When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 54

Leilly had occasionally imagined it.

Her father’s end.

But not in such a pathetic state.

Emptiness? No, a more complex emotion swirled within her.

What was he so afraid of?

“Weren’t you waiting for me?”

She took another step closer to Duke Veriter.

The floor around him was already soaked.

‘Why, why!’

He had never once been afraid of his daughter. But at this moment, he was terrified to meet Leilly’s gaze.

The intense murderous intent stung his skin, causing him to shrink back.

“Aren’t you happy that I came?”

Leilly slowly lowered herself to meet Duke Veriter’s eyes.

The father of the past, with his neatly groomed hair and sharp uniform, was gone.

“Ugh, uh, uh!”

With his tongue cut, it was difficult for him to utter proper words. He screamed incomprehensibly and clenched his fists.

‘How dare you! Make me like this?’

Duke Veriter was enraged by Leilly’s gaze, which stared intently at him. He hadn’t raised her so carefully all this time for this.

‘How did I get this far!’

He groaned inwardly, feeling like he had raised a beast.

As if reading Duke Veriter’s eyes, Leilly curled up the corners of her lips.

“Father, was I ever your daughter?”

The forced, upturned corners of her mouth were awkward.

Duke Veriter swallowed hard at Leilly’s calm tone as she slowly continued her words.

“Since that day, I have never once thought of you as my father.”

She had not forgotten the day he stripped her clothes, checked the mark, and defiled her with the maids. No, she couldn’t forget.

To him, both Leta and she were merely tools, nothing more.

“Even now, you’re probably resenting me, without even remembering what you did.”

Now, she could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes.

Looking at the shabby clothes and bloodied Duke Veriter, Leilly reached out her hand.

Duke Veriter flinched and recoiled, his face turning red in an instant.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you.”

The Duke’s body trembled.

Leilly whispered softly in Duke Veriter’s ear and stood up.

What would his expression be if he knew that Leilly had taken everything he had so desperately wanted to protect?

She wanted to inform him that she would become the head of the family.

“I will lead the Trailla family well, so don’t worry.”

Duke Veriter’s eyes widened. He quickly grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

‘How! You! A thing like you, make me like this.’

It couldn’t be possible. Only he could lead the family. A tool, a sword, becoming the head of the Trailla family!

His hands tightened.

“I will not become the Imperial Sword.”

However, she had no intention of avoiding the trials that had befallen her. Leilly had decided not to run away anymore.

‘Not much time left, it’s really soon.’

One week. Even after reconsidering, it was neither too short nor too long.

The reason she stopped by here before that was to end the past.

Duke Veriter’s brow furrowed at Leilly’s resolute words.

Was she not going to make the contract? Duke Veriter grabbed Leilly’s collar even more fiercely, unable to believe the truth.

Leilly glanced at her father’s hand grabbing her shoulder and barely swallowed a hollow laugh.

“If you had treated me as a person, as your daughter, instead of a tool, wouldn’t we be different now?”

Leilly lightly brushed off Duke Veriter’s hand.

“You’ll still be fine, though. You won’t die here for the rest of your life.”

She would never let him die. She planned to make him live in as much pain as possible for 10 years, 20 years, or until she died.

* * *

“Why did you go?”

Ren asked Leilly bluntly.

Leilly was startled by the blood on her shoulder, and her heart was still pounding.

“I don’t know either.”

Was she a little regretful?

She didn’t even think about asking for forgiveness, but the murderous intent she briefly saw when she opened the door made her realize.

That he would never change.

“People never change, I guess.”

Ren crunched on a cookie and leaned back in his chair.

“They say you can’t fix people.”

Leilly nodded at his words. He was right.

‘He seems like a person at times like this.’

Sometimes, she completely forgets that Ren is a sword [a sentient weapon bound to her].

It must be difficult to maintain human form for so long, but it’s strange to see him stay by her side.

Is the mana consumption less than she thought?

“Are you really going to make the contract?”

Ren cautiously asked Leilly, watching her. To be honest, he wasn’t confident.

“I’ve never seen a contractor maintain their ego.”

“Do you think I will?”

Leilly leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

If Ren was worried, it would definitely have some impact on her as well.

“Are you worried?”

“Don’t ask the obvious.”

Leilly smiled brightly at Ren’s nonchalant words. She felt much better after talking to him.

“Don’t smile like that.”

He turned Leilly’s head to the side and rested his chin on his hand.

He didn’t like the way she was forcing a smile when she was clearly uncomfortable.

‘You don’t have to hide your emotions in front of me.’

However, Ren couldn’t bring himself to say it. It would be better for Leilly if he pretended not to notice.

* * *

Feeling the breeze made her feel much better.

Leilly slowly strolled through the Imperial Palace gardens, looking around.

“It’s the same as when I was little.”

She recalled the past as she looked at the flowers blooming as brilliantly as ever. When she was young and didn’t know anything, she enjoyed coming to the palace.

Without knowing what was tightening around her neck [a metaphor for the political and social constraints she faced].

The table that remained in the inner garden showed no signs of use.

‘What kind of expression did I have back then?’

Scattered fragments of memories passed through her mind. The expressionless little girl who seemed to have no emotions was now smiling brightly at her.

Leilly tilted her head, remembering playing in the garden with Leta.

Why had she forgotten until now?

She had been happy when she was young.

“Do you remember?”

Leilly turned around at the familiar voice from behind.

Kaver slowly approached Leilly. As the sound of the wind shaking the branches tickled her ears, she shrugged slightly.

“The wind is still cold.”

He took off his coat and draped it over Leilly’s shoulders, then pulled out a chair from the table.

Kaver looked at Leilly and, as if realizing something, took out a handkerchief and spread it on the chair.

“Pfft.”

Leilly laughed without realizing it.

It wasn’t that she had looked at him expecting that, but she didn’t dislike his consideration.

“It’s good to see you smile.”

“Are you taking a walk?”

Leilly spoke to Kaver, who was sitting across from her. His face wasn’t clearly visible in the dim sky, but she could imagine what kind of expression he was making.

“I never thought I’d see you smile like this.”

Kaver slumped in his chair, feeling a sense of futility.

‘If I had known, I would have done something foolish.’

Was he realizing too late how to make Leilly smile?

“It’s still the same here.”

Her pleasant voice was carried softly by the wind. Kaver stared intently at Leilly.

‘Then and now, she’s still looking elsewhere.’

Even though they were sitting face to face, Leilly was busy looking elsewhere. Watching her rapidly moving eyes, Kaver stood up and leaned towards her.

“Huh?”

Her hair kept getting tangled in her face in the wind, and he wanted to brush it back.

Kaver’s face, which had come close, met Leilly’s averted gaze. The two froze in place as if time had stopped.

‘Her eyes are sparkling.’

Leilly was captivated by Kaver’s jewel-like eyes. Even in the darkness, his blue eyes shone brightly.

Unlike her, who had always lived in the shadows and despair, he sparkled on his own.

“Do you still like me?”

Leilly opened her mouth, gazing into his eyes.

She didn’t dislike the feeling of her heart trembling slightly, or the subtle, tingling current between them.

However, she knew her situation well. She was aware of it more accurately than anyone else.

She didn’t belong with him.

She was afraid of her heart opening little by little. Loving someone again was a difficult thing for her.

She didn’t want to be hurt anymore, or be caught up in vain expectations.

“How can Your Highness still hold me in your heart without changing until now?”

To be honest, it wasn’t that she doubted his feelings.

Perhaps she was trying to protect herself by pushing him away.

Emotions that had already begun would pop up no matter how hard she tried to push them away. Leilly was afraid of that.

She was afraid that she would lose what she had to protect again because of him.

“I don’t change.”

Kaver said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Just as he had always done, he would wait for her in the same place.

After all, she had only pushed him away, so nothing would be different.

“But it’s true that I’m getting greedy.”

If Leilly hadn’t done anything, if she had shown no signs of wavering towards him, it might have been different.

Now that he had seen her trembling eyes, he found it difficult to control the emotions he had been suppressing.

“As much as you push me away, I will approach you again.”

But if she didn’t want it, he would only approach that far.

As much as she moved away, only by the original distance.