When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 63

For a brief moment, Railey felt conflicted.

Whether to tell the truth or to cover it up with a lie.

‘No matter what I say here, it won’t be good for me,’ she thought.

“I think it’s better to make something up,” Ren cautiously advised. Aside from disliking the red eyes he shared with her, he sensed the tense atmosphere.

A brief silence passed before Railey spoke.

“That’s right.”

Railey slowly met Princess Adel’s eyes. She decided against covering it up with a lie.

*Because that would be ignoring Kavel’s feelings for confessing to me.*

It was Adel who was struck hard by Railey’s honest words.

“…I see. So the rumors are true.”

She muttered softly, biting her lip. The corners of her mouth, which she tried to lift, trembled.

*It’s just a first love. There’s no way His Highness Kavel still holds feelings for that woman.*

Adel tried to reassure herself, but the anxiety that enveloped her whole body didn’t disappear easily.

The rumors weren’t just about that. Of course, not all the stories pointed to Railey either.

Nevertheless, Adel could vaguely sense it.

*No, it’s that Lady.*

Her intuition had never been wrong.

“Do you know why I’m not returning to my home country?” Adel asked, watching Railey’s reaction, a question whose answer was widely known.

Even though she had reached the entrance of the Count’s residence, she wanted to hear Railey’s answer. Despite being a princess, she couldn’t ignore the presence of onlookers.

“Princess, even if I haven’t been paying attention to other things, I’m not deaf.”

The fact that she liked Kavel and was determined to stay by his side was common knowledge. To try to extract that confession from Railey’s mouth was nothing more than a childish power play.

*I thought she was a bear, but she has a fox-like side to her.*

Adel frowned unpleasantly at Railey’s sidelong glance.

“Okay, I think I’ve heard enough of the answer, so let’s go in.”

Adel, who had been staring at Railey, turned around. At that moment, the green necklace sparkling on Railey’s neck caught her eye.

Abruptly, Adel approached Railey and grabbed her necklace.

“Hmm, a very pretty necklace.”

Her gaze focused on the blue sword pattern clearly visible on Railey’s neck. She smirked.

*His Highness Kavel must have given her this too.*

Jealousy and ugly emotions boiled within her. She knew very well that the feeling of falling in love with someone couldn’t be controlled.

Just like her own feelings for Kavel.

“It suits you very well.”

“…Thank you.”

“Do you wear this every day?”

“Not necessarily, but I like it.”

Railey smiled gently, wary of Adel’s close proximity.

*It’s better to get away from that woman quickly,* Ren urged.

*No, you can’t. If you show yourself here, the princess will find out about Ren,* Railey thought. Everyone knew about the existence of the sword, but few knew it could transform into a person. Besides, Adel was a princess from another country.

*There’s no good in showing Ren, who is like an imperial secret.*

*Then quickly gloss over it and get away. Or I won’t stay still either.*

At Railey’s words, Ren reluctantly took a step back and sighed. He was uneasy, but the mana flowing through Princess Adel’s body was quite stable, so he wasn’t overly worried.

“I see. I hope you always carry it with you. It seems to suit you well.”

Adel’s lips curved upward. As she slowly took her hand off the necklace, she subtly poured her power into it.

*If you told the truth knowing all this, you would have expected this much.*

Maybe Kavel had warned her that Princess Adel was a vicious and cruel woman.

“Then let’s go in now.”

Only then did Adel leave Railey and head to the drawing room where everyone was waiting.

Soon, the contract for Railey to become a sword would be finalized.

Adel predicted that the red power she had infused would definitely cause friction with the blue power. She had subtly placed it in the necklace, hoping her desires would come to fruition.

* * *

“What’s wrong? You look a little tired.”

“I must have been overdoing it lately.”

In the carriage returning to the Imperial Palace, Railey felt her body growing heavy.

“It would be good to get some rest when we get back,” Ren said, stroking Railey’s hair as if he felt sorry for her, seeing her poor complexion.

“It’s almost over now.”

“Seeing her today, it seems like Princess Adel will continue to bother you.”

Railey couldn’t deny Ren’s words and laughed. Because Adel harbored feelings for Kavel, she saw Railey as an enemy.

“It can’t be helped.”

It was impossible to force Kavel to like Adel. Besides, she didn’t want that either.

“How about you?” Ren asked.

Ren stood beside Railey and stared at her quietly. His silver hair was tinged with a bluer hue than before.

“How are you feeling?”

He wanted to know. Even if he couldn’t be by Railey’s side, he wanted to know what she was feeling and what she was thinking.

*To think that a sword would have feelings for a person. It was something that others would laugh at if they heard it.*

“I’m…”

Railey couldn’t easily confess her feelings.

At some point, Kavel had caught her eye, and despite the hatred and anger towards the Imperial Family lingering in her heart, she had begun to like him.

Maybe it was because of the sincere heart that Kavel showed her.

But she had vowed to become the head of the family. She had said that she would revive the Trailla family and find her rightful place.

“I don’t know.”

She couldn’t figure out what was the right thing to do. If she followed her heart, she felt like everything she had prepared would go wrong.

“Then I’ll ask you differently.”

Ren moved to face Railey, looked at her, and held her hands.

“Would you be okay with Kavel having someone else by his side?”

“That’s…”

Railey recalled Adel smiling brightly by his side. Even if she imagined other people, the result was the same.

“…I don’t like it.”

She covered her face with her hands and bit her lip tightly.

“But that’s not what should happen.”

Stepping into the Imperial Family, which she hated more than anyone, and furthermore, being by Kavel’s side meant becoming a perfect member of the Imperial Family.

Her heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

*I like Kavel. Maybe more than I thought…*

Could it be that she had fallen for him without realizing it?

Railey hated this version of herself. She felt as powerless as if everything she had vowed was meaningless.

“Railey, I want you to be happy.”

“…Ren.”

“It doesn’t matter where or what that happiness is.”

Ren gently hugged Railey and patted her.

He hoped she would be less tormented and have no regrets about her choices.

As they reached the Imperial Palace, Railey composed herself and opened the carriage door.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Along with the familiar and affectionate voice, Kavel invariably reached out his hand to escort her.

“The Crown Prince doesn’t seem to have any work these days,” Ren said, crossing his arms and snapping at Kavel.

“Ah, it’s because I’m so capable that I finish my work quickly. But…” Kavel frowned as he saw Railey standing in front of him, bowing her head and not getting out of the carriage.

*Her eyes…*

Seeing Railey unable to raise her head, Kavel pulled her close and hugged her, hiding her face from view.

“…Who. Who made you cry?”

Railey grabbed his collar at Kavel’s subdued voice.

“Dare there be someone who humiliated you at today’s gathering?”

His blue glare was suffocating.

*Princess Adel.*

She suddenly came to Kavel’s mind. She was capable of speaking rudely without regard for time and place.

“I’m sorry, but…” Ren began.

Ren, who had been quietly watching this, scratched his head and opened his mouth.

He was going to watch a little longer, but seeing Kavel about to explode, he decided to tell the truth.

“I made her cry.”

“…”

Ren shrugged, pointing to himself. It was true that Railey had burst into tears because of his words.

Kavel’s face twisted savagely, and he was about to emit mana and draw his sword.

Ren’s finger slowly pointed at Kavel and he smiled brightly.

“The cause is you.”

“…What?”

At Ren’s words, Kavel looked down at Railey in his arms. He noticed her ears, slightly reddened between her hair.

“Railey, did I do anything to upset you or make you angry…?”

Railey shook her head and hurriedly moved away from Kavel.

She glared at Ren with her head down and quickly entered the Imperial Palace.

“Railey…?”

“The cause is you, so think about it carefully.”

Ren curled up the corners of his mouth and smiled at Kavel, folding his eyes. His footsteps felt very light as he followed Railey, who quickly entered the palace.

“The cause is me…?”

Kavel made a dumbfounded expression and began to think about what he had done wrong.