Chapter 130: Traitor – 6

“…What do you mean by that?”

Vivian asked, gripping Kailo’s arm tightly.

“You’re leaving…?”

Kailo looked down at Vivian with a hardened expression.

“Kailo, this place is your home now… You promised to live here with me.”

“…”

“You told me… how we would live. You said we’d dance together… drink together… sleep together… wake up together…”

The Kailo who had once painted a picture of a happy future was nowhere to be found.

His expression was frozen like ice.

In his eyes, there was no longer a future with her.

A slow and excruciating realization crept up on Vivian.

She finally managed to ask the question that was almost impossible to utter.

“Was it all… a lie?”

Kailo nodded silently.

Vivian shook her head in denial, even as he admitted it.

“No, that can’t be true. You still love me, don’t you? There’s no way you, of all people, would lie to me.”

“I lied to you. From the very beginning, it was all intentional.”

“Kailo…!!”

In unimaginable despair, Vivian called his name as if exposing her heart, but he remained unshaken to the very end.

If anything, he seemed to grow angry in turn.

“I’ve endured a lot, Vivian. I gave in to you so many times.”

“How can you ask me to accept this?! I said I would give you anything…! Even this land… even me… I said I would give everything!”

“I have a family. Younger siblings I need to look after… citizens of my territory. I have a family to protect. I have to leave.”

At his words, Vivian whispered desperately, as if pleading.

“…I only have you.”

At that moment, the royal soldiers brought Kailo’s equipment.

His dual swords, various gear, and a red bear-headed helmet.

The sight made Vivian’s heart sink even further.

The farewell was truly approaching.

And she had no idea how to stop it.

Vivian rushed to the soldiers, shoving one of them aside.

“Get away!!”

Though the soldier barely budged, his face showed confusion.

He only took a few steps back, glancing at the king for instructions.

Vivian turned back to Kailo.

How could she turn his heart back to her?

What could she possibly do?

Vivian, who had once considered ending her life after her mother left her alone, could not even entertain the thought of giving up on this.

Even if the king was watching, even if princes and princesses were observing, even if countless noble families thought she was being strange…

Vivian refused to give up.

No one faces death with composure.

Vivian knew this well, having seen countless people soil themselves and beg for mercy at the execution stand.

She was no different now.

How could she remain calm when Kailo was leaving?

If anything, she couldn’t understand how he could maintain such a demeanor.

…Had he not loved her as deeply as she thought?

No.

No.

That couldn’t be true.

No one had ever loved her as much as Kailo did.

He was someone who had pushed himself to the brink of collapse for her.

“How can you…! How can you act so calm…!”

Before she knew it, anger erupted from her.

“Do you…! Do you really want to break up that much? Was everything a lie all this time? Are you not even hurt?!”

At her provocation, flames of anger flickered in Kailo’s eyes.

“…You think it doesn’t hurt?”

He clenched his teeth and replied.

“I’m enduring it too… Why can’t you see that? The more you act like this, the more it hurts us both!”

“Then don’t leave…! If you stay, we won’t have to hurt each other…!”

Kailo shook his head.

His gaze wavered.

“…As I’ve said before, I’m afraid.”

“Kailo…!!”

“I don’t know how much more I’ll have to endure for your sake… I don’t know why I keep acting this way for you… I don’t even know if my feelings are my own anymore. Even now…”

Kailo bit his lip and swallowed the rest of his words.

He took a step closer to her.

Then, lowering his head, he whispered softly.

“…I don’t want to live doubting my feelings anymore. And if this really is a curse… then I’ll live a short life. I won’t be able to have children. That’s why I’m leaving.”

Strangely enough, Vivian began to waver as well at his persistent insistence.

Not being able to have children…?

If Vivian were to offer her womb as a sacrifice to the witch, it would become the truth as well.

A short life, they said.

As someone who always burned himself fiercely, Kailo had no lack of possibilities for that.

At the age of twenty, he had already crossed the line between life and death several times.

One might even call it a miracle that he survived until now.

…So, was his heart truly cursed?

Were all those moments of love he felt for her influenced by the curse?

Was Kailo right again this time, and was she the one who heard wrong again?

‘If you’re that curious, why don’t you become a full-fledged witch and find out for yourself?’

Elena’s voice echoed in her mind.

‘Once you’re a proper witch, you can keep Kailo Alan or whoever else by your side as much as you want. Why don’t you realize that?’

Vivian suppressed that thought and spoke.

“You…”

She asked as if throwing a tantrum.

“…Do you really want to say that every memory we shared… all the affection we built together… the love we nurtured together… was all just because of the curse?”

“…Kailo, are you saying that even my feelings for you are because of the curse?”

Kailo averted his gaze.

“It wasn’t a love I nurtured alone, was it? We nurtured it together… together. If that’s the case… does that mean my feelings were fake too?”

He stayed silent for a moment before letting out a faint scoff.

Then, he said,

“I told you, didn’t I?”

As he softly patted his chest, he whispered,

“The more we stay together, the more it hurts like this.”

Unable to help himself, he raised a hand to touch Vivian’s cheek, which was pale with fear.

“…It’s not your fault, Vivian. That damned witch really did curse me. Whether the curse is true or not… it’s all her fault.”

“…Kailo… please…”

“This is as far as we go. It hurts now, but someday, it’ll remain as a good memory.”

Vivian realized that Kailo had made up his mind.

The truth of it quickly and deeply engraved itself in her.

He had no intention of putting down his sword.

He intended to keep fighting until the end.

…And if that was the case, Vivian realized she needed to pick up her sword too.

She needed to make up her mind.

She pushed away Kailo’s hand from her cheek.

Then, glaring at him, she stepped back.

With every step she took away from him, Kailo’s expression grew more pained.

Concern and longing for her overflowed from his gaze.

Clenching his jaw, he spoke to her.

“…Vivian, all this time—”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Vivian cut him off mid-sentence.

Then, she turned and ran.

Kailo reached out to grab her, but Vivian ignored even that.

She had a destination.

She had something she needed to do.

***

I watched as Vivian, with a wounded expression, ran away.

I could only watch as she disappeared alone.

In her, I overlapped the image of the girl from the past.

She had always been alone back then.

She always ran away when she was scared.

Back then, everyone around her was an enemy, and no one came to her aid.

Perhaps I was drawn to her because I didn’t want to see that anymore.

But now, it seemed I was the one who caused it.

No one was chasing after the fleeing Vivian now.

I wanted to chase after her, but I felt the gazes around me.

Some of them were people who had opposed Vivian on my behalf, even though they had no ties to me.

“…A-Are you alright?”

A brown-haired woman approached me and casually held my arm.

Having seen her through the window, I knew who she was.
Gisela Lute.

Perhaps the person who might become my wife.

She spoke.

“You’ve been through so much. I only heard rumors, but… the Duchess of Rondor is truly awful, s?”

What was this woman doing, badmouthing Vivian in front of me when we had just met?

Though I had argued with Vivian myself, it didn’t mean I wanted others to insult her.

Still, knowing that she had mustered courage for my sake, I gently removed her hand without saying a word.

As if aware that the situation had ended, the noble attendees began offering their respects to the king and leaving the venue.

I, too, placed the equipment handed to me by the royal soldiers on the ground and let my thoughts wander.

“It seems more complicated than it appears.”

The king approached me and spoke.

I greeted him politely.

“…Thank you. For coming to this land for me…”

“I didn’t come here just for you. I needed to see someone who had firmly established himself as the Duchess of Rondor… and with the peace between Eastern Kingdom and us at stake, I had no choice but to act.”

“…Did you love the Duchess?”

The king asked casually.

His straightforwardness made me feel no need to hide it.

“…I still do.”

Gisela Lute and Princess Reina, who were standing before me, subtly averted their gazes.

The king chuckled lightly before saying.

“You love her, yet you’re leaving. I wonder if I’ve stumbled into a love affair I shouldn’t meddle in.”

“…My family is faltering.”

At my response, the king stroked his chin and said.

“…That’s a difficult matter. Which is more manly, I wonder? A man who gives up the woman he loves for his family, or a man who gives up his family for the woman he loves?”

“Whatever the case, you’re in my debt now. Don’t forget it, even as the head of the Alan family.”

I bowed my head.

I started by putting on the lighter equipment, then strapped the two-handed sword to my back.

During that time, the king silently gazed in the direction Vivian had departed.

He seemed to be assessing his own actions, as though evaluating what he had done.

As if calculating the aftermath, he pondered deeply before asking,

“I wonder how strained the relationship with the Duchess will become.”

“…”

“…I wonder if it will ever recover someday.”

Letting out a deep sigh as if to clear the mood, he asked me.

“So, when are you leaving?”

“I plan to leave immediately.”

“Alone?”

“Rather than traveling slowly under protection, I think it’s better to return quickly on my own.”

“That sounds like a thought too light for the head of a family to have. Or… are you that confident in your abilities? Well, I suppose the man who killed the Eight Knights of the Corrode family alone would be.”

Normally, I would have found it surprising that even the king took an interest in this story, but not this time.

All my attention was still fixed on Vivian, who had fled.

“…Then, was that your final farewell?”

The king asked.

“Pardon…?”

“I’m asking if that was the last time you bid farewell to the Duchess, with whom you shared such a deep connection.”

…The last time.

…Was that really the last moment between her and me?

Memories of the countless moments I shared with her flashed through my mind.

And I compared those memories to this last one.

Was her retreating figure, running away without even saying goodbye, truly our final moment?

Desire flickered momentarily, but I composed myself.

“…Yes.”

I answered.

“That was the last.”

The king exchanged a final farewell with me and departed.

I, too, finished putting on the rest of my equipment and began to move.

My companions, who had been quietly waiting amidst the crowd of knights from various families, approached me.

Valon and Wallace Martin led the group.

“You’re leaving?”

Valon asked.

I nodded.

“Wait, you’re really leaving now? It’s late, you know. The sun has already set. Can’t you leave tomorrow instead…?”

Martin spoke with a lingering tone, but I shook my head.

“I’m leaving now. Tomorrow… will be harder.”

Martin nudged Wallace.

“Hey, come on. Do something. Kailo is about to leave…”

“I’ve already said my goodbyes”

Wallace replied.

And so it went, with Duran, Yanes, Milton, John…

I exchanged brief words with many of my companions as I walked.

And then, I suddenly realized.

I wasn’t just leaving this place.

I was leaving behind my childhood.

I realized that this land, more than my hometown, which I barely remembered from my early years, had become more familiar to me.

I realized that the castle of Rondor felt more like home than the stronghold of the Alan family.

I had grown used to the food here, and my friends—the ones I could share laughs and curses with freely—were all here.

Every achievement I had built was built in this land, and it was this place that had shaped me into who I am.

…Even the one I loved most fiercely was here in this place.

—And yet…

In that moment of realization, my steps faltered.

Before I knew it, I had stepped outside.

Snow was falling heavily.

The chill that must have traveled down from the North seemed to be calling me.

…Would the northern land look the same as I remembered it?

Would I be able to adapt again when I returned there?

…As the moment of departure drew near, lingering attachments clung to me, and my mind swirled with all kinds of thoughts.

Even so, I steeled myself once again.

I had to leave.

I would leave.

Like torn paper, our farewell was messy, but sometimes, not everything could be perfect.

I looked back at the trio.

“…Don’t get caught for helping me.”

Valon said.

“…Worry about yourself.”

Wallace replied when I glanced at him.

“I’ve said everything I needed to.”

He added.

“Got it.”

I responded.

Martin was the last.

I spoke to him.

“Vivian…”

And just as I began to speak, the words caught in my throat at the sight before me.

“…Kailo?”

White smoke, fundamentally different from breath, spread roughly into the air.

Boldness as it rested on the windows under the moonlight.

A stunning beauty, with long legs swaying outside the window.

With a relaxed demeanor, she sat by the third-floor window of the castle, smiling at me.

It was the witch I had seen that day.

Mocking me as I was leaving, she laughed just like that.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

My companions noticed my gaze fixed on something and turned around.

And the moment they did, the witch crept into the castle like a cockroach.

“…What are you looking at?”

Valon asked, but my heart was already racing.

I could feel it instinctively.

This was no ordinary witch.

No matter how powerful a witch may be, they rarely stray far from the bounds of human limitations.

But that witch could sit on windows, leap out of them, and do things no human could possibly do.

She was dangerous.

Perhaps even more so because she lingered near Vivian.

By the time I realized it, I was already running.

“Kailo, where are you going!!”

It was always like this.

When I was poisoned, when she was engulfed by flames, when we were chased by a dragon, when faced with assassins… my body always moved.

Even when I didn’t understand, my body acted.

It still felt like a curse I couldn’t comprehend.

And it was no different now.

The thought that this might be the last time with her, or the wisdom I was supposed to protect, didn’t even cross my mind.

Nor did the companions who had rushed to help me.

Even as I was tormented by an old crone who might have been a witch, the thought of that dangerous witch staying near Vivian…

Third floor.

West wing.

Near Vivian’s old room.

Coincidentally, it was also the direction Vivian had fled.

Lost in that thought, I ran.