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Chapter 42: Principles (6)
[ T/N: For the fastest release, read on ReadingPia.me ]
Keirsey walked with a bright mind. Yes, Cayden wasn't as friendly as he used to be, but he gave her a brief hug. She was also convinced that he still loved her.
When he asked her what she had done in bed, she was terrified…but she was able to avoid even that.
Keirsey calmed her heart. In the first place, the act itself was shameful, but she did it while thinking of her brother… She didn’t even know what would he think when he finds out.
Keirsey knew that her love had been twisted. Because it was a love that shouldn’t be felt for siblings.
If her thoughts and actions were found out, it was possible that they would become more distant from each other than they were now.
Somehow, she would have to tell him someday. But it was not now.
It hadn't been long since Keirsey herself was able to give a clear name to this feeling.
Her love was the same as always, but she just realized that it was love between a man and a woman.
Keirsey thought of Asena as she walked to their dorm. Asena already had such feelings for Cayden. As they both felt the same, it was quite easy to grasp her sister's heart.
Asena's actions were understood one by one. She could now see why Asena sometimes treated him so differently.
Keirsey felt uncomfortable. It was hard to even reveal her true feelings, but Asena was of the same mind.
If that happens, would she have to fight her sister over their brother? It was hard to digest that.
Moreover, she wasn’t confident that she was better than Asena, though it didn't mean she would be pushed back. Also…she firmly believed that Cayden loved her more than anyone else... Even more than Asena. It eased her mind a little.
Keirsey suddenly realized how many obstacles she had to cross before she could live comfortably with her love.
“…ah..”
Thinking of him, her heart pounded increasingly, and Keirsey sat down in her place.
Now Keirsey knew what even its name was. It was a term that came out a lot in the love stories of princess and knight that Cayden had told her in bed when she was young: lovesickness.
Keirsey knew what its name was, but only now she could understand what it was.
After taking a few deep breaths, Keirsey got up again. She had no desire to avoid the obstacles, one by one, she was unraveling… The goal was to slowly reveal her mind and lower his vigilance.
Keirsey finally arrived at the dormitory.
It was already too late at night.
Keirsey carefully opened the door of the dormitory-
– Click!
“……”
“…Unnie.”
-And Asena's cold face appeared in her view.
Asena sat on the sofa with her legs and arms crossed, looking at Keirsey with a stiff face.
“…where have you been?”
She asked Keirsey. But Keirsey didn't think Asena didn't know the answer. So Keirsey didn’t reply.
“……”
“…So what’s Oppa saying?”
“…still mad.”
Asena gently closed her eyes and sighed.
“…whoah…”
“…Unnie…are you going to reconcile with Oppa…?”
“……How can I make up with him when he ignores me all day?”
“……”
Asena bit her lips and spat out words while clenching her jaw.
“…me… my Oppa… is ignoring me…”
Asena’s hands were trembling. She couldn’t stand the current situation.
Asena endured her anger for a while, then jumped up from her seat.
“……Unnie…?”
“…rest first, Keirsey. I have a place to go.”
“Where….?”
“…..”
Asena didn’t answer.
Leaving Keirsey in the living room, she left.
✧ ✧ ✧
Asena looked like she was going crazy with jealousy. Cayden, who didn’t talk to her all day, and even when he did, he drew a line and used respectful words, laughed with Daisy as if to tease her.
Asena couldn’t stand it at all. If it had been in the past, she would have already taken some action. But the more actions she took, the further away she went from Cayden, and the more she had to see him talk with other women, enduring the sharp pain that stabbed her heart.
Yeah, Asena didn’t apologize earlier when she approached him, as she was still hoping that Cayden would approach her first, but she made her own efforts.… although, she just froze in front of him.
Sometimes she stumbled on purpose, she stared at him for a long time, and sometimes she stopped in front of the road that he was passing by.
Even if she made a pout, made a sad face, or made an angry face, Cayden didn’t approach her as he used to.
Unlike usual, ‘Yeah. Let’s stop now. I don’t want to keep fighting.’ He didn’t even say anything like that.
Instead of saying such things, he didn’t even look at her and just kept talking to other women.
Leaving herself alone, he only made friends with other women; he talked with Daisy on escort training and switched to Judy when they were in class.
Cayden and Judy seemed to be having so much fun that the sound of their laughter echoed throughout the hallway.
Because of that, Asena couldn’t count how many feathers she ate while writing.
Asena finally reached her destination.
She came to the dormitory in search of a woman. The woman’s name was ‘Sharon Payne.’
She was the second daughter of the ‘Payne’ family which was under the Pryster family.
Viscount Payne had another pseudonym - 'The dagger of the Prysters'.
It was something that no one could utter out of their mouths, but there was an open story that the Payne family took over the dirty work of the Prysters.
And this wasn’t wrong. Everyone in the House Pryster and the House Payne knew this.
The Payne family was conquered by the Prysters hundreds of years ago.
In exchange for not being destroyed by the Prysters, and to save themselves, they took over all of the Pryster family’s espionage activities.
As time passed, the Payne family gradually cemented their position as Pryster’s tool.
Asena knocked on the door. Soon, Sharon Payne appeared.
This was the first time Asena visited her. But no explanation was necessary. Sharon also fully understood her mission.
“…how can I help?”
Sharon asked Asena.
“…in the student council room… there must be a small flower on Daisy Hexter’s desk. That flower… throw it away.”
“Is that enough?”
“…Yes. It’s a small thing… but it’s important to me. I want it to be removed without a trace.”
Nodded to Asena, Sharon passed her and disappeared somewhere.
Thinking that the flower would finally disappear, Asena felt a little less out of breath. The jealousy that had tormented her up until now was also lowered by one level.
Asena did not feel guilty about this behavior.
Even Cayden had said that it was withered and asked Daisy to throw it away.
But Daisy said she wouldn’t throw it away. So Asena decided to do it for her.
In her mind, she wanted to destroy the flower with her hand and then throw it away. However, Asena knew it would be difficult, so she was content if it just disappeared.
“……Whoa…”
Asena sighed and calmed her mind.
At the same time, she thought of Cayden.
How long will he be like that?
It had only been a day, but Asena was already at her limit.
The only thing Asena wanted in this world was his warmth. As he treated her coldly, she seemed to have lost her place in this world.
The world without his warmth was too cold. And when she thought that his warmth was directed toward other people, she became jealous and couldn’t stand it.
Shaking her head, Asena tried to calm her mind and headed back to her room.
✧ ✧ ✧
"Huaaahhh..."
While yawning, I was waiting for Daisy.
Because of Keirsey, the sheets got wet and I slept on the sofa, so I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep. My shoulders were stiff and my neck felt tight.
As I turned my neck back and forth while holding my collarbone, I saw a cute face approaching from afar.
There was only a cute giggle and an energetic aura around it.
It was Keirsey.
I laughed looking at her approaching figure.
She looked at my smile and came towards me with a brighter expression on her face.
“Oppa..!”
But that was it...
“Lady Keirsey, why did you come?”
She gasped at my tone. I didn’t even say that I would stop calling her lady from today, but she seemed to be expecting something like that.
“…Oppa…from today…again…”
“I didn’t say that. That’s it, go back.”
“….uh?”
“If you keep interfering with my work, it would trouble me. What would I do if I couldn't escort Daisy properly because of you?”
“……”
She looked at me with a gloomy expression on her face.
“…you were hanging out with her all day yesterday.”
No, it’s a sad expression.
However, I was not easily swayed.
Rather, I hardened my face even further.
Keirsey was surprised and corrected her words.
“…ah…that…okay… today…I’ll be patient.”
It was a good change. I was going to leave them someday, so I thought it would be right to get away from them day by day.
“…Go back quickly. Daisy is coming soon.”
Keirsey stretched out her hand.
“That…! So when can we meet today…?”
“I don’t know.”
“……”
It seemed that she was only looking at this situation with too much hope over and over again, so I poured cold water on her.
“Lady Keirsey. My anger hasn’t been resolved yet, so why do you keep thinking about when we will meet without asking me?”
“……uh….?”
“Did I forgive you without even knowing it?”
“…No…I just…oppa…I… want to be with you…”
“Go back. now. I will not warn you anymore.”
Keirsey grabbed her chest and turned around.
She walked away from me with staggering, powerless footsteps.
On the way back, she kept looking back at me, wondering if there were any regrets. Every time she saw me, I gestured for her to go quickly.
She was really… really cute.
Did she know that if she made a mistake and acted cutely like that, everything will be okay?
Well, those days were over.
Of course, it was not that she was not cute anymore…but I didn’t want to be shaken by that. Even if my anger was resolved, I still wanted to distance myself from them.
And then, Daisy appeared.
“Good morning, Cayden.”
“Good morning, Daisy.”
We greeted each other and smiled before starting the day.
✧ ✧ ✧
Daisy entered the student council room with a greeting.
Cayden followed her.
Asena and Judy had already arrived. Asena rolled her eyes and looked at Cayden, but he didn’t even look at her.
He had even pushed Keirsey away like that, and there was nothing he could do more kindly for Asena, who had not yet spoken to him.
Asena felt all kinds of bad emotions but pretended to be okay.
“….uh?”
Daisy glanced at her desk, her thoughts drifting. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of confusion when she saw the empty space where the withered flower used to be.
“..uh..where is it gone?”
It was only after the flower disappeared that Daisy realized that she had liked it quite a bit.
That must be why, even though it had withered, she couldn’t throw it away.
Daisy frantically looked around the desk, but couldn’t find it.
She wandered and looked at Cayden, who was standing behind her.
For some reason, perhaps because the flower had disappeared, she had no confidence to see him.
Cayden knew immediately what she was looking for. Anyone could tell that the flower had disappeared.
“…I… maybe…Cayden...”
Daisy lowered her eyebrows and asked Cayden cautiously.
When he was the one who asked 'how about throwing it away' a day ago, it was a question that would come up naturally.
“…not me.”
Daisy’s face grew even redder. It was not enough that she didn’t take good care of the gift that someone else gave her, she even asked the person who gave the gift if he took it away.
As she panicked, a voice echoed.
“…you should have taken good care of it.”
It was a cold voice.
Cayden and Daisy’s eyes turned to the voice.
Asena was talking without looking at them.
“…if it was such a meaningful flower, should it be left in the student council room?”
“…Asena… maybe…”
At that question, Asena’s eyes looked up at Daisy.
“…Yesterday, I left the student council room earlier than you.”
“…ah..”
It was a fact that Daisy remembered. Asena had waited outside for Cayden, but Cayden had ignored her.
Daisy eventually turned to Cayden.
She bowed her head and apologized.
“…so…sorry…it was a gift.”
“……”
But contrary to what everyone thought that Cayden would easily forgive Daisy, Cayden stood and reacted flatly.
Daisy saw him like that and blamed herself even more.
He also seemed to put a lot of meaning into the flower in the end.
Cayden rolled his eyes for a moment, then said to Daisy.
“…Wait.”
Then, he left the student council room in a hurry.
Asena looked at that and tasted a slight sense of victory under her stiff face. She wasn’t happy enough, but it seemed that things worked out better than she expected.
Daisy stared blankly at Cayden, who left hurriedly and sat down at the desk with a sigh.
Then she wrapped her arms around her and fell on the desk.
Asena didn’t like her behavior either.
It was as if she was depressed by disappointing someone she liked.
Asena wanted to give her back the sense of deprivation she had felt.
“…I think Oppa was very disappointed.”
“…………”
“Still, it was a gift after winning the Jousting competition.”
“…..”
“My Oppa told you to throw it away… but now that I see him, it seems like they were just empty words.”
-Bang!
And at that moment, the door opened with a bang.
Cayden showed up while gasping for breath.
He had just left. Seeing him gasp like this with such good physical strength, they could roughly infer how hard he must have run.
Cayden let out a rough breath and walked towards Daisy.
Asena’s eyes grew bigger and bigger on seeing what he was hiding behind his back.
“…no..”
She whispered quietly. But Cayden didn’t stop.
Cayden stood in front of Daisy and pulled a flower from behind.
“….uh?”
Daisy took a breath.
“Now that the first one has disappeared, I can give it as a gift. Many of the same flowers bloomed in the garden. Shouldn’t it be appreciated when it’s beautiful?”
Second... This was the second time.
Asena had not yet received what she wanted, and Daisy had received it twice.
Asena’s heart seemed to harden with a sense of defeat.
Cayden continued.
“If you wish, I will bring it to you every day from now on. If one is missing, don’t be so discouraged. After all, flowers are not eternal.”
He laughed.
Asena had to stand in the background, watching Cayden smile as he gifted flowers to another woman.
Why was he so kind? And why wasn’t this kindness directed at her?
His every action was slowly engraved into Asena's mind.