Chapter 25

The day after the march ended, the penal unit's departure order was issued immediately.

We had to head out to subjugate the monsters near the territory right after breakfast.

The target was already set.

The simplest yet most troublesome monsters to kill.

If left alone, they'd spread like wildfire and could cause great damage.

Goblins.

Just as the sun began to rise, I busily put on my clothes.

I had to act earlier than others to get to Vivian's castle for breakfast.

I heard that this expedition was scheduled to last about three days.

That meant I wouldn't see Vivian for about three days.

Recently, I'd been seeing Vivian at least three times a day.

Morning, noon, and evening.

Although mealtimes were more about staring contests than conversations, just eating together created a kind of bond.

The fact that we wouldn't be eating together for three days was already making me feel a bit regretful.

No, maybe it's not regret but concern?

.

.

.

"…"

I silently entered the hall and looked at Vivian.

She also looked my way, perhaps sensing my presence.

Red hair. Red eyes. A beautiful face.

Whenever I see her, I can't help but swallow a small gasp.

Meals were prepared for us on the dining table.

Well-boiled potatoes surrounded by herbs.

Various breads. Fresh grapes and ripe apples.

Even soup that shone with a milky light.

It was full of things that were easy to eat for breakfast.

Vivian was sitting on the left side of the table, waiting for me.

She no longer sat in the head seat. It was a change that happened because sometimes our legs would touch when she sat there.

I sat on the right side and faced her.

"You must've had a hard time getting up early," I said.

"To eat safely, I have to do this," Vivian replied curtly.

Without hesitation, I split a potato and placed it on my plate.

Vivian also followed my action and placed a potato on her plate.

When I put food into my mouth, Vivian's eyes briefly turned toward me.

Until I swallowed the food and took the next bite, she remained still.

"It's well-boiled," I said to Vivian, savoring the herb aroma.

Only then did she belatedly put the potato into her mouth.

Recently, our meals were always like this.

When I tried something first, Vivian would follow suit.

She couldn't touch any food until I had tried it.

To others, it might seem like a distorted arrangement, but this was becoming our daily routine.

I scooped some soup and tasted it. The warm broth made my stomach feel comfortable.

Looking up at Vivian, she was also eyeing the soup.

"Want some?"

At my question, she quietly nodded.

I poured some soup into her bowl, and for a while, the clattering of dishes filled the hall.

Since we didn't have conversations, we shared a lot of information through our eyes and actions.

Even now, I could see Vivian's eyes kept darting toward the bread, and then to the food left on my plate.

Then she'd look at the bread again, then at my face.

She took a spoonful of soup... then looked at the bread again.

When you share a table, you quickly figure out what someone likes.

Vivian really liked bread.

Even during meals, it was what she ate the most and enjoyed the most.

"…"

Watching her, I inwardly smirked.

I planned a small revenge for how she tormented me during yesterday's parade.

Even though I took a bite of all the other dishes, I deliberately didn't touch the bread until the very end.

"Ah, I'm full."

"…"

Sensing that the meal was nearing its end, her eyes more persistently darted toward the bread.

"Yes?"

I asked, intending to irritate Vivian.

She was quite prideful; especially when it came to me, she acted even more stubbornly.

Someone like her would never admit she wanted to eat the bread.

"…Nothing."

"You want the bread, don't you?"

At my provocation, Vivian frowned.

I secretly found it amusing.

"…You, even though you know everything…"

"Just eat it. Seems there's no poison in the food. It's unlikely they'd only poison the bread."

"…"

She lightly exhaled through her nose, ignoring my words.

Her agitated hands just kept scooping the innocent soup.

After teasing her enough, I finally reached for the bread.

I tore the large loaf in half and placed one piece before me.

When I dipped the bread into the remaining soup and ate it, Vivian finally, pretending to be uninterested, placed her hand on the bread.

As she brought the warm, soft bread to her mouth, I almost imagined her eyes sparkling for a moment.

I drank a glass of water and glanced behind Vivian.

The maids who had been replaced earlier were still working.

Suddenly curious, I asked her.

"So, did you find the mastermind?"

By "mastermind," I meant the instigator of the poisoning.

Vivian immediately understood and shook her head.

"No."

Well, I didn't think she'd be able to find them.

There were too many suspects, and Vivian didn't have a single ally.

We were walking on thin ice, like tightrope walkers.

To the point where I wondered why I wanted to protect someone like her.

...Is it really, truly a witch's curse? I didn't know.

"Even if you couldn't find the mastermind, you need to find someone to hold responsible," I said.

Vivian nodded.

"I punished the cooks... and the maids."

"How?"

"I exiled them all from the territory... And I heard that Sena lost a leg during torture..."

"…"

From Vivian's standards, I thought the punishment was fairly severe.

I didn't think she'd go that far, being so delicate.

Well, come to think of it, this probably wasn't a decision she made directly.

"But what are you going to do?"

"…?"

At my question, Vivian looked puzzled. Her head habitually tilted as she sat across from me.

That sight made my fingertips tingle for no reason, so I avoided her gaze and asked.

"While I'm gone, how will you handle meals?"

I tried to speak provocatively, but honestly, I was worried.

I thought she might not be able to eat, just like before.

Vivian took my words as sarcasm and reacted sharply.

"What kind of misunderstanding is that? I've lived just fine without you. Do you think I can't eat just because you're gone? It's convenient when you're here, but you're not absolutely necessary!"

"If you say so."

I turned and shouted to the maids behind Vivian.

"You heard earlier, right? All the maids and cooks involved in the poisoning incident were exiled. Don't you ever forget it."

They quickly bowed their heads, signaling their understanding.

Vivian seemed like she had something to say about my threat, but she closed her mouth again and ate her bread.

In the past, she might have told me not to say such mean things, but now she didn't seem that delicate.

Soon, I got up from my seat.

After wiping my mouth and hands with the prepared cloth, I looked at Vivian.

"…"

"…"

We met eyes for a long time, but in the end, we didn't say goodbye.

And so, I set out.

****

"…"

Day two since Kylo left.

Vivian couldn't believe the changes happening to her body.

Surely, nothing had changed.

The food was prepared with the same care, and the dishes were the same.

The chefs who cooked the food were the same, the maids were the same, and even the utensils were as before.

But Vivian's heart was pounding again as if the world had turned upside down.

Her stomach churned nauseously, and her hands trembled.

She couldn't bring herself to put the food in her mouth.

Since he left, she hadn't taken a single bite.

She felt so pathetic that she was ashamed of herself for boldly claiming she didn't need someone like him.

‘Why am I like this?’

She scolded herself inwardly.

Even though the servants had confirmed multiple times that there was no poison, the moment Kylo left, she became like this.

She was swallowed by fear like a helpless child.

She, who was supposed to be the head of the Rondor family and the lord of Roctana, was trembling over a mere meal.

At this point, even her family watching from the heavens might be sighing at her.

Vivian looked at the food once more.

Despite the fragrant aroma, her mouth was as dry as a desert.

No matter how much she tried to compose herself, suspicion tightened its grip on her, and the deeper it grew, the more powerless she became.

She hated herself for not being able to overcome even this level of fear.

The fork in Vivian's hand trembled slightly.

It was as if even the fork was mocking her pathetic state, laughing out loud.

Vivian quietly put down the fork, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

No sound could be heard around the dining table where she sat alone.

With just Kylo gone, her table was as silent as death.

Come to think of it, even if she were poisoned now, there was no one to save her like before.

Back then, Kylo was by her side, but now he wasn't.

So just like before, all the retainers would just look at each other and shift the blame.

"…"

Vivian said, her appetite not returning no matter what.

"Pl-please clear the table."

She was hungry, but there was nothing she could eat.

Once again, she succumbed to her own weakness.

.

.

.

Shut away alone in her room, Vivian couldn't erase the thought of how pathetic she was.

Now she knew.

The difference was so stark that even she had to admit it.

Kylo Allen was incomparably stronger than herself.

He moved forward with courage in any situation.

Despite the resentment, criticism, and bullying of many people, he silently walked the path he had to take.

He even shouldered the responsibilities that Vivian should have borne, proving his steadfastness.

In contrast, Vivian herself couldn't even carry the burdens she was supposed to bear, constantly stumbling and falling.

'When I see your weakness... I can understand why your family lost.'

As Kylo Allen's voice echoed in her mind, Vivian clenched her teeth.

The more it became an undeniable truth, the more his words pierced her painfully.

It was like a curse.

A curse she couldn't escape no matter how much she struggled.

But how on earth could she overcome this?

She didn't have the courage that Kylo had, nor the dignity to wield power.

She didn't know how to grasp people's hearts, nor how to set the territory straight.

Never in her life had she expected to need such power. It was her brother, Royce Rondor, who had always carried such burdens.

She had just expected to receive various lessons, marry someone, and live an ordinary life.

Now that all of that was distorted, she was lost.

Though he hadn't said it, perhaps Kylo Allen was secretly mocking her immensely.

She especially didn't want to be looked down upon by her enemy.

‘...If only I had some ability too.’

Unconsciously, Vivian thought.

If that were the case, surely, things would be a bit better than this.

"Do you need help?"

At that moment, a soft female voice echoed from somewhere.

Startled, Vivian quickly turned around.

"…"

And she froze at the sight before her.

Vivian's room was on the third floor.

It was not a height that a person could climb.

The castle was built of stone, and there was nothing to hold on to and climb.

But before her eyes, that woman was sitting comfortably on the windowsill as if she were in an armchair.

Against the backdrop of a blue-tinted night sky, her silhouette stood out clearly.

A large pointed hat and disheveled blonde hair.

Smoke softly rising from a long pipe.

A beautiful face that looked around thirty. A voluptuous figure. Long legs.

The woman brought the end of the pipe to her lips and leisurely took a puff.

Smoke flowed gently from her mouth, spreading into the air.

At the sweet yet bitter scent, Vivian wrinkled her nose.

"Wh-who are you?"

Vivian asked.

But the woman just smiled and asked in return.

"Do you... want to become a witch?"

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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