Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The Curse (4)
“...”
Thinking about it, the Duchess’s words were not wrong. Somehow, I had simply assumed that when the time came, I would naturally leave this land.
I thought all I had to do was endure... but now I was beginning to think that might not be true.
“In truth, the two of you have quite a lot in common. Don’t you think you could rely on each other and survive?”
“...What exactly is similar about us?”
“The fact that you both must face a harsh world, that you are both still young, that you will both long for your parents’ embrace, and that you both watched your families fight. Aren’t those all alike?”
“...”
When I did not answer, the Duchess lightly pinched my cheek and shook it.
It was the kind of gesture used on a small child.
With a warm smile, she spoke.
“I heard... that in the Kingdom of East, the knights of House Allen are held in such high esteem?”
“...”
“Kylo, if I leave this world... could you protect my daughter for me? Like a true knight.”
At that absurd request, I carefully brushed her hand away.
“Does that even make sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“Our families are enemies.”
“I already told you. That was the affair of our generation. You two are different. Do you have any reason to hate Vivian? Does Vivian truly have any reason to hate you?”
“She does. Not everyone can divide their emotions as cleanly as you do based on logic. And to begin with, what exactly makes you trust me enough to say that? Isn’t the very idea of entrusting protection to an enemy family insane? Besides, what exactly am I supposed to protect Vivian from? Dellum Kingdom already won the war.”
At my question, the Duchess’s smile slowly faded.
Just as I began wondering whether I had said something wrong at the sight of her suddenly serious expression, she whispered softly.
“...Protect her from House Rondor.”
“What?”
It made no sense.
Protect Vivian Rondor from House Rondor?
If she had not looked so serious, I would have thought it was a joke.
“When I am gone, wild dogs will gather to steal Vivian’s place and everything she possesses.”
“...”
“Until now, our retainers and the families that swore loyalty to us followed my husband. But now that our son is gone, and I too will soon leave this world... do you not think enemies seeking Vivian will appear?”
“...”
“Please protect her, Kylo. If you feel pity for the lonely Vivian... if you can feel my desperation... if you can show mercy to House Rondor...”
“...If you have any conscience at all, Kylo Allen... please show mercy to our family...”
That voice echoed in my ears again.
-Scrape!
I stood up from my seat.
“...Please stop. Do you even know how old I am? I can barely protect myself, so how am I supposed to protect anyone else?”
I was only fourteen years old. I had only recently started growing taller. Even body hair had only begun appearing lately.
Adults could shove me around with ease, so what exactly could I possibly do?
The Duchess smiled faintly.
“Is it truly impossible?”
“Yes. I don’t want to. Stop saying ridiculous things.”
I turned to leave the room, only to remember that the only place waiting for me was the prison cell.
In the end, I froze awkwardly in the middle of the room, unable to do anything.
Seeing me like that, the Duchess rang the bell beside her bed.
-Ding.
The door opened, and Pippin entered.
“You called for me?”
“Please prepare a place where our guest may wash and rest. See to his wounds, and make sure he is fed as well.”
“...”
Pippin glanced at me briefly before silently nodding.
“Go with Pippin, Kylo. We will speak again someday.”
“...”
“And when that day comes, tell me about my son.”
She was referring to Royce Rondor, who had once been held prisoner by our family.
I gave her a small bow before leaving the room.
And as soon as I stepped outside, I noticed someone who had clearly been waiting for me to emerge.
The person the Duchess had begged me to protect.
Vivian Rondor.
My heart tightened once more. Every time I saw her, it felt as though my breath stopped.
I could not tell whether I should greet her or simply ignore her.
While I stood there awkwardly frozen, Vivian made the decision for me.
-Thud!
With tearful eyes, she struck my shoulder as she brushed past me.
Vivian crossed through the doorway, and soon after, the sound of crying could be heard from beyond the closed door.
Hearing that crying, I once again fell into thought.
The Duchess had said she would soon leave this world too. What kind of state would Vivian be in when that happened?
Would she face reality and become stronger... or would she collapse entirely?
Neither possibility sat well with me.
“Cough, cough!”
The Duchess of Rondor coughed violently. With each passing day, her body visibly weakened.
“It seems I truly do not have much time left.”
She murmured bitterly.
The man standing with her in the room nodded.
“It would seem so.”
“...”
The Duchess had hoped that, even if only as empty comfort, he would tell her she could still live longer, that she should stay strong... but this blunt honesty was precisely what made this man reliable.
That was why she trusted him.
In fact, if there was anyone left in House Rondor she could truly trust, it was probably only this man.
That was why she could discuss important matters with him. Even matters concerning what would happen after her death.
Had her husband not once told her to rely on this man whenever difficult times came?
“So then, how did the investigation go?”
For a moment, the Duchess whispered with hatred in her voice.
“Was there truly... a third party involved in the deaths of my husband and son?”
The atmosphere grew heavy at the topic.
To the outside world, it was known that the Duke of Rondor and his eldest son, Royce Rondor, had both been killed by House Allen.
The Duke of Rondor had died after the wounds he received fighting the Unbeaten Knight, Jade Allen, worsened.
Royce Rondor, who had once been held prisoner by House Allen... was later released by House Allen as an act of humanitarian goodwill following the Duke’s death, but on the journey home, a landslide buried Royce and his entire escort.
The Duchess did not want to believe Royce’s death had been an accident.
Instead, she believed it had been House Allen’s scheme.
They had not wanted to return the eldest son to a House Rondor already weakened by the loss of its head, while still wanting the honor of appearing merciful.
But later, she learned one particular fact.
Royce Rondor had met the young Kylo Allen, who had merely observed the war from afar.
And during that meeting, Royce Rondor had shown mercy to Kylo Allen.
Jade Allen must have released Royce in return for that kindness.
...And with House Rondor already declining after losing the Duke, there would have been little reason to kill Royce anyway.
From that, a certain possibility emerged.
Perhaps, amidst all this chaos, there had been another force trying to devour House Rondor.
To begin with, there had been many suspicious aspects surrounding the Duke of Rondor’s death as well.
Who would have imagined that such a healthy man would die merely because a wound worsened?
Had Royce’s death truly been an accident?
Or had someone else intervened?
The man beside the Duchess shook his head.
“...There are many suspicious points, but we still have not found any definite proof that a third party was involved.”
“I see.”
“Duchess, as I have always said... all of this may simply be my delusion. Perhaps House Allen truly was responsible for everything...”
The Duchess nodded slowly.
“At this point, I almost wish that were true.”
“...Pardon?”
“Because then I could close my eyes knowing there are no enemies targeting Vivian.”
“...”
“I’m afraid. Afraid that once I leave this world... Vivian will spend every day trembling in fear of death. Afraid she will become all alone and cry out for us every night.”
At some point, tears had filled the Duchess’s eyes.
The man let out a long sigh before asking,
“Did the child of House Allen accept your proposal? About protecting Lady Vivian?”
The Duchess wiped away her tears and laughed softly.
“Of course not. I’m just relieved he didn’t think I was insane.”
It had been an unreasonable request from the start.
Why would Kylo willingly protect Vivian?
Even so, no matter how unreasonable the request was, it was something she had to ask at least once.
The Duchess was that desperate.
No amount of effort would ever be enough when it came to protecting her last remaining child.
There were several reasons why Kylo Allen had been brought to this land.
As the Duchess had told Kylo, part of it truly was for the sake of the people of the territory...
...But in truth, they needed his presence itself.
No one knew what kind of enemies lurked within House Rondor.
But even those enemies would not be reckless fools.
Kylo Allen himself did not realize it, but in this land, he was untouchable.
No one would dare kill him.
Because if he died, the Unbeaten Knight Jade Allen would descend upon them in a blind fury.
There was no point in ruling over land that had been trampled into ruin.
That was why the Duchess believed Vivian would be safest if Kylo stayed close beside her.
And that was why she had demanded him as a hostage.
Though whether the plan was working well or not... she could not say.
“What impression did the child of House Allen leave on you?”
The man asked the Duchess.
The Duchess smiled as she recalled their earlier meeting.
“He was a kind child.”
The man raised a brow in surprise.
“Really? I heard he argued and provoked thousands of people in the plaza. And do you know how fiercely he argued with Lady Vivian in this very room?”
Chuckling softly, the Duchess replied,
“That’s a good thing. It means he’s brave. How many boys do you think could act like that in enemy territory?”
“...”
“House Allen truly is House Allen. If that courage could protect Vivian, there would be nothing better.”
“...Doesn’t his reckless nature worry you?”
“It wasn’t recklessness... he was frightened, wasn’t he? When he was alone with me, perhaps because he worried about me, he never once raised his voice too much. Even when he brushed my hand away, he did it carefully— Cough, cough!!”
The man hurriedly handed the Duchess a glass of water as she coughed violently.
But the Duchess shook her head.
Then she spoke.
“I only hope Vivian does not make too many mistakes with Kylo.”
“...By mistakes, you mean?”
“Because Kylo may become the only friend Vivian can find in this land. Vivian will grow terribly lonely. Not only because we are gone... but because the power she must bear will isolate her. Kylo alone is free from that power.”
“...”
“But if she spends all her time hating Kylo... only to later learn that another enemy was truly responsible for our family’s deaths... if she ends up venting her anger on an innocent person...”
“Well, perhaps not. Perhaps everything truly is my delusion, and House Allen was entirely responsible after all. In that case, one could call it justice.”
“...Perhaps. But is it truly justice to place the sins of a family upon a child?”
“...”
The Duchess swallowed painfully before speaking again.
“...Write down my final wishes.”
Grinding his teeth, the man reluctantly nodded and prepared paper and ink upon the table.
“Please speak.”
“I have already spoken to the nanny regarding Vivian’s education. I asked her to raise Vivian especially strictly... I trust the nanny, so even if the punishments become severe, do not interfere.”
“Entrusting Lady Vivian’s education to Lady Linne... and...”
Scratch scratch.
The Duchess’s will continued to be written down.
“...Lastly.”
“Yes?”
“...Entrust Vivian’s protection to Kylo.”
The man froze briefly.
“...But Duchess.”
“Whether she follows it or not... that will be Vivian’s choice. This shall be my final wish.”
“Understood.”
The Duchess finished her will and looked up at the man.
For a while, the two exchanged gazes.
Then the Duchess spoke softly.
“...Thank you for everything.”
Trying to lighten the atmosphere, the man replied,
“It’s still too early for farewells. We’ll see each other a few more times yet.”
“Even so, farewells should still be made.”
“...”
“...You’ll protect Vivian, won’t you?”
The man let out a faint laugh and shook his head.
“Of course not. I intend to survive too, you know. For a while, I plan to keep my distance from Lady Vivian. I’ll stay hidden. Even if Lady Vivian falls into danger, I won’t risk my life to save her. I have no desire to throw my life away pointlessly.”
“Must you remain so honest until the very end?”
The Duchess sounded disappointed, but the man did not take back his words.
Instead, after a long silence, he finally said,
“...I’ll try.”
The Duchess smiled.
“That’s enough.”
And six days later, the Duchess passed away in eternal sleep.