more love she received, the clearer the emptiness in her chest became.

No matter how much love she has, it doesn't stop her from realizing that this love will eventually leave her.

Gradually, in Capella's eyes, everyone else began to appear no different from toys to be played with at will...

Until she met Subaru Natsuki...

Having witnessed Subaru Natsuki's incredible speed and endurance, and realizing that she had completely lost hope of escaping his side, Capella began to re-evaluate this man...

Then she reached a conclusion that shocked her...

This man never seemed to care what she looked like.

When she transforms into a dragon, he is as excited as if he has discovered a rare treasure;

When she was reduced to just a head, most people wouldn't even bother to look at her, but he still held her in his arms, stroking her and kissing her affectionately over and over again.

Although it was used as... a mount

But no matter what she becomes, Subaru Natsuki's gaze towards her will always be filled with that fervent passion...

Even while he was infiltrating Anna's business guild, he still made sure to take her out every night and hold her while he slept...

Even now, knowing who she used to be, his attitude remains unchanged.

Capela refused to admit it.

But it cannot be denied that she had developed some expectations for this man.

The expectation of having love fulfilled.

She was well aware, of course, that this expectation still rested on a question she dared not touch.

That is—[Natsuki Subaru has never seen her true appearance after being corrupted by dragon blood.]

If one day, that mass of flesh and blood that even she herself dared not look at was completely exposed to Natsuki Subaru, would this man still be able to say without hesitation that he loves her to death, just like he does now?

Even as a mount...

Capela didn't know.

But a person dying of thirst can't refuse a glass of water offered to their lips. Even the slightest hint of moisture will draw them closer.

I think I'm being mind-controlled...

Capela closed his eyes resignedly...

That's good. As long as we know that Subaru Natsuki is someone who might accept her as she is...

She didn't actually need to let Subaru Natsuki see her true appearance...

Is it really not necessary...?

But if she doesn't let Subaru see, how can she be sure this is truly someone she can trust...?

Capela still felt very thirsty...

Outside the cloak, Natsuki Subaru felt the body beneath his palm trembling more and more violently, and his brows immediately furrowed.

He thought that McCrotov's nonsense had angered Capela again, so he immediately pulled his crippled body closer to his chest and turned to glare at the old man.