COARV Chapter 14

My perfect disregard left him truly at a loss. But divine power emanated faintly from Kallis. Realizing this was proof of his marriage to Lina plunged my mood into the depths.

"Kallis."

Just calling his name brightened Kallis's expression slightly. I stared at him before speaking.

"I keep sensing another Stern's divine power from you."

"...!"

"Should I say something harsher in front of Linon?"

"......"

Though I'd phrased it obliquely, Kallis clearly understood. He pressed against his chest with the gestures of a slave trying to hide his brand. Yes, exactly that description. That motion as he wore a pained expression.

"Seria, I..."

His pupils trembled faintly then. Standing so close, I caught even that small wavering. Before I could wonder what?, I heard the voice.

"Kallis! There you are!"

My luck was truly shit today.

Lina's voice filled the corridor.

"Your Grace, we'll send this official letter to the Grand Temple."

The retainer bowed deeply to Lesche before leaving. Lesche sat in his office, tapping at the massive desk.

The High Priest would visit the territory.

This differed entirely from ordinary distinguished guests. As Berke's lord who received a Stern's visit every winter, Lesche felt almost no reverence for such things.

Lesche thought: Finally finished all the work.

Moreover, considerable time had passed since he'd last entered the central castle.

He couldn't delay further.

Originally he'd planned to leave immediately after completing his final duties as Berke's lord this winter—overseeing glacier inspection and the Stern's wedding ceremony. But everything had tangled into chaos.

Lesche was frowning when—

"Your Grace."

After a cautious knock, the main castle's pastry chef entered. What he brought was none other than an enormous cake.

"The cake is complete. I've brought it."

The pastry chef carefully lifted the silver dome after setting the cake on the table.

Lesche frowned, examining the massive cake. This wasn't for serving the nobles currently residing in the castle. He'd never bother inspecting such things personally anyway. More importantly, this cake was rustic countryside style.

Shortly after sending the cake back, Lesche left his office.

"Where's Linon?"

The guarding knight bowed his head.

"He went to Lady Seria Stern's annex earlier. It's been some time and he hasn't returned... Shall I send someone to summon him?"

Why had he gone there?

Lesche recalled Linon's expression when looking at Seria. Those sparkling eyes.

"I'll go myself."

Lina appeared considerably injured.

Not just slightly hurt legs. She was completely carried on a knight's back. The thick bandages wrapping both feet made it easy to guess.

...Can't walk?

Though they'd matched the time and place required for a Stern's wedding, they'd surely omitted almost everything else. Even for a saint, apparently it wasn't burden-free. All those consequences had clearly fallen on Lina.

Not my concern, though.

This farce outside my bedroom was absurd, but what could I do? I tried to pass by. Whatever conversation they had no longer involved me. I thought that until Kallis grabbed my wrist.

"Kallis?"

Lina's eyes went wide. But Kallis didn't even look Lina's way.

"Sorry, Lina. I need to talk with Seria. I'd appreciate if you'd leave."

Lina's eyes rounded. Tears seemed about to fill them, but Lina didn't cry. She only spoke in that voice perfectly capturing her gentle nature.

"Okay, I understand. I'll go. I'm... interrupting you two. But I also came because I wanted to talk to Kallis's fiancée..."

Lina cast an earnest gaze my way. She asked the knight carrying her.

"Um, sir."

"Yes, Holy Saint?"

"Come a bit closer please. To Kallis's fiancée—no, to Lady Seria..."

At Lina's request, the knight hurried closer to me. And I thought: if the real Seria stood here, she'd find this quite unpleasant. The knight was naturally taller than me. So I ended up looking up at Lina riding on his back.

"Don't blame Kallis too much, Seria. I threw a tantrum wanting to see the glacier. I never knew a blizzard would strike..."

I simply stared at Lina without speaking. Currently I was the only one who could respond. As my silence stretched, the knights began breathing carefully.

"Lina."

Since she'd called my name first, I simply called hers back. Too exhausting to point out how rude using first names was between people who weren't close.

"Did you not know Kallis was my fiancé?"

"I knew! Of course I knew! But Kallis is such a precious friend, I just wanted to create one last beautiful memory, so I was a little stubborn..."

Lina was choking up now.

"A precious friend, so a last memory."

So many things I wanted to say mockingly. My insides felt like they were burning.

"How nice. Then since you've made all those memories, you won't see Kallis again?"

"Se, Seria..."

"Swear it before me on a Stern's star. Swear that now you've made your last good memory, you'll never see Kallis again."

Lina's eyes widened. Her pretty pupils, wet with tears, drooped forlornly. Lina looked at Kallis with the gaze of someone watching a lover being forcibly separated, then looked back at me with aimlessly wavering eyes.

"I... I..."

The knight carrying Lina—caught unintentionally between us—kept his gaze lowered. Though he couldn't speak, his expression clearly pitied Lina.

The villain tormenting the pure hearted protagonist. Was that me?

But I'd been patient enough. I hadn't screamed or lost my temper. My ability to maintain reason in this situation stemmed partly from fear, actually.

Seria had her throat cut by Kallis for tormenting Lina.

Exactly like this setup.

My hands growing colder and colder—was that from fear? Belatedly I realized something else I'd forgotten. Come to think of it, my arm—the wound had torn open.

How many times had I forgotten now? Explosive figures kept appearing in succession, making me forget the pain.

"Huk, huuk..."

Lina started crying now. Showed no signs of stopping. I couldn't stand here indefinitely. Lina rode on a knight's back, Kallis possessed a strong body, but I currently stood on my own two feet. Though Seria's body was rather sturdy, torn wounds needed quick treatment.

I was about to say forget it, I'm in pain so I'll just go to the main castle when Lina climbed down from the knight's back. Then with both hands trembling violently, she grasped her skirts and bowed to me. The curtsy ladies performed.

"I'm truly sorry. I swear on the saint's name, a formal apology... ngh!"

"Lina!"

"Holy Saint!"

Lina crumpled straight down. Before the knight assisting her could reach out in panic, Kallis caught Lina first, pulling her upright. He transferred her to the knight and grabbed my wrist.

"Seria... Can't you stop now?"

Kallis wore a pained expression.

"Someone who can't even walk is begging this much, so stop pushing. This is between you and me. There's no reason to be so petty toward the saint who knows nothing."

"Kallis, that statement."

I turned my gaze from Lina.

"Either way, you're saying you want to keep seeing the saint."

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Then what?"

"Why are you... acting like this, Seria? You weren't such a petty person!"

If eyes burst from high blood pressure, I'd have lost both today. I was—yes. Humiliated.

That was my true feeling. This situation embarrassed and degraded me until my hands turned ice-cold. My fiancé had married another woman, and that woman collapsed trying to force an apology to me. The man who'd been my fiancé helped her up, then accused me of pettiness.

If only the three of us were present, perhaps. But knights stood here too, and Linon. Several passing nobles had stopped at a distance, watching this spectacle.

I was furious.

I couldn't comprehend this situation where only I became the villain for not accepting Lina and Kallis's sincere apologies. It was unjust. If Seria Stern's disposition had been slightly less solid, I might have lost control and let tears stream down my face.

That Kallis forgot my pain entirely and wouldn't release my wrist was horrifying.

"Release my wrist before speaking, Marquess Haneton."

I glared at Kallis.

"Instead of your saint, I'll be the one never seeing you again starting today."

"You really, to the very end...!"

Kallis erupted in momentary fury, naturally tightening his grip on my captured wrist. The exact spot where my arm had torn. Pain made me grimace. Knights moved forward saying "Marquess Haneton, please step back," when—

A low voice reached my ear.

"I said let go."

I didn't see how he did it.

Only that Kallis suddenly lost his grip, and the person who caught me when I staggered from the sudden momentum was—

"Marquess Haneton, have your ears stopped working too?"

Lesche Berke. Him.

The murmuring corridor fell instantly silent. Kallis glared at Lesche, and Lesche met that gaze without flinching an inch. That seemingly eternal standoff ended surprisingly simply. Lesche, lightly holding my arm, frowned and lowered his head.

"My lady, the wound seems to have torn."

"...Ah. Yes. The arm wound tore."

"You need to see the priest."

Lesche moved to take me to the main castle without hesitation. If only Kallis hadn't ground his teeth.

"Your Grace, I'll escort Lady Stern."

Lesche raised one eyebrow slightly. He asked in a distinctly displeased voice.

"Why would you?"