Chapter 293
Chapter 293
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 293
Chapter Title: Don't Avoid My Gaze
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***
*Swish.*
When the curtain was pulled back after my treatment was finished, my body was in worse shape than when I’d woken up this morning.
Nevertheless, I couldn't let it show.
Because I could see two people facing me, as if they had been waiting...
It was Leonhardt and Karite.
“Han Cheon-seong! Are you really okay...? You didn't push yourself too hard, did you?”
“I'm fine. A few days of good rest will solve it.”
Watching Karite approach me, not hiding her concern... I felt the need to think a little more about my actions.
‘I can't just think about myself.’
I kept forgetting.
My body wasn't entirely my own anymore... I had to clearly recognize that just by getting hurt, I could cause worry to others.
“...I'm really okay. Karite, I'm sorry for making you worry.”
“No. If you're okay, then that's all that matters... Still, I hope you don't overdo it. You need to rest well from now on.”
Just as I nodded at Karite, who was repeatedly expressing her concern, Leonhardt approached.
“Han Cheon-seong... I'm sorry.”
“It's fine. Don't apologize.”
“I asked something of you that I shouldn't have. I should have... considered the situation more properly, but I think I was only thinking of myself. I'm truly ashamed to face you.”
I shook my head at the sight of Leonhardt repeatedly apologizing.
He wasn't at fault.
This duel only happened because I accepted it.
Besides, he had asked properly about my condition, so there was absolutely no reason for him to apologize like this.
“I accepted this duel knowing the risks. It's okay. Something like this won't happen again.”
I settled the situation by repeating the words Adelia had warned me with several times.
As I listened to the two of them, I looked around the room, but Sir Isabell was nowhere to be seen.
“Cadet Han Cheon-seong. Sir Isabell said she would come in a little later. She said she would wait nearby to cool her head.”
I cautiously nodded at Adelia's calm voice.
“...Yes. I understand.”
I found myself tensing up without realizing it.
Sir Isabell's position was distinctly different from those who were now expressing their concern or apology to me.
A knightess who came all the way to the academy to protect me. Moreover, she held the incredibly high reputation of a Golden Knight and was someone who had even set aside her own attitude to fulfill that duty.
A noble of the esteemed rank of marchioness, she had unhesitatingly humbled herself to protect me.
That must be why she used honorifics with me, accepting the reality of the situation.
...And in front of such a person, I had engaged in a duel that wrecked my own body...
‘She must be furious.’
Adelia's words about cooling her head struck me as particularly significant.
***
*Clank. Clank...*
The crisp sound of armor joints clinking together. Amidst that sound, Isabell was pacing around the infirmary, trying to suppress her surging emotions.
“Haa...”
Stopping her steps with a deep sigh, she slowly caught her breath.
“This is so frustrating.”
And she voiced her raw emotions.
Normally, something like this could not and should not have happened.
Four years had passed since she became a Golden Knight. For a not-insignificant amount of time, she had protected the imperial family, and through living with them, she had developed certain concepts and common sense.
But now, just a few days after arriving at the academy, it felt as if all of that had been shattered.
“What... in the world is he thinking?”
No matter how hard she tried to understand Han Cheon-seong, she just couldn't.
The ones she had to protect were always the noble imperial family, and they knew how to cherish themselves.
Those around them also naturally prioritized them, so there were multiple layers of safety measures in place.
All to prevent them from getting even the slightest injury.
But what about now?
The one I must protect had hidden his own condition and engaged in a duel to the point of ruining his body.
“.....”
As she bit her lip, the unquenchable anger welling up in her heart felt like it was twisting her apart.
Even though she was a knight who must always maintain her composure, this utterly absurd situation shook her to the core.
“I don't understand...”
She had never imagined that the person she was meant to protect would act this way.
So, she also blamed herself for realizing it too late, and the more she thought of Han Cheon-seong, the heavier her heart became.
‘What if something had gone wrong during the duel...’
Just the thought made her dizzy.
Her heart was unbearably heavy, and as she gnawed on her lip, unpleasant thoughts kept surfacing.
“Is it because... he's a commoner?”
Is he really acting this way because he's a commoner?
It was natural for the imperial family to value themselves. They understood their own position and status.
And their self-importance wasn't just for their own safety.
They valued themselves for the sake of the many people around them, and by extension, for the empire.
And because the imperial family understood all this, they carried themselves properly and paid careful attention to their actions.
‘Perhaps...’
The mindset of a commoner like Han Cheon-seong and that of the imperial family might be fundamentally different.
Because he himself doesn't know what position he's in or how much he needs to value his own body.
“Yes. That might be it.”
Now, it seemed to make a little sense.
She didn't want to view people with prejudice either.
She had thought Han Cheon-seong was fundamentally different from the commoners she had encountered before, and her thoughts had only turned negative because she couldn't comprehend his actions today.
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed he fundamentally lacked an understanding of his own position.
*Clank.*
She resumed her steps and checked the time.
[5:36 PM]
She decided it was about time to go back and steeled her heart.
“First...”
It seemed best to have a proper conversation.
She thought this while trying to suppress the anger rising in her heart.
Making him understand his position would be the start of their relationship...…
…….
*Click.*
The moment she opened the door and entered the infirmary, her eyes immediately searched for him.
And it didn't take long to find him.
During the duel, he had pretended to be composed and acted as if nothing was wrong, but now, the signs of extreme exhaustion were plain to see.
She could even feel the tension in his eyes as he looked at her through his disheveled hair.
“...Welcome back, Sir Isabell.”
“Yes.”
Seeing him greet her cautiously, she gave a cold nod.
After confirming who else was around, she walked straight up to Instructor Adelia.
“Instructor Adelia.”
“Yes... Sir Isabell.”
“May I take Han Cheon-seong out for a moment? It won't take long.”
“May I... ask why?”
Looking at Adelia, who asked with an awkward smile, she glanced at Han Cheon-seong.
“I wish to have a serious conversation.”
She answered as calmly as possible, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.
“Yes... In that case, I understand.”
Having received her consent, she turned, walked over to Han Cheon-seong, and extended her hand.
“Let's go.”
He had no right to refuse.
By extending her hand like this, she had preemptively blocked him from saying anything else.
“......Yes. I understand.”
As he cautiously replied and took her hand to stand up, she calmly started walking.
*Clank.*
As they left the infirmary, she felt gazes on her.
“...”
“...”
Even though she saw Leonhardt and the one called Karite staring at her silently, she didn't hesitate.
No, she didn't even want to pay them any mind.
Right now, she was just trying to completely cool her emotions.
*Click.*
After leaving the infirmary, she walked through the vast academy grounds until they reached a deserted area, where she finally stopped.
*Clank.*
Then, she let go of his hand and calmly turned around.
“You.”
“Speak, Sir Isabell...”
Taking in his obviously tense appearance, she momentarily bit her lip.
Looking at him face-to-face, her insides felt like they were boiling even more.
‘To think... he'd be like this.’
Even though he was in such a mess, he had laughed and talked with others in that state as if nothing was wrong.
“Haa...”
Another sigh escaped her before she could even get to the main point.
*Flinch.*
Seeing him flinch, she frowned deeply.
She had no intention of hiding her expression.
The people she had guarded until now were worthy beings, noble individuals.
When she learned about the person she was to protect this time, even though he was a commoner, she had tried to be aware of her position and act accordingly.
That's why she had gone out of her way to use honorifics and treat him well. It was because even though she was clearly his superior, she didn't want to look down on the one she had to protect.
‘But maybe that was the problem.’
Perhaps her attitude had made the commoner forget his place.
“First, let me ask. Did you know your body would end up like this before the duel?”
As she spoke, she moved her hand without hesitation.
*Thump.*
And she grabbed his shoulder, meeting his eyes. Even though she had to look up slightly at him, who was taller than her own large frame, she did not hesitate.
“That is... yes, I did.”
A bitter laugh escaped her at his hesitant but honest answer.
“So you knew, and yet you still acted this way.”
She didn't put much strength into the hand on his shoulder.
She just pulled him closer, as if to make him aware of his position.
“...!”
As she gave him a deeply sunken gaze from a distance where their breaths could mingle, she saw him avoid her eyes.
"Don't avoid my gaze."
Unlike before, she spoke forcefully.