Chapter 98: When everything is Over – 1

It took a long time for Nestor, whose eyes were trembling slightly, to accept Vivian’s command.

He stood in the same spot for quite a while, trying to discern her sincerity.

When he realized she was speaking with utmost seriousness, he closed his mouth.

A deep breath, a blink, and a few dry wipes of his face.

Only then did he seem to understand the reason behind Vivian’s actions.

“…I had considered the possibility.”

He nodded with difficulty.

Since revealing his true identity, he had become an entirely different person—from his choices to his decisiveness, even to his loyalty.

“…Kailo Alan has become that precious to you. I can’t blame you. After all, no one knows better than I do how much he has protected you.”

“But, Lady Vivian, we must act quickly. Robert Rondor will undoubtedly know that I am aware of this. Now that he realizes I’ve turned to your side, he will also know that he cannot survive. He’s not the type to sit and wait quietly. He will surely mobilize his soldiers.”

Nestor was making it clear that they were already on an unstoppable trajectory.

Vivian agreed.

Damn it.

Why was she alone in this?

Why couldn’t this be avoided?

Ever since the moment she had begun reforming her territory, there had been no turning back.

From the time she had beheaded Treasurer Brynden, she had no choice but to see this through to the end.

“If only he dies… I won’t ask for anything more.”

Nestor spoke.

Now, even Count Corrode had been eliminated.

Only Robert remained.

This momentum could not be abruptly or awkwardly halted.

“…He’s the one who ordered my assassination.”

Vivian said, trembling.

Her voice overflowed with barely contained rage.

“Use that as justification. Not my father or brother’s murders… but the attack on me. Based on that, we’ll take Robert down.”

However, she had to bury the truth.

Even if she dragged Robert Rondor to trial, meticulously listed all his crimes, and beheaded him, her deceased parents would not return.

It would feel satisfying.

Perhaps she would even cry tears of catharsis as she crushed the person who had destroyed her life so utterly.

But beyond that, nothing would remain.

Kailo would have to leave as the price of that satisfaction.

And that, Vivian could not bear.

It was enough for Robert to simply die.

Ruining his honor would be satisfying, but even if not, it didn’t matter.

The truth only needed to stay with her.

Vivian clenched her hands tightly and murmured to herself.

If I can endure this…

If only I can endure, Kailo will stay by my side.

At some point, vengeance was no longer her top priority.

There was someone she could not let go of.

***

-Knock, knock, knock.

-Squeak.

Kayla and I, who had just gone to bed to sleep, both sat up simultaneously.

My younger sister, sitting on the adjacent bed, stared at me with anxious eyes, still uneasy about this land.

Well, it was no surprise.

They had entered the territory of the Rondor family with so few troops that fear was inevitable.

To reassure Kayla, I carried myself with greater confidence.

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

Fortunately, no one dangerous was standing there.

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

Vivian’s hair partially obscured her expression.

Behind her stood her confused guards, who exchanged awkward glances with me.

Kayla belatedly rose from her bed and approached us.

“…Lady Vivian?”

Despite everyone’s questions, Vivian didn’t respond.

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

Leaving the guards outside, she shut the door behind her.

Now, it was just Kayla, Vivian, and me left in the room.

“Why are you here?”

Vivian and I usually maintained a certain distance in front of Kayla.

It was inevitable; our relationship was inherently awkward.

The truth that we were enemies could never be forgotten.

But suddenly—

Thud!

Vivian threw herself into my arms as if she had forgotten everything.

Kayla’s eyes widened in shock.

I stood frozen for a moment, wondering what had caused Vivian to act this way.

Unlike her usual demeanor, she seemed to be seeking comfort.

Despite Kayla’s gaze, I cautiously embraced her and gently stroked the back of her head.

The more I comforted her, the tighter her hold became.

Her breathing grew more labored.

I had no idea what news she had heard to make her so distraught.

“Brother… right now…”

Kayla hesitated, seemingly about to say something, but I placed a finger on my lips to signal her to be quiet.

Our relationship was beyond explanation.

No one would understand unless they had lived through what we had endured.

So, it was easier to simply accept it.

With a resigned expression, I looked at Kayla.

Seeing my face, Kayla gradually seemed to understand everything.

Why I had said I couldn’t leave just yet.

What our relationship meant.

Kayla slowly began to accept it, too.

Vivian, still burying her face in my chest, finally spoke in a strained voice.

“…Kailo.”

“…Speak.”

She clutched my clothes tightly, frozen in place for a long moment.

Her hands trembled, and her teeth clenched.

What could have possibly driven her to this point?

I had no intention of forcibly prying into her thoughts.

After a long silence, Vivian asked,

“…You won’t leave, will you?”

“…You’re not going to leave me, are you?”

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

A few days later, even an envoy from the Delrum royal family came to speak with me.

Vivian sat at the head seat, lightly biting her nails as she observed everything.

Kayla clung to my arm, waiting for my response.

The peace sought between Delrum and Eastern Kingdom.

The fight with the Corrode family that almost cost me my life.

All of it worked out in my favor.

However, as I had told Kayla, my resolve had long been made.

“I will stay.”

It was a decision that had never wavered, not even once.

***

It took several days for the realization that the true culprit was Robert Rondor to fully settle in Vivian’s mind.

And as that realization became more solid, Vivian found herself constantly watching Kailo.

She observed him from afar, spending time with his younger sibling, enjoying moments of warmth and familial love.

The ease and happiness he exuded while being with his family etched itself into Vivian’s mind.

Was this the person she had shattered with her own hands?

Of course, Kailo might have become a hostage of Rondor no matter what.

Even if Jade Alan wasn’t responsible for the deaths of her father and brother, the truth was undeniable: countless soldiers of Loctana had been buried under their orders.

However, Vivian’s anger toward Kailo had always been about family.

She had tormented him endlessly, bringing that up over and over again.

But it wasn’t true.

The real enemy was someone else, and Kailo was innocent.

Kailo had done nothing wrong—there wasn’t a single reason for him to feel guilt toward her.

He had simply, and for no reason at all, protected her all this time, while Vivian, for no reason at all, had become the person who lashed out at him.

A suffocating wave of guilt struck Vivian, so strong it nearly brought her to tears.

And with that guilt, another emotion surged uncontrollably within her.

He had become someone who protected her, for no reason, when she had nothing.

More than a benefactor—he was something much greater.

… She loved him.

The deeper her guilt grew, the more unbearable her affection for him became.

Even as she welled up with tears over the sins she had committed against him, she couldn’t bear how precious Kailo had become to her.

Even as the realization came that she should let him go… she found herself clinging to him tighter.

He was the person who had chosen to stay by her side despite everything.

The one who wouldn’t leave her, no matter what.

So she had to suppress the truth.

To keep her ugly self hidden.

“Haah… What should I even say to Father?”

Kayla sighed, her voice tinged with lament.

Realizing she was deliberately being playful, I smiled lightly and patted her head.

“I’m sorry.”

“… Is Vivian that important to you, brother?”

She is important.

In this land, she was my goal.

Without the intense emotions she evoked in me, I wouldn’t have endured until now.

No matter how urgent the situation in my homeland was, my priorities were here.

I was human, after all.

More than the situation in the hometown I left six years ago, Vivian right in front of me was my immediate concern.

But instead of explaining all this, I simply shrugged.

Kayla didn’t press further at my gesture.

“Alright. Still… you’ll come back one day, won’t you?”

“…”

I couldn’t answer.

I wanted to.

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

Every time I embraced her, every time we kissed and entwined our tongues, it felt like a part of my strength drained away.

I guess I wouldn’t know until I faced the situation myself—whether I could leave her or not.

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

“… Brother.”

She bit her lip slightly before speaking.

“… I’ll tolerate your stubbornness for a little longer.”

“… Since you’ve worked so hard for us in this land… I’ll endure a little more.”

“But I told you, didn’t I? We’re barely holding on. Please come back soon… and take your place as the head of the family.”

“… Kayla.”

She smiled faintly.

“You don’t know, do you, brother? Lately, our family’s been making quite a fuss looking for a suitable match for you.”

Kayla’s eyes showed no signs of deceit.

“Once you return, you’ll immediately take Father’s place as the head of the family. And as the head, having children will be essential. They’re already looking for a woman who can bear children quickly and easily.”

Children?

Me?

… With someone other than Vivian?

Children…

Children…

I closed my eyes tightly and shook my head.

“… Fine.”

… Fine.

That’s the future set for me.

Vivian will likely find another partner, and so will I.

“The funny thing is, brother, you’re really popular, you know? The things you’ve done here have even reached us. Women idolize you as if you’re a knight from a fairy tale. What I’m saying is… once you return, you’ll have plenty to choose from.”

Kayla’s expression grew more serious.

“There are many women more beautiful and virtuous than Vivian Rondor waiting for you.”

“… I don’t even know why I have to persuade you like this, but… if this is all because of love…”

I pulled Kayla into an embrace.

Her arms, hesitant and awkwardly hanging in the air, eventually wrapped around my back.

“… I’ll do my best, Kayla.”

Kayla nodded silently.

“… Thank you.”

Kayla sniffled, wiping away her tears.

“Brother… why are you thanking me? You’re the one who stayed here for us…”

I stroked her back as I spoke.

“… Are you leaving now?”

“I plan to leave tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

I nodded.

I didn’t feel the need to dramatize our farewell.

After all, someday, I, too, would return to my homeland.

“Brother, did you know?”

“?”

Kayla pulled something out of her pocket—a pair of leather gloves.

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

I had turned 19.

***

“Pahaha…! Hehup…!”

With the royal family gone and Kayla leaving, Vivian and I were left clinging to each other like snails with no shells.

I was sitting on a chair, and Vivian sat on my lap.

We exchanged no words, no signals, but naturally found ourselves holding hands and entering the room to kiss.

It felt as though Vivian, as if praising my decision to stay, entrusted her body to me.

At the same time, the sexual tension we had been suppressing under others’ gazes erupted.

Sexual desire is strange; you’d think it would dissipate once satisfied, but it only seems to intensify and return even more fiercely.

Just a few days of not kissing had left us both suffering, and the result was this—our actions bursting forth in a direction laden with guilt.

The room filled with the sounds of wet kisses, almost like a child suckling at its mother’s breast.

Our saliva intertwined messily.

Even knowing it was a forbidden addiction, we mingled our tongues.

Sometimes, when I saw the way Vivian sucked on my tongue, her innate sensuality peeked through.

And every time that glimpse emerged, the heat in my body only burned brighter.

She always spoke sharp words, claiming that lust was filthy.

But when she sucked on my tongue to satisfy my desires, nothing could surpass that sensation.

“Ka…ilo.”

Even as she passionately entwined her tongue with mine, Vivian spoke to me.

“What?”

I responded while engrossed in the kiss.

“The ally you mentioned… has revealed himself.”

Her words snapped me out of it, and I grabbed her shoulders, pushing her away.

But Vivian, pouting as if throwing a tantrum, shook her shoulders and wrapped her arms around my neck again, resuming our kiss.

“It was Nestor… his identity was Nestor…”

Nesto?

It wasn’t a story easy to believe.

However, since Vivian insisted, I had no choice but to accept it.

We trusted each other.

“And haa… Nestor revealed… haa… the identity of the person who tried to kill me in collusion with Count Corrode.”

“Haa… haa… who is it?”

“…Robert Rondor.”

I pulled Vivian’s lovely face closer, giving her a long, deep kiss before speaking.

“…Not too far off from what I expected.”

Vivian nodded, her expression growing darker by the moment.

“Did something happen?”

“N-No, nothing happened… it’s nothing.”

“Then why that expression?”

Vivian tightly shut her eyes, covering her face with her hands as if she didn’t want to show me.

And then she said as if refusing further discussion:

“…Just stick your tongue out.”

After a while of kissing again, Vivian said.

“There’s going to be a war, Kailo. Robert will make his own desperate moves…”

“…I see.”

And after that, everything will come to an end, won’t it?

This madness.

Vivian.

A sharp pain arose in my chest.

My hand moved on its own.

I grabbed her chest once before slowly moving my hand downward.

Perhaps the thought of leaving her filled my head with more impulsive delusions.

I brushed over her abs and then further down…

“Ehh!”

Vivian held her face, gently pushing me away.

“…No, we can’t.”

“…”

“How much more… do we need to talk about this…”

I asked her unintentionally.

“…Why not?”

I knew there were countless reasons she could give.

But all of them were reasons I could bear.

They were reasons that could be ignored.

In the face of the emotions we shared, all those various reasons had long lost their power.

“Why not, Vivian?”

Though she didn’t realize it, my struggle was still ongoing.

I didn’t want to leave her, but I had decided to do so.

So I hoped she would give me just one more reason.

If she did, I could stay by her side as long as she wanted, for the rest of my life.

The reason I was trying to leave her was that I couldn’t envision an ending where we stayed together.

But if Vivian made the choice,

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

I had already told Kayla I would return, but here I was, conflicted in secret like a coward.

“…Let’s have just one child together.”

I proposed to Vivian.

It was an utterly absurd suggestion, yet we both knew it wasn’t entirely out of place.

The depth of the emotions we shared was there, though it hadn’t been explicitly shown.

Vivian froze in place.

I made one last plea to her.

“…Vivian, let’s do it.”