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Vivian neither agreed nor disagreed.

She just froze, glancing back and forth at me.

“…”

I spoke up to her silence.

“…I’ll take that as acceptance.”

“…”

This time, Vivian said nothing again.

I gripped my sword and turned around.

“…These bastards… have been playing with us.”

The assassins, who had been patiently waiting for me, showed their teeth in anger.

I snorted in reply.

“You were the ones scared to fight me.”

“…”

“…I wasn’t lying. If the negotiations had gone well, I wouldn’t have hindered you.”

The assassins in the cramped room adjusted their stances one by one.

Exchanging glances, they seemed to have decided to carry out their mission.

Meanwhile, I felt nervous, but more at ease than expected.

I was used to one against many battles.

That’s all I had been honing in the training grounds.

Fighting Balron, Willas, and Martin.

Facing many comrades alone during mock battles.

That’s why, right now, my body wasn’t tense with anxiety.

Moreover, with Vivian right behind me, my determination not to back down also played a part.

Thinking about the price I’d pay at the end made it even more so.

On the other hand, the assassins seemed to be stiffening up little by little.

It was only natural since they had come to kill one weak woman but now faced a life-and-death battle.

Two of the assassins kept switching the grip on their weapons and wiping their hands on their pants, while one remained utterly still, and the last stared intently at the door and windows.

After a while facing off with them, I asked,

“…Are you not coming?”

No answer came back.

I took a deep breath.

Then I kicked off the ground and charged at the closest one.

****

It was overwhelming.

That’s how Vivian could sum it up.

Even for her, who was a novice in fighting, it was clear who had the upper hand.

Facing four enemies at once was certainly a perilous task.

How many times did the assassins’ blades rise with lethal angles behind Kyle?

Each time, Vivian bit her lip, stifling screams that threatened to burst out. She knew her voice would distract Kyle.

In her mind, images of him collapsing, bleeding, flashed through, but Kyle never allowed even a moment for such a scenario to unfold.

It felt as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Every time a blade fell, Kyle quickly twisted his body, spinning around and dodging the blades with uncanny grace.

The sight of Kyle naturally continuing to handle four blades as if it was nothing felt utterly surreal.

The metallic sound of swords clashing rang sharply as blades collided.

When swords crossed forcefully, sparks flew occasionally.

And each time a spark flew, it seemed Kyle was picking up on an incoming attack from the darkness, tilting his head in perfect timing to evade everything effortlessly.

A hefty body and a massive sword.

No sluggish or clumsy movements were to be found in such a combination.

Kyle’s fighting was like watching a performance.

His movements were endlessly fluid and swift.

It was hard to believe he wasn’t like this when he first arrived at the Castle of Rondore.

“Die! Die!!”

The assassins could no longer suppress their fear and unleashed their agony upon the unyielding Kyle.

Their voices were sharp and desperate like cracked glass, but Kyle was completely unfazed.

The now 17-year-old boy was facing four adults without a single gap in his defenses.

“…”

Vivian could hardly breathe.

The assassins, who once terrified her, whom she thought were death incarnate.

Those who had been such frightening figures now seemed to break apart like fragile beings in Kyle’s hands.

Kyle’s movements crushed her unease and fear in an instant.

Here we go again.

It was Kyle once more.

Every time she felt fear and despair… it was ultimately Kyle who rescued her from that despair.

They had fought. They had reaffirmed their grudges.

Yet, he was taking action for her once again.

Vivian couldn’t take her eyes off his actions.

This place, where the line between life and death was blurred, felt like hell, making her want to look away… but Kyle, fighting within it, was so beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Seeing him easily shatter the situation she had feared… it felt almost exhilarating.

Chills raced through her body, and her heart pounded as if it would burst.

Did princesses dreaming of fairy tales wish to meet knights like this?

Were the knights that Lani Dubos wanted to see like Kyle Allen?

Even his heavy breathing sounded oddly like a drumbeat in her chest.

The way he wielded his two-handed sword with great vigor, his cold and stern expression, the attitude that seemed to mock the assassins’ cries.

…From a step back, Kyle looked unbelievable.

The firstborn of the Allen Family.

The firstborn of the enemy family, was none other than Kyle Allen.

-Swoosh!

Suddenly, snapping back to reality, the four assassins lay on the ground.

Kyle swung his two-handed sword with force, shaking off the blood staining its blade.

“…Hah… Hah…”

Only his heavy breathing echoed in that empty space.

Kyle turned to look at Vivian.

Our eyes met.

“…”

Even from such a close distance, seeing Kyle brutally handle four men, Vivian felt not a hint of fear.

Only a strange attraction.

The gap between her and him felt unnervingly uncomfortable.

“Guh… Ugh…”

One late assassin crawled towards the door.

Kyle looked down at him coldly, then kicked him in the head, knocking him out.

-Thud!

“…Hah… Huh…”

He then gazed at the four assassins.

Checking for survivors, he kicked each of them lightly to assess their condition.

He left the dead alone and stabbed the survivors in the backs of their ankles with his sword.

It seemed he wanted them unable to escape even if they stood up.

Kyle then rubbed his belly once.

“…Kyle.”

Only then did Vivian’s breath catch in her throat.

Was there a moment when he had been stabbed? Blood was dripping from his belly.

“…”

Kyle didn’t seem to care about the blood flowing down. Instead, he let go of his sword weakly.

-Thud.

The heavy sword fell to the floor.

Kyle then turned his glare to Vivian.

Unable to contain the excitement from the fight, he stifled his rough breaths and approached Vivian directly.

Vivian instinctively pulled back without realizing it.

But that was not enough to avoid Kyle.

Kyle crouched in front of Vivian.

The stench of blood was overwhelming.

And amidst that stench, Kyle’s deep scent wafted over as well.

It was a familiar and reassuring smell.

“…You will pay the price.”

Kyle whispered.

And without a hint of hesitation, he grabbed Vivian by the nape of her neck.

“Gah!”

Before Vivian could prepare herself or even take a breath, Kyle closed his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

He was about to kiss her.

-Wham!

Vivian blocked Kyle.

“…”

“…”

Twice already.

This was the second time she refused his kiss.

Once was in the early morning after the night he had a dirty dream about her, and this was the second time.

“…You.”

Kyle’s voice trembled with suppressed anger from that action.

Perhaps it was the heat of battle, but that emotion was sharper and more violent.

“T-Treatment comes first…!”

But Vivian shouted in excuse.

The blood flowing from Kyle’s belly was far too concerning.

“Enough! Treatment can wait.”

Kyle didn’t release his hold on Vivian’s neck.

She could feel a strong desire for him.

“This…!”

Vivian shouted again.

“…I don’t want to…! I don’t want to do this next to a corpse!”

“…”

“…I never promised when we would do it.”

Kyle’s arm pulling her dropped its strength.

His eyes scanned the surroundings.

The four men sprawled on the ground.

The furniture wrecked everywhere.

The vibrating scent of blood.

Kyle seemed to snap back to reality and blinked.

“…Let’s treat your wounds first.”

Vivian said again.

Her concern was genuine.

“…And then… I’ll do it.”

She didn’t even understand why promising to kiss him made her heart race and felt awkward.

Promising to kiss him, the son of the enemy family who killed her family.

Looking back, was there anything more humiliating than this?

Being saved by him and sacrificing her purity in return.

Perhaps that rational thought was what stirred the discomfort about this kiss.

…Though Kyle was taking it in stride because of that discomfort.

“…”

Kyle continued to look down at Vivian.

Vivian, receiving that gaze, felt confused.

Clearly, there was resistance. She had ample reasons not to accept him.

…But why wasn’t it revolting?

Why did her heart keep pounding harder?

Why was she so curious about the feeling of that kiss?

Vivian tried in vain to deny all these feelings inside her.

She wanted to shut her eyes tightly and reject the situation.

…But in one corner of her heart, an uncomfortably honest thought was sprouting.

If she had to share her first kiss with someone…

…wouldn’t it be best if it was Kyle?

“…”

That contradictory thought made her feel a wave of disgust, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Regardless, she needed time.

She didn’t want to have her lips stolen so suddenly.

Especially not in this situation where she had just barely escaped the brink of death.

“You said you’d do it… with your own words.”

Kyle asked, as if confirming.

Vivian squeezed her eyes shut.

Suppressing her heart pounding like it might explode, she nodded her head.

“…Before tomorrow passes… I-I’ll do it.”

Only after those words did Kyle finally let her go.

 

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