#137. Deceiving and Being Deceived (2)
The night when Naina secretly came to Pavel and told him the real identity of Chernomor.
After sending Naina away, Pavel sat in deep thought.
He didn’t want to bring more problems to someone who was already busy with work, but…
‘It’s not right to hide this.’
Pavel decided to ask for advice from the wisest person he knew, so he used a communication spell.
Just like she had been waiting, Sasha answered right away.
[Pavel? What’s wrong?]
Her gentle voice sounded sleepy, like he had woken her up.
“…Sorry for calling so late. There’s something I really want to discuss with you.”
Sasha shook her head at Pavel’s hesitant words.
[No, it’s fine. If it’s you, it’s always okay. I’m actually happy I can help you.]
Sasha’s kind words felt like sweet water to Pavel’s tired and dry heart.
Pavel suddenly forgot what he wanted to say.
[Pavel?]
When he didn’t speak, Sasha asked first.
[Can you tell me what’s going on?]
Slowly, Pavel started to explain.
Gregory, whom they thought was dead, was alive and hiding his true identity to come to them.
Gregory was the one who killed Dmitri, and he was the mastermind who led the monsters to attack the North.
And all of this was just part of Gregory’s revenge on Pavel. The real goal was to take over the Volkov family and control the whole North.
[Is… is that really true?]
Sasha was shocked and lost for words. But she didn’t have time to process it before asking,
[Are you okay?]
Even though she must have had many questions, she first asked about Pavel’s well-being.
Pavel clenched his teeth, holding back his feelings.
‘If she was here, she would have held my hand right away.’
He missed how Sasha always comforted him by holding his hand and sharing her warm heart.
Pavel needed Sasha’s warmth, so he kept touching his wedding ring.
That helped calm his heart a little.
[Pavel…]
Pavel was quiet, so Sasha hesitated. But then he spoke first.
“I’m okay. But more than that, I want to hear your opinion about what to do with Gregory, that criminal.”
[Ah, right. You said you’ll reveal his identity in a few days. So we should prepare in advance… Wait, Pavel.]
Suddenly, Sasha’s voice became serious as she remembered something.
[Is it possible that he could be listening to our conversation?]
Pavel’s face turned stiff.
If Gregory had the strange power to survive death, maybe he could listen to their conversation, too.
[Let’s use a relic to block out the sound from now on.]
“Okay.”
Pavel took out the pocket Sasha had given him before he left—a pocket with a hidden space inside. Sasha had used it well before giving it to Pavel when he went far away.
Inside the pocket, there were many useful relics and items Sasha had put in for him.
Pavel found one that could create a magic barrier to block sound.
Bzzz—!
After hearing a little noise, Pavel saw that the magic was working and started talking again.
“…If that’s true, then our plan might have already leaked.”
[Yes. He might have found out when that woman came to you.]
Pavel frowned.
Sasha, thinking for a moment, added more.
[That woman who told you all this… she might have another motive. I don’t think you should trust her completely.]
Sasha spoke carefully, watching Pavel’s expression.
[Actually, there was an incident at the estate recently.]
“An incident?”
[Well, it’s like this.]
Sasha explained what had happened.
She had stopped Duke Titova’s plan ahead of time by preparing in advance. She apologized after telling the story.
[Sorry. You’re the Grand Duke, so you should have known, but you’re busy with your own problems. I didn’t want to give you more headaches. I planned to tell you right when you came back…]
Sasha’s voice faded as she apologized. Pavel answered quietly.
“…It’s okay. I’ve been keeping things to myself too, so I get it.”
[Really?]
Sasha’s voice became brighter.
[We really understand each other. We’re so alike, even in things like this.]
Sasha laughed softly and continued.
[Oh! And about the Titova incident, there was something strange. All the witnesses said a woman who looked like me appeared in their dreams and showed them the future. I was surprised when I heard that. Now, after hearing your story, maybe that woman is the same one who came to you.]
“….”
[Could there really be two people who look like me and can see the future, appearing at the same time?]
Sasha wondered if Naina was suspicious and tilted her head.
[But if it’s the same person… does she have the power to enter dreams? Or did she use a relic?]
She muttered that she needed to investigate more about this.
[Anyway. Even if that woman really is a victim, like she said to you, you shouldn’t trust her completely. She worked with Gregory because he threatened her, right? She might be used again this time. She could even be brainwashed by magic.]
Pavel listened carefully to her words.
[So you should be ready for anything. If she betrays you, you should be able to handle the situation your way.]
“Yeah.”
Pavel nodded. He also felt uneasy about Naina.
[Also, all those relics in the secret passage… maybe Gregory put them there. The reason…]
Sasha frowned and thought deeply.
[…Maybe he wanted to shake things up here? He might have used Duke Titova to try to control the North, attacking you from both sides.]
“That’s what it seems like.”
[If he even tried a diversion tactic, he must really want the North. We need to be ready.]
Sasha bit her lip.
Pavel also thought for a while and asked,
“What should I do?”
[If Gregory looked like the monster you saw in Dmitri’s memories, then normal attacks might not work…]
Pavel and Sasha talked for a long time after that.
They discussed the best ways to trap and attack, picked out useful relics from the pocket, and made their plans more detailed.
Outside the tent, the morning light was coming. But Pavel, focused on his talk with Sasha, didn’t notice the time at all.
But the communication spell couldn’t last forever.
The jewel started blinking, warning that the spell would end soon.
[Oh no. It’s about to turn off.]
Sasha sounded sad when she realized this.
Inside the small pendant, Sasha quietly looked at Pavel. She couldn’t look away from his eyes and just stared at him…
[Pavel!]
Sasha called his name urgently, took a breath, and said,
[You must stay safe.]
“….”
[I wish I could be by your side now. It hurts that such a dangerous enemy is threatening you, and I can’t help you… I’m sorry.]
Sasha whispered sadly.
Pavel wanted to comfort her, to say he felt better after talking with her, that everything would work out tomorrow.
[ … ]
After that, Sasha’s image stopped moving.
“….”
Now the tent was silent after the spell ended.
Left alone, Pavel leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
The goal was so close now.
He had come all this way, covered in blood and sweat, always alert and never sleeping well at night.
His body was tired and numb, but he had finally reached this point.
And tomorrow, it would all end.
Excitement and nervousness mixed in his heart.
But not all his thoughts were positive.
If something went wrong, maybe tomorrow…
“….”
Pavel looked down at the pendant, now ordinary, and remembered a letter he received after saying his final goodbye to Dmitri.
“Pavel, I told you I remember my past life. That means… there is a next life too.”
It was a secret Sasha shared only with him.
“What I want to say is, even though Dmitri left us, it’s not really the end.”
“Of course, a past life is just a past life. When you start a new life, you don’t remember people from before, and you can’t meet them again…”
“But if you just think that person went far away to a place you can’t contact, and is living well somewhere, it makes you feel a little better when you’re sad.”
“Even if someone leaves, they still leave traces. And if you remember them, they stay in your heart. It’s the same for me. So if you ever miss Dmitri, tell me. We can talk about our memories, and you’ll see that he still lives on in our hearts.”
Reading the letter, Pavel suddenly wondered,
‘Are you like that, too? Is there someone who lives in your heart?’
The letter even had an answer to this question.
“I have someone like that, too. Even after many lives, that person stayed deep in my heart.”
That sentence made him feel strange.
He felt jealous that Sasha had someone she missed so much, but also relieved that she wasn’t lonely or sad all the time.
‘For me, there’s only you. But you… you have many precious people, not just me.’
Count Arban’s family, nurse Olga, maid Nina, the servants and knights at Bellicordo Castle.
And people from Sasha’s previous lives whom Pavel didn’t even know.
His kind wife shared her warm heart with many people.
Since childhood, that always bothered Pavel.
But after coming to the battlefield, his feelings changed a bit.
“Am I that kind of person to you, too?”
Someone you can’t forget, even after many years.
Someone who stays in your heart, even if they die and leave this world.
‘Do I wish for that, or…?’
