Home/I confined you, but I have no ill will/ch 20

20.

Ibelin timidly protested, but it was no use.

"B-but it's strange to suddenly become lovers with someone I don't know."

"Don't know? We came to know each other through Baron Frillie, didn't we? Though our correspondence was through letters, it was enough to appreciate each other's charms."

This was bad. Ibelin squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. She felt as if she were walking into hell—but she had nowhere to run.

"I'll—I'll take a moment to rest."

"Very well, my love."

At her deflated voice, Kite let out a light laugh. But Ibelin couldn't laugh along. Creaking her way out, she sat down on the floor the moment she closed the door.

She touched her flushed face—it was warm.

"...Unbelievable."

She had never glimpsed such a future. The sudden reality was hard to accept.

Ibelin grabbed at her hair as if to tear it out, then slowly released the tension in her hands. After all, once the Emperor's birthday passed and Kite's safety was confirmed, she would leave the capital.

She just had to endure until then.

---

Emperor Leonhardt El von Pabeln of the Empire—a young boy now fourteen—sensed something amiss as his birthday approached.

There was no word from his uncle Kite, who should have come running to his side by now. It wasn't that he had no one around—rather, that was precisely the problem.

"Your Majesty, are you unwell?"

Because of the black-haired man speaking beside him.

He was handsome, but the dark circles under his eyes gave him a sinister air—and indeed, that reflected his character.

Draven von Barkel. The head of one of the Empire's only two ducal houses, and Leonhardt's maternal uncle.

"I'm fine."

His late mother had trusted her brother Draven completely. She had told Leonhardt to ask Draven for anything if he was in trouble—but he didn't want to. Because he knew what Draven wanted.

He wanted to reclaim past glory.

When Kite was still drifting through the northern battlefields and his mother was alive, the House of Barkel had wielded great power. Even now, the prestige of the Empire's only two ducal houses remained—but his maternal uncle was greedy.

He wanted to control and manipulate his young nephew, the Emperor. Knowing this, Leonhardt kept a careful distance from Draven. It hadn't been difficult, because whenever Draven appeared, Kite would come running.

"I'm glad to hear you're well. Still, you must take care of yourself to govern the state."

"Thank you for your concern."

"Come to think of it, I've heard a rumor."

"What rumor are you referring to?"

One of Leonhardt's eyebrows lifted—a habit learned from his uncle Kite, making him reminiscent of him.

Seeing that, Draven raised his hand to cover his mouth, hiding his displeasure.

"I hear Lord Kite hasn't been seen lately. And that his subordinates are searching for him."

"You're mistaken."

Leonhardt said firmly and looked away.

"But hasn't he disappeared at such an important time? He is a precious knight of the Empire. I can't help but worry."

"Your concern is unwarranted. He has his own affairs."

"Is that so? I'm curious what they might be."

Draven clung to Leonhardt for a long while after that. Leonhardt wanted to shake him off, but it wasn't easy, so he sighed inwardly.

I wish Uncle would come back soon.

In his heart, he wanted to lend Seren military support—but the timing was bad. With his birthday approaching and dignitaries from other nations gathering, he couldn't do such a thing.

Kite was a precious uncle to Leonhardt, but to other nations, he was also an object of fear. If he wasn't by his side, Leonhardt didn't know how they might act. So for now, he had no choice but to trust Seren and stay still.

---

Ibelin hadn't slept well all night. She tossed and turned in bed for a long time, then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the next day in advance. Still restless, she idly took out her gun and cleaned it—and before she knew it, morning had come.

"I wish last night had been a dream."

Shuffling like a zombie, she prepared breakfast and went back down to the basement.

"Ibelin."

But the moment she opened the door and entered, that sweet voice made her freeze—and she closed the door again.

"That's harsh, don't you think?"

The harsh one was Kite. Ibelin took a deep breath and opened the door again.

"Let me see what my love has prepared for breakfast."

"...Do you have to say things like that?"

"It's better to get used to it early."

"I understand that, but do real lovers actually talk like that?"

Ibelin had spent her time outside the manor roaming mountains and fields with her grandfather. During breaks, they talked about many things—but romance was never among them. Most of it was about her grandfather's army stories, hunting tales, and how to handle a gun.

At her puzzled question, Kite fell silent for a moment. He had been deliberately smarmy to see her recoil—but he didn't know much about romance either.

As a child, he had run through battlefields; as he grew, he struggled to protect his nephew politically.

"I suppose they do?"

His unconvincing tone made Ibelin narrow her eyes.

"Actually, you don't know anything either, do you?"

"Now, now—to say I know nothing. For all my reputation, in high society—"

Before he earned his infamy, many ladies had approached him for his looks. Though they all dropped away one by one before anything could happen, due to his actions.

"In high society?"

"I was quite popular."

"Ah, yes. Popular."

She clearly didn't believe him.

"Really, it's true."

"Fine, that could be."

"First, we need to establish some rules about this lover relationship."

Ibelin let his words go in one ear and out the other. Then, pushing his breakfast toward him, she spoke with resolve.

"I'll go buy some romance books at the bookstore."

"You're going to buy books written by who-knows-who?"

"Even if who-knows-who wrote them, they probably know more about romance than we do."

"Why are you lumping us together?"

"Come to think of it, I doubt many ladies aspire to someone who appears on the front page of newspapers all the time."

And never in a good way. At her words, Kite made a dissatisfied face but couldn't argue. In fact, ever since he started appearing in the papers, the love letters to his mansion had dropped significantly.

"For that reason, I'm going out!"

Ibelin declared boldly and turned away. Kite's reasoning was quite sound—so to pull it off, they needed a more convincing lover act. For that, she needed to research.

The streets were buzzing with excitement ahead of the Emperor's birthday. The Empire's flags flew high, and the number of foreigners, rarely seen before, had increased. The Guard was also maintaining security thoroughly.

In such a situation, who would dare attack the one called the Empire's Sword? Given the circumstances, there were far too many potential enemies.

"Why do you have to make so many enemies?"

Ibelin sighed and racked her brain. She wanted to visit an information broker—but they would have been turned upside down by now. So to safely find material on lover relationships, she had to go to a bookstore.

"Love stories? We have plenty."

Buying books about lovers wasn't difficult. Some were even essay-style accounts of personal experiences.

Pain Is Love

The Love of Countess Rosemund

To My Beloved

She bought several books with somewhat cringey titles. Since she bought so many expensive books, the shopkeeper was very kind.

"An excellent choice. Would you like delivery?"

"No, I'm fine. I can carry this much myself."

"It'll be heavy."

She had once climbed the back mountain carrying full military gear. Now was not the time to rely on others. What if someone loitered near the house and noticed Kite's presence?

Back   Next