EIITAB - Chapter 25 < What I Can Give To Him >
Even If It Is Trampled And Broken
Hestia decided to leave her end to Aslan.
'Because that's the only atonement I can make.'
Aslan knew that the deaths of the people of Kalathi during the Great Slaughter were all due to an oracle given by Hestia.
Hestia took a small, trembling breath.
'That's right. The fact that I couldn't stop it... Because it can never change.'
Hestia tried to swallow her bitterness, but it was not easy.
'I was a coward.'
He could not properly refuse or accept
Aslan's request and simply ran away.
[Wait. Because I will definitely kill you too.]
As if it had deeply wounded her soul, she never forgot those words even for a moment.
'If that's what Aslan wants!'
She said that perhaps it was the most valuable thing she could give him.
Hestia did not avoid Aslan's gaze, which was focused on her as if he was reflecting on his resolve. She could see her reflection in his golden eyes. But it was so small that he had no idea what expression it was looking at.
'Well, what does that have to do with anything?'
Even Aslan wouldn't make any sense. Rather, the more miserable she is, the happier he will be. Since he has no reason to feel sympathy for her, he might actually welcome it if she tells him that she will die obediently.
So, Hestia thought that in order to persuade him, it was important to make him as hard as possible.
"If the Duke marries me, you won't suffer any loss."
Hestia calmly opened her mouth.
"I promise. I will not bind you to anything."
However, the first condition does not seem to satisfy Young Aslan.
"It's redemption...."
Her face looked as if she could stop herself. Undaunted, Hestia continued her story by repeatedly stating her conditions. She said,
"If you just marry me, I will live as if I were dead. So much so that you forgot we were married."
"If you don't get married in the first place, there's no point in forgetting that you're married, right?"
"That... That is correct."
Hestia swallowed her sigh and reluctantly nodded her head.
"But really, I won't interfere with anything, and I don't mind if you hug another woman.""
"What?"
Aslan's eyes became fierce.
"Just take me to the North and give me a quiet outhouse."
Aslan, who was leaning lazily with his arms crossed, thinking to see how far she would go, made a tsk sound and clicked his tongue. His face showed a strong annoyance that could not be compared to before.
"Whoa... Let's listen, let's listen...."
Hestia, who had been watching Aslan keenly as he spoke, thought that the patience he was showing towards her would soon run out. So she
spoke a little faster.
"And I will be more useful than the Duke thinks."
"Useful...how?"
Aslan chuckled, thinking that he would like to hear the story of what happened. He began to examine Hestia in front of him with narrowed eyes. It's like checking the condition of an item and assessing its price. It was a merciless look.
His gaze was so cool and cold that Hestia had to bite the delicate flesh in her mouth without even realizing it. Just keeping her chin upright to keep her gaze from lowering and her head down. It was the only thing she could do in this overwhelming atmosphere surrounding her.
Aslan slowly opened his lips and spoke.
"A Princess who has disgraced the royal family, a Saintess who will soon be excommunicated."
He didn't raise his voice even once. It simply listed the situations Hestia found herself in. She thought it was okay, but when Hestia heard those words, it felt as if Aslan was randomly piercing her insides with an awl.
Aslan slowly but accurately stabbed her in the heart.
"Say it. What is useful about you?"
There is nothing wrong with any of them. Hestia also swallowed a fit of laughter as she was shocked at her situation of not being able to do anything on her own. Hestia eventually took out her remaining card. In the end, the only thing she had of any use was money.
"I will give you all the income have from the Southern Plains."
At that moment, as Hestia expected, Aslan's face showed a surprised expression.
"It's my personal property. So I can dispose of it however I want."
It would be a difficult offer for Aslan to refuse.
'Because the North is always short of food.'
It has been 13 years since winter began. Since sprouts do not sprout in the frozen ground, the people of Kalathi were always short of food. Therefore, if a stable supply of crops from the Great Plains could be provided, the situation of northerners would definitely improve.
Aslan also pondered, perhaps because of that, with a slightly different reaction than before.
"As long as you get married, I will hand over the Great Plains right away. So that there will be no problems even after my death."
Aslan wrinkled his face. It was true that it was tempting, but the conditions were so one-sidedly favorable to him that his suspicions grew.
"I knew well that you didn't know anything about the world."
He straightened his posture. He wasn't planning on taking the bait Hestia threw right away.
"What do you get for giving me all those conveniences?"
"What I get is..."
Hestia swallowed her dry saliva. She paused for a moment and then opened her mouth in an uncertain tone.
"I'm free."
"What? Freedom?"
Cold words flowed from between Asian's lips.
"Does a woman like you have the right to enjoy freedom?"
Hestia asked back with her expression on her face.
"Were the things you said to me a lie?"
"What did I say to the Princess?"
"You told me so. When there comes a time when you want to quit everything... Come to Kalathi."
Aslan looked as if he had been hit. He had never even dreamed she would remember those words. Hestia continued speaking calmly.
"Now is the time. When I wanted to quit everything."
Sweat was seeping out and she grabbed the hem of her dress tightly. Her heart tightened at the thought that he might have already forgotten. However, contrary to Hestia's earnest expectations, Aslan's mood suddenly became harsh. The golden eyes glaring at Hestia were as sharp as her hawk's claws.
"Six years ago. Do you really not know what happened to the North during the Great Patriotic War because of that famous oracle of yours?"
Her face immediately became blurred.
"Duke... That..."
"And yet you dare want to come to the North?"
Aslan burst into laughter.
"You have no shame. It's amazing."
Now that he was older, he knew too. In his younger days, his own request was one-sided and she was bound to be in quite a bit of trouble.
'I was overly
intoxicated with negative emotions. However, his mind, which had already taken a crooked path, had no intention of turning back in the right direction. The emotions that had spread so uncontrollably had now reached a point of no return. So the words came out sharply, contrary to reason.
Silence fell between the two again.
Hestia's heart sank. It was well expected that persuading him would not be easy.
However, she was devastated by the thought that her existence was truly terrible to him, nothing more or less. There's still the last move left. If Aslan refuses even that...
It would be better to give up then.
"Then how about this?"
With Hestia holding her breath, she spoke the last words he had prepared.
"... I will die by your hands."
At that moment, Aslan's pupils shook.
"What... Are you crazy?"
His voice was hoarse. He couldn't understand why Hestia said that, so he had no choice but to ask back, even though he knew it would make him look like a fool.
"Are you going to die?"
Hestia looked at Aslan's confused face for a moment and then sighed. She thought he was reacting this way because he didn't believe her.
"Yes, in your hand."
So she kindly put the suggestion into her mouth one more time.
Aslan's lips twisted. His jaw became firm again as if he was clenching his teeth strongly.
Feeling distraught, he took a deep breath and breathed it out repeatedly. Each time, his chest swelled and puffed menacingly. But his heart did not calm down at all.
In the end, Aslan suppressed his rising anger with reason and opened his mouth.
"Are you willing to die by my hands?"
That was the end of Aslan's patience. He burst into wild laughter as if he couldn't bear it any longer. Aslan, who was shaking his head, narrowed his eyes and looked at Hestia.
Was gold such a cold color?
Feeling as if she was suffocating from Aslan's ferocious energy, Hestia swallowed her dry saliva. He spit out the words as if he were chewing, his eyes shining with an extremely cold look.
"Wow, you are very kind."
"Duke Kalathi..."
"Hey, Princess."
Aslan interrupted Hestia mid-sentence.
"I am Aslan Kalathi. Do you think that because I couldn't kill a woman, I left her alone until now?"
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