Chapter 41
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: The Prince's First Tears
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Sweat beaded thickly across Joseph's forehead right before her eyes, yet his face was filled with utter tranquility.
Charlotte finally let her tension ease, her shoulders slumping in relief.
Joseph seemed lost in a trance, sensing the flow of energy she'd guided him to circulate.
"...Well, that's one worry off my chest."
She murmured to herself, reaching to release his hand—but deep in meditation as he was, he showed no sign of letting go.
Charlotte let out a soft chuckle. It reminded her of a baby instinctively clutching onto something.
'Joseph's twelve years old, so not exactly a baby anymore... but he acts so young compared to how he is in the story. Can't help but see him like one.'
She left his tight grip on her hand as it was and passed the time gazing at his doll-like face.
Before long, his long lashes trembled faintly. His eyelids lifted, revealing pitch-black eyes.
"How do you feel?"
Rather than answer, Joseph simply stared at her.
They locked eyes in a daze for so long that Charlotte was about to ask again when he slowly blinked and spoke.
"Better than perfect. Better than any condition I've ever been in."
Charlotte's lips curved into a satisfied smile as she let out a long laugh.
This was the answer she'd been waiting for.
Joseph spoke again.
"Charlotte."
"Yeah?"
"...Charlotte."
"Yeah?"
The emotionless mask she'd thought would last forever crumbled from his face. Emotion finally touched his doll-like features.
"As far back as I can remember, this is the first time my body hasn't felt like it was harboring a bomb—one that could stab me every minute, every second."
His eyes reddened as he confessed so calmly.
The weight in those quiet words was too heavy, too heartbreaking. Charlotte didn't know how to comfort him, couldn't even find words.
Thick tears welled up and spilled from the eyes of the prince who'd always seemed impervious to pain. Staring blankly at her, he learned for the first time how to cry in front of someone.
"...Come here."
Charlotte pulled the silently sobbing Joseph into her arms, tears streaming down his face.
She didn't think she'd done anything extraordinary.
But it made her happy to have helped even a little during his most unfortunate days.
Happy, yet saddened by how harsh and cruel his life was. She just wanted everyone to be happy. She just wanted children not to suffer for their parents' sins.
"Let's be happy, you and me. Let's be happy."
Tears filled Charlotte's eyes too as she patted Joseph's shoulders.
"......"
"Joseph, this big sister will... sob... protect you. Waaah."
Soon Charlotte was wailing even louder, so Joseph had to stay awkwardly cradled in the arms of the much smaller girl long after his own tears stopped.
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
Thwack, thwack!
Thwack!
In the quiet open clearing, the harmonious clash of two wooden swords rang out.
Unable to contain her joy, Charlotte swung her wooden sword with a grin plastered across her face.
"Plum Blossom Blood Rain."
"Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom."
"Plum Blossoms in Splendor."
Aside from the wooden swords clacking together, only Charlotte's voice echoed softly in the silence, occasionally joined by Joseph's sharp kiai.
As expected, Joseph—the protagonist of this novel—wielded the sword with ruthless proficiency.
There were many ways to be skilled with a blade, but Joseph excelled in all of them without favoritism. His dynamic vision was sharp, his judgment sound, his reaction speed lightning-quick.
Moreover, he quickly spotted his own weaknesses and worked to correct them. He even read several moves ahead with a maturity beyond his years. Nothing was lacking.
And above all, Joseph's condition was flawless.
With his qi flowing and circulating smoothly, it wasn't just about wielding aura better—his muscles and organs were healthier too.
Simply practicing the breathing exercises she'd taught him every morning had made his body feel lighter than ever.
Thwack, thwack!
Joseph perfectly read the trajectory of Charlotte's feinting thrust and deflected her sword, countering with a short jab.
At the same instant, both wooden swords came to rest against each other's throats.
Their gazes clashed in midair.
His black eyes seemed calm, but the competitive fire within burned as fiercely as anyone's.
Unable to hold back, Charlotte burst into laughter and tossed her sword aside before flopping onto the ground.
Joseph, his clothes as soaked with sweat as hers, carelessly flung his wooden sword away and lay down on the grass beside her.
Charlotte stretched her hand toward the sky, examining her once-pale palm now blistered from practice.
"How on earth are you so good with a sword? You're matching me move for move."
"...Unbelievable."
Instead of answering, Joseph clicked his tongue in disbelief, as always delaying his response.
'What... does my question sound arrogant? But I'm really curious.'
Charlotte turned her head to meet the dark eyes that had been watching her who-knows-how-long.
She no longer startled at catching Joseph staring when she wasn't looking. After spending the past few days together, she'd simply chalked it up to his habit.
"I've got a question for you."
Gazing into her emerald eyes, Joseph muttered that before shifting to her deep smile and letting out a sigh far too world-weary for a child.
"...Never mind."
Charlotte's eyes widened.
"Huh?"
"No. I gave up expecting a straight answer ages ago."
"What the heck? Are you sulking? Huh?"
Plip.
As they bantered like always, a small raindrop fell from the sky.
Patter. Patter-patter.
Then the drops thickened in an instant.
"Rain."
"A downpour."
Joseph rose and offered his hand to Charlotte. She took it, and they dashed to the large tree right beside them.
Whoosh—
The rain intensified into a torrent.
The two children sat beneath the tree, staring blankly at the deluge.
"No one can hear us over this."
"True enough."
Their topic was Joseph's two guard knights standing nearby. The rain had grown so heavy that the knights had taken shelter under a different tree just beside theirs.
With fat raindrops pounding like drums, even voices from right next to them were drowned out.
Those who usually monitored Joseph's every move couldn't help it in this moment.
"...Stuck and unable to move, yet this feels like the freest we've ever been. Funny."
Charlotte frowned slightly at Joseph's murmur.
He rarely showed his inner thoughts, so she often forgot just how dire his situation was.
That made her heart ache all the more whenever she remembered.
Joseph stared blankly at the raindrops pooling at his feet, then draped his purple cloak—slipped off unnoticed—over Charlotte's shoulders.
Her sweat-chilled body warmed instantly at the cozy wrap.
Charlotte opened one side of the large cloak to pull him in, but he shook his head, as if sitting pressed against her felt awkward.
Amused, she forcibly draped it over his shoulders and snuggled right up beside him.
"Hey, why are you so fussy about that? Martial artists don't care about gender—we strip down and change right in front of each other."
"...Who said that?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes at his incredulous tone.
"Anyway, think of how much I worry about your health. What if you catch a cold, huh? I'd be devastated."
Joseph's shoulders twitched uncomfortably at being pressed so close, but he didn't shrug off the cloak.
He just muttered, "Big sister, my foot," shaking his head as if to himself.
Whoosh.
The sudden downpour showed no signs of letting up soon.
Charlotte and Joseph sat shoulder to shoulder, sharing warmth as they watched it for a long while.
Unlike usual, it was Joseph who first broke the prolonged silence.
"Charlotte."
Without thinking, Charlotte turned to him.
Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, his face was very close.
Beautiful black eyes gazing right at her.
"Yeah?"
Joseph peered deep into her eyes before turning his gaze back to the rain-lashed clearing.
The motion was so natural, it was impossible to tell if he'd averted his eyes or just lost interest.
"Anyway, I had something to tell you before the tournament."
His oddly serious tone perked up Charlotte's ears.