Chapter 126: Traitor – 2

Starting at dawn, passing through the morning, now the sun was high in the sky.

Even so, Vivian was still kissing Kailo.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

She occasionally became aware of how much brighter the world had gotten.

And the growing sounds of people nearby had become uncomfortably noisy.

Vivian, continuing the kiss with a dissatisfied expression, eventually tightly shut her eyes and lightly bit Kailo’s tongue.

Then, pulling her lips away, she spoke with difficulty.

“…I have to go now.”

It was a decision she had agonized over before finally saying it.

The celebration of Vivian’s birthday was still ongoing.

The banquet, scheduled to last five days, could not go on without its main character.

She wiped her lips and looked at Kailo.

No one could understand how hard it was to end this heavenly moment.

In her heart, she wanted to stay like this for days.

Not eating, not bathing, not sleeping—just staying like this.

And she could have done so.

Vivian gently caressed Kailo’s cheek as he loomed over her.

Then, as if warning him, she said,

“…Wait quietly. I’ll be back soon.”

“It would be best if you acted just like now when I return. Got it?”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not acting?”

Sweet words, yet she couldn’t trust them.

The sweeter they were, the more naturally her wariness grew.

Behind such a grand bait always lay a sharp hook.

…Yet, on the other hand, there was a part of her that wanted to swallow this bait without hesitation.

She wanted to believe Kailo had changed his heart.

She wanted to believe he would stay by her side like this, whispering love as he kissed her—just as he had since dawn today.

She hoped for such a reckless dream, one that Kailo’s overwhelming pleasure made her yearn for.

It felt like compensation for all the pain she had endured.

“…Get off for now. Like I said, I have to go.”

Afraid she wouldn’t be able to leave if she looked into Kailo’s eyes, Vivian turned her head and spoke.

“Don’t go.”

Kailo interrupted her, and her body froze for a moment.

Those brief words shook her resolve.

“…People are waiting for me.”

“Don’t go.”

“…Stay with me.”

She had to go, and she wanted to go, but his words wavered her absurdly.

Even so, Vivian gritted her teeth.

She had to go.

There were already too many people curious about Kailo’s absence, and she couldn’t remain hidden.

Shaking her head, Vivian firmly said,

“Just wait a bit. I’ll be quick—”

– Thud!

At that moment, Kailo pushed the rising Vivian back onto the bed and whispered,

“Stay here. Stay with me…”

Vivian didn’t respond outwardly, but her heart raced at Kailo’s assertive dominance.

She hadn’t realized it, but perhaps she liked being overpowered just a little.

“…Why care about others? I only need you.”

Kailo’s words flowed smoothly.

“…And you feel the same, don’t you?”

His actions, almost playful, drained the strength from Vivian’s body.

Annoyed at how easily he swayed her, she bit her lip and said,

“…How did I end up yielding so completely to you?”

“When we were younger, I hated you so much I wanted to kill you.”

She recalled being thirteen, when she would hurl curses and even violence at him—each moment vivid in her memory.

The boy she once hated to the point of loathing physical contact now pinned her down, refusing to let her go.

The thought was strangely thrilling, a perverse pleasure tickling her lower abdomen.

A relationship that shouldn’t have continued felt so natural now.

Kailo wrapped his arms tightly around Vivian’s waist.

She loved being held captive by him.

“Spend the whole day with me. Let’s celebrate our reconciliation.”

“…We haven’t reconciled. I still don’t trust you.”

Despite her continued doubts, Kailo chuckled softly.

He said.

“…Then I’ll just have to act even harder.”

And with that, he kissed her.

Vivian’s resistance ended as simply as that.

She no longer thought about leaving.

Instead, she let her body relax, lying softly on the bed.

Wrapping her arms around Kailo’s neck, she closed her eyes.

She stopped thinking complicated thoughts.

She decided to pursue only the happiness in front of her.

And with that, her mind went blank, overwhelmed by pure bliss.

She could not escape this intoxicating trap.

***

By evening, the affectionate interaction between Vivian and me came to an end.

Even then, Vivian wore an expression of regret.

Perhaps my face mirrored hers as well.

I felt two emotions.

On one hand, a deep sense of guilt weighed on me.

Deceiving her was never something I could feel at ease with.

…And yet, on the other hand, I felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

It was as if the darker side of me, hidden within, had surfaced.

It was revenge against Vivian, who repaid my sacrifices with imprisonment.

Had I not felt that emotion, I might have crumbled under the weight of this guilt.

Vivian sat at the desk, glancing at me with a smile.

I returned her smile, momentarily setting aside my responsibilities for the future.

After fiddling with some papers for a while, she eventually stopped when she noticed my smile.

Then, approaching the bed, she loosened my chains a little further.

“…Come here, Kailo.”

Vivian commanded.

She wanted me to stand near the window.

Since the window was close to the bed, it wasn’t difficult.

For the first time in a while, I looked down at the streets of Loctana and the silhouette of Rondor Castle.

“Everyone’s out for a walk.”

Vivian said.

Extending a single finger, she pointed at someone.

It wasn’t hard to figure out who it was.

It was Princess Reina.

“Princess Reina has been looking for you a lot.”

Vivian whispered.

“…How about it? Do you want to meet Princess Reina too?”

I understood that Vivian asked this out of suspicion toward me.

Naturally, I said what she wanted to hear.

It wasn’t hard as long as I kept lying.

“No. I’m just glad to see that she’s doing well.”

I looked at Vivian.

“Besides, she’s married to Prince Thread now. He should be the one worrying about her, not me. Not that I ever did in the first place.”

Hearing my response, Vivian pressed her lips to my cheek.

Satisfied, she then pointed toward another direction.

“Over there, do you see the girl with the brown hair?”

“…Yes.”

A woman with a cute impression, not very tall, and seemingly fragile.

She looked like someone who could easily break.

“Who’s prettier, me or her?”

“What?”

“I’m asking, who’s more beautiful—her or me?”

This wasn’t a difficult question either.

There was no need to lie.

Even now, I hadn’t seen anyone more beautiful than Vivian.

Though the sharp thorns she carried were painful.

“…Is that even a question?”

“Say it with your own mouth.”

“You’re prettier. By far.”

Despite asking a question with an obvious answer, Vivian beamed when she heard the response she wanted.

“…Who is she?”

Curious, I asked about the stranger Vivian had pointed out.

Vivian was silent for a moment before revealing the truth casually.

“If you’d returned to your homeland, she might have been your wife.”

“…What?”

“She’s been openly declaring her feelings for you. Gisela Lute, the young lady of the Lute family.”

Vivian whispered, her gaze fixed on Gisela.

“…I wonder how that innocent young lady would react if she knew I had you like this.”

I looked down at Vivian, who smiled a cruel smile.

And what would you do if you knew?

That I’m planning to betray you.

As I stared at her intently, Vivian looked up at me as well.

With a faint hostility in her eyes, she asked,

“…Why? Looking at her, do you want to return to your homeland now?”

Instead of answering, I lifted Vivian’s hand.

I pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand, meeting her gaze without looking away.

Vivian’s eyes trembled slightly once more.

I could sense that she was pleased.

“…Let’s have dinner.”

Vivian said, her tone light as if her concerns had eased.

I was deceiving her, step by step.

***

“How…!!”

“Shh.”

In the stillness of the late night, Princess Reina placed a finger to her lips as she quietly approached the eldest daughter of the Lute family.

“…It’s a secret. You must be quiet.”

Gisela, overwhelmed by shock, couldn’t contain herself and began to cry, unable to overcome her fragile nature, which was as delicate as her appearance.

Seeing her sob silently with her lips tightly closed made Reina feel conflicted.

For a moment, she thought of Gisela as a troublesome woman.

Crying wouldn’t change anything.

Perhaps it was because Reina had grown stronger living on the battlefield.

While she pretended to be gentle to lower others’ guards, she was far more calculating than she appeared.

When she saw someone weak or incompetent, she instinctively dismissed them.

…No.

To be honest, there might be another reason.

If the operation to rescue Kailo succeeded, there was a high chance that Gisela would become Kailo’s wife.

Perhaps that thought was making Reina more sensitive.

It wasn’t as if she had dreamed of marrying Kailo herself, but…

…She was envious.

While Thread wasn’t a bad person, he was never someone she wanted.

She envied those who received the miracle of marrying the person they desired.

“…Please stop crying. It won’t change anything. The more you act like this, the more you’ll hinder Kailo’s rescue.”

Wiping her tears, Gisela murmured.

“But… but Kailo is so pitiful…”

“Enough. If you can’t control your expression in front of me, what will you do in front of Duchess of Rondor?”

“…”

“We don’t have much time. We need to gather allies before the banquet ends. Can we count on your support?”

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Gisela looked up at Reina with teary eyes.

“There… there won’t be a chance this will escalate into a war, right?”

Was it fear of a potential war that made someone who called herself a wife-to-be hesitate in rescuing her husband?

Shouldn’t someone like Gisela, of all people, be the first to support this?

Perhaps reading Reina’s expression, Gisela quickly added, as if making an excuse.

“I-I don’t have the power to represent my family… And if something were to happen… my many family members and subjects…”

Reina offered a reassuring smile and said.

“…I understand. But this won’t escalate into war. We’re already working on persuading Duchess of Rondor to take a different approach.”

“And… and there are loyal vassals and subordinate families who can speak up against Vivian’s tyranny, right? Even the royal family plans to raise their voice.”

“Th-then… please…”

“We’ll take that as your agreement to help.”

Gisela nodded.

Reina stood and turned to leave.

“W-wait!”

Gisela grabbed Reina as she was about to leave.

Feeling troubled by her earlier words, she offered another explanation.

“If it were just me, I wouldn’t hesitate. For Kailo’s sake, I’ll find the courage to do anything. It’s just… my hometown…”

“…I understand. Have a good night.”

“Y-you too, Your Highness… I hope you have a peaceful night.”

Reina reassured Gisela one last time with a smile before leaving the room.

But as Reina stepped out of the room, her expression turned cold.

Thud.

Waiting outside was the prince.

Reina addressed him.

“Thread. Did you send the letter?”

The prince nodded.

“I also got a reply. Rik was quick as usual.”

Rik was the hawk the prince used to deliver messages swiftly.

“…What did the person say?”

“They coming in person.”

“…What?”

“They want to ensure peace with the Eastern Kingdom… and the eldest son of the Alan family must return.”

***

I looked down at Vivian.

She was peacefully asleep, resting her head on my arm.

Having stayed up since dawn the night before, she must have been exhausted.

In contrast, I wasn’t tired at all.

My stamina aside, guilt also played a role.

The more I found Vivian lying in my arms endearing, the heavier the guilt became.

…But Valon’s words continued to echo in my mind.

I remembered his condescending expression as he looked down at me.

Indeed.

Perhaps everyone else saw me the same way.

Was it because of the curse that I seemed so indifferent to all of this?

I tried to stop thinking.

For Valon, the comrades enduring hardships for my sake, and for the princess and the prince, I had to push forward.

I was about to try to sleep.

Until the faint scent of tobacco drifted in.

“…Haa…”

A sigh came from somewhere it shouldn’t have.

Startled, I opened my eyes.

The darkened room offered little visibility, but I could clearly see the silhouette of a woman perched on the open windowsill.

“What the…”

…Z…

Bathed in moonlight, she sat leisurely with her legs provocatively draped over the windowsill, as if unafraid of falling.

A long dress.

A smoking pipe in her hand.

A pointed hat perched on her head.

Clink!

The sight made my heart race as if it might burst.

The cause of my confusion, the one who made me push Vivian away.

“…A witch…”

I called out to her, trembling.

Why was the witch here?

Was she here to curse me again?

Or…

Vivian?

I forgot that I was still chained to the bed and instinctively reached for my sword.

The clinking of chains echoed through the room.

But the witch remained calm.

She stared at me for a long moment before smiling and leaping gracefully out the window.

Just like that, she disappeared.

“…Kailo…?”

Vivian stirred from her sleep, calling my name like a murmur.

Still too tired to fully wake, she didn’t rise.

“…Haa… haa…”

I struggled to calm my ragged breathing.

“Kailo… what’s wrong…?”

I gently caressed Vivian’s face, soothing her.

“…It’s nothing.”

Despite the situation, I didn’t want to disturb her sleep out of habit.

I didn’t want to make her anxious.

So, I replied.

“…It’s nothing.”