When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 40

Caber revealed his true feelings honestly. But that was it.

He was inwardly worried that he might be burdening Leylie. Caber glanced at Leylie.

‘The words I had unknowingly suppressed just burst out.’

Contrary to his anxiety, Leylie’s expression was calmer than he expected. *What if she hadn’t held back and had let all her feelings flow out?*

That might be too greedy.

“I will go to the Imperial Palace on my own.”

Leylie was surprised and quickly shut her mouth after saying the words herself.

Was it because of a bit of anticipation? Or did she blurt out those words in response to Caber’s words?

For Leylie, the Imperial Palace held a rather complex meaning.

If she had to categorize it, it leaned towards the negative side.

‘I should go once everything is settled. In any sense.’

It wouldn’t be too late to think about it after reclaiming her family’s honor and inflicting the same despair on Theo and *her*.

At least for Leylie, the priority was clear.

“Unless the Imperial Palace forcibly drags me away.”

The Emperor, who could change his mind at any moment, might order her to be brought to the Imperial Palace immediately. But she felt that if Caber was on her side, such a thing wouldn’t happen.

That was all.

“Why……”

Caber looked into Leylie’s eyes and swallowed hard. He was afraid to speak, unsure of what words might come out of her mouth.

Caber thought Leylie would never set foot in the Imperial Palace. At least, that was the Leylie he had known since childhood.

“……Why did you make that decision?”

Caber, who should have been pleased with the situation, was rather taken aback and asked Leylie.

If she were to come to the Imperial Palace, she would be safer than she was now. There were many who doubted Caber’s qualifications, opposed the Imperial Palace, and sought opportunities.

The moment they learned of Leylie’s existence, Leylie might face another ordeal.

‘Things would be different if she became a Sword Master.’

If she were affiliated with the Imperial Palace, it would be useless no matter how others approached her. So, this period before the contract was the most dangerous.

“We can’t break the contract anyway.”

In fact, Leylie knew it too. That the contract couldn’t be broken, and she would have to go to the Imperial Palace when the time came.

The unknown power within her had always whispered that to her.

“The Imperial Palace itself must be a wound to you.”

“The fact that one’s life is predetermined and treated as someone else’s object is not normal……”

Leylie’s gaze met Caber’s sunken eyes. It was the same for Caber as well.

As the Crown Prince, he must have lived a more restricted life than anyone else. He had never acted spoiled, and he had to walk the predetermined path of becoming Emperor, regardless of his own will.

“……I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

His mouth felt bitter, and he lowered his head without realizing it. It was similar, but clearly different from Leylie. However, he seemed a little hurt by the words that came out of Leylie’s mouth.

“Are you feeling better?”

Caber asked Leylie to change the subject. In fact, he had been watching her condition all along, so he knew better than anyone else how she was doing.

“I’m fine. Thanks to the medicine you sent.”

“Pfft. Ah, did you know?”

Caber, who was casually drinking tea, spat it out in surprise. A smile spread across Leylie’s face at his bewildered gaze.

‘Was Caber always like this……?’

It was quite different from her memory. After meeting him, her childhood memories, which she didn’t want to remember, came back to her mind, and she felt strange.

She had tried to erase them and had forgotten them from her memory.

“There’s no way Ren could have gotten something like that.”

No matter how much he could materialize things, there was a limit. More than anything, how could he bring that much every day?

Hiding from Theo’s eyes and bringing things consumed a lot of mana for him.

“……I didn’t try to hide it from the beginning. Because you……hate me.”

Leylie didn’t know at first, but later she could vaguely sense that someone was there. She couldn’t be sure it was Caber, though.

“I don’t hate you.”

Leylie said nonchalantly to Caber, who looked depressed.

“……That’s a relief.”

Caber felt relieved at those words.

“You must be wondering why I’m doing this.”

Caber opened his mouth, looking straight into Leylie’s eyes. At first, it was just curiosity. She had a similar fate to him, so he felt like she was like him.

But that interest gradually grew differently. Was it after he saw her smile? Or was it because her calm acceptance lingered in his mind?

He doesn’t remember exactly when it started. Perhaps Caber had fallen for Leylie from the first time he saw her.

“I don’t know either. It’s just that you yourself have become a big presence to me at some point.”

Leylie’s eyes widened. It was a strange tremor she had never felt before.

But she couldn’t say anything. She was afraid that her voice would be filled with trembling.

“When are you going to stop talking around in circles?”

Ren, who suddenly appeared, pushed his face towards Caber. Caber, who openly expressed his displeasure, frowned and pushed Ren’s face away.

“I didn’t say the story was over.”

“It looked like it was over.”

Ren replied to Caber without backing down. He said he would give them some space, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t listen to the story.

Caber sighed, thinking that Ren had heard everything.

‘If it weren’t for the contract……’

He might have broken that sword somehow. He didn’t like that guy every time he saw him.

“Ren, sit down.”

Leylie seemed used to this Ren and spoke to him soothingly.

‘There’s no way that guy will listen……’

He did. Ren calmly sat down at Leylie’s words. Not only that, but he also tried to take the teacup that Leylie had drunk from and bring it to his mouth as if it were his own.

Thud-

“What are you doing?”

When Caber stopped him, Ren slightly raised the corners of his lips and acted nonchalant.

“I’m just thirsty and trying to drink water?”

“Then drink mine.”

“How can I put my mouth on something someone else has eaten from? It’s dirty.”

“……Ha.”

He was still dumbfounded even after thinking about it again. Caber closed his mouth as he watched Ren, who had suddenly appeared and was nonchalantly spouting nonsense.

Nevertheless, he persevered without letting go. Eventually, Leylie, who had been watching quietly, took the teacup from Ren’s hand and placed it in front of her.

“Ren.”

“Okay, I’ll be quiet.”

Ren rested his chin on his hand at Leylie’s voice calling his name and stared intently at Caber.

“Did Your Highness also take care of my father’s affairs?”

“Well.”

Caber turned his gaze away, pretending not to know, but that seemed like a positive answer.

“Thank you for the information. I couldn’t have known with my own strength.”

Unfortunately, it was true. She didn’t want to receive help, but she didn’t dislike Caber’s helping hand.

Perhaps it was because it was clear that he had no other intentions.

“The sword is being kept in the Imperial Palace.”

“……In the Imperial Palace?”

Her father would never have given it up, so how did they get their hands on it? Leylie suddenly stopped thinking.

‘Things would be different if he intervened directly.’

No matter how much he was her father, it would have been difficult to defy Caber’s words, who represented the Imperial Palace.

“Did he give it up willingly?”

Was that why he clung to her so much? She finally understood her father’s behavior, who seemed to have lost his mind.

She had expected him to take action, but she didn’t know he would take the sword.

“Well……”

He hadn’t been able to cut off all the tendons in his fingers, but he hadn’t killed him, so wouldn’t it be okay to think that he had been somewhat lenient?

Caber couldn’t speak easily and mumbled.

Leylie saw Caber unable to answer properly and nodded as if she understood. There was no way that her father would have given up the sword without any resistance.

“According to the rumors these days, aren’t you too busy to pay attention to other things?”

Ren threw words in an unpleasant voice at the subtle atmosphere between Leylie and Caber. Caber didn’t pay attention to the rumors surrounding him, to the point where it made one wonder if he could be so relaxed.

“The rumors aren’t something I need to pay attention to.”

“What about the guys who are plotting behind your back?”

“Ren!”

Leylie tried to stop Ren, unable to watch any longer. No matter how free Ren was in the Imperial Palace, his main body was currently in Caber’s hands.

There was no point in incurring his displeasure.

Nevertheless, Ren freely rattled off sensitive stories to Caber. No, at this point, it was fair to say that he was only saying and doing things that would offend him.

‘Why is someone who wasn’t like this acting like this?’

Leylie sighed, her head throbbing. She didn’t want to go this far, but looking at the situation, something was bound to happen if she left it like this.

In the end, Leylie used her ability to order Ren.

“Ren, stop. Go back for now.”

Ren’s pupils widened greatly. It was the first time Leylie had given him an order. And that order was to go back to his main body.

“……Are you really telling me to go back?”

“Ren.”

Leylie called Ren’s name with a slightly tired look. She herself was not comfortable saying these words.

“Just for a moment, just for a moment.”

“……Okay.”

A faint sadness was visible in Ren’s eyes. Did Leylie even know? How big of a deal it was for Ren to be told to go back to his main body.

She probably didn’t know because she hadn’t been properly informed about the sword.

“Leylie, people are responsible for their words.”

Ren got up from his seat at Leylie’s words and kissed the back of her hand. Caber also got up from his seat at Leylie’s sudden order and grabbed Ren’s arm.

“No, don’t!”

But soon after, light flickered from Leylie’s neck, and Ren’s body scattered into blue light and disappeared. Caber slumped down in his seat at the situation that happened so quickly.

The light of the pattern on Leylie’s neck flickered. The blue light that had stained her silver hair seemed a little clearer.

“Does this mean Ren won’t be in danger for the time being?”

“……Instead, you will be in danger.”

Even if it wasn’t a complete contract with the sword, Leylie’s mana had stabilized somewhat because she had temporarily made a contract.

So, that meant she could no longer suppress Leylie’s mana.

In other words, her existence had been exposed to everyone.