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Nesto, who was twitching around his eyes, took a long time to accept Vivian’s orders.

He stood still for a while, trying to grasp Vivian’s true intentions, and when he realized she was speaking with utmost seriousness, he shut his mouth.

With a deep breath and a couple of blinks, after splashing some water on his face, he seemed to finally understand why Vivian was acting this way.

“…I considered the possibility.”

“…”

He nodded slowly.

Since revealing his identity, he had transformed completely.

From the choices he made to the speed of his judgment and even his loyalty.

“…So Kyle Allen has become that precious to you. I can’t blame you. After all, I know better than anyone how he protected you, Vivian.”

“…”

“But Vivian, you need to act quickly. Robert Rondore definitely knows that I’m aware of this. Once he realizes I’ve turned my back on you, he’ll know he can’t survive. He won’t just sit and wait; he’ll surely raise soldiers.”

Nesto was conveying that they were already on an unstoppable path.

Vivian agreed.

From the moment she started the reform in the territory, there was no turning back.

Since she had decapitated Financial Officer Brinden, she had to run all the way to the end.

“As long as he dies… I won’t ask for more.”

Nesto said.

Now that they had removed Count Korod, only Robert remained.

There was no way to abruptly stop this flow.

“…He is the one who commissioned my assassination.”

Vivian said, trembling.

Her voice overflowed with anger that she could not conceal.

“For justification… let’s go with that. Instead of the assassination of my father and my brother… it’s an attack on me. Based on this, I will eliminate Robert.”

But she had to bury the truth.

Even if she put Robert Rondore on trial and charged him with every single accusation, it wouldn’t bring her deceased parents back.

It would feel liberating.

She might even wipe out a being that had ruined her life this much… and might even shed tears.

But afterward, nothing would remain.

Because Kyle would have to leave in exchange for that relief.

Vivian couldn’t bear that burden.

It was enough just for Robert to die.

She would be satisfied if his honor was thrown into the gutter, but even if it wasn’t, it would be okay.

The truth was something only she needed to know.

Vivian gripped her hands tightly and murmured to herself.

I just have to endure.

If I just endure, Kyle will remain by my side.

At some point, revenge no longer became her top priority.

She had someone she couldn’t let go of.

****

-Knock, knock, knock.

-Slide.

As I was about to fall asleep, both I and Keila sat up at the same time.

My sister, who stared at me with anxious eyes from the next bed, seemed worried about this land still.

Of course, she wouldn’t feel safe coming in with a paltry number of soldiers from the Rondore Family.

I acted with confidence to reassure Keila.

Before she could stop me, I quickly prepared my sword and opened the door.

Fortunately, there was nothing to worry about standing outside.

“…Vivian, why are you here at this late hour?”

“…”

Vivian’s hair briefly concealed her expression.

Behind her stood confused guards, and I maintained an awkward eye contact with them.

Keila, rising from the bed late, approached us.

“…Vivian?”

Despite everyone’s questions, Vivian did not respond.

She simply placed her hand slowly on my chest and stepped into the room.

Leaving the guards outside, she closed the door.

Now, only Keila, Vivian, and I remained in the room.

“Why did you come here?”

In front of Keila, Vivian and I maintained a certain boundary.

It was bound to feel awkward.

Our deep relationship was not something to be proud of. We hadn’t forgotten that we were enemies.

-Hug!

But suddenly, Vivian clung to me as if she had forgotten all that.

Keila’s eyes went wide.

I froze for a moment, curiosity overtook me as to why Vivian was acting this way.

She was seeking comfort, which was unusual for her.

With that demeanor, I carefully embraced her despite Keila’s gaze and stroked the back of her head.

The tighter Vivian’s hug became, the more intense her breaths were.

I had no clue what news she had received that caused her to struggle so much.

“O-Oppa… right now…”

Keila seemed to want to point this out, but I raised a finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet.

Our situation was indescribable.

No one could understand unless they knew what we had gone through together.

So it was easier to just accept it.

With a look that said it couldn’t be helped, I glanced at Keila.

At this, Keila seemed to slowly start understanding everything.

Why I had said I couldn’t leave yet.

What kind of situation our relationship was in.

What she and I meant to each other.

Keila was slowly coming to terms with it.

Vivian buried her face in my chest and struggled to speak.

“…Kyle.”

“…Speak.”

She had held onto my clothes tightly, remaining that way for a long time.

Her hands trembled, and her teeth were clenched.

What could it possibly be that made her act this way? I had no intention of coercing her to open up.

After a long silence, Vivian asked.

“…You won’t leave, will you?”

“…”

“…You won’t leave, right?”

…

…

…

“If that’s what you want, I’ll let you go.”

A few days later, even messengers from the Delum Royal Family came to talk to me.

Vivian sat in the main seat, gently biting her nails, watching it all unfold, while Keila grabbed my arm, waiting for my answer.

The peace the Delum and East were trying to achieve.

And the incident that almost cost me my life while entangled with the Korod Family.

All these factors were coming together in my favor.

However, as I told Keila, I had long settled in my heart.

“I will stay.”

It was a thought that had never changed for me.

****

It took several days for the realization that the true culprit was Robert Rondore to settle firmly in Vivian’s heart.

And as that realization took a solid hold, Vivian was always keeping an eye on Kyle.

She observed him from afar as he spent cheerful moments with his family.

The serene happiness he displayed while being with his family was etching itself into Vivian’s vision.

Could she really have shattered someone who could live like that?

Of course, Kyle might have been a hostage of the Rondore Family, no matter what.

Even if Jade Allen wasn’t responsible for the deaths of her father and brother, it was the truth that countless soldiers from Roktana had been buried.

However, Vivian’s anger towards Kyle had always been about family.

She had tormented him by throwing that into his face again and again.

But it wasn’t that simple.

The enemy was someone else, and Kyle was not involved.

Kyle was nothing. He had no reason to feel guilty.

He had simply been someone who protected her without any reason, and Vivian had become someone who vented her frustrations on Kyle for no reason at all.

A wave of guilt was fiercely crashing down on Vivian as if tears were about to spill.

And along with that guilt…

…

It was hard to contain her feelings that exploded towards him.

He had become someone who protected her without any reason.

He was a being beyond a benefactor.

…He was lovable.

As her guilt deepened, so did her affection for him, making it unbearable.

Even as she shed tears for the sins she had committed against him, Kyle had become too precious to let go.

Even amidst coming to a realization that she had to let him go… her grip only tightened around him.

This was the one who decided to stay by her side through it all.

He was someone who wouldn’t leave her at any moment.

So she had to bury the truth.

To prevent her ugly self from being revealed.

****

“Hah… what am I supposed to tell Dad?”

Keila sighed with a hint of lament.

I noticed that Keila was just pretending to be upset and lightly smiled.

Then I gently stroked her head and said.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Is Vivian really that important to you, Oppa?”

She was important.

In this land, she was my goal.

If Vivian hadn’t given me such intense feelings, I might not have lasted until now.

No matter how urgent the situation with the territory was, I had priorities.

I’m also human. It’s not that I don’t care about the situation back home, but Vivian right in front of me mattered more at this moment.

But instead of explaining it all, I shrugged my shoulders.

Keila didn’t press the issue further.

“Alright. But really… you’ll come back someday, right?”

“…”

I couldn’t answer that either.

I’d like to.

But now, I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to leave Vivian.

Every time I hugged her, every time our lips touched and our tongues intertwined, I felt a piece of my strength drain away.

Only facing the situation would let me know if I could leave her or not.

Keila studied my expression, then grabbed my collar and pulled my face closer.

“…Oppa.”

She bit her lip lightly before speaking.

“…I’ll give you a little leniency with your stubbornness.”

“…”

“…You’ve worked hard for us in this land till now… so I’ll try to hold on a little longer.”

“…”

“But… I said it before. We’re also in a precarious situation. Come back quickly and… be our lord.”

“…Keila.”

She said with a light smile.

“You know, Oppa…? These days our family is in quite the rush to find a match for you.”

Keila’s eyes didn’t hide the truth.

“Once you come back, you will immediately become the lord, and once you’re the lord, having children is a must. They’re looking for a woman who can quietly bear children.”

Children? With someone other than Vivian? Children…

I tightly shut my eyes and shook my head.

“…Sure.”

…Yeah, that’s the predetermined future.

Vivian would have another match, and so would I.

“The funny part is, you really are popular, you know? The things you’re doing here are filtering down to us. More and more women idolize you like a storybook knight. What I’m saying is… once you come back, you can pick and choose.”

Keila’s expression grew serious.

“There are many women waiting who are… more beautiful and virtuous than that Vivian Rondore.”

“…”

“…I don’t understand why I have to persuade you like this, but… if it’s for love…”

I enveloped Keila in my arms.

Her arms, which had hovered awkwardly in the air, wrapped around my back.

“…I’ll do well, Keila.”

Keila nodded.

“…Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Keila softly sniffled again.

“What’s there to be thankful for? It’s you staying here for us that matters, Oppa…”

I said as I stroked her back.

“…Are you going back now?”

“I plan to leave tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

I nodded.

I didn’t bother to make our departure overly dramatic.

After all, I would eventually return home someday.

“Oppa, did you know?”

“What?”

Keila rifled through her pocket and pulled something out.

A pair of leather gloves popped out.

“Happy birthday, Oppa. You’re an adult now.”

I had turned 19.

****

“Pahh…! Heeup…!”

With the royal family departing and Keila leaving too, Vivian and I had become intertwined like snails.

I was sitting in a chair, and Vivian was sitting on me.

We hadn’t exchanged a word nor had given any signals, but in such a natural moment, we held hands and walked into the room to kiss.

Vivian, as if praising my decision to stay, surrendered herself to me.

It felt like our suppressed desires piled up during this time were bursting forth.

Desire is a strange thing; it feels like it will vanish once released but rather, it escalates more violently.

Having not kissed for a mere few days, both of us felt torturously desperate, resulting in such decadent acts.

Squelch, squelch; it sounded like a child sucking their mother’s breast, filling the room with noise.

Our saliva tangled together messily.

Knowing it was a forbidden drug, we still intertwined our tongues.

Every time I caught a glimpse of Vivian’s tongue as she sometimes licked, I could spot her inherent sinful nature.

And each time that glimpse arose, the heat within me surged higher.

She always spoke sharp words but when she sucked on my tongue, the pleasure was nothing short of overwhelming.

“K-Kyle.”

Vivian spoke to me while passionately intertwining our tongues.

“What?”

I replied, engrossed in the kiss.

“The hidden ally you spoke of… has revealed themselves.”

The words snapped me back to reality, and I held Vivian’s shoulders, pushing her away.

But Vivian playfully shook my shoulders left and right and wrapped her arms around my neck again, intertwining our tongues.

“It was Nesto… his true identity was Nesto…”

Nesto, huh?

That was hard to believe.

But since Vivian said so, I had no choice but to accept it.

We trusted each other.

“And he told me… he was the one who conspired with Count Korod to attempt to kill me.”

“Haah… haah… who is it?”

“…Robert Rondore.”

I pulled the lovely Vivian’s face close for a deep kiss and then spoke to her.

“…Not too far from my expectations.”

“…”

Vivian nodded.

Her expression was growing increasingly dark.

“What happened?”

“I-It’s not like anything happened. Nothing at all.”

Vivian closed her eyes tightly and covered her face with her hands.

Then she seemed to say she didn’t want to show it anymore.

“…Stick out your tongue…”

After another round of kissing, Vivian said.

“There will be a war, Kyle. Robert will put up his resistance…”

“…Yeah.”

And after that, this all will come to an end.

This drug, and Vivian.

A pain stirred in my chest.

My hands moved uncontrollably.

I grasped her chest once, then my hand slowly traveled down.

Thoughts of possibly having to leave her flooded my mind impulsively.

As I brushed over her abdomen… and then below…

-Thud!

Vivian pressed her face down and slowly pushed me away.

“…Ah, you can’t…”

“…”

“How much longer do we have to talk…”

I inadvertently asked.

“…Why?”

I knew I could list countless reasons for my actions.

But all of them were reasons I could endure.

They were reasons I could comfortably ignore.

In the face of the feelings we shared, those various reasons had lost their strength long ago.

“Why not, Vivian.”

“…”

Vivian might not know, but my fight was still ongoing.

I didn’t want to leave Vivian, but I had decided to.

So I wished Vivian would give me just one reason more.

Then I would be truly confident in staying by her side for a lifetime, just as she desired.

In the end, wanting to leave her stemmed from the fact that… our future didn’t picture us together.

But if she chose me, it would be enough.

If she just crossed that line, we could stay together.

After telling Keila I’d return, I cowardly battled this inner conflict alone.

“…Let’s have at least one child together.”

I said to Vivian.

It was a ridiculous suggestion, yet we both knew it wasn’t as sudden a statement as it seemed.

There was depth to the feelings we had shared although they had not been outright acknowledged.

Vivian froze in place.

I made one final plea to her.

“…Vivian, let’s do that.”

 

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