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Chapter 47: Shining Knight (5)
“By the way, what did you mean by ‘thank god’ earlier?”
Keirsey asked while holding Ewin’s hand. Ewin’s words still lingered in her mind.
“Yes?”
Ewin paused and answered cautiously.
“Why was it lucky that I was Oppa's sister?”
“Oh, that..”
“I don’t know if I’m thinking ahead, but maybe… have you seen any possibilities?”
“……”
Keirsey asked, continuing to look down at her - Endlessly pressuring Ewin.
“I’m not in a relationship with my brother, so you didn’t mean to say that it was lucky, right?”
“Oh, no.”
“Yes? I understand that you were close ‘for a while’ when you were young, but I hope you don’t dream of being able to form a relationship with Oppa through that. Oppa is a nobleman, so he cannot connect with commoners.”
There was no law prohibiting commoners from marrying nobles. It’s not something that can be stopped. But Keirsey spoke clearly to Ewin as if it were a set rule.
“Ah… yes, per… of course, I know.”
“I’m not saying this because I don’t like Ewin, I’m just talking about you taking it for granted. If you’re going to grow your mind… it’s hard when you have to quit later, isn’t it?”
“……”
“…People work hard in their own place… I think that’s the most beautiful thing.”
After that, Keirsey released Ewin’s hand. Ewin scratched her head and smiled as if she was trying to relieve the subdued mood, but in Keirsey’s eyes, she only looked like a fool.
‘Vulgar.’
She exhaled in her mind.
It was an extreme swear word that she had never used before, but for some reason, imagining that she was spitting on Ewin made her feel relieved.
After that, the two paid attention to cooking.
Keirsey decorated the food for Cayden with her nerves sharpened. After finishing the decoration, the dish that looked good to her was completed.
Keirsey immediately prepared two bowls and approached Cayden.
Ewin did not follow. Since she didn’t follow, Keirsey was able to leave some of her unpleasant feelings in the kitchen.
“The food is here, Oppa.”
Brightened up again, and somewhat lifted on purpose, she presented the food to Cayden.
Cayden meekly admired and nodded toward Keirsey.
“… It's really delicious.”
“Hehehe.”
Cayden then asked Kirsey, who was scratching her head shyly.
“What about Ewin?”
Keirsey’s fingers, which were scratching her head, stopped.
She could feel the emotions that she had been holding onto rising once again.
Yes, she understood too; Cayden must be happy that he found a younger sibling he hadn’t seen in years. However, even if her head understood, her heart was not convinced.
She didn’t want to yield to Cayden under any circumstances. Especially if it’s to meet another woman. Keirsey hated that she had to be pushed aside by another woman.
The desire to express frustration was like a spark, growing endlessly.
She knew he was happy, but she didn’t want him to forget that today was an important day for her as well. She hated the situation in which the efforts she had put to reconcile with him went in vain.
But Keirsey also knew that if she couldn’t bear it now and showed her frustration, she wouldn’t be able to withstand the aftermath.
It was finally an opportunity for reconciliation. Even at this moment, she knew that if they raised their voices and pointed at each other, the relationship would really grow apart.
So for now, she had no choice but to behave quietly…but she couldn’t stop the distorted expression on her face.
He left her alone and his eyes kept turning to Ewin, so she was so jealous that she was going crazy.
“…Oppa…I know it’s nice to unexpectedly meet an acquaintance after a long time…but can you focus on me now? I worked hard for this.”
“….ah. sorry.”
Cayden hastily admitted his mistake and looked up at Keirsey with a look of genuine regret.
Normally, he would have gotten up and would have used skinship - like hugging her or stroking her head - to apologize, but today there was still a crack that needed to be filled.
Therefore, he apologized only verbally, bowed his head slightly, and tried to meet Keirsey’s eyes.
“…She is the younger sister I haven’t seen in a long time. Ummm…so if Ewin sits down and chats with us… is that annoying?”
“…Oppa. Today is an important moment for us.”
“…okay. That’s right. I’m sorry, Keirsey. Then wait a minute.”
After saying those words, Cayden got up, pulling the chair away from the table. In front of Keirsey’s eyes, he walked to the kitchen and talked to Ewin as if he had found Ewin hiding behind an invisible wall.
“Ewin, today is an important day for me and my sister, but let’s talk next time, okay?”
Ewin’s answer came quietly.
-"Yes!"
Immediately after that, Cayden came back with a smile and sat down.
The two exchanged glances for a moment... Cayden spoke first.
“Well, the story was all done yesterday. That’s it… Let’s not fight again in the future and get along well, Keirsey.”
“….yes.”
✧ ✧ ✧
At the dinner table, everything went well. They shared their daily life, telling stories that they couldn’t with each other one by one.
In this happy moment, Keirsey felt uncomfortable as if something was on her chest. She didn’t think of this often when she saw Cayden, but she kept listening to him and felt uneasy.
He was in front of her, but it was like he was not there. It felt like he was going to disappear when she took her eyes off him.
Was it because of Ewin’s appearance, or because of all the other women who had recently appeared?
This anxiety stemmed from her desire for him.
Even after such a conflict had arisen, it was surprising to her that his affection for her did not decline at all.
Because of that, she could feel his preciousness more vividly.
So when the time came to go back to their dormitory after eating, Keirsey’s heart was beating fast.
Anxiety continued to grow and torment her.
She couldn’t figure out why there were so many women stalking him lately: Judy from the same department, Daisy from the Political Science Department, and now this Ewin appeared out of nowhere.
When she turned her head, he was making new connections with new people.
Also, Cayden’s actions encouraged those to do this.
At the end of a light walk after eating, Keirsey flew into Cayden's arms to be hugged by him.
Cayden didn’t stop her this time, but he didn’t give her the strong hug he used to.
What he had done for Ewin earlier was much more intense than this. He gave a hug that was not satisfactory at all, as to show what kind of change of heart he had.
“…?”
Keirsey received his embrace and looked up at him as if in incomprehension, but Cayden smiled and looked elsewhere.
'Are you looking for someone to hug you tight?'
Since he found his younger sister, now only Ewin hugged him like that, so was she pushed out?
Thinking like that, she couldn’t keep her sanity.
In the end, Keirsey returned to her dorm room without even knowing how she parted ways with Cayden.
“…”
Keirsey blinked her eyes and woke up. She was next to Cayden for a moment, and the next moment she was here.
And only after slowly realizing that she had entered the dorm room, the emotions she had been holding back came to her like a tide.
She couldn’t solve this troubled heart on her own.
She approached Asena’s room, which had been tightly closed in recent days.
– Knock Knock Knock!
“Unnie..! Unnie… Open the door… I have something to tell.”
– Knock Knock Knock!
“Unnie!”
After knocking for a while, a cold and dignified voice resounded.
-"…Did you meet Oppa?"
It was so cold that even Keirsey felt a chill for a movement.
However, Keirsey was also in a state of intense emotion right now, so she did not think about taking care of Asena first.
"Oppa… Yes, but I’m here to meet you. By the way-"
-"…Have you reconciled?"
“……”
Hearing Asena’s words which interrupted her own, Keirsey paused for a moment before answering her first.
"…..Yes. But that’s not the problem-"
-Bang!!
A huge roar echoed in Asena’s room and the sound of something breaking was heard.
Surprised by the sound, Keirsey finally grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open.
“………..Unnie.”
Everything was a mess.
Nothing was perfect. The pillow was bursting and feathers were flying, and the chair was broken. The teacup was in the broken condition, and the wardrobe had only one door left.
In that state, the curtains were completely closed and not a single light entered the room, giving an eerie feeling.
Only then did Keirsey realize how Asena had endured so quietly.
Keirsey looked like she was going crazy, but she wondered if Asena already had. Now that she saw it...
In a space where she could be left alone, Asena was still suffering.
“…Didn't you say anything about me?”
Through the hair that covered her face, Asena rolled her eyes and asked Keirsey a question.
“……”
Keirsey couldn’t answer and shook her head.
– Guguguguk…
She could see Asena’s fists digging into the bedsheet. It was the first time Keirsey had seen Asena so broken. Every time there was a difficult situation, Cayden was there to help her, so this situation was something she had never seen before.
“…Reconciliation….. did Oppa come to you first?”
“…No, I went first. Unnie, but that’s not important.”
“…Then what’s important?”
As Keirsey came to a point where she had to speak out, Asena was experiencing a torrent of emotions. In the end, Keirsey spoke in a voice full of malice without knowing it, as if swearing.
“…Oppa found a younger sister from the time he was in the orphanage.”
“…..What?”
Asena’s head was raised. Snake-like eyes turned to Keirsey. And gradually, her eyes began to shake violently.
“There was a younger sister… other than us…”