No, Kahu was as good as dead. Because Charlize was genuinely aiming the sword.
He had a sword, but it was too late. He will be decapitated to death before he can even unsheathe his sword.
It was scary.
âIâm afraid.â
He heard that people see lanterns right before they die.
Kahu didnât see a lantern, but all kinds of thoughts just flashed through him in an instant.
Charlize lived as if she had died when she was young. Even if she was suppressed and abused like that, she endured everything before returning.
He couldnât figure out what her disappearance had to do with âKieraâ.
âThe grandmaster was good at swordsmanship, but she didnât have enough weapons experience to make a sword or provide knowledge.â
He realized it intuitively.
Enough for Charlize to paint Dylan black. That Charlize might have had a painful time, until she reached the extremes.
No, actually, he wanted to believe that Charlize had a reason.
He wanted to defend Charlize even though he was in danger of dying.
âWhy?â
Kahu was confused for the first time.
âDidnât I chase Charlize to prevent the fall of the Empire?â
For Kahu now. Charlize was more important than the safety of the empire.
âYou donât need to be so afraid, grandmaster.â
His lips moved freely.
ââŚThe wizardâs conversation, Iâll pretend I didnât hear that.â
Charlizeâs eyes narrowed at those words.
Is she really going to kill me? Kahu wasnât Charlize, so he didnât even know how she felt.
But if Charlize really wanted to. Kahu must have died right away without saying a word.
Although he had a slight wound on his neck, it was not a fatal wound to die from. Charlize looked into Kahu in silence.
Because itâs a life-threatening situation. Kahuâs heart was beating like it was going to explode.
âOr.â
Even in the sharply forged atmosphere, Charlize was dreamy and captivating at the same time. Charlize from a distance was unrealistically strong and beautiful.
He was an opponent who had already lost even with all his might in the swordsmanship competition. Now, years later, sheâs become more monstrous. Charlize, replied slowly.
âYes, pretend not to know.â
Heâs saved.
Shortly after being relieved, Kahu realized his mistake. He tried to dig too deep.
Because he didnât want to die. Kahu really erased the conversation of the wizards he had just heard from his memory.
The tip of the sword still stuck around his neck was sharp.
Kahu said whatever Charlize wanted.
âThey came to study the Alperier, a secret organization that studies Ehyrit⌠Thatâs all.â
Charlize, who was quiet, took off her sword as if she knew it.
The whole world jumped.
Ridiculously. Far from developing antipathy to Charlize, it was suffocating.
Charlize stared at the wizards for a moment. Her hair fluttered and her unique lavender scent tickled the tip of his nose.
Even in this urgent situation, Charlize looks beautiful. There must be a problem with his eyes.
Looking into Charlizeâs eyes as mysterious as the universe, Kahu suddenly realized.
If he keeps chasing Charlize like this.
âI may like her sooner or later.â
Itâs like, many drops make a flood. The emotions will naturally deepen as well.
But to stop here. It was Kahu who had come too far.
***
It was strong alcohol.
Akan was in pain.
No matter how much he drank, he rarely got drunk.
âWhen Kahu asked about Charlize.â
At least Dante answered well.
But Akan couldnât answer because he didnât know anything. How Charlize grew up as a child and what she spent her time doing. He didnât know completely.
Instead of Danteâs main sword, he showed his talent mainly in magic. Since he was the second child, he sometimes talked to Charlize.
Because Akan was a person who received everyoneâs expectations as a knight.
âHowâŚâ
Akanâs voice was torn.
Sitting in the memorial room of the Grand Duchess. Akan only looked up at the portrait of the Grand Duchess.
Silver hair, which was her motherâs pride, and blue eyes, who had only kindness. It was in that painting as it was.
âWhat should I do? Mother.â
There is no answer to the questions asked.
There was always an escorting knight in the memorial room.
When they saw Akan for the first time, the knights kept their mouths shut and looked at each otherâs countenance.
There were already 4 bottles of alcohol that Akan emptied.
The better a swordsman is at dealing with mana, the less likely he is to get drunk.
He often boasted that he was a strong drinker. He has never been as cursed as he is now that he is sober.
They say it makes you feel better when you get drunk. If thatâs the case, heâd be able to forget his guilty feelings for Charlize for a moment.
âThe moment Charlize changed.â
Akan thought as he poured all the alcohol left in his mouth.
His mind was particularly clear, and his head felt more awakened.
His breath ran hot.
âCharlizeâs 13th birthday.â
After suddenly gathering the maids and firing them without hesitation.
Charlize stopped by the Grand Duchessâs memorial room on her birthday, then in the hallway. She met everyone.
The Grand Duke, her father, and Akan. They were offended to see Charlize trying to pass them by unknowingly.
Itâs likely Dante called Charlize then and asked.
âWhy donât you say hello?â
Charlizeâs eyes, which had become indifferent for an instant, came to mind.
âBecause itâs not worth it.â
Ah.
Already, at that time.
Charlize had abandoned her expectations for the family.
They should have noticed immediately. But Ronan. Two years later, Charlize became the 13th princeâs teacher, and spent another four years there. They didnât know anything.
They didnât make any effort.
Never once did they send a message of regards to Charlize, who lives in the imperial family.
Because they always believed that Charlize would like them.
âWhat a foolish and negligent thought.â
Akan put the bottle in his hand.
The bottle rolled over the marble floor.
ââŚWas your family in harmony?â
Kahu asked Akan and Dante.
Actually, he knows the answer.
Biologically, they have the same parents, so you can say theyâre a family. However, it sounds like a question of intrinsic âfamilyâ, which is not meant to be that. At the moment, the pure heart did not answer.
It was indescribably painful.
He wanted to drink more, but he ran out of alcohol.
Heâs tired. It was hard to even breathe. Eventually, Akan stood up from his seat.
âAre you all right, young master?â
âAh.â
His vision was distorted for a moment, but he refused the knight who tried to help him.
The knight stepped back, looking the other way.
Akan slowly left the memorial room. His steps moved.
The Grand Duchy was extensive. The members of the Grand Duke family lived in the same building. Each one used its own floor.
Akan lived on the fourth floor.
As he went up to the fourth floor, his wife, who was knitting, came up to him in surprise.
âOh my. HoneyâŚ!â
âWife.â
âWhy did you drink so much in the early evening?â
Even if he wasnât so drunk. The smell of alcohol could not be deceiving.
Seeing his wifeâs worried face, Akan knelt on the spot.
âHoney?â
He leaned in the arms of his bewildered wife.
Akan closed his eyes.
Of course, as is the case with marriages between high nobles, Akan also had an arranged marriage. Although there was no affection, they kept their duties and respect for each other.
But itâs painful.
It was painful.
âI want to see Freo.â
Akanâs child was Freo.
âThe baby is sleeping.â
Even though he seemed embarrassed, his wife said kindly. Akan shut his mouth at the words.
Freo was still a baby. Akan laughed bitterly, because he wasnât supposed to wake her up once she was barely asleep.
His first child also came into the world with difficult births at birth.
The reason why Akan became close to his wife, who was in an arranged marriage, was because he feared that he might lose his wife for the first time at that time.
Akan raised his head.
The wife who thought of Freo was smiling peacefully. Suddenly, that smile overlapped with a white lily.
âMy mother smiled like that too.â
A broken white smile.
A mother who was no longer alive after Charlize was born.
His heart cools down.
Contradictory, but it was.
Akan asked suddenly.
âYou think Iâm wrong, too?â
â¡¡¡What do you mean, honey?â
His wife was concerned about Akan.
âAre you having a hard time because you drank a lot? What should I do? Should I order you to get some honey water?â
Akan shook his head when he saw his wife, who was restless and was trying to call a maid.
That was not what Akan wanted.
âI⌠IâŚâ
Akan was speechless and stopped.
The wife was bewildered.
Itâs the first time sheâs seen Akan suffer like this since she got married.
âMaybe because of the young dukeâs visit?â
She heard from the maid that Kahu had visited not long ago, and she knew that something had become strange from that point on.
âNot only Akan but also brother-in-law Dante.â
She knew it had collapsed.
His wife took Akan to the sofa in front of the fireplace.
The warm fireplace warmed up the body as it was a snowy winter.
His wife soothed Akan by patting the back of his hand.
âSpeak slowly.â
Akan looked at his wife.
âBecause Iâm listening.â
What and where should he start?
Itâs just that Akan has a lot on his mind.
He thought there was a justification for being harsh on Charlize.
He thought that if someone listened to the situation, they would be able to get an understanding.
Akan also knew love. He loved his mother, the Grand Duchess, to her death.
Had it not been for Charlize, the Grand Duchess would not have died. Since he lost his mother, he thought he could do that much.
His mother, who used to smile as warm as the sun, is no longer seen forever. She can only make the same expression in the picture. That warmth, tenderness, was lost forever.
Akan swallowed many words.
He just asked bitterly.
âHow did you feel when you gave birth to Freo?â
Akan was drunk with his feelings.
His wife could have died at that time. If she had lost a little more blood, she would have lost her life without facing Akan now.
âWasnât it painful? Wasnât it scary? Wasnât it hateful?â
Questions poured in without hesitation.
His wife looked very surprised and called him.
âHoney?â
Akan said more painfully.
âYou almost died.â
ââŚâ
âFreo, donât you hate her?â
The powerless Akan was not there at that time.
Akan stared at his wife with clear and stern eyes.
The cozy atmosphere of the early evening. The fire in the blazing fireplace. The face of his wife, who had always been polite to Akan, gradually distorted.
Akan did not know what emotions were contained in the eyes of the moment.
The next moment, because Akanâs wife slapped him hard on the cheek, which is rare.
Slap!
Akan was dumbfounded.
Did he just get hit?
He came to his senses.
The feelings in his wifeâs eyes were quickly interpreted. There was sadness in her eyes. And a little bit of resentment.
The cheek that was hit by his wife became tingling later.