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“After leaving the square and arriving at the Castle of Rondore, the knights handed me over to a man.”

“Well then, good luck holding up, Kyle Allen.”

“Don’t die too soon; it wouldn’t be fun that way.”

The knights each gave me their unconventional words of encouragement and then departed.

“…”

As I watched the departing knights, the man in front of me spoke up.

“Please call me Pippin. I am the head servant of the Rondore family.”

“…”

The servant known as Pippin stared at my bloodied figure for a good while.

Feeling someone looking at me made my wounds throb and sting even more.

My throat was ready to ask for a bandage, but out of sheer pride, I couldn’t utter a word.

Pippin, surveying my state, simply said, “Lady Vivian is waiting for you.”

Apparently, he had no intention of helping me either.

I let out a shallow sigh as I followed behind him.

While following him, one question crossed my mind.

The servant mentioned the name ‘Vivian.’

To my knowledge, the Duchess’s name was not Vivian.

If it was Vivian of the Rondore family, there was only one person that could be.

Vivian Rondore.

The eldest daughter of the Rondore family and the last surviving member, one year younger than me.

“…”

…Why was she mentioned before the Duchess?

It was perplexing.

In the first place, I wasn’t even concerned about Vivian Rondore.

I was more wary of the Duchess of Rondore.

Remembering the scream my mother let out at our parting, the Duchess must have been preparing her hell for me, having lost her husband and son.

Most importantly, it was the Duchess who had vehemently demanded a hostage from our family.

So it was the Duchess I feared, not her daughter.

But the words from earlier had ignited my dark imagination.

What state was she in that the head servant mentioned Vivian Rondore first?

Could she be angrier than the Duchess?

Or was her temperament worse than that of the Duchess?

I had never heard any such rumors.

“…Ha.”

But I didn’t need to think too deeply about it.

It wouldn’t be long before I would find out the answers.

So I awkwardly wiped the blood running down my face with the sleeves of the clothes my parents had dressed me in for the last time.

I would soon be meeting the people of the Rondore family.

It was incredibly embarrassing to have to present myself like this on our first encounter.

Knowing that might be the reason the servant led me without taking any action.

The southern castle was decorated in an entirely different style from the northern castle.

While the Allen family’s castle was rather dull, the Castle of Rondore was filled with glamour and vibrancy.

Every window sported curtains. Vases brimming with colorful flowers. The Rondore’s red sun was carved in various places. And mounted on the wall was the head of a beast.

“…”

Amidst it all, I came to a halt upon seeing one mounted animal.

Pippin turned back to me, following my gaze at the stuffed creature.

It was the head of a white bear.

The white bear symbolized the Allen family.

“…”

The servant didn’t make any excuses upon seeing the head of the white bear. He remained silent as if he wanted me to slowly understand my position.

They probably never got a chance to see a white bear in the south. Had it been specially hunted?

The anger towards the Allen family was palpable even in such minor details.

“Let’s go.”

Since I couldn’t tear my gaze away, Pippin softly urged me.

We reached a large door.

The grand door was rich in intricate designs.

The Rondore emblem, a red sun.

A griffin and a dragon’s face.

Golden handles.

Four soldiers stood guard at the door, with more than twelve maids bustling about.

None of them showed any animosity toward me.

Some looked as though they were laughing at my appearance.

The head servant who had led me to the door nodded at the soldiers behind me.

-Swish!

At that moment, a sack was placed over my head.

“What are you doing—”

I shouted in panic, but a hand rested on my shoulder. Pippin spoke.

“-Please excuse us for a moment.”

I clenched my teeth and replied, “…You must be aware that I came as a guest?”

“You know that’s not the truth, dear Kyle Allen,” he said.

“…”

My heart, which had settled, began to race again.

Immediately, the soldiers behind me grabbed my arms, treating me like a criminal.

They were intent on humiliating me even further.

I struggled to free my arms, but I couldn’t overpower two grown men.

Feeling their malice, I was dragged back to reality.

I realized once again where I stood.

‘Rondore are beasts, don’t believe a word they say.’

My uncle’s voice echoed.

‘If you show weakness… Ugh… never show weakness.’

My mother’s voice followed.

‘…If you are the firstborn of the Allen family, fight until the end. Do not yield to the Rondores.’

Even my father’s voice lingered.

-Knock, knock.

Simultaneously, a vassal declared from beyond the door.

“Presenting Kyle Allen, the firstborn of the East Kingdom, son of the Unbeaten Knight Jade Allen, has arrived.”

‘Let him in.’

-Thud.

I heard the door open.

The soldiers holding my arms advanced.

I walked forward, trying to calm my breath that was quickening with anxiety.

With the hood pulled over my head, I could hear my heartbeat pounding louder.

And with it, I could be honest with my feelings.

I was scared. Frankly, I was extremely scared. I missed my mother’s embrace.

This place was filled with hostility, and everything felt overwhelming to me.

If I were just a bit older, would I have been braver?

This was my first time standing alone; everything was sudden, and I struggled to adapt.

Before me would be the Duchess and her daughter.

I could feel their eyes set on me, seeming like they wanted to devour me whole.

‘…Ugh… sniff…’

“…?”

At that moment, I heard soft sobbing.

A gentle sound that seemed to belong to a small, juvenile creature.

It was the opposite of the sound I had anticipated.

The sound grew louder with each step I took.

I wondered if the desire to cry in my heart was merely an auditory hallucination.

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

The soldiers kicked my legs out from under me, causing me to kneel.

They grabbed my head and shoved it against the floor.

-Thud!

A sharp pain shot from my split forehead.

But even amidst the pain and humiliation, I wanted to announce that my spirit remained unbroken.

“Is this how Rondores treat their guests? Even goblins would treat me better than this!”

But no response came.

“…”

It was complete silence.

The stillness made me even more anxious, as I was the one who spoke up.

Finally, a small voice dared to break the silence.

“…Is this, is this Kyle A-Allen?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Ugh… sniff…”

It was not an adult’s voice. It was definitely not the Duchess’s voice.

The owner of the voice continued to sob for a while before whispering something just loud enough to hear.

“…M-Mother… the… the one you’ve been longing for… our enemy has come.”

She stuttered.

“Y-You were waiting for him, right? You definitely did…”

I, too, found myself absorbed in silence, focusing on her youthful voice.

“…Then, please get up. P-Please…”

Get up, she said?

-Swoosh!

In the moment of rising confusion, my upper body was straightened, and the sack was removed.

Bright light blinded my eyes.

Squinting, I blinked my eyes.

A large bed. On it lay a serene, frail woman.

And beside the bed, knelt a young girl sobbing.

Red hair. A tiny frame. Shaking shoulders.

It didn’t take long to realize who they were.

The Duchess and Vivian Rondore.

“………”

My sharpened guard shattered at the sight before me.

One thought filled my mind.

…It was too pathetic.

Despite having made all the preparations, despite being ready for battle.

The Duchess lay asleep, and her daughter appeared so precarious.

The disparity between expectation and reality left me frozen.

My enemy was not the mother driven mad by losing her husband and son.

It was a single little girl who had lost her entire family.

“…”

I continued to watch Vivian Rondore as she sobbed.

She brushed her mother’s cheek, held her hand, and gently shook it. Clinging to her clothes, she cried.

Just from her silhouette, I could sense how scared and lonely she felt.

“…Mother, please… please don’t leave me alone… sniff…”

Entering Roktana, consumed by fear, I felt a different emotion for the first time.

It was not easy to feel fear for someone who seemed so obviously weaker than me.

And in the space where fear had dissipated, a new feeling filled in.

…It was a strange empathy. A peculiar compassion.

This shouldn’t be happening; I was already losing my fighting spirit.

‘…If you have any conscience, Kyle Allen…’

At that moment, a voice from a few years ago rang in my head, the voice of someone who had made a specific request of me.

“Ugh… sniff…”

As Vivian Rondore continued to weep, she slowly turned her head.

…And time seemed to freeze. Overwhelmed by an unexpected beauty.

“…”

Large eyes. Prominent eyebrows. A delicate nose. A small mouth.

I felt my heartbeat accelerate as I looked at her.

Despite her tear-stained face and tangled hair, it was hard to tear my gaze away.

Then, her sun-like red eyes gazed into mine.

In that moment our eyes locked—

‘You will come to love one you should not love.’

-Thud!

I slammed my head against the ground.

Wake up! I admonished myself.

Why am I thinking such nonsense right now?

Just because I was slightly mesmerized by her pitiful appearance, it was foolish to have such strange thoughts.

If my father saw me like this, he’d probably be astonished and laugh in disbelief.

I pulled myself together and lifted my head.

Vivian Rondore seemed to have a lot to say about my odd behavior, but she merely watched in silence.

“…Kyle Allen.”

Her voice lacked any strength or emotion.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

“I… have been waiting for you.”

And that was our first meeting.

 

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