Chapter 169: Baton Pass
Sigren sometimes came to the terrace of my room at night. He realized that this method allowed him to visit without the time limit set by Abel. Well, at least we could have a conversation. Aren’t we dating very too healthy?
“Are you close with Carl?” I asked Sigren about his relationship with Carl while he was deep in thought. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Well, not really.”
“That’s a cold answer.”
He brushed off my joke. “We parted ways suddenly when we were young, and it’s only recently that we’ve properly reconnected. I didn’t even know whether he was alive or not before, and vice versa. Plus, he wanders around.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, if I had to describe it, it’s like a partnership for a common goal.”
So, it was a business-like relationship.
“So, did you two achieve that ‘common’ goal?”
Now that the Empress has stepped down, were they satisfied?
Sigren shook his head, a subtle expression on his face. “Probably not.”
“Probably?”
“Even then, I don’t know if Carl is satisfied with this. He and I are different.”
“How are you different?”
It probably wasn’t because of status or anything like that. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Sigren looked at me. “Well, wouldn’t the biggest difference be that I have something precious, and he doesn’t? Unlike me, Carl has nothing to lose.”
Well, in context, that precious thing meant me…?
Sigren cleared his throat, probably embarrassed by what he had said. “Anyway, I’m not sure whether he wants to end this or not.”
“So, are you satisfied?”
He stiffened, as if caught off guard.
“I… I don’t know. It’s not that I’m forgiving or that I’ve forgotten the deaths of my mother and aunt. But Fiona, when I look at you, I think I should keep in line.”
This meant he was not satisfied; he was hesitating. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
I looked at him. “Because I’m the most precious to you?”
“….” Sigren’s face gradually flushed at my direct question. He seemed embarrassed to answer.
This guy was good at skinship, but why was he embarrassed by a question like this?
“How can you ask such a question so casually?”
“So, I’m not?”
“Yes, you’re right. You’re the most precious to me.”
That was a very satisfying answer.
Perhaps because he couldn’t handle the overwhelming sense of embarrassment, he quickly changed the subject. “The reason my aunt died was that she got caught up in helping my mother escape. So I don’t think Carl feels very good about me.”
I could sense the awkwardness between Sigren and Carl. I often thought about the polite, pretty young man Carl. I just hoped he wouldn’t end up on a bad path in the future.
I remembered the last time we baked cookies together. When I asked what he wanted to do in the future, his expression was strange. I couldn’t engage in that conversation at the time because we weren’t in a private space. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com. Now that I thought about it more, it would be better to have a proper conversation with him at least once. I wanted to know what he thought; I just hoped he wouldn’t take a bad path in the future.
I wanted to do all those things not because I was particularly sweet or good, but because I felt guilty, as always. I couldn’t shake the thought that I was the reason for the misfortunes that happened in this world. It was all my fault, especially the misfortunes that happened to Sigren.
“Do you care about Carl?” Sigren looked at me with a mysterious expression.
I nodded slowly. “Just a little.”
***
Carl didn’t think staying at Heilon Manor was a bad idea. He meant it. However, he recently started considering moving out.
Originally, Carl’s main job was handling information, which was why he possessed many skills, such as singing and acting well. So, when he reunited with his long-lost cousin, it was clear what he would do: he was someone who would avenge his mother and aunt, who had been trampled by power. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com. Unfortunately, his cousin’s resolve seemed to be faltering lately, and he knew why. It was all because of Fiona Heilon. It appeared that his cousin didn’t want to make Fiona unhappy.
Carl didn’t particularly dislike Fiona Heilon, though. It was difficult to hate someone with such consistent kindness. ‘Is there something you want to do?’ None. Frankly, he had never even considered it. This was the biggest difference between himself and Sigren: the presence of a desire. Sigren hesitated to cross the line because he wanted something. Carl realized this as soon as he met his cousin. Sigren looked much happier now than he had in his youth. After witnessing Fiona’s behavior these days, Carl couldn’t help but understand his cousin because, right now, his own heart was also weakening little by little.
‘Let’s leave.’ Carl didn’t want to become weak like Sigren. What he had started must be finished.
It was a dusky dawn when Carl left Heilon Manor.
“You’re not just going for a walk, are you?”
However, not far from the entrance of the manor, a loud voice questioning him stopped him in his tracks.
“….” Carl slowly turned around and saw a familiar face. “I wonder how you know, Miss.”
“Well, your attitude is different now. You tend to be a thorn to anyone around you, just like Sigren was when he was young.” Fiona grinned. “So it’s not difficult to understand.”
“Is that so?”
Fiona shrugged her shoulders. “The murder of a nobleman is a serious crime.”
“Do you know what I’m going to do?”
“It’s not that I’m staying still either. Decades ago, it was the Erez family that carried out the Empress’s orders, wasn’t it?”
Fiona had suspected for some time that Sigren wasn’t being harsh toward his escort knight, Kane Erez, for no reason. However, it seemed that Kane Erez was unaware that his family had been involved in such deeds; everything had been done secretly by Marquis Erez. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Anyway, I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to kill Marquis Erez. Do you want to live as a fugitive forever?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Fiona let out a short sigh. “You have a much more self-destructive personality than I thought.”
Living a life centered around revenge was meaningless, but Fiona didn’t want to say that. It was only natural to harbor so much hatred toward the person who had killed your entire family.
“Why are you meddling? Is it because I’m Prince Sigren’s cousin?”
Fiona knew she might be a bit too meddlesome, considering her relationship with him was not as close as that of Sigren and Kane. “There are reasons for that… It’s more like a sense of responsibility.”
“Responsibility?”
Fiona responded quite seriously, “It may sound funny, but some people feel responsible when they see someone who is unhappy. They want to look after them.”
It was difficult for Fiona to explain. The truth was that she felt responsible because she had directly influenced many unfortunate events in this world. “Anyway, let’s go back.”
Nothing good would come from trying to kill Marquis Erez. First, it was difficult to succeed, and second, even if he managed to do it, the aftermath wouldn’t be easy to handle. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“Thank you for your time, but I’ll decline.”
Fiona clicked her tongue. ‘He’s just as stubborn as Sigren.’
Carl was genuinely ready to leave.
Seeing this, Fiona thought, ‘Oh, I don’t know.’
“There may be more people on your revenge list regarding your mother’s death.”
Carl’s steps halted. “And that person is…?”
‘Oh, it worked.’ Now that it had come to this, Fiona finally had the opportunity to say what she had been itching to express.
“That person might be me,” Fiona grinned. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
“That’s a bad joke.”
She maintained a serious expression. “I don’t think this is something that can be made into a joke.”
Only then did Carl’s expression turn serious. “Are you serious?”
“That’s something you have to investigate yourself,” Fiona answered vaguely. Even though Abel and Sigren didn’t show their curiosity, she knew they were always puzzled by what she knew. Now that she was in this situation, it didn’t matter if one more person tried to figure her out.
“Would you like to? Don’t you feel like you should do more research on me? So, let’s go back for now.”
Carl’s expression showed confusion. “What if I harm you in the future?”
Fiona replied apathetically, “It doesn’t really matter.”
“Isn’t your self-destructive tendency worse than mine?”
“Is that so?” Fiona didn’t know about that, but she just wanted to live her life to the fullest. “Think about it carefully, Carl. You can kill him at any time, but you can’t undo the situation if things become awkward afterward.”
This meant he wouldn’t have a chance to learn about her if he killed Marquis Erez. Read the translation on itsladygrey.com.
Carl understood the point. “I see.”
Fiona smiled brightly. “Okay. Let’s go back now.”
This time, Carl didn’t refuse.
***
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