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“Father!!”

Keila frantically searched for her father, Jade Allen.

She barged in, abruptly disturbing his peaceful rest on the bed.

Usually, she wouldn’t do this, but right now, desperate times called for desperate measures.

“…Cough, cough.”

Instead of a response, Jade Allen merely coughed and gave a feeble look.

There was no sign of the legendary knight who once ruled the land.

The massive body that once struck fear into the enemies had dwindled, and his sharp gaze was now dull, showing no intent to resist the encroaching death.

A defeated man stood there.

“…”

Keila had rushed in to find her father, but the moment she saw him, she was speechless.

She saw this same face every day, yet it never ceased to shock her.

Could she have ever anticipated that her steadfast father, once as solid as a tree, would end up like this?

Did anyone think that a man who fearlessly faced any foe would be so utterly broken?

Every time Keila saw her father like this, she felt like crying.

No, she actually did cry.

Especially when she met her brother while searching Roktana, it felt as if she saw her father from long ago, and her emotions were all over the place.

Her brother, who had once been as small as her, now stood taller than the average southern man and had become muscular from intense training.

How relieved she had felt seeing him back then, and how light the weight on her shoulders became—Kyle would never know.

After returning to her hometown, Keila had boasted to her father about Kyle many times.

He had grown so impressively strong.

If he weren’t her biological brother, she would’ve fallen for him.

In her comedic exaggeration, she remembered her father giving a faint smile.

“…Is this about your brother?”

Jade Allen asked in a voice that sounded like metal scraping.

He had always been like this.

He worried painfully about Kyle, who lived far off.

The father never expressed it, but Keila could feel the sorrow in his voice every time she mentioned Kyle.

He blamed himself.

Despite his feats in battle, he claimed it was his fault for not protecting his son.

Surely, her father must have shed many tears thinking of her brother.

Keila bit her lip and responded.

“…Yes. Yes, father. It’s about my brother.”

“That foolish boy… Why did he choose not to come back then…?”

“…I- I told you, even if he wanted to come back, he couldn’t. Vivian didn’t seem to want to let him…”

Her brother had said he would come back.

He just mentioned he had some business to finish up first.

That was almost a year ago.

Kyle had been fighting against the lord of Nerumport, and just as he claimed, he had gained immense glory there.

The fact that he fought under the Rondore was absurd, but for Keila, witnessing her brother embrace Vivian confirmed it was indeed his intention.

Thanks to his widely known name, countless proposals for marriage had arrived.

The only reason the next head of the Allen family was being sought after was not just for that.

If that were the only reason, then no one would propose from so many diverse and prestigious families.

However, now everyone knew.

There were no gems as precious as Kyle.

At fifteen, he slayed a dragon.

He single-handedly took down the Order of the Eight Knights of the Korod family of the Delum Kingdom.

He won the war against Nerumport.

He dealt with Baelor, the traitor and former commander of the Rondore family.

To top it all off, he was the son of Jade Allen.

Plus, he was the knight guarding Vivian, the enemy, even after everything.

Forget marriage proposals; even noble ladies had fallen in love and sent love letters just hearing his tale.

With such an eldest son not coming back, Jade’s worries deepened.

Jade Allen turned his gaze away and sighed deeply.

Every time he sighed like that, Keila thought his life force was slowly escaping with each breath.

He whispered.

“…There’s no way to send Vivian away. Considering what I’ve done.”

Keila knew her father felt sorry for Vivian.

In the end, war remained war, and pity remained pity.

Whenever Jade spoke of Vivian, he couldn’t hide his compassion.

Perhaps it was a father’s heart for a daughter he never got to raise.

When he was healthy, he often muttered, “If you think you’ve been left alone…” while looking at Keila.

But not anymore.

“Ah, father. That’s not it.”

“Not what? I, for one, may have poisoned the Duke and rolled a rock onto Lois…”

“-There was another assassin…!”

Hearing news coming from the south, Keila raised her voice.

Jade Allen quickly turned to look at Keila.

“…What?”

“They found the man who drugged Duke Rondore and killed Lois Rondore by rolling a stone over him…! His name is Robert Rondore… he’s Vivian Rondore’s uncle…”

It was true that the Allen and Rondore families had fought endlessly in the war.

However, the primary reason for this bitter feud was the complete slaughter of Duke Rondore and his heirs.

The Allen family had stomped down on every family, garnering countless grudges and resentments, yet it was Rondore that became the representative example.

“Ah, father… you didn’t do it…! You didn’t exterminate the Rondore family…!”

Jade Allen’s eyes wavered.

He couldn’t hide his disbelief.

A swirl of complex emotions emanated from the helpless man.

And looking at Keila, who couldn’t hold her tears for her brother, only added to the sadness.

“…Then why has my son been…?”

Jade Allen murmured.

But that didn’t last long.

He couldn’t hold on to the thought for very long, seemingly changing his mind.

“…No, no. Just considering the people I’ve killed in the war, Kyle would have been captured as a hostage. But…”

After the word “but,” the silence was filled with the endless, suppressed complexity of his heart.

And in true masculine form, Jade expressed all that turmoil through fury.

“…Gah…! Ugh!”

A beastly groan escaped through his clenched teeth, painfully striking Keila.

His frail arms tensed with sudden strength, vividly defining his veins.

With the expression that could pour blood tears at any moment, Jade held on for a while before exhaling another deep sigh.

He then looked at Keila with a resigned smile.

“…Your mother wanted to see Kyle so badly.”

“…”

Tears streamed down Keila’s face.

She knew it well. Until the moment she passed, their mother had closed her eyes worrying about the eldest son who had left.

Knowing this, Keila had often visited their mother’s grave to share stories about Kyle.

Yet, she gathered her emotions for her helpless father.

She, who had supported the family all these years.

After their mother’s passing, after her father’s collapse, and with her brother captured as a hostage, Keila had led the family for so long.

Without drying her tears, Keila spoke.

“Now mother will be able to see brother.”

“…”

“…Brother has been there long enough. Vivian’s reasons to hold him are now too weak… It seems what he wanted to finish was that war, father… So…”

Keila didn’t need to finish her sentence.

In Jade’s eyes, a spark returned.

It was a power that had been missing for years.

“Keila.”

“…Yes.”

Jade Allen spoke as he rose from the bed.

“…Bring me some stationery and ink.”

****

Vivian was coldly staring down at the documents.

Yet, her eyes weren’t reading a single word.

Her empty gaze was lost in thought.

Thick, muddy thoughts.

“…Balron.”

Vivian called for Balron, who was guarding the door.

‘Yes. I’m here.’

A firm voice responded.

She decided to ask the question that had been gnawing at her.

“…Where’s Kyle?”

The answer didn’t come immediately.

As if he sighed, Balron maintained the silence before answering.

‘…If Yanes doesn’t say otherwise, there shouldn’t be a problem.’

Balron’s voice barely contained irritation.

Vivian couldn’t blame him.

She had asked about Kyle’s whereabouts multiple times today alone.

But Balron needed to be cautious with his tone.

Even if they had known each other for years, she wouldn’t keep turning a blind eye to rudeness.

“…”

Vivian shook her head to dismiss the discomfort she felt towards Balron.

She was overly sensitive in this situation, and she knew it.

As she had thought, she couldn’t blame Balron.

She had indeed asked a lot.

But given how Kyle acted, she was so uneasy she couldn’t hold back.

Listening to his voice through the necklace had its limits.

Today’s effort had already exhausted her ability to hear his voice.

Now, there was no more way to eavesdrop on him, and it was inevitable she would feel anxious.

To allay her anxiety, Vivian had ordered a few days back to monitor Kyle.

It was a secret command that only Kyle was unaware of.

The members of Kyle’s unit took turns watching closely to ensure he wasn’t running away.

Honestly, it wasn’t a difficult task, so everyone faithfully followed it.

Balron spoke from beyond the door.

‘…Vivian, don’t worry too much. Would Kyle just leave without saying a word?’

Vivian nodded quietly at Balron’s reassuring words.

That was just what she needed to hear at that moment.

Right, Kyle wouldn’t leave suddenly.

Secretly running away wasn’t his style.

However, there was no stopping the thought of this plan, which had been swirling in her head all day.

Vivian still believed it wholeheartedly.

She firmly believed that Kyle still loved her.

Hadn’t he said it with his own lips?

There was nothing to fear.

No reason to hesitate.

If he says he would stop, she would go and bring him back.

We both…

“…”

Still, the word “love” was shackled.

It remained an incredibly difficult word to utter freely.

Just a little longer, and she would become an adult and offer a witch’s sacrifice.

After that, Vivian would be ready to reveal her deep feelings to Kyle.

She could whisper that word into his ear all day long.

It was a word she could casually toss around by the river like a joke.

A word she could use as a greeting over breakfast.

She could even shout it out while sharing a bed and mixing her body with his.

So, just a little longer was all it would take.

Kyle just needed to wait a little while longer.

‘…It’s getting late. Kyle will be fine. You should rest now.’

Concerned for her, Balron suggested from outside.

Vivian turned to look out the window.

It was indeed late.

The moon hung high, and it was time to retire to bed.

“…”

But her anxiety kept her awake.

Vivian stood up from her seat.

Then she opened the door and stepped outside.

“Lady Vivian?”

Balron called her, confused.

She asked.

“Balron, do you know much about liquor?”

He rolled his eyes and nodded.

“…Well… I do enjoy it.”

“Then could you do me a favor… and find some strong alcohol from the storeroom?”

“…Do you mean strong alcohol?”

“Yes.”

Vivian replied.

“…Something so strong that it’s hard to keep a clear mind while drinking.”

 

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