Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Nighttime Confessions
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"......"
"......"
The two red-haired sisters lay completely motionless side by side in the heavy silence of the dimly lit bed, yet despite their shared bloodline, they had never actually lain together in such an intimate setting before, causing a thick wave of profound awkwardness to hang heavily in the surrounding air.
In fact, the closest thing they had ever experienced to this current situation might have been that brutal afternoon when Sharen had been unilaterally pummeled into absolute collapse during a fierce sparring match, leaving her lying there brokenly on the cold dirt between them while Rianna looked down with an unreadable expression.
"......"
Gulp.
Sharen, in particular, found herself feeling extremely tense and anxious because of the catastrophic verbal blunder she had carelessly made to Silberna while drinking at the tavern the previous evening.
‘What on earth am I supposed to do now? Judging by her calm demeanor, it really doesn't seem like Sis knows about my slip of the tongue just yet,’ she thought frantically to herself, wondering if this was the absolute best moment to confess her mistake and beg for forgiveness.
Would taking the initiative to reveal the truth right now truly be the right move for her survival?
‘But if her temper flares up and she decides to hit me while we are alone in this room, I might actually die right here in this bed without anyone ever knowing what happened to me!’ she realized with a shudder, knowing full well that there were only the two of them present within the four walls tonight.
There was absolutely no one around to hold Rianna back if she decided to unleash her terrifying physical wrath.
Given the dangerous circumstances, wouldn't it be infinitely better for her to wait until tomorrow morning and confess everything in front of a large crowd of people?
While she continued to agonize in complete silence, feeling as if a savage wild beast were lurking right beside her under the blankets, Rianna's soft voice suddenly broke the quiet stillness of the room.
"Are you having trouble falling asleep?" Rianna asked softly, her eyes still remaining gently closed as she lay there.
"Uh, y-yeah, I suppose I am," Sharen replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"If you are feeling uncomfortable sharing the bed, then I can go sleep somewhere else tonight," Rianna suggested calmly, starting to shift her body under the sheets.
"N-no, absolutely not! It is really not because of anything like that at all!" Sharen blurted out in a panic, immediately reaching out to grab Rianna, who had started to sit up slowly on the edge of the mattress.
She knew that if she accidentally chased Rianna away from the room right now due to a misunderstanding, facing her sister's icy wrath tomorrow morning would truly be an unbearable nightmare.
"I truly don't mind sleeping in the same bed with you at all, Sis! I-It is just that I have a lot of confusing thoughts running through my mind tonight!" she explained desperately.
"......" Rianna remained silent for a moment before slowly laying back down onto the soft pillows.
Then, clearing her throat with an awkward cough to dispel the lingering tension, she quietly asked, "What exactly kind of thoughts are keeping you awake?"
"Uh? W-well... it's just..." Sharen hemmed and hawed nervously, stealing a cautious sideways glance at Rianna's profile before tentatively probing the waters.
"Doesn't it honestly seem to you like Silberna has developed genuine romantic feelings for Isaac?" she asked.
"......"
"I-I mean, considering everything that has happened between them lately, it could definitely be a real possibility, right?!" Sharen added, her voice growing flustered as she blurted out whatever random thoughts came to her mind to divert attention away from her tavern blunder.
At Sharen's sudden words, Rianna opened her eyes and stared blankly up at the wooden ceiling, her blinking eyes giving absolutely no hint away regarding her internal thoughts.
Then, breaking the silence very curtly, she replied, "Definitely."
It was a single, definitive word, brushed off so lightly that it caused Sharen's eyes to widen round with shock.
"Really? Are you truly that certain about her feelings?" Sharen pressed, leaning closer.
"Yeah, I am," Rianna murmured, because she had heard the explicit confession with her own ears while she was covertly disguised as a simple maid in their presence.
[I... I think I have truly come to like him.] Silberna had whispered lowly to Anna during that private moment, desperately trying to hide her deep embarrassment.
Rianna had experienced a whirlwind of complex thoughts upon overhearing that confession, but her ultimate conclusion remained singular and unwavering.
"But regardless of what she feels, it is no longer something that I have any right to interfere in," Rianna stated, her voice suddenly tinged with a deep, melancholy sadness that forced Sharen to turn and look at her elder sister in surprise.
It was truly the first time Sharen had ever seen her stoic sister appear so raw and emotional, leaving her completely flustered as to how to respond properly.
"Sis?" she called out softly.
"After all, I am practically divorced now," Rianna whispered.
"That is not true yet, you are still legally his wife until the official paperwork is finalized!" Sharen countered firmly.
"Not yet, but it is only a matter of time," Rianna corrected quietly.
"But you never know what the future holds, Sis! Isaac might suddenly change his mind during our stay here and decide to remain by your side after all," Sharen found herself oddly comforting her sister, wanting to keep saying such reassuring words despite her own past actions.
"No, that will not happen because Isaac has already made up his mind completely," Rianna replied, her voice breaking slightly.
"......Sis?" Sharen unwittingly reached out and tightly grasped Rianna's hand as she noticed the tearful cracks in her sister's usually steady tone.
"He did not even want to hear a proper apology from me," Rianna revealed, causing a massive wave of intense guilt to wash over Sharen as well.
After all, Sharen had her own shameful past of treating Isaac like a worthless servant around the estate, and she knew deep down that Rianna had simply stood by and silently watched it happen without ever intervening.
"Sis, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly did you let our brothers bully and mistreat Isaac so badly back then?" Sharen inquired with genuine puzzlement, prompting Rianna to let out a long, heavy exhale as if spitting out a bitter taste from her mouth.
"Does the exact reason behind my past inaction truly matter at all right now?" Rianna muttered, closing her eyes tightly to hold back her emotions.
"I made my own deliberate choices back then, and I have to accept the fact that they were completely wrong."
"......So you are truly prepared to let Isaac go for good now?" Sharen asked softly.
"Yes, I am, so you better stop saying those weird, thoughtless things about having feelings for him yourself," Rianna warned her sharply, adding that continuing such behavior would be incredibly rude to Isaac after everything he had been through.
Sharen nodded her head faintly in agreement and murmured under her breath, "Since you are officially letting him go anyway, I suppose I should confess something to you in good conscience as well."
"......"
"The truth is... I kinda spilled the beans to Silberna last night about you and Isaac getting a divorce," Sharen confessed in a small voice.
"......"
"But since you are already letting him go anyway, it shouldn't be that big of a— Aaaah! It hurts! Sis, please let go of my wrist! Let gooo!" Sharen shrieked in sudden agony, remembering the hard way that she could never win against her elder sister when it came to raw grip strength.
"You absolute idiot!" Rianna growled, squeezing tighter.
The following morning.
Isaac and Rianna were summoned completely separately to the Margrave's private quarters for an official round of questioning regarding the recent borders incident.
"......"
"......"
However, the specific place they had been called into felt infinitely more like a casual, high-end dining spot than a cold interrogation room.
The space itself was a bit cramped, but several warm lanterns lit the interior softly, and a generous assortment of simple snacks like fresh sandwiches and premium jerky sat neatly piled on the wooden table.
An expensive bottle of aged liquor even sat prominently in the center, making it completely hard to believe that this was supposed to be an official disciplinary hearing.
The two of them sat side by side in the quiet room, a strangely awkward and heavy atmosphere flowing between them as a direct result of last night's tense events outside the tents.
With the Margrave taking an unusually long time to arrive, Isaac finally cleared his throat to break the silence, turning slightly toward Rianna to ask, "Regarding last night... did you manage to sleep well?"
"Yeah, I slept perfectly fine over in Sharen's room," Rianna answered expressionlessly, her tone completely even.
Seeing that familiar, stoic demeanor that Isaac knew so well, his mind immediately lightened a bit as a wave of relief washed over him.
‘Good, she seems to be doing fine,’ he thought, because Isaac had been secretly harboring deep pangs of guilt for bluntly sending her away the previous night despite the incredibly overt advances she had made toward him.
He felt genuinely sorry for embarrassing her so thoroughly, but under the circumstances, he had possessed absolutely no choice but to chase her off before things escalated.
After all, if they had stayed together in that small space any longer, who knows what would have happened between them.
"Ahem, that is certainly good to hear then," Isaac replied, nodding his head.
"And what about you, Isaac? Did you sleep well?" Rianna inquired, echoing the question back to him.
"Me? Yeah, I slept incredibly comfortably because I was so completely exhausted from the battle that I passed out right away," he answered honestly.
"That is good to hear," Rianna stated, delivering the exact same polite reply back to him.
Her emotionless eyes remained fixed firmly upon the front entrance, appearing to silently urge the missing Margrave to hurry up and enter the room already.
With still no one coming through the door, Rianna let out a soft breath, glanced sideways at Isaac's profile, and quietly said, "If you ever find yourself needing help with your training, you just need to say the word."
"Help with my training?" Isaac repeated, caught off guard.
"Yes, specifically regarding your Aura mastery, because I can easily teach you the foundational techniques right here during our stay," she offered smoothly.
"......" Isaac fell silent as he pondered her words.
Aura was the exact type of energy that Isaac had never been able to handle or manifest at all throughout his entire life.
Suddenly, the booming voice of his eccentric grandmaster echoed within his memories, recalling the day the old man had stated, [Aura? Do not make me laugh with such petty concepts, because at the absolute pinnacle of martial arts, such superficial things are not needed at all.]
Despite remembering those proud words, Isaac looked back at Rianna and calmly replied, "Alright, go ahead and teach me then."
He knew that if the grandmaster were somehow here right now, the old man would probably pout like a child and grumble, [Fine, let her teach you then if you are so desperate.]
But the legendary master was not here to guide him anymore, meaning it was best for Isaac to learn whatever useful skills he could whenever the opportunity presented itself.
"......Very well," Rianna responded, her eyes widening slightly in surprise at Isaac's incredibly quick and compliant agreement to her offer.
She actively forced down a rising smile that threatened to tug at the corners of her lips, but just as she managed to regain her composure, the heavy wooden door finally swung open, and Uldiran Caldias strode into the room.
"Apologies for taking so long to get here, but a massive pack of magical beasts started swarming near the outer wall defenses, forcing me to handle them personally," Uldiran explained as he took a seat across from them, immediately reaching out to pop a piece of jerky into his mouth.
Chewing slowly while eyeing the two young martial artists sitting before him, the Margrave tilted his head to the side with an ambiguous, highly amused expression.
"Why exactly do the two of you look so incredibly stiffer than I expected? I purposely paired you two up for this specific questioning session so that you could spend some sweet, private time together," Uldiran commented with a grin.
"......"
"......"
"Hmm, was my consideration perhaps a bit too much for you to handle, or are you both just naturally nervous about being disciplined?" Uldiran joked heartily after taking a deep sip of the premium liquor from the table.
"There is absolutely no need for either of you to tense up like this, so just answer my questions honestly, and I promise that I will not reprimand you, though Helmunt might think completely differently about your actions," he added, picking up another piece of jerky and pointing it directly at Rianna before popping it into his mouth.
"Personally, I have officially accepted the official report as 'Rianna' speaking on behalf of the realm, but the Arandel faction certainly will not take kindly to the fact that a prominent Helmunt knelt down in submission to a Caldias, isn't that right?" Uldiran inquired sharply.
"Yes, I am fully aware of the political consequences," Rianna answered firmly.
"......Kneeling?" Isaac interrupted, staring at Rianna in absolute bewilderment as the new information registered.
Rianna deliberately kept her face turned away, refusing to meet his shocked gaze.
"She actually knelt down? Rianna did that?" Isaac pressed the Margrave for confirmation.
"Did you truly not hear about it? Her performance out there was incredibly desperate, and I must admit it taught an old soldier like me a little something about modern romance," Uldiran chuckled heartily, clearly enjoying the drama.
Isaac shot Rianna an incredulous, thoroughly frustrated look and immediately began to press her for answers, "Are you completely kidding me right now? What on earth do you think will happen if the family head finds out about this? He is already furious that you snuck away to come to this borderlands in the first place!"
"I know exactly what the consequences are," Rianna replied evenly.
"Knowing that full well, you still went ahead and... Ugh, fine, whatever, do whatever you want," Isaac muttered, propping his chin on his hand as he replied completely curtly to hide his rising anxiety for her safety.
Rianna's eyes flickered open a bit wider at his tone, prompting her to immediately add, "I only did it because it was the only way to save you from destruction."
"The Margrave would have eventually come to reinforce us even without you doing something so extreme," Isaac countered sharply.
"Taking that path would have severely weakened the front wall defenses during a critical swarm, and you know full well that the Margrave cannot leave his post lightly without risking the entire sector," Rianna explained logically.
"Then you should have looked after your own well-being first, because what on earth are you going to do once you are forced to return back to Helmunt territory?" Isaac demanded, his concern breaking through his cold exterior.
"I will handle whatever punishment comes my way," she answered simply.
"Sure you will, as if the family head is going to welcome you back with open arms after selling out the family pride," Isaac snapped back.
"I was actively trying to save your life," Rianna repeated, her voice tightening.
"Still, you should keep your actions within a reasonable limit, do you truly not comprehend how massive of a political disaster this is?" Isaac pressed her further.
"I did successfully save your life in the end, so isn't that outcome more than enough to justify the means? The overall damage to our forces could have been infinitely worse if I hadn't gone to beg for aid, especially since you cannot even properly handle aura yet," Rianna pointed out bluntly.
"Are you truly trying to go there with me right now?" Isaac growled, his pride stung.
"Who exactly is the one who started this entire conversation with these snide remarks?" Rianna retorted sharply.
"I am only speaking up because I am genuinely worried about your future, or do you honestly think I would love seeing a Helmunt kneel to a rival family?" Isaac clarified, his voice rising slightly.
"And I only knelt out of profound worry for your immediate survival!" Rianna shot back, her composure slipping.
"Then you should have started worrying about me a lot sooner in the past," Isaac muttered under his breath, causing their intense conversation to run completely parallel without ever crossing paths.
Watching the fiery exchange blankly from across the table, Uldiran Caldias simply nodded his head in deep amusement.
‘So, is this bizarre, stubborn bickering exactly how the youth of today show genuine worry for each other's safety?’ the veteran soldier thought to himself, because listening closely to their arguments, it was blindingly obvious that they were both completely fretting over the other's well-being.
‘The people of the Helmunt family truly are remarkably peculiar creatures,’ Uldiran decided, choosing to quietly munch on his remaining jerky while waiting for them to finally vent all their hidden frustrations.
Finally finishing her long and exhausting shift for the day, Silberna timidly stepped through the grand stone arches to enter the main corridors of Mallidan Castle.
The official questioning session for Isaac and Rianna had dragged on for significantly longer than anyone had originally expected, prompting her to come check on the situation personally due to her rising anxiety.
‘Why on earth did I go blabbing to her about their private divorce in the first place? I even explicitly told Sharen to be incredibly careful with that information, and now we both look like complete fools! This is so incredibly annoying!’ she berated herself internally, Sharen's frantic words from yesterday constantly floating inside her head and completely distracting her from her official duties.
Seeing how thoroughly listless and depressed Sharen had appeared throughout the entire day today only served to confirm that the shocking revelation wasn't just some random, drunken nonsense after all.
‘Are they truly getting a divorce?’ she wondered silently to herself.
If that was indeed the absolute truth of the matter...
‘Then perhaps... there might actually be a real chance for me to pursue him as well—’
"Young Lady?" a sudden voice called out, disrupting her thoughts.
"Eek?!" Silberna shrieked in shock, completely starting and stepping back several paces because she had been so deeply lost in her romantic fantasy that she was barely even watching the path ahead of her feet.
Anna was standing right there in the middle of the stone corridor, her arms crossed firmly over her chest as she eyed Silberna with an incredibly intense, knowing gaze.
"Where exactly are you headed in such a hurry right now?" Anna asked bluntly.
"Uh? Oh, I am just... you know, walking around—" Silberna stammered, appearing far too embarrassed to continue her explanation.
Seeing through her instantly, Anna asked without a single shred of hesitation, "Are you going to see Sir Isaac?"
"Y-yeah, I suppose I am," Silberna admitted, her voice growing increasingly smaller under her maid's scrutiny.
"They are currently right in the middle of an official questioning session with the Margrave," Anna informed her calmly.
"I know that, but still, he is officially my teammate on the front lines, so I am just going to check on how he is holding up," Silberna explained, her cheeks flushing red.
Anna strode up closer, let out a heavy sigh, and suddenly reached out her hands toward Silberna's collar.
"Loosen a few of these top buttons right now," Anna commanded firmly.
"Huh? Why on earth would I do that?" Silberna gasped in confusion.
Without waiting for an answer, Anna deftly undid two of the shirt buttons herself, placed a firm hand on Silberna's shoulder, and declared with absolute certainty, "If you are truly going to commit to doing this, then you better do it right, meaning that if you are going to steal that man for yourself, you need to do it thoroughly without holding back."
"......Anna?!" Silberna whispered in utter shock at her maid's bold advice.
"My dear Young Lady, do you honestly think that such golden opportunities are common in this world? The exact man you like is currently married, but coincidentally getting a divorce at this very moment? This is... a literal godsend for you," Anna reasoned aggressively.
"Anna, please stop saying such scandalous things!" Silberna cried out, her face burning hot.
"Go in there already! Rianna Helmunt is certainly pretty, but you easily hold your own against her anywhere in terms of looks and status," Anna encouraged her, pushing her forward.
"R-really? Do you truly think so?" Silberna asked, her confidence wavering.
"With an appearance like yours, most men would fall completely hard for you in an instant, especially those stoic Helmunt types who always seem to be incredibly weak to a woman's natural charms," Anna stated confidently, chin-nodding directly toward Silberna's chest area to emphasize her point.
Silberna scratched her blushing cheek in deep embarrassment, feeling thoroughly overwhelmed by the advice.
Still, effectively pushed forward by Anna's relentless encouragement, she finally mustered up her courage and entered the designated guest room used for the questioning session.
"You need to fold your cards at least once during this round," Isaac's voice echoed from within.
"No, I refuse to do so," Rianna's voice responded defiantly.
As Silberna stepped inside, the fierce, terrifying interrogation room she had been expecting to find was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the three individuals were casually sitting together, playing a relaxed game of cards around the wooden table.
"......You used to always let me win whenever we played together in the past," Rianna puffed her cheeks out in a pout, causing Isaac to click his tongue in amusement.
"Well, that is because back then, I was still single," Isaac countered smoothly, staring at her cards.
"......"
"Now, deflate those ridiculous cheeks of yours and play your turn," he added with a chuckle.