The Seven Clans immediately pursued him. Knight Henton failed to escape and was captured by the Seven Clans' private soldiers and killed.
"Then..."
Klima's suffering began there. It was also the moment when Liene's confusion began to sprout.
“Did Prince Fernand escape? Or did he die with them?”
"I saw those who killed my father."
Black said he watched Henton die right before his eyes. Did Henton intend to flee with his family along with Prince Fernand? That's why he took his second son with him but was chased down by the Kleinfelter family's private soldiers and killed?
“I don’t know. I was home with my mother at the time.”
"Ah..."
It seemed that Knight Henton could not let his entire family escape, so he took only his youngest son.
“So. What happened next?”
“Klinefelter... came. And...”
The rebellion of the Seven Clans was secret. They carried out their work while the King was out hunting. They left the King's body to be devoured by wild beasts. No one knew that the King had not been bitten by a wolf, but had actually been stabbed to death. The King's guards had also died on the spot. Henton, who had survived until the end and had taken Prince Fernand away, became the enemy of the Seven Clans. Klima and his mother were supposed to die. However, for some reason, Linden Kleinfelter spared him. His mother, and Klima. Klima was actually hiding from the six other Clans except for Kleinfelter. In return, Kleinfelter used him as an errand boy who would do anything. In case Klima would not listen, Kleinfelter hid his mother in his house. She was a hostage and a collateral.
“It was a pitiful life.”
Liene quietly poured out her true feelings. That was the reason why Klima, who had killed thirteen people, did not seem like a villain. He had fallen into the hands of the villain before he became an adult, and had been forced to serve as the villain's hand and foot before he could properly understand what was right and what was wrong.
“I don’t want to punish a person like that, especially not someone named Henton.”
Henton is now as precious a name to Liene as Arsak.
“Well, then....”
A flash of anticipation passed through Klima's eyes.
“Oh, are you going to save my mother...?”
“Of course. It was the seven families that committed the wrongdoing. They should be punished.”
“..."
At those words, Klima shut his mouth. The anticipation in his eyes disappeared, replaced by conflict and confusion.
“You can trust me. I know your brother.”
"... Yes?"
“He is a very important person to me. His family is the same.”
Klima opened her mouth blankly.
“How... How...? My younger brother died that day...”
“No, he didn’t die. He came back to Nauk alive, not knowing that his family was still alive.”
Liene thought that he might cry again. He was holding his head as if he couldn't believe it, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Liene thought about hugging him affectionately and telling him to stop crying and instead go see his little brother with a happy smile on her face.
“My younger brother... died.”
But Klima didn't cry. He held his head to recall his memories.
“My father killed him. If my father were to let him live, he would die at the hands of the seven families. So my father will kill him with his own hands.”
“No... That’s not true. Your brother is alive. Alive and coming to me...”
“He dressed him in Prince Fernand’s clothes and stabbed him in the heart with a sword. He put the sword in my hand and told me to... make my face unrecognizable. My mother, unable to stop my father, fainted, and I... did as my father said and... killed my younger brother.”
Klima's hands were trembling. Liene, who was looking at him, was the same. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
“The face... the blood..."
When Linden Kleinfelter burst into the house of the knight Henton, he saw Klima crying, holding the body of a child of the same size, with a disfigured face, dressed in Prince Fernand's clothes. A bloody knife lay beside him. Klima was out of his mind. Linden Kleinfelter realized that he was half-broken. That's why he wanted to use his as an errand boy.
“Then... Then... The person who ran away...”
“It’s not my brother. My brother is dead.”
“Prince Fernand...”
Liene clenched her teeth. Otherwise, the sound of her jaw shaking would be so loud that she would go deaf.
"When I left Nauk, my name was Henton."
That's... That's what it meant. It was that he ran away as the second son of Knight Henton. So... That's why he was engaged to be married. When that man was a Prince.
"The person closest to home to me is the Princess."
That literally meant that she was in his house. The man wanted to come back. To where he belonged. Without destroying anything. So he said he would forget about revenge. What kind of feelings could he have had? Liene finally felt like she could completely understand Black.
“But... my thoughts will not change. Knight Henton saved Prince Fernand, so he is also my benefactor. I will treat you and Knight Henton’s wife as the family of my benefactor. Please let me do so.”
“...? Why is that?”
Klima asked as if it was very strange.
“Because Prince Fernand is my fiancé.”
“Uh, uh...?”
Klima's pupils were shaking like crazy. For no reason, Liene's heart felt uneasy along with it.
“Why is that?”
“Uh, why...? Why?”
“Lord Tiwakan was Prince Fernand. If he is not your brother, then that is certain...”
“The Princess is Arsak.”
“...?”
A strange shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps her heart had guessed it since Klima first mentioned the number 'seven'. Why seven families? Six families in Nauk would commit treason. Kleinfelter, Elaroiden, Burley, Circass, Armendarius, Rosadel. The number needed to be seven. The family that had gained the most from the rebellion. The family that would become the new rulers of Nauk. The Arsak family.
“Ah... Ah...Ahh!”
Liene understood why Klima was clutching his head. He wanted to stop his head from spinning like crazy. Liene grabbed his head with both hands and opened her mouth. A suffocating moan escaped her, but it sounded like a crazy roar in her head.
“Well, how should I take you to the castle...?”
It seemed as if he had given up on living as Klinefelter's errand boy. It was a relief, but he only thought about it and felt nothing.
“Why did that man propose to me?”
"... Yes yes?"
"I didn't want you to be taken away by someone else."
The answer came from Black in her head. Yes, she understands that now. From that man's perspective, it would be right to take it away. Nauk, her, and the power she has over her life were all originally that man's.
“Then why didn’t you just... propose? You could have just gotten married and taken the ruling power.”
"... Yes?"
Klima, bewildered, pointed at himself with hia finger and looked around. However, Liene had no intention of looking at him, no matter what he did.
“Why did you act like you wanted me... like that?”
"I wanted to find a house."
Maybe that was true. Maybe it was true that he forgot his revenge to return. He could have beaten Nauk to pieces at any time. But he didn't.
“Did you just want to come home and rest... Did you just want to stay like that..."
“...”
Klima listened silently, for he realized too late that Liene was not speaking to him.
“You didn’t lie to me... except for your name.”
The reason he lied about his name was the same as the reason he didn't lie about anything else.
“I guess the guy really didn’t want me to know.”
If he had told her his name... he knew that she would never trust him. She would have dragged the six families into the fight against Tiwakan, worrying about when that man would cut off her head. Even though she knew that it would be like releasing a poisonous snake in her front yard.
“Stay hidden like you have been. It won’t be long. If someone else gives you Klinefelter’s orders in the meantime, you don’t have to follow them.”
“Then, then... Then what happens to my mother...”
“I will take care of that. Once Mrs. Henton is safe, I will send word somehow. After that, I will leave the choice up to you. If you wish, you may leave Nauk, but if you wish to stay, I will give you a new identity and a new name. No one will know that your name is Henton.”
“But still... Is that okay? If I... If I were to do that too... I have many sins...”
“I will take responsibility for that sin. If it weren’t for the Arsak family, you wouldn’t have committed it in the first place.”
When Liene came to a conclusion, her head surprisingly started to roll calmly.
“Tell me the way back to the castle. I will go alone.”
“You need guidance. The road is dark and maze-like...”
“Is that so?”
Still, it was too risky to expose Klima so close to the castle.
“Tell me in detail so I can find it. That would be better. You have never received orders from Klinefelter, nor has he kidnapped me.”
“It’s dangerous if you get lost. This place...”
“That too is my part.”
As the old beggar said, Arsak's daughter may not shed blood. But instead, she will have to bear a great deal of sin. Liene walked back to the castle with a heavy face.
"Then..."
Klima's suffering began there. It was also the moment when Liene's confusion began to sprout.
“Did Prince Fernand escape? Or did he die with them?”
"I saw those who killed my father."
Black said he watched Henton die right before his eyes. Did Henton intend to flee with his family along with Prince Fernand? That's why he took his second son with him but was chased down by the Kleinfelter family's private soldiers and killed?
“I don’t know. I was home with my mother at the time.”
"Ah..."
It seemed that Knight Henton could not let his entire family escape, so he took only his youngest son.
“So. What happened next?”
“Klinefelter... came. And...”
The rebellion of the Seven Clans was secret. They carried out their work while the King was out hunting. They left the King's body to be devoured by wild beasts. No one knew that the King had not been bitten by a wolf, but had actually been stabbed to death. The King's guards had also died on the spot. Henton, who had survived until the end and had taken Prince Fernand away, became the enemy of the Seven Clans. Klima and his mother were supposed to die. However, for some reason, Linden Kleinfelter spared him. His mother, and Klima. Klima was actually hiding from the six other Clans except for Kleinfelter. In return, Kleinfelter used him as an errand boy who would do anything. In case Klima would not listen, Kleinfelter hid his mother in his house. She was a hostage and a collateral.
“It was a pitiful life.”
Liene quietly poured out her true feelings. That was the reason why Klima, who had killed thirteen people, did not seem like a villain. He had fallen into the hands of the villain before he became an adult, and had been forced to serve as the villain's hand and foot before he could properly understand what was right and what was wrong.
“I don’t want to punish a person like that, especially not someone named Henton.”
Henton is now as precious a name to Liene as Arsak.
“Well, then....”
A flash of anticipation passed through Klima's eyes.
“Oh, are you going to save my mother...?”
“Of course. It was the seven families that committed the wrongdoing. They should be punished.”
“..."
At those words, Klima shut his mouth. The anticipation in his eyes disappeared, replaced by conflict and confusion.
“You can trust me. I know your brother.”
"... Yes?"
“He is a very important person to me. His family is the same.”
Klima opened her mouth blankly.
“How... How...? My younger brother died that day...”
“No, he didn’t die. He came back to Nauk alive, not knowing that his family was still alive.”
Liene thought that he might cry again. He was holding his head as if he couldn't believe it, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Liene thought about hugging him affectionately and telling him to stop crying and instead go see his little brother with a happy smile on her face.
“My younger brother... died.”
But Klima didn't cry. He held his head to recall his memories.
“My father killed him. If my father were to let him live, he would die at the hands of the seven families. So my father will kill him with his own hands.”
“No... That’s not true. Your brother is alive. Alive and coming to me...”
“He dressed him in Prince Fernand’s clothes and stabbed him in the heart with a sword. He put the sword in my hand and told me to... make my face unrecognizable. My mother, unable to stop my father, fainted, and I... did as my father said and... killed my younger brother.”
Klima's hands were trembling. Liene, who was looking at him, was the same. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
“The face... the blood..."
When Linden Kleinfelter burst into the house of the knight Henton, he saw Klima crying, holding the body of a child of the same size, with a disfigured face, dressed in Prince Fernand's clothes. A bloody knife lay beside him. Klima was out of his mind. Linden Kleinfelter realized that he was half-broken. That's why he wanted to use his as an errand boy.
“Then... Then... The person who ran away...”
“It’s not my brother. My brother is dead.”
“Prince Fernand...”
Liene clenched her teeth. Otherwise, the sound of her jaw shaking would be so loud that she would go deaf.
"When I left Nauk, my name was Henton."
That's... That's what it meant. It was that he ran away as the second son of Knight Henton. So... That's why he was engaged to be married. When that man was a Prince.
"The person closest to home to me is the Princess."
That literally meant that she was in his house. The man wanted to come back. To where he belonged. Without destroying anything. So he said he would forget about revenge. What kind of feelings could he have had? Liene finally felt like she could completely understand Black.
“But... my thoughts will not change. Knight Henton saved Prince Fernand, so he is also my benefactor. I will treat you and Knight Henton’s wife as the family of my benefactor. Please let me do so.”
“...? Why is that?”
Klima asked as if it was very strange.
“Because Prince Fernand is my fiancé.”
“Uh, uh...?”
Klima's pupils were shaking like crazy. For no reason, Liene's heart felt uneasy along with it.
“Why is that?”
“Uh, why...? Why?”
“Lord Tiwakan was Prince Fernand. If he is not your brother, then that is certain...”
“The Princess is Arsak.”
“...?”
A strange shiver ran down her spine. Perhaps her heart had guessed it since Klima first mentioned the number 'seven'. Why seven families? Six families in Nauk would commit treason. Kleinfelter, Elaroiden, Burley, Circass, Armendarius, Rosadel. The number needed to be seven. The family that had gained the most from the rebellion. The family that would become the new rulers of Nauk. The Arsak family.
“Ah... Ah...Ahh!”
Liene understood why Klima was clutching his head. He wanted to stop his head from spinning like crazy. Liene grabbed his head with both hands and opened her mouth. A suffocating moan escaped her, but it sounded like a crazy roar in her head.
It was me. That man’s enemy. It was me. Not someone else. It was me. The one that man had to kill. It was me...
“...”
Liene blinked. It was impossible to guess what time it was in the dark and dry place.
“You’re awake.”
He heard Klima's voice and realized that she had lost consciousness again.
“...”
“I didn’t know what to do... so I just stayed...”
Klima’s voice, crawling in slowly, made her recall the conversation they had been having in an instant.
***
“...”
Liene blinked. It was impossible to guess what time it was in the dark and dry place.
“You’re awake.”
He heard Klima's voice and realized that she had lost consciousness again.
“...”
“I didn’t know what to do... so I just stayed...”
Klima’s voice, crawling in slowly, made her recall the conversation they had been having in an instant.
Fernand. Fernand Gainers. That’s the man’s name. So what should I do now...
As Liene continued to remain silent, Klima fidgeted and clenched and unclenched his fists. It seemed that the tears had stopped now.
“Well, how should I take you to the castle...?”
It seemed as if he had given up on living as Klinefelter's errand boy. It was a relief, but he only thought about it and felt nothing.
“Why did that man propose to me?”
"... Yes yes?"
"I didn't want you to be taken away by someone else."
The answer came from Black in her head. Yes, she understands that now. From that man's perspective, it would be right to take it away. Nauk, her, and the power she has over her life were all originally that man's.
“Then why didn’t you just... propose? You could have just gotten married and taken the ruling power.”
"... Yes?"
Klima, bewildered, pointed at himself with hia finger and looked around. However, Liene had no intention of looking at him, no matter what he did.
“Why did you act like you wanted me... like that?”
"I wanted to find a house."
Maybe that was true. Maybe it was true that he forgot his revenge to return. He could have beaten Nauk to pieces at any time. But he didn't.
“Did you just want to come home and rest... Did you just want to stay like that..."
“...”
Klima listened silently, for he realized too late that Liene was not speaking to him.
“You didn’t lie to me... except for your name.”
The reason he lied about his name was the same as the reason he didn't lie about anything else.
“I guess the guy really didn’t want me to know.”
If he had told her his name... he knew that she would never trust him. She would have dragged the six families into the fight against Tiwakan, worrying about when that man would cut off her head. Even though she knew that it would be like releasing a poisonous snake in her front yard.
Yes. That’s why he did it. Then it all makes sense. Maybe it’s true that he wants her, that she's precious to him, and that he’s going to do his best to protect her. Yes, that’s true...
“I will return to the castle.”
Liene sat up. It seemed like a lie that she had no energy just a moment ago. Liene got up on her own feet and looked down at Klima, who was crouching on the floor.
“Everything I said was true. I have no intention of punishing you for your sins.”
He didn’t deserve it. To the Arsak bloodline that killed the King of the Gainers family and took Prince Fernand’s crown...
“I will return to the castle.”
Liene sat up. It seemed like a lie that she had no energy just a moment ago. Liene got up on her own feet and looked down at Klima, who was crouching on the floor.
“Everything I said was true. I have no intention of punishing you for your sins.”
He didn’t deserve it. To the Arsak bloodline that killed the King of the Gainers family and took Prince Fernand’s crown...
Now that she thinks about it, there was another person who lied. There was another person who said Black’s name was Henton. It was an old beggar in front of the temple. That person also knew something. But he must have lied. For Prince Fernand.
Liene smiled bitterly. At first, he was going to tell her the truth. But if he changed his mind in the middle, that must mean that man intervened. This kind of thing will continue to happen. As long as there is something to hide, small lies to hide it will continue to happen. Liene was like that too. She had to keep lying to that man. Maybe that man and she will live like that for the rest of their lives...
Liene was determined to keep Black’s secret. It wasn’t because she was afraid of the reactions of the six families who found out about Prince Fernand’s return. If he wants it. She’ll be deceived for the rest of her life. If that’s the only way to maintain their relationship.
“Stay hidden like you have been. It won’t be long. If someone else gives you Klinefelter’s orders in the meantime, you don’t have to follow them.”
“Then, then... Then what happens to my mother...”
“I will take care of that. Once Mrs. Henton is safe, I will send word somehow. After that, I will leave the choice up to you. If you wish, you may leave Nauk, but if you wish to stay, I will give you a new identity and a new name. No one will know that your name is Henton.”
“But still... Is that okay? If I... If I were to do that too... I have many sins...”
“I will take responsibility for that sin. If it weren’t for the Arsak family, you wouldn’t have committed it in the first place.”
When Liene came to a conclusion, her head surprisingly started to roll calmly.
“Tell me the way back to the castle. I will go alone.”
“You need guidance. The road is dark and maze-like...”
“Is that so?”
Still, it was too risky to expose Klima so close to the castle.
“Tell me in detail so I can find it. That would be better. You have never received orders from Klinefelter, nor has he kidnapped me.”
“It’s dangerous if you get lost. This place...”
“That too is my part.”
As the old beggar said, Arsak's daughter may not shed blood. But instead, she will have to bear a great deal of sin. Liene walked back to the castle with a heavy face.
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