Chapter 72

Chapter 72

It was an uneventful encounter.
– Choose from these.
One day, a servant was assigned to Ainoa. The prince graciously gave him the final say, but it didn’t mean much. The four candidates all had a ‘let’s’.
The scion of a high noble with a nasty reputation. A second daughter from somewhere who lost her left arm in an accident. An illegitimate son of a famous socialite. Or, for example, the unidentified Tarbes.
They were unfit to fulfill the duties of royalty. The servant’s shame is the master’s shame. Their flaws, which are looked down upon in aristocratic society, give them an excuse to attack Ainoa.
At the time, Ainoa smiled gratefully and thought to herself.
“Are you still uneasy, brother?
She was similar then as she is now. She was content with what she had and not greedy. There was no direct check on whether her sister knew her math or cared about the attention.
Instead, the prince touched his surroundings. At a time when he should have been forging friendships and cliques with those born and raised in noble families, he kept the flawed ones at his side.
Of the options, Ainoa chose the one that stood out the most. He didn’t have a clear intention, but in hindsight, it could have been an expression of rebellion.
Tabes are rare in castles.
Tabeth cannot be a full noble. At best, a quasi-baron. Ainoa wondered why, but the world was full of things that happened for no reason.
‘It’s ridiculous, an outcast race living in these polar regions, discriminating against each other.
In the past, anything seemed insignificant. Maybe it was a self-defense mechanism, a way of growing up marginalized by your own family and gossiped about behind your back by the nobility.
At least Ainoa didn’t discriminate against Taves, and after sharing so much time together, she and Cessa became best friends. Quite naturally.
That was all we had, but it was enough.
“Ah, Ainoa.”
“Yes, Cessa.”
“Are you hurt anywhere? Did they do anything unruly?”
“Isn’t it Sessa who’s the one who’s been roughed up?”
Cessa was being held in a dingy warehouse at the lab. Her limbs were still bound, and they had just removed her eye patch. Ainoa was treated differently.
“Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m the one who went on a rampage.”
“Well, you can tell by looking at this….”
The wall near where Cessa leaned was a mess. Bread crumbs and drink spills, which she no longer cleans up because she struggles whenever I give her food.
“Anyway, I’m fine, look, I’m fine, right?”
“In that case… I’m glad to hear it, but….”
“More than that, Cessa, I need to tell you something.”
Ainoa knelt neatly in front of Sessa. She didn’t mind the soiled hem of her skirt. She had long since realized that the etiquette she had been taught was a mere formality.
“I’ve been to Bastitera.”
“……?”
“I didn’t get to go to Wangseong because I had a rough time, and that’s when it really hit me, because not too long ago I thought I was going to get married, live a decent life, and then go, but the process of getting there is so unreal, so far away.”
I can still feel it now. He still doesn’t understand how he survived, and his hands shake just thinking about it.
“It’s funny, but it made me reflect.”
Ironically, life seemed closer to me when I was at death’s door. The sensation of breathing, of moving my hands and feet, of touching others, was clearer than ever.
Most of all, I learned a lot about myself.
“I was greedier than I thought I was.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There are a lot of things I’ve never done in my life. I’ve never had a friend I could confide in except you, I’ve never been with a man in private, and I’ve never slapped my brother.”
Ainoa’s lips twitched in a paroxysm.
“And yet you want me dead.”
I was able to observe the reaction.
Dilated pupils, mouths gaping open, breathing momentarily out of rhythm. Changes that you can somehow wrap your head around. Things too insignificant to attach meaning to.
But just one thing.
There was no excuse for the gaze. Sessa’s ultramarine blue eyes locked onto Ainoa’s earlobe. She’d prepared herself, but the realization made her dizzy.
Ironclad.
The sound of a hammer being pulled made Ainoa jump to her feet. With a gloved hand, Kim handed her the gun. The feel of the hard grip against her palm was unnerving.
Suddenly, I was curious.
“I wonder how many people this guy has killed.
I know. Kim isn’t actually a cruel person. She’s just a little more determined and honest about her desire to live.
What and how much she sacrificed to get to this point. The distance between her and Kim seemed to grow painfully clear. Ainoa was just about to take the first step.
“…You’re not, are you?”
Trembling eyes looked up at Ainoa. Sessa took in the sight of the missing earrings and the gun.
“Oh, no, no, no, you’re mistaken, you’re being deceived by that torpedo boat, aren’t you, how could I possibly want to harm you!”
Her upper body jerked and she fell forward. Unable to steady herself, Sessa crawled to the ground. Her face rested on Ainoa’s instep.
Their gazes met. Ainoa’s sea-blue eyes were glowing. There was no trace of the tears that had threatened to fall a moment ago.
Someone else.
It was so strange that for a moment I thought I was mistaken. The princess must have been something like that: warm-hearted, surprisingly clingy, intelligent, but living like a fool.
Noticing the change, Sessa stopped moving. Appealing to Chung wouldn’t work, she thought for a long moment, then snorted.
There was no turning back. Ainoa has proven itself in its own way, and Sesa didn’t pass the test. It’s not a situation we can take lightly.
If so, it’s only fair to be equally honest.
“You’re betraying me after all.”
“……Now, what did you say?”
“Even the noble princess turns ugly in a hurry. How could she be so eager to live that she would flirt with a man, even Minos.”
Kick,” he mocked.
“It’s a noble life, Hagi, and you should be a courtesan, for what other way can you help them?”
“Sesa……!”
“You pretend to be all smiles and indifferent to the world, and now you’re showing your true colors. I’ve always had a hard time understanding you. With a position like that, what’s your problem?”
Sessa growled.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have lived like you, and if I didn’t like the prince, I’d have confronted him for once! I wouldn’t have paid lip service to Taves, pretended to be a saint, and acted like a saint. Did you think that was going to comfort me?”
Blood sprouted from his puffy eyeballs.
Ainoa took an involuntary step backward. It was the first harsh look I’d ever seen on the face of someone I’d known for more than five years.
“If you really cared about me, you had to do something.”
After hearing the verbal assault, Kim said, “I see.”
“I’ve got the context.
I hadn’t realized that the princess’s maid had been involved in the assassination. In the game, Cessa is only mentioned in passing. By the time the civil war breaks out, she’s long gone.
‘I’m sure he’s been bribed with the promise of a position in Taves or something.’
And as soon as I was done, it was done. It’s a predictable ending. Maybe he was someone’s mole all along, but that’s not the point.
I’m more upset about the misunderstanding.
I can’t believe I’m being treated like a despicable piece of garbage for something I didn’t even think about. I don’t see a single reason to be accused of anything other than kidnapping…….
I was grumbling to myself.
“…… Prefecture.”
Ainoa held the gun out again. Kim swallowed a sigh and took the gun back.
“Why, can’t you?”
“No, let me be more clear.”
Without missing a beat, she added.
“Give me that.”
All eyes were on Kim’s hip dance. Chelsea and Karam had brought their blades with them. A light-hearted item they brought to help set the mood.
Kim handed it over, scabbard and all, without a word. Ainoa took it, drew her blade, and looked down at Sessa, who was still crouched, and caught her breath.
I didn’t have to rush it, and I shouldn’t have. I would be killing my only friend with my own hands. The meaning of execution is diminished when you force it.
Soon enough, the knife came down.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Blood poured out.
“Eek, eek, eek…!”
The head hasn’t fallen off yet. Beheading a head is not simple. Ainoa, a Pekatum, was stronger than most, but that was also true of Sessa.
Once again, the knife falls.
Her cervical spine was severed and her throat was rattling. Sessa’s voice was muffled. Ainoa strained to keep the tip of her blade steady.
They wanted to take one less swing, for each other’s sake. She would not forget this day until the day she died. If she forgot, she would have nightmares and sleepless nights.
Four times. The number of times Ainoa had slit her best friend’s throat.
“Ha, ha, ha.”
Sessa was speechless.
I’ve become speechless.
The separated bodies were drenched in blood. Ainoa’s sleeves, legs, and face were streaked with it.
His skin was hot, as if on fire, but his fingertips were cold. He felt cold, and his mind was racing, unsure of his senses.
Her eyes squeezed shut, then opened, and she turned her head.
“That would have been…satisfactory.”
“I’m sorry for the second, but you didn’t have to do this.”
“You don’t know me and Cessa’s relationship, you don’t care, it’s someone else’s business, so I showed my own sincerity and determination.”
He turns to face Kim, sword dangling. His eyes like the sea, calm after a storm.
“Now I need you to help me.”
* * *
Kushan wrinkled his brow at the report.
“So it happened.”
“I’m a little confused. I don’t know if I’ve come to my senses, or if the screws have come out the other way.”
“You’ll have to keep an eye on it, and I don’t blame you, but it’s clear that Princess Ainoa is under your influence. We don’t want her to end up like you.”
“I get what you’re saying, but it’s weirdly offensive.”
It was not an after-the-fact report. Upon returning to the lab, Kim informed Kushan of the events in Bastitera and the presence of the traitor. Though she kept some things under wraps.
Consent was sought for the execution. We are working together in the form of a business agreement. I couldn’t just walk out the door because I was being provided with all sorts of amenities.
“Couldn’t we have gotten more information out of them?”
“…I’ve been wondering lately, what the hell do you think we are, a criminal enterprise masquerading as a research center?”
“All of a sudden, you sound like a fat ass.”
“Even if you were a spy, you wouldn’t be capable of torture. It’s against the Rap’s ideology. At least be careful with your jokes in front of Leila.”
The execution itself would be better left unsaid,” Kushan muttered.
“I see.”
Kim readily admits it. As it turns out, the more experience she gained, the harsher her mindset became. The balance between ethics and efficiency has become skewed.
I almost admire the characters in rap for always staying in line. It’s something I’ll have to work on, whether it’s through advice from others or self-reflection.
“If I had just come clean, that would have been a problem.”
Imagine her bursting into tears in remorse and grabbing for her pants, it would have been a pain in the ass to deal with. It’s likely that Ainoa was feeling weak, too.
It’s better to block unexpected laundry attempts in advance.
“The situation in Bastiterra has been closely monitored by my side. While there is no confirmation that the Legion is involved… it is clear that the situation is on the verge of exploding. The radical mountain factions are calling for bloody revenge, while the conservative plains factions are calling on the crown to get to the bottom of it.”
Kushan pressed his temples in pain.
“There’s even talk of suppressing Taves, claiming that the princess’s maid who disappeared with her is the culprit. The commoners must be brought down as slaves.”
“This sucks.”
“Yeah, it sucks. I doubt we’re even a nation of intellectuals, no matter how black it is. I suppose that means there’s a lot of pent-up frustration…….”
He sighed and opened his floundering eyes.
“So far, so good.”
“I feel like I’m in the dark.”
“That’s what it feels like, isn’t it?”
He chuckles softly. He’s seen her face so many times, and now she’s been so wary of him that she’s been cracking jokes.
But the playfulness quickly faded.
“We’re going to have to agree to disagree. I want to make sure I understand the picture you’re painting, because there’s going to be some things that don’t work for us.”
“…….”
“What are you going to do with Princess Ainoa?”
The sincere question conveyed a sense of long-suffering. So much for unconditional cooperation. We need to revise the plan to take into account the direction of the lab.
Kim began his story slowly.
In between, Kushan admired, pointed out, and expressed embarrassment. In the process, Kim felt a fresh emotion.
“Have I ever done this before?
Have you ever explained a plan in detail to someone else? The role of reflection was always yours. If it felt like a burden, she didn’t complain.
I decided that in order to achieve my goals without falling short, I had to think for myself. No matter how much we talk about it, our goals will never be perfectly aligned.
But it wasn’t a bad feeling when I finally did it.
After a long conversation, Kushan clicked his tongue.
“You’re crazy.”
“Why are you concluding that?”
“I still don’t understand your nature. You seem to be a bit of a pushover for anyone who isn’t your own, but then again, you seem to be heartless in your treatment of Princess Ainoa.”
“Not when I ordered you to kill Sessa?”
“They’re stricter because they think they need to be, and I get that.”
Kim swallowed the astringent taste in her mouth. When they’d first met, she’d acted like she knew him. But now she was being observed.
“But I have a fundamental question: what do you get out of saving Bastitera?”
There’s no benefit, he said, and slapped me on the jaw.
“No, come to think of it, neither did we before. We’ve gotten a lot out of working together, but I don’t know what you’ve gotten out of it.”
“Then give me a dime.”
This time, Kushan’s face was flushed. Kim Yi Hyun’s mouth watered.
“What’s so hard about that?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I’d left him alone, he’d have been sent to Bastitera anyway. I would have been in a lot more trouble then than I am now. I’m just making it easier on myself.”
I said as I got up from the couch.
“It’s gross when someone you know dies.”
My life is precious. As I live, the lives of others become precious as well. Keeping them alive as much as possible will make the next episode easier. It’s all about survival.
Of course, even with the best planning, there are risks. Unless you’re a genius, you can only predict so much. The unexpected can happen at any time.
But now you have a reliable insurance policy.
“…Now that I see it.”
As I was about to leave the room, Kushan asked.
“Do you tend to wear gloves indoors?”
Kim wore nondescript gloves on both hands. He stared at the back of my hand for a moment, then pointed his index finger at the ceiling heater.
“It’s almost winter, turn up the heat.”
“That, hmmm. No electricity to waste.”
“Don’t give me a work-life balance. You’re just trying to make a living.”
“Are the agents uncomfortable?”
“Uh, she’s going to search every time she gets out of the shower.”
“I’ll take …….”