101CF 95

Chapter 95

“Phew—”

Exhaling a heavy breath, Arista wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead.

The Hunting Festival. An event primarily for men, where superiority is judged by the number of prey caught. Yet, Arista had attended it this year, just as she had last year.

Before attending, there had been a bit of an argument with her parents, but a few other women were participating as well, so it wasn’t that strange.

As she gently closed the eyes of a deer that had stopped breathing, she heard a rustling sound nearby. Arista’s gaze hardened, and she swung her sword immediately.

“W-Wait! Arista!”

Before the sword could reach the person behind her, she froze, recognizing a familiar voice and face.

“…Brother.”

“Whoa, that gave me ten years off my life. Thought I was about to have my heart ripped out.”

It was Lucas. Seeing him visibly relieved, Arista lowered her sword.

“Then why do you sneak up like that? I thought someone was attacking me.”

“I just wanted to surprise you since you’re a familiar face.”

“Brother, have you forgotten that I’m a Sword Expert?”

Arista playfully smirked on one side of her lips, and Lucas raised both hands in surrender.

“Don’t joke around while I’m holding a sword. You could get split in two.”

“Wow, why do you make jokes sound so deadly?”

“It’s not a joke.”

Lucas, observing Arista’s brusque tone, then noticed the aura radiating from her hands.

It really looked like he could be cleaved in two, and he instinctively swallowed hard.

Seeing him sweating nervously, Arista finally let out a laugh a beat later.

“Hahaha! Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you, brother.”

“H-Haha… Y-Yeah, right?”

Lucas, smiling awkwardly, approached as Arista tied the deer’s legs.

“I’ll help.”

Lucas took a rope from Arista and tied the deer’s front legs.

“Impressive. Already caught a deer? Is this your first prey?”

“No, it’s the fourth.”

“The… fourth?”

Lucas was quite taken aback that she had caught more than he had.

Looking around, he spotted Arista’s horse not far away, next to a fox, a rabbit, and a small fawn.

Impressed by her achievements, Lucas stared at Arista intently. Arista, silently finishing her task, eventually turned her head, unable to ignore his fervent gaze.

“…Is there something on my face?”

“No, it’s just… I think you’re amazing.”

“What’s with that all of a sudden?”

Blushing slightly, Arista pushed him gently, telling him not to joke around.

“I’m serious. Wielding a sword as a woman isn’t easy. And yet, you’ve reached Sword Expert at such a young age, and you’re better at hunting than I am. If that’s not impressive, what is?”

Arista widened her eyes in embarrassment, then turned away with a wry smile.

“…Maybe. My parents aren’t too happy about it. They keep asking how long I’ll hunt. And Ares—he nags every day about when I’ll grow up.”

Hearing the bitter undertone, Lucas couldn’t help but look at her. The girl who always wore a cheerful face now seemed somewhat distant.

“Well, they’re not wrong. You can’t spend your whole life swinging a sword. Eventually, I’ll have to start a family too.”

Though he tried to sound casual, Lucas’s eyes reflected all the sacrifices and resignation she had endured to get to this point.

“Ugh, we should move now. Brother, could you help me—”

Back to her usual self, Arista rose, feeling a gentle hand grasp hers. She paused.

Looking down, Lucas was gazing up at her.

“Don’t give up.”

Arista’s hand trembled slightly.

“You love the sword. Don’t give up what you love just because of what others say. Your effort and passion are too precious for that.”

Her chest fluttered. No one had ever said this to her before.

No one had appreciated her wielding a sword as a woman, no matter how hard she tried. Everyone thought it was just a fleeting whim.

‘…Why? I think it’s awesome.’

For a moment, Lucas’s youthful face overlapped with her memories of a boy she had known in her childhood—angry and frustrated at a world that denied him. That boy, with clear blue eyes, had saved her when she felt utterly hopeless.

“…No wonder I fell for you.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Lucas tilted his head at her muttering, and Arista smiled and shook her head.

“Nothing.”

She squeezed Lucas’s hand and helped him stand.

“Looks like you’ve finished hunting, brother?”

“Yeah, I’ll stop here. Hunting isn’t really my thing.”

“Really? Then let’s go together.”

“Eh? Really?”

Lucas looked surprised, and Arista tilted her head.

“Why that reaction?”

“I thought you’d want to hunt more since you enjoy it. And you said there’s a monster today too, so I expected you’d go fight it…”

“Ah…”

Lucas wasn’t wrong. Before he arrived, Arista had planned to hunt the monster right after handling the deer. But—

‘This is our chance to be alone together. I can’t waste it.’

Pretending she had lost interest, Arista slowly rode her horse with Lucas toward the palace.

“Brother… about the engagement.”

“…Hmm.”

Lucas stiffened at the mention of the engagement, answering late.

“Are you really going to marry her?”

“Well, we’re dating, and I’m at the age for an engagement, so I have to.”

“That makes it sound like you’re not marrying her because you want a family with her.”

Noticing the subtle nuance, Arista hit the nail on the head.

Lucas stopped, and Arista turned to look at him.

His usual smiling face had hardened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“…”

His tone was cold. Arista’s heart raced, but she forced herself to speak.

“If you don’t truly love her… no, even if you do, you shouldn’t just pretend everything’s fine.”

Lucas tilted his head, puzzled.

“What are you talking about?”

“Your girlfriend is cheating on you.”

The words froze Lucas instantly.

His face first went blank, then twisted with fury, his clear blue eyes turning sharp and fierce.

“…Arista, this joke isn’t funny.”

His voice was colder than before, like walking on thin ice. Arista hid her trembling hands and tried to stay composed.

“I understand your reaction. But I’ve already seen her kiss another man—twice.”

A thin breath escaped Lucas, his fists trembling.

A heavy silence fell. He neither denied nor got angry at Arista, only stroking his jaw.

Crunch—

Lucas ran his teeth together and roughly swept his hair back, then whipped his head around to glare at Arista.

“You’re not lying, right?”

Her chest tightened at his suspicion. She clenched her fists.

“…I wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

“Sigh…”

Fortunately, Lucas didn’t press further. Arista wasn’t sure if he believed her or not.

She cautiously approached him.

“You… believe me?”

Lucas, looking away with a complicated expression, glanced at her. Arista couldn’t meet his eyes and hesitated.

“Honestly, I don’t want to believe it…”

Her heart sank at his cold words, but he continued:

“But you’re not the type to say things without reason.”

“…Brother.”

“Tell me exactly what you saw.”

Seeing Lucas calm down slightly, Arista felt her emotions surge. She held back her tears and recounted everything she had seen, and even the things she had investigated separately, without hiding anything.

“…You said you suffered a lot because of your ex cheating. And if you find out about this, it would hurt you even more. That’s why she told me to stay quiet. As long as I kept my mouth shut, nothing would happen.”

“You fell for such a shallow trick, unlike you.”

Lucas let out a hollow laugh, but there was no trace of humor in his face. The more he listened to Arista, the emptier his blue eyes became.

“At first, I was scared and couldn’t say anything, but then she shamelessly claimed she’s engaged to you…!”

“Enough.”

Arista, angry on his behalf, fell silent when she felt his hand on her head.

Looking up, she saw Lucas smiling wryly, his hand resting atop her head.

“…Thank you for your courage.”

“Brother…”

“Phew, my head’s still buzzing. After hearing you, I don’t even know who I’ve met all this time.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s entirely that shameless woman who deceived you.”

Arista instinctively reached out and hugged Lucas tightly.

“So don’t blame yourself. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Her warmth filled his frayed heart with something like new life. Lucas lifted his hand and hugged her back.

Arista closed her eyes and quietly comforted him. They stayed like that for a few minutes before slowly letting go.

“Thanks, I feel a bit better.”

“…Brother, you won’t get engaged, right?”

“Of course not. But we should talk first.”

Arista had wanted to tell him not to even talk, but she stayed silent.

Lucas simply patted her shoulder, grateful for her comfort.

“Now, let’s go. We’ve lost more time than I expected.”

“Yeah…”

Lucas went ahead while Arista followed. She quietly raised her head and stared at her brown hair softly swaying in the wind.

‘Too far…’

Though she could almost reach him, Lucas felt distant. This must be the invisible gap between them.

Unable to look at the distant Lucas, Arista lowered her head. A few tears slipped down.

Sniffling, she rubbed her eyes and bumped into something. Realizing it was Lucas’s back, she hastily wiped her tears.

“B-Brother, why did you stop—”

She froze, distracted by the scene beyond him.

Hah—

A self-deprecating laugh escaped her. Arista looked up at Lucas, uneasy.

She instantly realized he was furious.

Of course, what lay ahead—

“Becky.”

Becky was entwined with a man, kissing him.