Episode 10
There were many people who decided to marry after experiencing war. Some chose retirement as well.
“I know. But you’re… different. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you? Right?”
This was the real reason Terik had come to visit House Alfred. Out of everyone present when Adora had suddenly announced her intention to marry, Terik had been the most shocked.
They had never seriously talked about marriage before. When they were younger, they had casually joked about such topics, but after learning about her family history, he had never brought it up again. And now she was suddenly saying she wanted to get married?
Terik wasn’t upset that she hadn’t told him first. What worried him was that Adora’s abrupt decision seemed tied to some unspoken circumstance—something so serious that even he, who had stood by her as both colleague and closest friend for years, couldn’t be told. It made him wonder what burden she was carrying alone this time.
Adora saw her reflection in his eyes—his face full of concern. She remembered how hesitant he had looked even while seeing her off when she left the knight order.
She laughed quietly to herself.
He really is sharp.
“It’s just… this war was long and exhausting. Everyone was excited to return home to their families or lovers. But I couldn’t do that. You know I lost my family when I was young, right? And I don’t have anyone I could call a lover either. So I thought… maybe I want someone like that now. Someone who can comfort me when things are hard, share in happy moments with me, and welcome me home when I return.”
That wasn’t entirely a lie.
When Adora had first decided she wanted to marry, those thoughts had crossed her mind. Though they weren’t the true reason at the root of it all.
Terik’s expression darkened immediately after hearing her explanation.
Realizing she may have brought up an uncomfortable subject, Adora tried to move on—but Terik spoke first.
“If you’d be okay with it… I could be that person for you.”
“What? Ahaha!”
Adora burst into laughter as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
Anyone from the knight order who knew how rarely she laughed would have been stunned. Her fellow knights had always struggled to make her smile, yet here she was laughing openly.
But Terik wasn’t laughing.
His stiff face made it clear he was serious.
Adora gradually stopped laughing and looked at him again.
The corners of her lips still curved upward.
“Thank you, Terik.”
“I mean it. If you say you’re okay with it, I’ll go back right now and send a marriage proposal.”
“Yeah, I know. And I’m really happy.”
I really didn’t live my life in vain.
Adora felt genuinely touched.
She had a friend who came all this way because he was worried about her.
A friend who was willing to marry her for her sake.
Knowing his sincerity made her even more grateful.
“I really have an amazing friend.”
“Adora.”
“Yes, Terik. And when I decide on someone, I’ll tell you first.”
“…”
Terik said nothing more.
He realized she had drawn a line.
Adora didn’t doubt his sincerity. But she didn’t want him to truly go through with it.
Most noble marriages were built on family interests, but she wanted Terik to marry someone he genuinely loved. Not someone he married out of friendship and loyalty.
If she married him, life would probably be pleasant enough.
They shared similar interests. They had grown up together. They understood each other well. They would likely grow old together while leaning on one another.
That life didn’t sound terrible.
But…
Adora simply smiled.
“Don’t worry too much about Prince Lionel. I don’t think it’s anything serious.”
His proposal had been sudden and shocking, yes—but he hadn’t forced her or pressured her.
And she didn’t think he would make things difficult if she refused.
Adora wanted to treat his proposal as nothing more than an unusual event. Something she could laugh about later when she eventually got married.
“Honestly, shouldn’t he be the one worried?”
If she rejected him, wouldn’t that be embarrassing for him? He was still royalty—a prince, after all.
“I care more about you than I do about the prince.”
“That’s not exactly something a man in a knight’s uniform should be saying.”
Adora glanced him up and down.
For someone who had sworn lifelong loyalty and sacrifice to the kingdom, it was hardly an appropriate statement.
Terik seemed to realize that himself and awkwardly added,
“Keep it a secret.”
“I will.”
Adora graciously agreed to protect his secret, as though doing him a favor.
Seeing her playful expression, Terik forced a bitter smile.
He knew she was trying to ease his embarrassment after rejecting his proposal.
“But I really do mean it when I say you’re important to me.”
It was embarrassing to admit, but Terik spoke honestly.
He had never once seen Adora romantically.
But if she needed him, he truly would have married her.
That was how precious she was to him.
Terik first met Adora on the day they entered as trainee knights.
He had been deeply shocked when he saw how small and fragile-looking she seemed among children their age.
Even as a child, he had known about the tragedy of House Alfred.
But hearing about someone’s suffering and witnessing the aftermath of it firsthand were completely different things.
He realized that the moment he met her.
Her hair was cut short like a boy’s.
She dressed like the other boys.
Her face carried no trace of laughter.
The cheerful girl he vaguely remembered was gone.
In her place stood someone entirely different.
A fourteen-year-old child who looked far older than any adult—like someone who had completely lost the concept of happiness.
That was when Terik truly understood how devastating that tragedy had been.
Adora became a source of attention as the first female trainee knight.
Most people reacted negatively.
Terik was the opposite.
The shock he felt gradually turned into interest, and that interest led him closer to her.
Adora wasn’t warm or affectionate, but unlike people who only spoke pretty words, she inspired trust through her actions alone.
That suited Terik perfectly.
He watched her for years.
Through countless hardships, shared struggles, and memories built together, his interest grew into genuine trust and affection.
“I don’t want you to keep walking such painful paths anymore.”
Terik knew exactly what this war had meant to her.
He remembered the story she had once told him in a quiet voice.
The more he came to know Adora as a person, the more painful that story became.
He had always wondered what she was chasing so desperately—why she burned herself down to her final spark like a candle forcing itself to keep burning.
It hurt him every time he thought about it.
“I want you to be happy now.”
And because she had once lost someone precious, she had become afraid of relying on others for happiness.
Terik knew how lonely she had been—having no one to share joy or sorrow with.
More than anyone, he wanted someone to appear in her life who could fill that emptiness.
As her colleague and friend, if this sudden marriage could truly make her happy…
Then he would gladly celebrate it.
If it truly brought her happiness.
“I really hope that happens, Adora.”
“Yeah.”
Adora understood his feelings well enough.
* * *
A man was reflected in eyes brighter than raging flames.
He was the man who had led six years of war into chaos.
The greatest nuisance of this war.
The face Adora had never forgotten for even a single day of her life.
The man who stood protectively in front of an older man collapsed on the ground.
From that hellish day until now, more than a decade had passed.
All that time, Adora had expected him to come for her someday.
She had assumed he would realize his mistake—that he had overlooked a child hiding inside what he thought was an insignificant display cabinet.
She thought he would eventually come to silence the survivor.
But he never did.
Perhaps he had spared her because she was only a girl.
Perhaps he never imagined that girl would one day pick up a sword and seek revenge.
That was his greatest mistake.
And today—
She would make him realize it.
Adora gripped her sword tightly and charged at him.
Steel clashed violently. Sparks flew.
Both of them were already exhausted from previous battles.
At this point, victory would belong to whoever broke first.
Then Adora saw it—
An opening at his exposed side.
She didn’t hesitate.
She swung her sword behind her back to block his incoming strike, then spun her body and drove her blade into his side.
Unable to react in time, the man’s sword lost balance and grazed her cheek.
His eyes slowly lowered to the wound in his side.
When Adora pulled her sword free, blood gushed out.
The man staggered backward before dropping to one knee, using his sword to keep himself upright.
Adora approached him, breathing heavily.
“Do you remember me?”
The man weakly lifted his head to look at her.
His gaze lingered on her face for a brief moment before lowering again.
“No. I don’t.”
“You killed my mother. Maybe my father too. My little brother. Our loyal servants. Do you still not remember?!”
“Do you remember every person you’ve killed?”
His voice was calm.
“This is war. To win a war, people do whatever is necessary. You must have killed many people to make it this far as well.”
Adora clenched her teeth.
“Shut up!”
She swung her sword.
Her blade sliced through his neck.
Flesh tore. Blood sprayed.
At the same time—
Her sword shattered in half.
The blade that had accompanied her throughout the war had already reached its limit long ago.
Broken fragments scattered across the ground.
Only half a blade remained in her hand.
The headless body collapsed.
The severed head rolled across the ground until it stopped at her feet.
Adora slowly bent down and grabbed it by the hair.
Blood dripped steadily from the torn neck.
The moment she had longed for every single day…
Was finally in her hands.
At last.
Her revenge was complete.
Adora closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
The saliva pooling in her mouth tasted sweet.
Her exhausted body felt strangely light.
The blood soaking her hands felt intoxicating.
At last, she could comfort the spirits of those who had died unjustly.
Adora savored the joy of her revenge.
And then—
She felt despair.
“This was the revenge I wanted so badly… and all that remains is emptiness.”
Now that her revenge was over—
She had nothing left.
When Adora returned to her military tent, her body finally collapsed under the weight of everything she had endured.
For several days, her stomach had felt unsettled. She could barely keep food down and often vomited after eating.
But that day, the pain became unbearable.
Late in the middle of the night, while clutching her stomach in agony—
Adora suddenly rose from her bed…
And vomited blood.
