Seongguk – Crossroads

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“You’ve worked hard today. Just a few more days of suffering and it’ll be over.”

-Rub rub.

“…Thanks. But do you really need to do this? You could just use Divine Power…”

Jade carefully tried to remove Veronica’s hands, which were massaging his shoulders from behind.

“That wouldn’t be sincere. Or… do you not like getting a massage?”

Veronica stopped, her expression slightly tearful. She was worried she had done something Jade disliked.

After the incident and the subsequent education, Veronica was trying her best to never do anything Jade disliked.

“Ah, that’s not what I meant.”

Noticing Veronica’s thoughts, Jade quickly added to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Really?”

“I’m always grateful for you being by my side and helping me. So, don’t be too conscious of me. As long as it’s not an excessive act like last time.”

“Hehe. Then I’ll keep going.”

Feeling better, Veronica smiled and started massaging Jade’s shoulders again.

A man and a woman who seemed quite close to anyone who looked at them.

Annie’s heart was burning as she watched it all unfold before her eyes.

They were already at a point where they were naturally engaging in such skinship.

‘They feel even closer than before.’

Annie had come to see Jade out of concern for this situation, and it was indeed as she had expected.

‘Ian clearly said that Veronica is also being affected by mind control.’

According to the information Ian had learned through Lena, Veronica was currently under the Pope’s mind control.

Having learned all this, Annie could now understand the situation.

‘Right. There’s no way Veronica would have fallen for Jade at first sight.’

Not that she wanted to put Jade down, but Annie didn’t see any charm in Jade that would make a beautiful Saintess like Veronica fall for him.

Come to think of it, she had heard that Lena had fallen for Jade not because of his looks, but because he had thrown himself to save her during a Monster-hunting quest.

“Annie, is something bothering you?”

“…Huh?”

Lost in thought, Annie looked up at Jade’s question.

“You came to my room after a long time. But you haven’t said much and you have a look on your face like you’re not happy about something.”

“Ah…”

‘Was it that obvious?’

Afraid of revealing her true feelings to Jade, Annie quickly managed her expression and smiled.

“I just thought you two looked good together. I couldn’t find the right moment to jump in, so I was just being quiet.”

“Ah, sorry. Now that I think about it, I was talking too much with Veronica and not enough with you. Now—”

“Really? Do Jade and I look good together?”

Veronica cut off Jade’s words, seemingly excited by the comment that they looked close. Even so, her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if she were embarrassed.

“W-Well… yeah…”

At that reaction, Annie couldn’t bring herself to say anything and just fidgeted with her hands.

‘Ugh. What am I supposed to do with this innocent woman…’

In a normal situation, she would have said something like, “He’s taken, so don’t flirt.”

But knowing the circumstances, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Veronica, I’m really grateful that you reached out to us first. Thanks to that, it seems like you and Jade have become close friends and colleagues. I was a little worried at first, but I think it’ll be okay even after leaving the Holy Kingdom.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

“But I have a favor to ask of you.”

“A favor?”

“Um… I feel bad asking, but could you excuse us for a moment? There’s something I want to talk about with Jade alone.”

If she just kept watching, there would be no point in Annie coming to see Jade. Annie wanted to do something in this situation.

Fortunately, Veronica readily agreed to the request.

“Ah. Then I’ll come back later.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

Jade looked like he felt bad for chasing Veronica away.

“Yes. I have things to prepare for the inauguration ceremony anyway.”

Veronica stopped the massage she was giving and lightly stretched her hands. Then, she waved at them and headed for the door.

“It was nice seeing you after a long time. Jade, I’ll come back tonight!”

“T-Tonight?”

Veronica left, leaving behind words that Annie couldn’t possibly ignore, and disappeared outside.

-Thud.

After confirming that the door was completely closed, Annie immediately asked Jade a question.

“Jade…? Don’t tell me Veronica just comes to visit you at night like that?”

“Sigh… Don’t misunderstand. She’s just coming to hang out, that’s all.”

Jade sighed as if he had a headache and scratched his head.

Veronica’s words, spoken with pure intentions, were often interpreted differently by others.

“W-Well, that’s a relief. Anyway, it seems like you two have become very close without me knowing.”

“Well… yeah. We’ve been talking a lot recently while we’ve been together. It’s frustrating sometimes, but these days I find it cute, so it’s okay. It makes me think that even a Saintess is still a person.”

“…Could it be that you two are actually dating, including what happened when you were together last time?”

Annie asked the question with a nervous heart.

‘Please… Jade should still have feelings for Lena.’

Soon, all the truth would be revealed. Her brother, who was reliable if nothing else, had stepped in.

But before that, if Jade forgot about Lena and completely connected with Veronica…

‘That must never happen.’

She had to prevent the worst-case scenario at all costs.

“Me dating Veronica?”

“Yeah.”

“We’re not at that stage yet.”

“Haa…”

At the relieving news, Annie unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. In her opinion, if she could prevent any progress through checks and balances for the next few days, it would be fine.

“But Annie.”

“Hmm…?”

“Do you not like me getting close to Veronica?”

“W-What are you talking about? Why would I ever think that?”

Watching Annie’s restless behavior, Jade picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

“Well, maybe it’s just my imagination. Even if that’s the case, it’s okay. It’s not like I can’t understand your feelings at all. But don’t interfere too much. My relationship with Veronica is something I’ve really thought about carefully. Who I like is my choice.”

“Then let me ask you directly. What are you going to do about Lena?”

“…”

Jade’s face, which had seemed so calm, instantly darkened.

“Sigh… Let’s talk about Lena later.”

“I know that talking about Lena is stressful for you. But please listen to me and think about it for a moment—”

“Stop.”

Jade cut off Annie’s words firmly. At that, Annie, flustered, couldn’t say anything more and closed her mouth.

“Annie, haven’t you given up on Lena yet? We’ve already investigated a lot, and Lena even confessed. Even Lord Antonio has accepted it and stepped down. It’s true that there’s a problem with the Pope, but Lena’s charges themselves are clear.”

“…I still don’t understand. We know what Lena is like. Of course, other people wouldn’t know. They don’t know what kind of person Lena is. But we know. Lena isn’t the kind of person who would do something like that.”

“Know? How can you be sure that’s not a mask? I don’t know about you, but my palm still throbs from time to time.”

Jade bit his lower lip and rubbed his right palm.

The scar from being stabbed by a knife had already disappeared cleanly without a trace, but the wound it had left on Jade’s inner self had not disappeared.

“Jade, then give me a little time. The inauguration ceremony. I’m asking you to wait without giving up on Lena, at least until then.”

“Annie, do as you please.”

“What?”

“Do whatever you want. It’s your freedom how you think about this incident. I understand even if you think Lena is innocent and everything is fabricated.”

Jade’s words that followed were cold.

“But don’t force your thoughts on me. Especially if you know the extent of the pain I received from Lena.”

“Even so…”

“Annie, I’m a Hero. You know that. Many people are still suffering because of the remaining remnants of the Demons and Monsters. That’s why I have no intention of collapsing here, and I shouldn’t collapse. But what do you think people will say if a Hero is played by a Demon, a woman, and can’t do what he’s supposed to do?”

The words Jade spat out contained everything from the weight, responsibility, stress, and pain he had felt so far.

‘…It must be really hard.’

Feeling that, Annie couldn’t continue her argument any further.

Come to think of it, Annie had hardly seen Jade at first because of the betrayal she felt towards Lena, and then to ensure the success of the plan after learning the truth.

If Veronica hadn’t been there, Jade would have had to handle everything alone.

Even if it was due to mind control, it couldn’t be denied that Veronica had been a great help in preventing Jade from collapsing.

‘If I tell him all the truth I know here, will he believe me?’

That everything was fabricated, that Lena had been moved to another location and was suffering from ‘interrogation’, that Veronica’s feelings for him were fabricated.

But Jade, who was relying on Veronica, was too likely not to believe it.

After organizing her thoughts, Annie carefully apologized to Jade.

“I’m sorry. I won’t talk about Lena in front of you anymore.”

“…Thank you. I apologize for getting angry too.”

“No, it’s okay. You can do that if you’re having a hard time.”

In the end, Annie decided not to tell the truth.

‘I have no choice but to wait for my brother…’

Instead, she resolved to argue again when she had clear evidence in her hands.