When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 85

Turning Away, You’re Just Another Person (84)

“I’m…”

Verham hesitated for a moment.

If he said he was from the kingdom, what choice would Caber make?

He might use me as an excuse to request a trade with the kingdom.

“I want to live.”

“Yes, everyone wants to live.”

Caber waited for Verham’s choice.

“But if you want to die, I can gladly help you with that.”

Honestly, he had no lingering attachments to the kingdom. He was just worried about how long Caber would protect him if he became a person of the empire.

Would he continue to protect a useless tool?

Right now, to Caber, I was more necessary than anyone.

“If it helps you decide, I’ll make one promise.”

Caber met Verham’s eyes head-on without avoiding them.

“I don’t forsake favors.”

His words had strength.

The crown prince was using the word ‘favor’ to me, which meant this matter was important to him.

‘I have nowhere else to return anyway.’

Even if I returned to the kingdom as is, my chances of survival were low.

If they found out I met the crown prince, it wouldn’t be easy to die peacefully.

They might torture me until they heard all the facts from my mouth.

But that would be the same here.

“I am… a person of the empire.”

In the end, he decided to side with Caber.

Objectively speaking, the empire’s power was stronger than the Pellenponsia Kingdom in protecting me.

“Now, you need to explain the power you know about.”

Caber finally smiled brightly and patted Verham’s shoulder.

* * *

“You said it’s a place where eyes can’t reach…”

“At this level, no one knows.”

Ren said with a sly look, plopping down.

The place he brought Lailly was the roof of the imperial palace.

“That’s true, but why didn’t we go somewhere else?”

Lailly glanced down and narrowed her eyes.

Seeing people looking like ants, Ren’s words made sense.

“We have to come back anyway.”

Lailly nodded at Ren’s words.

“Why did you run away?”

“I thought I would meet Princess Adel.”

“You could have given him a hint.”

Lailly lay down next to Ren, looking at the sky.

“I don’t know when I’ll lose consciousness again.”

She just didn’t want to face Caber’s sad eyes.

“Seeing your back is more sad.”

Ren smiled bitterly, recalling his past self.

Since when did she always show me her back? Her eyes were always directed at Caber.

“Honestly, I think I was a bit cowardly this time.”

Lailly had no choice but to agree.

She was scared. She admitted that she ran away because she wasn’t confident she could handle it.

“Is he angry?”

“He’s not that narrow-minded.”

Ren didn’t want to take Caber’s side, but he didn’t want to see her upset.

“He’s quite rational except for your matters, so he’s probably handling things in his own way by now.”

“It won’t end just by not wearing the necklace.”

“Maybe not.”

Princess Adel’s power had already manifested during Lailly’s contract. Her mana traces remained, but it had nothing to do with the necklace.

“Why don’t we go back now? I like being here with you, though.”

“It would be impossible to stay here until morning, right?”

Lailly was afraid to fall asleep.

She was afraid that when she opened her eyes, she would be somewhere else again.

Even if she worked hard to break through the darkness and move forward, she kept circling the same path.

“But it feels lighter without the necklace.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Maybe I feel like I can find my body, even if it’s not completely.”

Lailly turned to look at Ren.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?”

Ren couldn’t turn his head and said.

“Thank you.”

“Always be thankful. I’ll always be by your side.”

As her sword, he would probably be with her until Lailly died.

“Let’s go.”

Ren felt like he couldn’t stay together any longer.

“You’re not careful.”

I told you last time. I told you to be careful like other guys.

But Ren swallowed the words and got up from his seat.

As Lailly got up, Ren reached out his hand and tightly grabbed her hand, where he felt a warm warmth.

“Don’t worry, everything will be alright.”

Lailly smiled and nodded.

* * *

Only the ticking of the clock echoed in the silent office.

“He should be back by now.”

Caber leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“Did you find out all the information?”

“Why are you here looking at me instead of going home?”

Haban sat on the sofa, rummaging through documents, and picked up a bundle.

“It’s because of work. Oh, just in case, I’m telling you, I’m definitely not here to watch over you because I think Your Highness is going to cause an accident.”

“I won’t do anything, so go.”

“But Your Highness’s eyes look very dangerous.”

Caber slightly opened his eyes, then closed them again and sighed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t go to Lailly’s room either.”

“Yes, yes, I see.”

Haban ignored Caber’s words and shifted his gaze to the documents.

There really were a lot of things to deal with.

“Don’t forget that His Majesty is watching you.”

“Is my aide on my side or my father’s side?”

“For now, I’m on Your Highness’s side.”

“Yeah, right. You’re good with words.”

Caber snorted and got up from his seat, heading to the sofa.

“Verham said that the Pellenponsia Kingdom has survived using that power.”

“Did you find out where that power came from?”

“A body that can’t contain mana in the first place, so what did they use?”

Princess Adel clearly used the power of mana on Lailly.

If that special power contained in the necklace wasn’t sacred, then they either stole someone else’s or touched something that shouldn’t exist.

“…No way.”

“Yes, the ore can only be obtained from Pellenponsia.”

Haban ran a dry hand over his face and bit his parched lips.

“It wasn’t theirs from the beginning. Even so, how is that possible?”

“I made it possible even though I had a body that couldn’t handle mana, so nothing is impossible.”

“There was a reason why even other countries didn’t know properly.”

Caber handed Haban a piece of paper with a drawing of the ore on it.

“Just like our empire got the sword, they might have obtained it by chance.”

“You should inform His Majesty.”

“Not yet, not yet.”

Haban grabbed his throbbing head and appealed to Caber.

“How are you going to handle it all later?”

“I’ll inform him when I arrive in Princess Adel and Pellenponsia.”

Caber couldn’t trust his father.

It would be better to let him know when he couldn’t interfere.

“His Majesty will be disappointed if he finds out.”

“We need to be careful as it’s a major issue.”

“Don’t you trust him that much?”

The Emperor had often tried to help Caber. As a father, he wanted his son to be happy.

Recently, Caber had distanced himself due to Princess Adel’s matter.

‘His Majesty will always prioritize Your Highness.’

Of course, if it benefited the empire, he would step in like this time. He wasn’t just a father.

“I’m doing this because I know he trusts me.”

“You know you have a really strange father-son relationship, right?”

“Well, does that matter?”

Caber just laughed it off and lay down on the sofa.

“…You’re not thinking of sleeping here, are you?”

“I’m waiting.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“He’s coming here.”

Is there a crazy person who comes to the crown prince’s office at this hour?

And he immediately knew who it was.

“Hoo.”

Ren blew air behind Haban’s ear.

Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he covered his ears in shame and curled up.

“Ah! Why are you doing this to me!”

“Don’t you think I keep doing it because it’s fun to see you react like that?”

Caber clicked his tongue as he watched Haban, who was terrified.

Ren, seeing Haban’s flailing appearance, sat down on the sofa with a satisfied smile.

“Where’s Lailly?”

“I had a hard time putting her to sleep after she didn’t want to sleep.”

“We have to go to the kingdom in two days, what do you think?”

He said the necklace could be completed by then. The ore for Lailly’s necklace wasn’t that hard to find.

“I think I’ll know once tomorrow comes.”

“It seems to be lasting quite a long time this time.”

“If it continues like this, there won’t be any problems, but if something goes wrong, her ego might disappear while the contract with the imperial family is broken.”

Haban nodded vigorously at Ren’s words. That was exactly what he was worried about, so he wanted to report it to the Emperor.

That way, he could at least defend against it.

“First of all, until the necklace is completed, it’s better for her to stay in her room for a while. It would be troublesome if she clashed with Princess Adel.”

“Leta had the necklace, but she didn’t say anything special.”

“I don’t know if the energy was offset, but she didn’t do anything else for now.”

Whatever Princess Adel does, the news will come to me first.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“If her ego continues to be intact when she doesn’t wear the necklace, it will be solid evidence.”

Ren stared at the ore drawn on the paper at Caber’s words.

“Go to Lailly’s room later.”

“…When did you ever stop me from going in?”

“She seems to be tossing and turning. Seeing her say she’s afraid to fall asleep, she might just be pretending to sleep.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

It was simple.

“Lailly wants you.”