Chapter 62
I waited for Luke to answer.
If he took too long, I was going to leave.
Just giving a chance for atonement to the one who almost killed me was already my best effort.
“Help… me…?”
Hearing Luke’s hoarse voice, I immediately nodded.
“Yes. It’s about playing the family role we couldn’t on Charco Island, even if late.”
“…”
“If you don’t want to, I can’t force you.”
“Wait!”
As I turned to leave, he blocked my way.
“Did you just ask me for help as family? Do you think that would ease your heart?”
“I don’t ask for anything else. I just wished we were ordinary siblings.”
“Ordinary siblings…”
“Like always fighting but protecting each other when real hardships come. Not pushing each other off cliffs.”
Thinking about it, what I wanted from him was so trivial.
It was almost laughable that I even ‘wanted’ it.
I realized how poorly he had treated me all along.
“Answer quickly. Will you do it or not?”
“I will. Of course, I will. As family.”
“Good, then I’ll go—”
“Wait.”
Suddenly, he took off the necklace he was wearing around his neck.
It was a thin metal plate necklace, like a dog tag.
“Take this.”
I took the necklace and examined it carefully.
On the metal plate was an engraved phrase:
A tree standing alone is vulnerable even to minor winds. Only trees in a forest entwining their roots endure the fiercest storms.
Cooperation in times of crisis is great power…
It seemed to be the ordinary meaning behind the phrase.
What surprised me was the name engraved below: Lorna.
“Isn’t this something mother gave you? Lorna was her childhood nickname.”
“Yes. She handed it to me just before she passed.”
“…Why such an important item to me?”
“I don’t deserve to wear it now. Though I carry my mother’s words around my neck, I have acted contrary to them until now.”
“…”
“So I want you to keep it until I safely return from the battlefield.”
It was too important for me to keep, so I tried to give it back.
But he refused.
Instead, he gripped the necklace tighter in my hand.
“This time will be different. We’ll become true family, not enemies.”
His eyes said no matter how much I tried to return it, it was useless.
Instead of returning it, I sighed.
“…I don’t expect much, but I’ll keep it. And if you’re going to keep your word, come out of that room now.”
I probably didn’t need to say that last bit.
He hurried off to finish preparations for the expedition, saying he had much to do before leaving.
Anyway, I decided to trust him once more… just once more.
The preparations finished quickly.
Regis’s situation was so urgent we couldn’t afford to delay.
On my last day at home,
I received a gift from my father.
“This is…”
“A gift from a father’s heart. Do you like it?”
It was a dazzling robe, bright white, embroidered with gold thread.
Each button was a jewel.
‘Is it okay to wear something so flashy on the battlefield?’
I couldn’t help but ask, worried.
“It’s fine. In the chaos of war, beasts run rampant. You must show your noble status with your attire and proud demeanor.”
“Ah…”
“To show that you are precious and noble, so lowly creatures won’t approach easily.”
My father hadn’t given me such clothes for no reason.
Luke promised to protect me, and I had spirit power, so I didn’t feel too worried.
‘Father knows best about war.’
I accepted the gift gladly and kept it safe.
On the dawn of the day I left for war, I carefully took it out.
“…”
Looking at it, I fell into deep thought.
In the morning, I would wear the robe and leave for the dangerous battlefield.
I found it hard to calm my mind.
‘It’ll be alright… It must be alright.’
Those complex thoughts weighed on me.
I suddenly sensed a cold presence behind me.
Turning around, Elliott was leaning against the wall, watching me.
“Whoa… If you’re going to appear, at least make some noise. Not like a cat…”
<Weren’t you busy? I didn’t particularly want a greeting either.>
His sudden appearance startled and annoyed me a bit.
But also made me happy.
Unlike the fire spirit, he rarely revealed himself.
Since it had come to this, I thought I’d talk since we hadn’t had a chance.
“Well, it’s not hard to say something, right? Standing still gets lonely and boring.”
<Not really. I’ve never felt boredom or loneliness. Maybe annoyance, though.>
Just like him.
I couldn’t help laughing.
“Fire and water really don’t get along. Fire gets angry if I reply late.”
<That’s why he’s annoying.>
Elliott frowned as if imagining the annoyance.
I could relate to Elliott.
Honestly, the fire spirit was getting annoying lately.
If he spoke nicely, maybe it’d be different, but he only scratched my nerves.
‘I should ask…’
I had long been curious about the fire spirit.
I asked Elliott quietly.
“You two have known each other a long time, so you must know each other well, right?”
<So well it’s tiresome.>
“Then tell me, why does that spirit hate humans so much? Did he get hurt by bad people?”
<…>
His silence made me uneasy.
What if the fire spirit had truly suffered terribly before?
Maybe I had unwittingly touched a sensitive spot.
<Hurt… How ironic to say ‘hurt’ to one made of flame.>
“True. If anyone could get hurt by fire, maybe, but he probably wasn’t.”
No object could be hot enough to burn the flame itself.
So everything must feel cold to him.
<Heat can’t hurt him. If he’s hurt, it’s because of humans’ coldness.>
“But people aren’t cold.”
<Sigh…>
He sighed deeply.
<It’s a metaphor. He may have been hurt by humans’ cruelty. Not that human body temperature is like ice.>
I was embarrassed and looked away after being scolded.
“Well… I get it now. Hurt by cruelty. Nothing more?”
<If you want details, ask him yourself. Even after all this time, I can’t see into his heart perfectly.>
“Right.”
<But be careful if you ask.>
For the first time, Elliott moved his lips and spoke aloud.
Unlike before, when he only sent thoughts to my mind, I could now hear his voice.
“Fire is warm and useful, but if you get too close…”
“I get it. No crossing the line with questions about his past.”
I’d just been scolded by Elliott for not understanding.
Not wanting to get scolded again, I understood quickly.
Elliott laughed heartily at me.
<Good to know you’re not totally dumb.>
With that, Elliott hid back into my ring.
“He’s gone? I should also… hmm…”
I couldn’t sleep much thinking about leaving at dawn.
Thanks to talking with Elliott, I relaxed.
Sleep quickly took me, and I fell asleep leaning on the bed.
I woke up.
Though I had only closed my eyes briefly, it was already morning when I opened them.
I hurried to get ready and went downstairs.
Before getting into my waiting carriage, I shared a final hug with my father.
“As your father, I believe in you and your shining potential. That’s why I can send you to such a dangerous battlefield. But sometimes…”
“…?”
“Your actions seem recklessly foolish.”
He confided and then released me from his embrace.
“If you have to rush into danger, think at least three times before acting.”
“Yes, Father.”
“The battlefield is full of vile traps. The first to die aren’t the weak or foolish.”
He advised me, looking me in the eyes more sharply than usual.
“Those lacking caution.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your advice.”
“Good. Please come back safely.”
The farewell ended in a heavy atmosphere.
I etched his advice deeply in my heart.
No matter what I witness or experience at war, I would never forget it.
“Already left?! To the battlefield?!”
Nathan raised his voice hearing Walter’s report.
He had been excited thinking he would monopolize his original self and wife Claudia.
But then he learned Claudia had left for war.
“Damn… Did I waste too much time? I shouldn’t have bothered with flowers.”
He had wasted much time preparing an extravagant bouquet that was heavy to carry.
So he couldn’t even leave the manor before Claudia left.
The second Nathan glanced at the innocent bouquet and roughly threw it into the trash.
“Is my wife usually this aggressive? I didn’t expect her to suddenly go to war.”
“Well…”
“Of course I didn’t know about the war. But that’s not important.”
“…”
Walter felt dizzy again.
A husband asking others about his wife’s personality because he didn’t know it himself.
And a prince who only learned his country was at war and shrugged it off.
It was all very strange.
‘What happened? Did he hit his head? Should I report to His Majesty?’
Walter was so worried his head felt hot.
‘But the prince warned me not to speak carelessly to the emperor…’
Afraid to speak out, he tried to erase his doubts and replied to Nathan.
“I haven’t spoken with her directly, but I heard Miss Claudia is known to be aggressive and proactive.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. There was even a rumor that anyone who earns her wrath should be prepared to lose all their hair.”
Nathan smiled, licking his bright red lips.
“Hearing that makes me look forward to it more. A beauty who plucks hair for fun.”
“No, I didn’t mean it’s her hobby…”
“I just hope she leaves my hair alone. I don’t want to go bald.”
Walter sighed quietly.
‘I heard he was a cold, rational person…’
But he was so scatterbrained around her he nearly lost his mind.
Whether he was always like this or had become strange after an injury…
Walter had no clue.
Despite all this, Nathan was becoming more hopeful.
“She must be a charming woman, my wife.”
His hope quickly turned into resolve.
He quietly voiced his plan.
A plan that would have made the emperor clutch his neck and collapse if he heard it.
“I can’t just wait until she returns. I have to go fetch her myself. Whether to the battlefield or anywhere else.”
