---

“You know why I called you, right?”

In the long hall where the soldiers stood in formation, Baelor was standing there, looking a bit lost.

Vivian was looking down at him from the platform, and as always, Kyle was by her side.

Everyone understood the situation without needing to delve into complicated discussions.

The Rondore Family was doing everything possible to eliminate the “dirty blood,” and they were at the final stage of that endeavor.

Why was the 1st Knight Order, including Baelor, in such a ridiculous position? Why was Vivian no longer utilizing the 1st Knight Order? Why were they frequently excluded from escort duties? Everyone knew the reasons.

Baelor seemed to know them too.

Standing before Vivian, he held himself proudly but not pitifully.

“Should I explain things, or will you just put down your sword on your own?”

“…”

Baelor couldn’t decide. It was as if he still held some lingering attachment to the Rondore Family.

He probably had shown some loyalty to the Rondore Family in his own way.

Vivian was also aware of that fact.

However, that loyalty was misplaced, and there would certainly be a price to pay for it.

“…You think too much.”

Vivian said quietly.

“You should just be a sword and swing it. The problem arises when you start thinking and developing a sense of self. The future of Rondore was not something for you to contemplate.”

“…”

She recalled the time when she was young and Baelor would scold her.

He would ask why she couldn’t just be proud and not stutter at the same time.

She vividly remembered the fierce faces of his subordinates who walked with him.

“…Tell me, Baelor. Do you still think I’m that stuttering fool from back then?”

Baelor looked up at Vivian.

But he couldn’t hold her gaze for long and had to look down.

It was as if Baelor had known long ago that he was defeated and was resigned to it.

“…What is my fate?”

As a defeated or disloyal vassal, his words echoed one thing.

He had no choice but to follow the head of the family.

“…Baelor. If I were to let you go here, would you go to Robert?”

Baelor didn’t hide his beliefs.

“I suppose so.”

“You know I’m preparing for war against Robert.”

“I’m saying it because I know.”

“What if I were to behead you here?”

“…”

Vivian watched as Baelor stood still.

She thought back to when he looked so frightening.

Then she looked at Kyle, who stood by her side.

She gazed at her knight who had always been by her side until Baelor was no longer frightening.

Vivian slowly pulled out a letter from her pocket.

When she nodded, Baelor hesitated but came forward to take the letter from her.

“Send this to Robert.”

Vivian said.

“…You’re going to let me go?”

Vivian warned him as he felt relieved.

“…It’s not about saving you. It’s about giving you a longer death. You’ll die alongside Robert, whom you’ve so loyally followed… Watch carefully what kind of consequences your presumptuous choices lead to.”

“…”

Baelor probably didn’t know all the details.

He likely didn’t think Robert was that malicious.

He must have believed that the Robert, who went to battle alongside the young Vivian, was the right one to lead the family.

But this naive thinking was not something Baelor ought to have had.

Robert’s inability to become regent stemmed from the judgment of the late Duchess and Nesto… that was the will of the Rondore Family.

From the moment Baelor decided to disregard that will, this future had been foreseen.

Thus, Vivian felt no compassion for Baelor.

-Thud.

Baelor bowed deeply, then unsheathed his sword from his waist and threw it on the floor.

The sword emblazoned with the sun of Rondore rolled on the ground.

In the distance, his subordinates waiting for his fate did the same.

After bowing, they dropped their swords.

Then they left the Castle of Rondore.

****

“You can’t go.”

With war approaching tomorrow, Vivian spouted such nonsense.

My hand froze, which was reaching for food.

I waited, thinking she might just be joking, but Vivian looked utterly serious.

“…You shouldn’t participate. It’s not your war.”

Vivian suddenly put forward a serious argument and pressured me.

However, given the strange nature of our relationship for so long, this felt even more awkward.

“When did your war and my war ever become separate? If it’s your matter, then I would be in it too.”

“…Kyle.”

“With the way you’re babbling, I guess you’re nervous too. Why, are you worried I might go out and get myself killed? By Baelor?”

“…”

“The 8 Knights couldn’t even kill me. What’s this washed-up Robert Rondore gonna do? Besides… I feel like we’d be just besieging for a while, no worries.”

“…”

“More than anything, I want to wrap this up quickly and have some kids—”

“-Kyle!”

Vivian got mad again at my silly joke.

I chuckled as I soaked up her irritation.

“This is the last time, Vivian.”

Then I set aside my playful demeanor and said.

“…There are already so many people in the streets praising you… Roktana is no longer poor. The ones that aimed for your life are starting to realize who they are now. One has already died.”

Vivian nodded.

“Only the final step remains now. Don’t worry. It’s better to finish this quickly.”

“…Yeah.”

I too found myself at a crossroads.

It was a frustration-born suggestion of having kids.

I never even thought for a second Vivian would agree with that.

Vivian asked me to bring it up again once everything was finished, and that request kept echoing in my head, incessantly.

I had planned to return home once everything was over, but a glimmer of hope sprang up.

That was evidence that Vivian would accept me.

No matter how much we might be enemies, wouldn’t Vivian, who wielded absolute power, act on her own will?

And with that chance appearing, I felt a little more at ease.

Leaving Vivian behind was one of the hardest things I’d ever faced.

There was just one thing still troubling me.

Was my feeling towards her a curse or not?

When the chance of us being together seemed impossible in the past, I wanted to believe it was a curse… but now, I wanted to believe it was not a curse.

I wanted it to be my genuine feelings for her.

I wanted to believe that the cost of pouring my heart out was finally coming back.

Being honest, I wanted to turn away.

Vivian was trying to choose me, so what did it matter if it was a curse or not?

I didn’t want to face it.

I just wanted to close my eyes tightly and choose the comfortable path. I had no courage to confront the truth.

“…But.”

At that moment, Vivian cautiously called out to me.

She murmured without being able to meet my eyes.

“This is just a hypothetical, Kyle… What if… I were infertile… then…”

I answered her out of nowhere.

“Why bring that up? Why would you worry for nothing?”

“I just said it was a hypothetical. Regardless… if I can’t have kids… then what will you do?”

Vivian’s expression looked more serious than I expected, and I could no longer tease her.

Instead, I stood up and moved behind her.

I wrapped my arms tightly around her shoulders and said.

“How much more do I have to do… for you to trust me?”

“…”

Whether or not we have kids doesn’t matter.

Kids are just evidence.

Evidence that Vivian chose me.

If Vivian decided to stay by my side, I had no reason not to stay by hers.

The reason I had wanted to leave until now was that I had thought we could never be together.

But if Vivian changed her mind and chose me… the story could always change.

I felt a bit sorry for my family, but I prioritized Vivian.

“…I’ll trust you, now.”

Vivian whispered as she hugged my arm.

Her breathing began to quicken, and she struggled to hold back tears.

I kissed the back of her head.

I held her tightly for a while, calming her down as her emotions surged.

****

Vivian was finally starting to believe.

That Kyle wouldn’t leave her.

His feelings toward her ran so deep it was hard to confirm.

She didn’t know when it began or why.

But Kyle loved her, and he invested his whole being into that feeling.

He didn’t even care for himself.

He didn’t analyze the logic either.

It felt as if he was simply there to protect her, as if he was born for that purpose.

Unconditional love.

That was the feeling Kyle showed her.

Perhaps it was the gift that family had sent from the heavens.

She had been too blinded to see it all this time.

But now she was starting to understand.

Even when it was time for Kyle to lead the family, he didn’t leave.

He didn’t return even when his sister came to find him.

Even when the Delum Royal Family promised direct assistance, he pushed their hands away.

What he chose was to stay by her side.

Seeing him propose to have kids… it was as if he promised to be with her for life.

Where did this profound feeling stem from?

Vivian was the one who found salvation in his incomprehensible feelings.

The emotions she felt when facing Kyle were something no one else would ever understand.

No one could overcome the feelings Vivian held for Kyle.

Perhaps now, Vivian’s feelings for Kyle could be deeper than the feelings Kyle held for her.

Now for Vivian, only one last hurdle remained.

If Kyle was to stay by her side… she only needed to ask one secret.

She only needed to inquire about Robert Rondore’s past.

Then there would be nothing left to worry about.

In exchange for hiding this truth, Vivian was willing to give her all to Kyle.

She would spend her lifetime atoning by his side.

Then afterwards, a happy future would be waiting for them.

They would become inseparable, and it all felt so natural.

Even if the whole world criticized them, Vivian was confident she could bear it.

Any obstacle would lose its meaning in front of her.

As long as she had Kyle, she could overcome anything.

****

Robert received Vivian’s letter and stood still for a long time.

The room with barely any light was already a mess.

There were empty bottles scattered around, broken furniture, and clothes and documents sprawled everywhere.

It was the mark of a loser.

Robert also knew he was already a loser.

From the moment Count Korod fell like a fool, or rather, the moment Baelor’s 8 Knights were defeated by Kyle Allen, his future was already mapped out.

He chuckled like a madman.

Did he ever imagine he would end up like this?

It had started from a small ambition.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason to be caught.

With just a few drops of poison, a handful of soldiers, and a few rumors, he could swallow his family whole.

After all, in the chaos of war, did it matter who died?

Plus, with the formidable villain, Jade Allen, around, it would be incredibly easy to shift all the blame onto someone else.

According to plan, he was able to kill his elder brother, the Duke of Rondore, and disguised the murder of his own nephew, Royce, as an accident.

The former Duchess couldn’t bear that truth and succumbed to her frail heart and vanished.

What was left was only Vivian Rondore.

The one he thought would be the easiest to eliminate among the four.

To be frank, eliminating her seemed too simple, he didn’t even bother to draft a proper plan.

However, there was one presence that complicated all of this.

Kyle Allen.

That one guy ruined everything.

What was he thinking, testing all the food in place of Vivian, enduring burns from the fire while protecting her?

He loomed around to ensure no one could approach her easily and would eliminate any suspicious presence before they could act.

Even those whom Robert had planted to spy on her trembled in fear of Kyle and some no longer passed on information out of fright.

And so, he endlessly defended Vivian’s side.

Her last line of defense was always Kyle.

Who would’ve thought the two would heal each other’s wounds and grow together?

What on earth made Kyle Allen decide to protect Vivian?

To the North, things were as incomprehensible as ever and this led to the worst outcome for Robert.

If there was one entity Robert resented the most in this world, it would be Kyle Allen.

Because of that one individual, Robert had to forfeit the position of Duke of Rondore, which he had always deserved, and now death was drawing near.

Robert opened the letter from Vivian once more.

He skimmed through it, reaching a part that struck him.

‘… So, just shut your mouth and die. I don’t want any noise from this issue. Regardless of the anger I feel towards you, chaos is not what I desire. If you have any thoughts for your family left behind, if you don’t want to witness my inhumane side… if you don’t want to see Nerumport burn to the ground, I suggest you quietly die.’

Robert laughed endlessly.

“…They’re both… ignoring me together.”

Vivian was already playing with him.

She was even determining how she would die.

Even though the fact of being family enemies was glaringly evident, she had decided to stay silent about it.

What could be the reason for that?

Of course, it must be because of Kyle Allen.

If it became known that there was someone else responsible for killing her family, it would be difficult for her to wield Kyle Allen as a tool and manipulate him.

Robert looked down at the letter again.

When a knight he met on the battlefield said the outcome was already decided… offering him a sword to die honorably, would any fool take that sword and use it to end their own life?

At least, Robert couldn’t.

He would do whatever it took to rise again, even if it meant losing a finger or rolling in the muck.

If death was inevitable, he wanted to leave some mark so that his enemies wouldn’t enjoy a peaceful end to their lives.

He could never bear to watch Vivian and Kyle living happily after they had pushed him to the brink of hell.

“It won’t go your way…”

So Robert whispered.

If there was a reason for his defeat, it was realizing too late that the bond between Kyle and Vivian was unbreakable.

He had noticed far too late that they were growing while relying on each other.

Robert threw the letter away, gulped down from a broken bottle, and muttered,

“… It won’t go your way, Vivian.”

The only thing left for Robert was to inflict pain upon Vivian and Kyle.

 

---