Fabiana's army, struggling to breach the thick and sturdy castle gates, had to find another way.
As a last resort, they attempted to climb the walls, but they were repeatedly pushed back by catapults, arrows, boiling oil, and resistance pouring down from all sides. It was enough to make the commander grind his teeth.
The walls showed no signs of collapsing. On the contrary, the spirit of the people inside was fiercer than the snowflakes and burned with intense passion.
"Return, Lady Odelia! Otherwise, the gates will never open!"
A shout akin to a cheer erupted from the top of the castle.
Amidst the blizzard, the voices of the people on the walls echoed with a fierce solemnity and a joyful spirit simultaneously.
Although Fabiana's army was outnumbered, they were knocked out one after another before they could even reach the walls. Talamand was a fortress armed with potatoes, adamant ore, and the determination of its people.
***
The air in the dungeon had grown even more damp. Moisture rose from the cold stone floor and seeped down to her toes, and Odelia's body could not stop trembling, as if it had already reached its limit.
The faint light of the lamp seeping in stretched out the shadows.
"The walls of Talamand are still holding out. But they won't last long."
At the guard's brief remark, Odelia's breathing became labored.
They are fighting. To protect themselves, for me, for that land...
Her mind went blank. She leaned against the wall and bit her lip tightly. She couldn't stop, even as the taste of blood spread in her mouth.
Her mind went completely blank. Odelia leaned against the wall and gasped for breath.
Because I... am trapped here, because I can’t move an inch here... they are bleeding.
Her vision blurred. What she did best back then could not be her best now. It felt as though helplessness and guilt were tearing her heart to shreds.
It was then.
"Damn it...!"
A sudden, short scream tore through the darkness. It was in the direction of the guard who had been delivering the news right beside her.
Then, a dull thud as something fell, followed by a breathtaking silence.
Odelia's eyes widened in surprise.
"Jailer? Look here, what's wrong?"
It was strangely quiet beyond the bars. Without a single breath, only darkness had settled even more deeply.
At that moment, the faint light of the lantern was slowly obscured. The shadow stretched out, and from within it, footsteps approached like a low breeze seeping in.
The being that had become one with the darkness was eerily silent, as if a shadow had borrowed a human form.
Odelia's breathing was labored.
“...Who is it?”
Odelia's eyes flashed fiercely as she asked with a look of tension.
The owner of the footsteps did not answer. He simply moved slowly and approached the bars of the iron.
The light that drew closer with him revealed his figure. The person, clad in a darkly draped cloak, had a build that appeared to be male, with a sharp jawline visible beneath the hood.
Eventually, their eyes met through the bars.
A suffocating tension hung in the air.
In the darkness, Odelia's heart pounded and beat like crazy.
"..."
The owner of the black cloak silently and slowly pulled back the hood.
Odelia's fingertips trembled instinctively. Her lips parted slightly, and a cold, trembling breath escaped.
The face revealed from beneath the black cloth-
"...Calix?"
Breathing raggedly. Her eyes trembled violently, and her lips quivered as if she couldn’t believe it.
He, who was said to be lying unconscious in his sickbed, was now standing here.
Calix narrowed the distance even further with unhesitating strides. As always, his steps were straight and unwavering.
A faint smile spread across his strangely weary face. That smile carried a familiar yet poignant warmth possessed only by someone who had returned from a long journey.
"We... It seems like we always face each other like this."
His voice was low and firm, just as before. It was a tone that seemed to resonate through the iron bars and melt the cold air of the underground prison in an instant.
Odelia's vision blurred.
Only then did the emotions boiling up and ringing in her throat collapse all at once.
"No...!"
Her voice trembled and cracked.
"Surely... he was lying in bed, unconscious...!"
Before she could even finish speaking, hot tears burst out in an instant.
Sobs burst forth from Odelia's chest, which had been stifled with breath.
"...Hng!"
The crying was akin to wailing. It was a mix of all suppressed emotions and fear that had never been shown even once before.
She tried hard not to think about it, but ever since hearing the news that he was bedridden, it had been difficult to compose herself. Even when she pondered how to overcome this situation, her thoughts would always end in worry for him. She never imagined that he would come looking for jer like this.
Calix's eyes trembled greatly at the sight he was seeing for the first time.
"...Odelia?"
Calix called her name in a low voice and snatched the key from the waist of the guard who had fainted earlier.
The iron bars rang out sharply as the bars hurriedly opened. Calix rushed inside and quickly approached Odelia, who was slumped on the floor, sobbing.
"Hng... I really-"
"Odelia, calm down..."
He carefully put his arm around her shoulder with an awkward touch. Then, he gently patted her back, as if he were handling an object for the first time.
His clumsy touch was imbued with worry for her, a strange sense of relief, and a desperation not to lose her.
Odelia burst into tears even more and suddenly grabbed him by the collar with both hands.
A tear-soaked face came close and filled his vision.
"It's true... right?"
Her voice trembled violently.
"This is real, right? It's not a dream, and it's not a hallucination... You really... you are Calix, aren't you!"
Calix's eyebrows curved slightly, then a subtle smile flicked across his lips.
He caught his breath and answered in a low voice.
“Yes, it’s real.”
That short but certain remark instantly stabilized Odelia's wavering heart. Even amidst her tears, Odelia's gaze was firmly fixed solely on Calix.
Odelia sat slumped on the spot, checking his warmth again and again.
Calix continued to sit beside her as her voice grew hoarse, her shoulders heaved, and her breathing became ragged. He simply patted Odelia's back slowly, waiting for the waves of tears to subside.
He wondered how much time had passed.
The strength slowly drained from the fingertips that were gripping Calix's collar.
Odelia's sobbing gradually subsided, but her face was wet with tears, and the tip of her nose was flushed bright red. Her bloodshot eyes were still swollen, making it difficult for her to even open them properly.
Calix casually held out a handkerchief.
Only then did Odelia wipe her tear-stained face, look up at him with eyes still trembling faintly, and ask.
"...What on earth happened? I thought Fabiana... tried to poison His Majesty..."
Calix let out a very brief chuckle. A strange aura lingered in his calm eyes.
"I wasn't poisoned by Fabiana."
His low voice quietly rose inside the prison.
"Yes?"
"I drank it myself. I had to do this to move easily."
Calix's lips curved slightly upward.
"To make Fabiana let her guard down... I need to see how far she will go and what tactics she will use."
So, are you saying she used your body as bait? She cast a resentful look, as if she couldn't understand why on earth Odelia would do such a reckless thing.
"Even so, that's just..."
He briefly shifted his gaze to Odelia's shoulder, then a faint smile played on his face.
"It's a relief I didn't get beaten up all over like last time."
"..."
Odelia clenched her teeth at his nonchalant behavior, then ground them.
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