When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 24

Leta asked Caber to take her there next time, a simple request he readily agreed to.

‘Even if she doesn’t recognize me, she’ll be happy to know Leta is alive.’ He thought.

Perhaps, if Leta and I are together… maybe she’ll recognize me then.

They were connected by blood, and Railey and Leta shared a special bond, so maybe she’ll sense something. She must have memories of the three of us, so Caber still held onto hope.

Thankfully, no one had reported finding Railey anywhere.

If I hadn’t known Ren, I would have thought she was just a look-alike. Besides, Caber recognized her because he had been seeing Railey all the time; it would have been difficult for anyone else to recognize her easily.

Ren had deliberately erased everything about Railey.

It was as if she had never existed; no trace of her remained. That’s why Caber was so anxious.

He often visited the village because he was bothered by the mana he occasionally felt there. Drawn by mana similar to Railey’s, he naturally headed there whenever he had time.

It was probably her faint mana that Ren hadn’t completely erased.

At first, Caber couldn’t muster the courage to go inside and just stared at the shop from afar.

“Instead of just staring, why don’t you go in and buy something?”

Haban, who had been watching from the side, couldn’t contain his frustration and blurted out with a sulky expression. Caber didn’t budge at his words and remained in place.

Continuing to feel the piercing gaze, Caber finally spoke, his eyes still fixed on the shop.

“I heard he submitted his resignation again.”

“I doubt they’ll accept it this time either.”

“If he knows that, shouldn’t he give up already?”

Haban’s lips tightened at Caber’s words. He struggled to raise the corners of his mouth, causing his lips to tremble. He had been forcing himself to smile so much lately that Haban’s cheeks were on the verge of cramping.

“…I wish you would at least acknowledge that I barely managed to resist submitting my hundred and fortieth resignation today.”

“I haven’t been paying enough attention to you lately, it seems.”

“…Never mind. You can stop paying attention, but when are you going to stop this nonsense?”

Haban shuddered as if he was utterly fed up.

If there was a set time, he would have at least put it on the work schedule. But Caber headed here whenever he had free time from work.

‘There was a mountain of work to do, but when did he manage to handle it all alone?’ Haban wondered.

That meant Haban also had to follow Caber, regardless of the time or place, even in the middle of work.

But he couldn’t complain.

Caber had finished all his work flawlessly before coming.

“Don’t tell me to handle my work while you go alone. Who takes responsibility if something comes up later?”

“But I always finish my work before coming, don’t I?”

Caber’s words made Haban burst with frustration.

Even though it was just a temporary absence, he was still the Crown Prince of a nation. He had to arrange a substitute for the time he was away and prepare excuses so that no one would suspect anything.

“Is that even something to say!”

“Shh, people around will think it’s strange.”

“Don’t you think it’s stranger to be standing in an alleyway watching for almost an hour?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve concealed my presence.”

Haban decided not to say anything more. No matter what he said now, Caber wouldn’t hear it.

Even though he received daily reports, why couldn’t he let go of his attachment?

“Didn’t you say there was nothing unusual?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Please let her go now.”

At Haban’s words, Caber’s heart sank. It wasn’t a feeling he could easily let go of, and he had never forgotten her.

‘Could I ever forget?’

No, ever since he met her, his reason for living had always been her. He had always watched her from behind, spending his days in guilt.

“If I could let go, I would have ended it a long time ago.”

Could he really let go so easily?

How could he compensate for her life, which had been filled with suffering due to him and the contract between the Imperial Family and the Trailla family?

‘It’s ridiculous for me to even think about this.’

It was a question without an answer, no matter how much he, as someone not directly involved, pondered it.

“Maybe I’ll have to carry it with me for the rest of my life.”

Caber’s head dropped. Haban felt sorry for Caber at times like this, even though he resented him. Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the feelings Caber had harbored for Railey since childhood.

“I’ll tell them to report any peculiarities, just in case. Let’s go now.”

He couldn’t hear what they were saying inside the shop, but he had instructed them to immediately report any unusual behavior from her or the man she was with.

As expected, the reports they received were nothing out of the ordinary.

Haban just thought of her as a woman who looked similar. Who could smile like that after going through so much?

‘Even if there is something unusual, there’s no way he’d recognize it.’

Caber smiled knowingly at Haban’s words. As long as Ren was protecting her, there was no way others could sense her presence.

It was only natural that Haban didn’t understand Caber’s actions since he was unaware of this fact.

“So, Your Highness should believe that she is living happily somewhere. That would be better for everyone.”

“…You know I can’t do that. The contract will proceed soon.”

Whether she wanted it or not, the contract would eventually be fulfilled. Unless the sword forcibly refused, if the ability was manifested and the mark appeared, it couldn’t be rejected.

That was the sword’s contract that had been going on for a long time.

‘That’s why she ran away, not wanting it.’

Haban knew that as well.

That was why they were trying to recover the sword that the Duke wouldn’t hand over.

The sword was meant to return to its owner. To maintain its physical form, it needed to be contracted, but since the contract hadn’t been properly made, there wouldn’t be much time left.

“Ah, one thing. The knight said he noticed something concerning yesterday.”

Haban had hesitated dozens of times whether to tell this story or not. He still didn’t feel like it, but he thought it would be better to say it now than to have things escalate later.

“Duke Theo of the Prinz family is rumored to be searching for his ex-wife.”

“Wasn’t he living with his mistress after the divorce?”

Caber thought he had given up on Railey since he had been quiet ever since. He had heard that he was living quietly, refraining from appearing in social circles.

‘What nerve does he have to look for Railey? Is a warning not enough for either of these guys?’

Of course, he had forced him to sign the divorce papers, but he didn’t think he had loved Railey either. If he had, he wouldn’t have treated her that way during their time together.

Moreover, Theo hadn’t dismissed his mistress and was still living with her. What reason could he have for looking for Railey now that they were divorced?

He wanted to tear that bastard apart even now, not only for causing her to miscarry but also for giving Railey an indelible wound.

“Yes, but… I wonder if he noticed something.”

Since they were originally a sly family, they might have caught a scent.

The Prinz family was a ducal family, but they didn’t have anything particularly special to show off. Their reputation in social circles was good, but people only saw the surface and didn’t look inside.

‘I need to give him a proper warning again.’

Caber decided to visit Theo without anyone knowing.

“Make sure he doesn’t come near this place. The day he catches my eye, everyone here will have to give up their lives.”

Perhaps he would kill him first if he caught his eye.

Haban seemed to read Caber’s eyes and nodded, turning his head to the side.

‘Is it just my eyes, or do I see that trash right in front of me…’

A familiar figure came into view near the shop. Even after closing and reopening his eyes, it was definitely Duke Theo.

“Your Highness, over there! Someone who looks like Lady Railey!”

Haban quickly turned around and looked around, pointing to the opposite side and gesturing.

‘If it’s Railey, she’ll be in the shop. It seems like there’s something that needs to divert my attention.’

Caber pretended to be fooled, even though he knew Haban was lying, and turned his head towards his hand.

Haban didn’t miss the opportunity and quickly waved his hand back and forth. The hidden knights appeared, grabbed the man who was about to enter the shop, and disappeared in an instant.

‘I won’t live to my full life expectancy.’

Haban secretly sighed in relief. He tilted his head as if nothing was wrong and changed his words, saying he had seen it wrong.

“I must be getting old. Let’s go in now.”

‘I need to learn how to lie first.’

Caber chuckled at Haban’s words.

“…Why don’t you go see a doctor first?”

“Stress is the root of all evil… You should think about what the cause of that is, Your Highness.”

“Wait.”

…That’s…

Caber’s feet, which were about to turn, stopped.