Chapter 12: Don’t Pop the Champagne at Halftime  

Caught off guard by Velrian’s remark, Heidi paused, then noticed the rapid coughing and labored breathing behind her. 

She quickly turned to check on Eze.  

As she let go, Eze, who’d been yanked from his seat, collapsed to the floor.  

Heidi’s arrival had first startled him, then her tackle hit his injured chest, followed by her rough pulling.  

This sequence left Eze visibly worse, blood trickling from his mouth again.  

“Cough cough—cough cough—pfft—cough cough—I swear—cough cough cough…”  

Heidi hurriedly knelt beside him, apologizing as she gently helped him back to the seat.  

“I’m so sorry! I… I was too eager… really, really sorry!!”  

She was too eager, exposing such a basic flaw to this woman—she had to cover it up.  

But Eze, really? He managed to escape from Anlin Plain to here, yet he’s this fragile in her hands?  

Biting her lip, Heidi kept apologizing, cautiously watching Eze’s expression.  

Eze clutched his chest, his face full of pain, but shook his head.  

“Huff—no… it’s fine… cough cough cough—”  

Heidi sighed in relief.  

Good, even in this state, Eze showed no sign of blaming her—her carefully crafted persona was still effective.  

But dragging him off now would be inappropriate.  

She looked at Velrian, outwardly earnest but inwardly reluctant, and said:  

“…Please take care of him. I’ll get a carriage; he needs to go to the Holy Capital immediately!”  

Velrian, face darkening, shook her head.  

“It’s days to the Holy Capital. Are you sure his condition can handle that?”  

“I…”  

Heidi was speechless, glancing at Eze, drenched in cold sweat.  

Indeed, a small tug did this; a few days of jostling in a carriage might kill him.  

The purple-haired girl sneered and pressed:  

“Not even considering such a basic issue—Princess, are you worried about your fiancé’s safety, or just eager to drag him off to avoid complications?”  

The words hit Heidi’s sore spot.  

She was indeed rushing to secure Eze, using his injuries to gain leverage for future control.  

But her overconfidence and this woman’s interference led to repeated slip-ups—unacceptable.  

Of course, she couldn’t admit it.  

Feigning anger, she raised her voice:  

“Of course I’m worried about his safety! That’s why I want to get him to the Holy Capital for treatment! He’s my fiancé; I have to think of his safety! I—I…”  

Mid-sentence, she deliberately glanced at Eze, putting on a guilty look, her tone softening.  

She even dropped to her knees, covering her face and sobbing.  

“No… you’re right, I… I was too hasty… I didn’t even notice how bad his injuries were… I… I’m sorry, so sorry… but I was just worried about him!”  

This was Heidi’s retreat-to-advance tactic.  

First, use the all-purpose “too worried” excuse to gloss over her mistakes.  

Second, admit a small fault to flip the script, putting the advantaged opponent on the defensive.  

After all—my fiancé’s like this, isn’t it normal to be anxious?

Even if I messed up, my intentions were good.  

And you, questioning my concern?

What’s your motive?  

Can you actually prove my care is fake?  

Laughable.  

Inwardly, Heidi was already popping champagne.  

Velrian, arms crossed, looked down contemptuously at the huddled Heidi, then knelt to eye level, staring into her eyes.  

“So, Princess, you’ve been worried about your fiancé all along?”  

“Of course!”  

“And before this?”  

“Before? I was injured in battle, passed out, and came here as soon as I woke up! I’m sorry, I… I woke up too late…”  

Heidi kept acting, noticing Eze watching the exchange.  

But the witch smirked mockingly:  

“No, I mean further back.”  

Heidi froze.  

“…Further back?”  

“From what I know, Eze took plenty of abuse from your team leader. He left because they fell out. If you’re so worried, why didn’t you ever stand up for him before?”  

“I…”  

Heidi’s mind went blank.  

She’d expected the argument to stay on current events, not dig into the core issue.  

On this, she had little defense.  

Normally, she’d just comfort Eze privately after Liya’s torment, saying nice things and cursing Liya a bit.  

Directly confronting Liya to defend Eze?

Almost never.  

Her goal was to maintain her princess status through hero activities.  

While Eze was indispensable, Liya was also a hero—clashing with her would hurt Heidi’s position.  

So, she’d greedily played both sides.  

When she could easily manipulate Eze, this wasn’t an issue, but being called out now was bad.  

Heidi gritted her teeth, glaring at the purple-haired girl, the room falling silent except for Eze’s coughs and gasps.  

After a moment—  

“Who cares about that now!?”  

Heidi quickly regained her composure, going on the offensive to move past it.  

“What matters is Eze, Eze! We’ll deal with the rest later. We need a doctor and a priest to break the curse, or it’ll be too late!!”  

“No need to trouble yourself, Princess.”  

Velrian stepped between Heidi and Eze, coldly cutting her off.  

She’d had enough of this farce.  

“I’ve checked his injuries; they’re not critical for now—he’s just weak. He’ll stay with me to recover. Once he’s stronger, he can return to the Holy Capital to try fixing his blessing. Sound good?”  

To Heidi, this was unacceptable.  

Eze’s physical and mental weakness was the perfect chance to cement her hold—she had to be the one by his side.  

But she saw the threat in the stranger’s eyes.  

Her slip-ups had already been seen through; continuing to fight would only expose her further.  

Unless Eze spoke up, saying he’d go with her.  

She shot him a look, signaling him to back her up—a tactic that always worked with nobles.  

But now, Eze ignored her, just coughing and gasping.  

Heidi’s anger flared.  

What’s this? 

Betrayal?

Not even helping his fiancée?

Was this lecher actually planning to ditch her for this woman?  

Or were his injuries worse than she thought, frying his brain?  

Then wasn’t all this for nothing?  

Regardless, without Eze’s support, Heidi could only grit her teeth and nod:  

“Fine, but he’s my fiancé, so I’m staying too!! I’ll take care of him!”  

“Cough cough cough—no need…”  

Eze, who’d barely been breathing, finally rallied, struggling to sit up and speaking haltingly to Heidi:  

“Anlin Plain… the army’s losses… heavy. Liya… Liya can’t handle it… you… you can’t stay here… that’s… more important than me…”  

“But—”  

“You’re… the princess… that’s… your duty… cough cough cough—I… cough—I’m fine…”  

Heidi’s fury surged.  

Silent as a corpse when she needed him, but now sending her away, he’s suddenly chatty!?  

Traitor, disgusting.  

And this woman—where did she come from?  

Eze always scoffed at noble daughters, even found them repulsive, which was why Heidi trusted and found him useful.  

But this chick? Getting Eze to speak for her? Did she charm him?  

Still, Heidi knew she had to restrain herself—she couldn’t lose it here.  

“…Fine.”  

And with Eze pulling the princess card, she had no retort.  

She stood, her face full of feigned reluctance.  

“Then I’ll go. Once… once the retreat’s handled, I’ll come back for you!”  

“Yeah… please… cough cough cough—”  

Eze forced a weak smile. Heidi’s mouth tasted bitter, but she had no choice but to leave.  

As the door closed, the room fell silent again.  

Velrian looked toward Heidi’s exit, sneering:  

“A princess like that, and this country’s still standing? What kind of trash is leading the demon offensive?”  

Then she resumed her smile, turning to Eze, still slumped on the couch.  

“By the way, your acting was pretty convincing—I was almost fooled at first.”  

With her words, Eze sat up, showing only exhaustion; the intense coughing and gasping seemed fake.  

Yes, it was all an act.  

The coughs, the breathing, the blood—he’d bitten his tongue to fake it, and it hurt like hell.  

All to get Heidi out, avoiding a clash between a demon leader and a chosen hero here, and ensuring he could die quietly without dragging others down.  

He gave a wry smile and shook his head.  

“You saw through it? Cough cough How’d you know?”  

Velrian walked over, sitting beside him:  

“I cast the curse, so I know what it does. A soul-based injury wouldn’t worsen from a little tugging.”  

“…Why?”  

“Hm?”  

“Why go along with it?”  

Eze still couldn’t figure her out.  

Seeking revenge, messing with him—that made sense.  

But why let Heidi go?  

With her power as a Great Witch, Heidi, unprepared for battle, would’ve been dead the moment her familiar spotted her.  

Yet Velrian not only didn’t act but let Heidi try to take him away, watched the drama, then helped him send her off.  

He couldn’t fathom her reasons.  

Velrian tilted her head, puzzled.  

“Why? Didn’t you want her gone? So I lent a hand. Plus, I really don’t like that scheming girl.”  

“No, that’s not what I mean…”  

“Alright, enough of that.”  

Velrian leaned closer, hooking her arm around Eze’s neck, pulling them within centimeters, close enough to feel her breath.  

If she wasn’t planning to kill him, this would’ve been heart-pounding.  

“Even if it was an act, your face doesn’t look great. Let’s deal with that first.”  

The witch leaned to his ear, whispering:  

“I’ll just ask directly—would you like to join my side?”