Chapter 71 ….
Hennel, who had been asking desperately, fell silent. Laila—the person Helion had been searching for so desperately. The wandering piece had finally found its place. Only then could Hennel understand.
If it were this kind of problem, neither of them would back down. Kal hated them, but Helion liked her. Unlike Hennel, whose expression darkened, Helion continued explaining matter-of-factly.
“…That’s how it happened.”
Hennel, now knowing everything that had happened, let out a deep sigh.
‘No wonder I couldn’t see it.’
She wouldn’t want to appear voluntarily. Kal, despite everything, had relied on Helion. He must have felt an immense sense of betrayal toward someone who protected Laila.
A tense silence followed, more severe than expected. Helion, with a bitter smile, was half resigned.
“I can’t let go of Laila. So—”
“I’ll bring Kal back.”
Noah, who had been silent until now, sprang to his feet. Helion was taken aback as he tried to leave without hesitation.
“There’s no need—”
“It’s a misunderstanding. I need to fix it immediately.”
His silver eyes locked on Helion. Meeting that gaze, Kal lowered his head, as if to say it was only natural.
“…Fixing it won’t be easy.”
“When has it ever been easy? But we have to try.”
Normally, Hennel would have stopped Noah, but this time he joined him. He stood up, following.
He didn’t want to take sides like this. Hennel didn’t want their relationship to deteriorate over such matters.
To Helion, their behavior seemed strange. Naturally, he expected them to be angry like Kal. After all, from their perspective, he was nothing less than a traitor.
Trust was the most important thing on the battlefield. Even if there were disputes, trust wasn’t broken. No one needed to promise it—it was simply understood.
The trust that allowed them to entrust their lives to each other had lasted ten years. In a single moment, it collapsed.
It was inevitable that they would resent him for choosing Laila over those ten years. Even if there were reasons, it was a clear betrayal.
Yet Helion chose Laila, knowing everything.
“You must be disappointed too.”
“Even so, if you can’t give up, then we should step back.”
Hennel was not angry. There was still trust in his words.
“There’s nothing to be disappointed about. Even if you kill me, I won’t resent you.”
Noah, who never lied, was honest even in moments like this. His eyes, untouched by hurt, were simply clear.
Helion’s eyes widened slightly. He didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll bring him back, so you just wait quietly, Helion.”
Meanwhile, Hennel and Noah left the room. Watching them disappear, Helion realized things were not okay.
“I thought I’d be fine.”
At that moment, he could have killed. He had lived for Laila, and would continue to do so. Nothing was more important than her. For her sake, Helion was ready to give up anything.
Even a comrade who shared life and death could be abandoned. He was sure of that—but his resolve was slowly wavering.
“…This is why.”
He began to understand, at least a little, why Laila had wanted distance. Only by separating could he recognize reality. Helion roughly brushed his face. He understood her intention, but it was not comforting.
This way, he could not give his all to Laila.
“It can’t happen.”
It was natural to devote himself to someone who appeared like a miracle. There could be no obstacles. Helion continued to steel his heart. He desperately erased the widening world within him.
He wanted to see Laila quickly. Seeing her would dissolve all doubt.
…Or so he hoped.
After arguing with Helion, Kal left the hotel. But he had returned there not long ago.
No one knew that Kal had deliberately hidden himself.
‘He’s not leaving.’
He was secretly tailing Laila, intending to uncover her true self and report it to Helion.
He couldn’t let Helion remain insane. There was at least ten years of connection, so he had to help, in a sense.
Kal, thinking he was saving a fool, scrutinized Laila thoroughly. He sensed her presence too easily to hide clumsily.
So, he was now hiding in the next room, eavesdropping. The distance was considerable, but Kal’s keen ears allowed him to overhear the conversation without difficulty.
Still, there was no tangible result. Today too, Kal frowned at the dull conversation.
Apparently, Laila’s maid chattered like a sparrow.
“Rumor has it that Lady Laila and Lord Helion are seeing each other!”
“That’s not true. And if it were, it would spread negatively.”
“Even so, I think they suit each other! They’re both noble!”
“I agree. Some fool must be deliberately spreading false rumors!”
Ridiculous nonsense. There were rumors like, ‘A wicked lady seduced an innocent hero!’ But to hear everyone whisper it unanimously, yet claim it was fabricated—it was absurd.
‘Still, it’s the mistress.’
Perhaps their loyalty to Laila had gone too far.
“Me and Helion?”
“Gasp! By name, yes! The lady is incredibly beautiful too!”
Laila tilted her head, puzzled, and Katie promptly answered.
Kal smirked and slightly turned his head. He could see Laila flipping through the book clearly.
‘Not ugly, but they say they suit each other.’
He had seen that expression many times on the battlefield. The enemy’s final look before death was exactly like that.
Their face pale, eyes dark, lifeless, staring into the void. They resembled humans but were no longer truly human.
Kal, who had crushed and stepped over such beings countless times, found Laila’s aura strangely familiar.
‘But Helion is the one who’s been on the battlefield.’
Why did she look so corpse-like? Helion and Laila’s auras should be opposite. Yet Helion had always appeared dignified.
Tsk. Kal clicked his tongue, twisting his body. Laila, like a living corpse, irritated him.
“You don’t need to flatter me. I know what I look like.”
“Of course!”
Even their ongoing conversation was absurd.
‘Why are they so close?’
Loyalty was one thing, but this level of intimacy was unusual. Laila’s personality didn’t seem like one to get along with servants.
She had considered commoners as insects. There was no way such a woman would respect her servants. This wasn’t even Kal’s subjective opinion.
His research showed that Lady Merdin was infamous for her cruel nature, indulging in luxury and abuse without noble dignity—just as Kal expected.
‘But this is too different.’
The problem was that the old rumors didn’t fit the current Laila. Kal roughly ran his hand through his hair, thinking of her rebirth-like transformation.
‘She said she regained her memories.’
Had she been rehabilitated in the process? But humans cannot simply be rewritten. Pretending to change only delays the inevitable.
Eventually, she would revert to her original self. Kal wanted to see that true self, not this staged scene.
Suppressing the urge to kill, he listened carefully. At that moment, a knock and the voice of a hotel staff member reached him.
Kal slightly opened his door to observe. The butler’s wariness was obvious, as if the visit was uninvited.
“What is it?”
“Your family is waiting in the lobby, milady. May I guide them in?”
“…Just a moment.”
The butler, suddenly pale, hurriedly closed the door. He rushed to Laila, almost in tears.
“Oh, what should we do?”
“Hah, they arrived sooner than I expected.”
Laila frowned at the unwelcome news.
“Lock the curtains and the door.”
Jamie and Katie promptly obeyed. Though Kal’s view was blocked, he could still hear clearly.
Kal’s lips curled at the unusual reaction. Was her true nature finally showing? The tense atmosphere seemed ready to erupt into violence.
“The disposal is—”
“The location is unknown to even the mistress. About half has been dealt with.”
“And the exchanged money?”
“It’s stored wherever the lady commanded.”
But the direction of the conversation was strange. Didn’t it make them sound like a crime syndicate?
‘Did they steal something?’
The young lady, who could have anything by asking her parents? Strange, but not impossible.
If the sum was too large for her parents, she might have stolen it secretly. But acting in collusion with her servants was unusual.
Moreover, it didn’t seem like a good deed, yet she didn’t blame the servants. She assessed the situation calmly.
“Shall we go soon?”
“Are you sure? This time they won’t go easy. It could be really dangerous…”
“What else could they do but kill?”
“…Isn’t that the biggest problem?”
Despite Jamie and Katie’s worry, Laila was unfazed. She gestured to the trembling duo.
“Whatever happens, I’ll take responsibility. You two stay put.”
“…B-But—”
“It’s an order.”
Katie, about to refuse, closed her mouth. The calm yet authoritative voice left no room for defiance.
Hiding her concern, Katie silently followed Laila.
Kal’s jaw dropped at the absurd scene.
‘That’s the Merdin?’
