Chapter 74
"......Kal. Let's put greetings on hold for now. How long have you been here?"
As I agonized over what to do with Kal, Llewellyn fixed him with eyes laced with cold reason, not sparing a glance at Merhen, who was choking and gasping.
If this gets out, Llewellyn will be in a bind too.
If Kal decided to make an issue of it, Merhen would be buried without much fuss—but the Decardo family would take the hit right alongside him. She could probably smooth things over with me since we're friends, but with no rapport with Kal, she seemed worried he'd spread rumors.
"Llewellyn Decardo."
Kal, who had wrapped one arm around my waist and buried his face in my neck while heaving angry breaths, finally acknowledged her presence and turned his gaze her way.
The short whisper right by my ear was chillingly emotionless. Deep rage-filled red eyes clashed fiercely with coldly blazing green ones, probing each other like predators.
"......Since you declared yourself heir. I was passing through the hall when the atmosphere felt off, so I hid with an invisibility spell......"
Kal shifted his gaze to Merhen. The eyes that were usually clear as glass now dripped with molten fury. Merhen shuddered violently under that stare.
"That bastard, how dare he......"
"Kal."
I hurriedly grabbed his hand as immense mana began gathering there, calling his name to stop him. The mana, rampaging like it was about to unleash a meteor, slowly dissipated at my touch.
Kal gritted his teeth and gripped my hand tightly.
"First that Prama prick earlier, and now these nobodies are mouthing off in front of my little sister. As if she couldn't crush them with a flick of her pinky."
His breath-heavy voice whispered roughly. The energy radiating from his back behind me felt violently on the verge of exploding.
"But my Shushu's too kind, so she lets trash like this live...... Sometimes it wouldn't hurt to be a little crueler."
Kal let out a heavy sigh. His hot breath washed directly over my nape.
"That's the uprightness I love about you—can't be helped."
His voice mixed with lament made my heart tickle. Knowing someone loved me was always a mood-lifter.
"So as your big brother, I'm stepping in to discipline that worm for you."
"I said no killing. Let go already."
Kal, who had been thickening the black smoke subtly choking Merhen's neck, bit his lip and dispelled the spell. I looked down at Merhen clutching his throat and gasping greedily for air with numb eyes, then turned to Llewellyn.
"I'd like to leave the handling of this to you, Llewellyn."
Llewellyn, staring at the writhing Merhen on the floor, met my eyes. I opened my mouth, facing her squarely.
"I'll follow your lead, Llewellyn. Do you want to make this an official matter, or should we both stay silent?"
Her deep green eyes rippled faintly. Making it official would let her publicly shame Merhen in noble society and deal with him easily—but the Decardo name would suffer irreparable disgrace. Brushing it under the rug would protect their honor but amount to letting Merhen's insult to me slide.
"I'm fine, Llewellyn." I assured her firmly, sensing her hesitation over me. She flinched.
I'm really okay.
Having heard every insult under the sun in life, Merhen's trash talk sounded like kids' play to me. What mattered was Llewellyn's feelings, not punishing him.
Llewellyn stared at me with wavering eyes, bit her lip, and squeezed her eyes shut.
"......I'd appreciate your silence on this."
Llewellyn had been born a businesswoman. She knew what made sense.
I smiled reassuringly at her, unable to even meet my eyes out of guilt.
"Ha."
But Kal clearly wasn't okay.
"What a joke. Is your family honor worth more than punishing someone who insulted Shushu?"
"......Kal."
"Shushu stood up for you, and here you are, weighing pros and cons like some merchant. Disgusting. Is every spawn from trader stock like this? Brothers and sisters alike......"
"Kal!"
As Kal savored each biting syllable, Llewellyn paled ghostly white. I cut him off before his barbs went too far, turning to face him squarely.
"Look at me."
I grabbed both his cheeks, which were glaring daggers at Llewellyn. The cold chill of his skin pressed into my palms. Only then did Kal lower his gaze to me.
Meeting his raw, blazing fury head-on, I whispered softly.
"Don't do this. She's my friend."
Even if Llewellyn weighed her family honor against me, she was still my friend. I didn't want her hurt by the man I loved.
Red eyes and vivid pink ones locked, and Kal bit his lip.
"......Hah."
He placed his hand over mine on his cheeks. His cold palm overlapped my knuckles. He closed his eyes, regulating his breathing to calm down, and only after regaining some reason did he slowly open them.
"......I'm shutting up because it's you."
"Good."
"Normally I'd have killed that bastard, but I'm holding back for you."
"I know. Good job."
This side of Kal was familiar. I stroked his hair affectionately. His intensity finally eased a bit.
With a sigh, Kal grabbed Merhen by the nape—he was still groaning. Merhen choked in pain, but no one cared.
"Hey. I challenge you to a duel."
Kal pulled a black leather glove from his pocket and struck Merhen's cheek with it expressionlessly. He swung so hard Merhen's head snapped around. Ignoring his scream and clutching hand, Kal turned to me with drooping eyes.
"You'll allow a duel, right? As long as I don't kill him."
......He looks ready to kill.
His unstable energy still thrashed wildly—he seemed like he could draw a hell-summoning circle and shove Merhen in any second. But since he put it that way, he'd probably stop short of death.
Though he'd leave him half-dead, no doubt.
I nodded permission, and Kal grinned.
"See you at home later, Shushu."
His casual greeting and breezy tone clashed with the violent way he dragged Merhen by the nape toward the garden. Merhen screamed until silenced by a spell, mouth flapping soundlessly as he flailed. I watched numbly and waved Kal off.
No pity for Merhen stirred in me.
"......Llewellyn."
Confirming Kal gone, I turned slightly to her. I worried his jabs had hurt her.
"Shushu, I-I'm sorry......"
As expected, her face was ashen white. The moment our eyes met, fat teardrops welled in her huge green eyes.
Oh no.
Those huge, tear-streaked green eyes looked so pitiful that even though I did nothing wrong, guilt gnawed at me. I hurried to her side.
"It's not that I valued family honor over you! Of course the family matters, but not compared to you! You're my one and only friend. So precious, and......"
"I know."
I hugged the rambling, tear-streaked Llewellyn without a word. She flinched, shoulders trembling, then buried her face in my chest.
"It's okay, Llewellyn. Really. I'm fine."
I stroked her back slowly as her tears soaked my chest, whispering endlessly.
Humans are creatures of adaptation—we grow numb to what we encounter often. And enmity, disdain, belittlement were the first things I'd grown used to in this world.
From around age ten, I'd gripped a sword and lived as a mercenary. Being a mercenary meant being treated like base scum who’d do anything for coin, staking my life on reckless jobs.
......You? You're the merc they sent for this job? You messing with me? What good's a runt like you gonna do!
Money makes you do anything, huh? Haha! Fun! Here's one gold—lick up my spit!
I wasn't strong from the start. I didn't get the title Black Calamity Mir for free.
It was around seventeen when I reached Sword Master and no one could look down on me anymore. Those seven years before were filled with every humiliation imaginable.
It wasn't easy. My body teetered on life and death for pennies; my ears endured every slur; my mouth stayed shut through it all, no complaints.
Because we needed the money. One more coin meant one more day for Aria and me.
What started as survival made me want to die. No day was free of hardship.
I endured endless scorn for being short and scrawny, bowed to those who treated me like dirt under the "mercs do anything for pay" stigma. I came home every day covered in wounds, body and soul.
I'd smile for Aria so she wouldn't worry, then slip out after she slept, sobbing quietly atop a tree in the woods.
In the peaceful night when all slept, I'd lie awake imagining death. Everyone seemed happy—why only me so wretched? Why Aria out of everyone? Why born into this, doing this? Why, why just me?
Even the crashing waves of misfortune that threatened to drown me became familiar. They visited every night.
Once worn to numbness, unable to bear sinking emotions without bursting into tears as routine, I could face all negativity with indifference.
"It's okay. Really."
Merhen's swears are compliments by comparison.
One who's seen rock bottom doesn't flinch at most shocks. Calluses too thick to feel ordinary pain.
I truly was fine.
"It's not that family honor mattered more. Publicly shaming Merhen felt like dirtying your hands...... We've had this sticky grudge since birth, so I wanted to end him myself. Not borrowing ducal power—with my own hands, crumble him. So, so......"
"Yes. I know. It's okay."
I patted her back gently as she mumbled in a watery voice. That's why I'd left the choice to her.
I wanted Merhen's fate entirely hers.
Llewellyn's rigid shoulders relaxed; her stiff arms wrapped around my waist. She wept silently.
I softly stroked her messy red hair and smiled.
"Don't apologize—walk your path, Llewellyn. Friends support your way. I'd cheer whatever road you chose. So what if Merhen goes unpunished? You're more important. It's fine."
Fierce sobs echoed. I repeated it was okay, staying by her side calmly until her tears subsided.
The tumultuous banquet ended like that.