Chapter 33

Knock.

Kyle didn't answer the short, clear knock. I counted to three to myself and stepped into the study. He sat on the sofa in the same position as before, as if he was contemplating something for a long time. The silence that engulfed the room seemed to represent his loneliness. I walked near Kyle and managed to pull my dry lips away.

"What are you worried about?" "...I said I would kill him." "To whom?" "To my brother."

Brothers. I chewed the word in my mouth. Kyle, Belial, and Lorenz had been together in the imperial palace when they were children. Of course, it couldn't be said that they were on good terms at that time, but it was all an adult situation, not that they truly resented and hated each other. I'm sure they would have crossed swords with each other and blessed their birthdays.

But I'm going to kill you.

When did he say that? And how much had young Kyle's heart been crushed before he said that. Even if I didn't know the story, I thought that maybe he had been driven to the North because of that word. Jane's Kyle, the child of a concubine, would have been a thorn in the side of the people in the imperial court.

I sat down next to Kyle, staring at his face. His shadow was a mixture of regret and remorse.

"At first, I wanted to survive. I wanted to prove with my whole body that things don't always go the way they want. And I wanted to protest. Just because you want to get rid of it like that doesn't mean that all lives will be taken away. So I survived, survived, survived..."

There was no word more tiresome to him than survival. Human beings don't just have to breathe. When the time comes, they need food to eat, and when the sun goes down, they need a place to lie down. When your body temperature drops, you need to wear more clothes, and you need money to make it all possible.

Ok. It was.

The reason why I was inspired by Kyle in . Because his life in the North resembled mine.

"..."

I couldn't say anything. I felt like no words could fathom the depth of sadness in his voice. However, I could only vaguely understand that he had endured all this time and that it was a chilly and rugged time that could not be compared to the cold of the North.

"...But revenge isn't everything. It took me a long time to realize. Revenge doesn't make me happy. I will not forgive Duke Klein's men until the day I die, but I do not intend to devote my whole life to that vengeance."

Kyle was looking at me before I knew it. Those unwavering red eyes stuck deeper into my mind than ever.

"...Why?"

The voice he managed to squeeze out was terrible. The ends were a little cracked and looked ugly to me. However, I couldn't help but ask. Kyle's purpose, as the system told him, was clearly revenge. And even if he lived only for that purpose, no one could point a finger at him.

"I have something to love. I wanted to protect it."

Kyle's voice was sweet as he said that. His eyes were on me, and I wanted to keep it a secret that it felt like he was saying something to me. I rubbed the nape of my neck and leaned toward the armrest of the sofa.

"But sometimes, I wonder if my mother's death would still be sad and unjust if I stopped taking revenge because of it."

His voice was not wet, which made him feel even sadder. I raised my head like a man on fire, and reflexively opened my mouth.

"No, I don't! You... say you did a good job."

However, the words could not be continued. Kyle leaned toward me, wrapped one arm around my waist, and pulled me toward him. I pursed my lips a few times, then muttered the rest of my words as I listened to his breathing.

"What do parents want? Your children will live happily. Oh, I'm glad I was born, and I survived..."

I frowned and kept my mouth shut. It was because I could faintly remember the faces of my parents, who I couldn't even remember anymore. What did my eyes and nose look like, how did I look when I smiled, and what was my voice like when I called my name? I can't even draw it anymore, but I can still understand it. He would have wanted me to live happily. Instead of being exploited at my uncle's house. Instead of accepting death in vain, he would have wanted to live in a kinder and gentler world.

Kyle, in a world where there are people like you.

I reached out and hugged him. Then he pulled me around the waist and hugged me.

"You'll say it's amazing. You would say that I gave up well. He will bury the departed in his heart, and he will tell me to laugh more tomorrow than today." "Curiously. If you say that, I don't know if you really are."

I don't know if it was empty or sincere, but somehow I felt comforted by it. I let out a laughing breath and patted him a few times. She pulled her upper body out of his arms to get out of his arms. In fact, I was suffocated from earlier. What kind of power is so strong?

"...Hey."

But no matter how much he pulled his upper body out, his waist was firmly in his arms. I sighed as I looked at his eyes as he pretended to be perfect and had no intention of letting me go. After all, there's still some time left to 'load'.

"If you don't want to let go, answer me more. Was revenge like rebellion?" "Yes. My mother was actually the one who would become Serena. However, the current Serena, Prince Klein, was falsely accused and unjustly expelled. He roamed the cold back alleys and raised me by himself. Until she dies and I enter the Imperial Palace, it continues."

"...Don't you want to have the throne? First of all, there is a cause." "I'd be lying if I didn't mean to. But not now. I want them to take care of the throne by themselves."

Kyle spoke softly, then quietly added.

"This is my hometown."

I could understand that even if I didn't hear it in words. How much he cares about this place and its people. As an outsider, I was so tired that I could understand it even if I stayed for a while. It was the same in the original . Even though the land is covered with sheer cliffs and snow, the happy faces of the people living here are better than those of the imperial city.

'...Why, then?'

Why did the flow of the original work flow into the crime of treason? Kyle would have given up on the rebellion and just wanted to live in peace with the people.

Is this also a trap set by Belial or Lorenz? One of them had a headache, but now that they are two, there is no more to do about it. Anyway, if you keep an eye on it, something will come out. We won't even see each other for a while.

After I finished my own arrangements, I looked up at Kyle. Then I put my hand on his shoulder and patted him lightly.

"Then, let's grow that hometown a little more. Right now, Blake is relying too much on His Highness." "...I can't tell you otherwise." "There is little traffic and supplies are blocked, so I honestly wonder how they grew up to this extent. I think he solved it all by himself." "...Hmm." "Anyway, even though it's a barren land where it's hard to eat and live, it's too isolated. If His Highness is away for a long time, this land may be in danger." "I suppose so."

Kyle listened to me quite seriously. And before I knew it, I was vomiting and gesturing hard in his arms.

"It may not be possible to achieve it overnight, but it is to open it slowly. I don't want to be politically isolated. It's the same economically."

To do that, allies. You have to have allies. Kyle is capable, but he has a strong single-minded temperament. Of course, there is a bond with the people of the North, but it is literally limited to the North.

"I didn't see him get along well with the nobles outside the estate."

In that case, they are easily cornered.

Fortunately, Kyle nodded. As if to talk more, he listened to my story without saying anything.

"And you need to find out who attacked His Highness Belial. I don't think it's His Highness's ally. You should avoid being hit in the back of the head while holding hands without knowing anything."

"Didn't they say that the enemy of the enemy is an ally?" "Maybe not." "Is there a point?" "...Let me see. It's a magical secret."

I finally escaped from his arms. Kyle still looked at me with a skeptical expression, but now he could casually let it go.

"Strangely around." "I thought you were going to turn a blind eye."

I thought about the five minutes that appeared in the system window and prepared to go back. Kyle's eyes once, and the hamster house's notice once.

And he added one last request.

"You must find out." "I will." "Okay. Enough, then..." "Where do you go every time you disappear like that? I couldn't see anything in the castle." "Don't try to know. It hurts."

I didn't have anything to say, so I just looked around again. At this point, Kyle is almost curious. My identity is unclear, and I don't know why they keep me near me when I haven't really told them anything.

Is it faith in Youngjimin? Or, because I really care...

"...What are you thinking?"

I shook my head and hurried to my room. Everything I used to spin the wheel helps. Still, I feel like my feet are faster than before.