Chapter 100
“Hoo—”
Arista nervously rubbed her damp hands against her pants.
Next to her, Lucas was equally tense. Both of them were returning from cleaning up the aftermath of the hunting festival, which had turned into a chaotic mess littered with orc corpses.
The casualty count from this hunt was thirteen, with two fatalities.
All the damage had been caused by just two monsters, and thanks to one last monster that had appeared in search of its offspring, there had almost been even more casualties.
It was a tragedy caused by the royal family acting recklessly, ignoring Herwin’s warnings to be cautious of the monsters.
The royal court tried to pin the blame on Herwin, who hadn’t caught the monsters in advance, but people weren’t foolish enough to fall for it.
Moreover, Herwin hadn’t reacted to the royal family at all. In fact, his anger had probably reached its limit, and it must have taken considerable effort to calm him down.
Just earlier, the royal court official who came out of the room had gone pale and warned them not to enter under any circumstances.
Arista wondered what could have happened to provoke such fear, but knowing Herwin and his reckless devotion when it came to Lucia, she understood that his anger was justified.
The image of Herwin taking down the orcs still flashed in her mind.
The moment Herwin saw the orc holding Lucia, he immediately severed its right hand.
Lucia became free due to the severed hand, and just before she hit the ground, Herwin caught her in his arms.
What followed was a horrific scene, even from a distance. Starting with the severed hand, Herwin skillfully cut the orc’s limbs one by one, killing it as painfully and swiftly as possible.
Lucia, who had been in Herwin’s arms, apparently didn’t see the gruesome sight…
‘It’s probably better that she didn’t.’
Even as a sword expert, witnessing such a scene made Arista’s stomach churn. Among the ordinary people who had seen it vividly, some had gagged, and others had even fainted.
Feeling dizzy, Arista shook her head, then steadied herself and raised her hand solemnly.
Knock knock—
“Herwin, we’re coming in.”
There was no answer, but Arista carefully opened the door.
The room echoed with the ticking of a clock. It was completely silent. When she turned her head, she saw Herwin sitting alone beside the bed.
Arista and Lucas cautiously entered, keeping their distance.
“Herwin, how is Lucia?”
They slowly approached the motionless Herwin. As Arista reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, she froze at the sight of his piercing red eyes, unnervingly intense.
Upon closer inspection, a faint aura still radiated from around his body.
She recalled that when someone reached the level of Sword Master, their aura would emanate from their entire body. She had seen it briefly during her academy days, but seeing it up close for the first time felt strange.
Yet, the aura naturally made her body react.
Cold sweat ran down her face, she struggled to breathe, and her hair stood on end.
Arista was the only one tense and sharply aware of the danger. The others, not reaching her level, were simply afraid of the situation.
“What did the doctor say? Is she okay?”
Breaking the tense silence, Lucas mustered his courage. Though they had already been informed by the royal official, seeing Lucia lying as if dead made him anxious.
Herwin still gazed at Lucia but nodded slightly.
“Yes, she only lost consciousness briefly. She’ll wake up soon.”
Haaah…
Sighs of relief escaped from all around. But Lucas quickly glanced at Herwin again, feeling both grateful that he had saved his sister and intimidated by him at the same time.
Herwin shivered slightly and turned his head. His deadly red eyes scanned the room, freezing everyone in place.
The eyes focused on someone behind Arista and Lucas.
“Marquis Casper.”
“…Prince Feneus.”
It was Bern. Celine was standing next to him.
Not knowing what had happened between Bern and Lucia, Herwin’s anger flared the moment he saw Bern.
He shot up from his seat and grabbed Bern by the collar.
“Where the hell were you while your fiancée was being held by an orc?! What were you doing?!”
“Wait, Herwin! Calm down!”
“Let go of him first! Do you understand?”
Arista and Lucas tried to intervene, but Herwin didn’t budge. In the tense standoff, Celine covered her mouth, trembling.
Bern didn’t argue and kept his mouth shut.
This only fueled Herwin’s anger further.
“If you don’t speak immediately, I’ll make you suffer like that orc.”
It was terrifyingly realistic, not a joke. Arista and Lucas turned pale, recalling the mutilated orc corpses.
Bern remained silent, head bowed. Herwin’s grip tightened. Just then—
“It’s my fault! Bern did nothing wrong!”
Celine grabbed Herwin’s arm.
Even with Herwin’s murderous aura, she stared at his red eyes, trembling but unwavering.
Seeing her familiar face, Herwin slowly let go of his rage.
“You are…”
“I—I’m Celine Jensen, Marquis Casper’s ex-girlfriend.”
Celine’s hesitant words shocked not only Herwin but also Arista and Lucas.
“It’s all my fault that Bern wasn’t beside Miss Agnes. I told her to break up with the Marquis…”
“Wait, Celine. I’ll explain.”
Bern tried to speak, but Celine held onto Herwin’s arm, refusing to step back.
“Miss Agnes knew about my and the Marquis’s relationship. That’s why she agreed to break up with him. She cleared the way so Bern and I could talk, but then the orc appeared…”
This was news to both Arista and Lucas. They listened carefully and instinctively glanced at Bern.
“…The Marquis did nothing wrong! If I hadn’t said anything, Miss Agnes wouldn’t have been attacked! Please blame me!”
The claim was so outrageous that no one responded.
Arista widened her eyes in disbelief, and Lucas’s jaw nearly dropped. Even Herwin’s grip on Bern loosened.
Taking advantage of the moment, Celine stepped in front of Bern, as if to protect him.
After the heavy silence, Herwin finally spoke.
“What do you mean? You’re the Marquis’s ex, and Lucia knew about it? Then, does that mean Lucia and the Marquis…”
Herwin realized Celine was the woman who had danced with Bern the previous day.
Bern’s firm face confirmed the situation.
“We’ve broken up. I’ll explain everything that happened.”
Bern quickly recounted the events, supplementing Celine’s rushed explanation. Herwin’s expression gradually hardened as he listened.
“…That’s how it happened. I’m sorry. If I hadn’t been selfish, Lucia wouldn’t have been captured by the orc.”
Arista and Lucas were speechless. The truth was, no one was at fault. Who could have predicted an orc would appear so suddenly?
Yet Bern still felt guilt, believing that if he hadn’t been distracted by Celine, Lucia wouldn’t have been endangered.
“…Ha, not only did she deceive Lucia all this time, but she went for the woman he liked instead?”
Herwin’s words came out sharp. He was shocked not only by the situation but by the fact that Bern’s heart was with someone other than Lucia.
He remembered how much Lucia trusted and defended Bern. Her image flashed before him.
Even though Lucia had forgiven both of them, Herwin couldn’t believe it. He only worried that she hadn’t been hurt deeply.
Clenching his fists, Herwin wanted to strike Bern, but hesitated, fearing it would pain Lucia when she awoke.
Noticing Herwin’s anger, Celine spoke cautiously.
“It was an engagement formed by circumstances.”
Herwin’s gaze shifted to Celine.
“The Marquis said he couldn’t be with me, so he found a suitable partner. Miss Agnes felt the same way.”
The ferocious red eyes softened and became compassionate.
“I don’t know all of Miss Agnes’s circumstances, but one thing is clear—she also has someone in her heart, just like the Marquis.”
Arista and Lucas naturally looked at Herwin. They knew exactly who held a place in Lucia’s heart.
Herwin’s expression was bittersweet, biting his lower lip.
As Herwin struggled to speak, tears welling in his eyes, Bern added,
“I couldn’t say it because it wasn’t my place. Even now, I think it’s not my place. But I must say this:
Lucia likes you.”
Bern’s words made Herwin clench his fists unconsciously.
“When we were together, I sometimes thought of you. My engagement with her was to forget you in the first place.”
Memories of Lucia’s distant behavior flooded his mind—how she kept Bern at arm’s length, how she cared for him despite her own pain, how she had asked if he really liked her.
He had assumed she had let go of her feelings, yet she still loved him.
Joy, overwhelming emotion, and guilt swept through him.
Staggering, Herwin silently approached Lucia.
He knelt and rested his forehead against her hand. Everyone remained silent.
Gradually, people who had been waiting left, and Lucas patted Herwin’s back.
The sound of the door closing echoed. Long after everyone had left, Herwin lifted his head.
His eyes were red-rimmed. Even after all the pain he had caused her, the fact that she still loved him made her irresistibly precious.
He sniffled without realizing it, then noticed the neatly placed handkerchief on the table.
It was the one Lucia had held until the very end.
The Feneus family crest and initials on the handkerchief showed that she had honored his request.
When he first saw it, he had felt foolishly happy that there was still hope. Now, knowing everything, he wondered what emotions had gone into making it.
“Lucia.”
There were countless things he wanted to say. Though there were many words they could exchange through the night, there was one he wanted to say the moment she awoke.
“I love you.”
He held her small hand in his, caressing it.
Herwin whispered “I love you” repeatedly with a gentle smile.
Until Lucia woke, he never once took his eyes off her.
