Chapter 77 …
He pushed himself up and landed lightly on the balcony.
The pitch-black clothes, like those a spy would wear, made Kal look like a ferocious beast with a blade.
“So, why did you call me? It can’t be because you want to die.”
“I have something to ask.”
“You’ve got guts. Or maybe you’re just stupid. So what are you curious about?”
“Do you still want to kill me?”
The fact that he had kept watching me meant he had hesitated.
In the meantime, Kal had already informed Helion that I had been beaten by Gederik.
It’s about time to reach a conclusion.
Seeing my confident attitude, Kal let out an annoyed sigh.
He deliberately tapped my shoulder.
“If I want to kill you, will you just die for me?”
“No. I just want to know.”
In the first place, even if I wanted to die, my body couldn’t die.
Perhaps my wooden reaction was boring, because Kal quickly withdrew his hand.
The clear hostility in his eyes crumbled a little.
“…Do you also think it was my misunderstanding?”
“It’s not exactly a misunderstanding. It’s something you experienced yourself.”
“What if I had killed you then?”
“Then I would’ve died.”
Only then did Kal stop the hand that had been twitching toward his dagger.
Maybe he had decided not to draw it.
He rubbed the back of his neck, his wandering gaze falling to the ground.
“…Well, for now, killing you is on hold.”
His dissatisfaction was obvious.
It seemed he had expected me to give him a reason worthy of killing, something fitting of “Merdin.”
“But if you do anything suspicious, I’ll kill you immediately.”
“Sure. More importantly, I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
Whether he killed me or let me live didn’t matter.
There was another reason I had called him.
Kal blinked, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.
Standing crookedly, he pointed at me with his index finger.
“A favor? You’re asking me for a favor? I said I won’t kill you yet, but I never said I trust you.”
That reaction was expected.
“Take this.”
“A key? Didn’t you just hear what I said?”
“There’s the baron family’s wealth that I secretly moved out. I want you to safely convert it into cash.”
I handed him an address I had prepared beforehand.
There were also notes with precautions.
Kal stood there blankly before finally coming back to his senses.
“Are you kidding me? Are you crazy? What on earth are you trusting—no, what exactly am I supposed to trust about you?”
“You saw it yourself.”
“You could’ve staged that.”
“You think I’d put on a whole act just to catch one person like you?”
“Damn it, then what are you trusting to do this?”
Kal roughly rubbed his face as he asked a surprisingly reasonable question.
It really wasn’t something you could entrust to just anyone.
If estimated, the amount would make anyone’s jaw drop.
If he runs away with it, that’d be a problem.
It was practically a crime, so he could even report me.
From anyone’s perspective, it was sloppy, so it was natural for Kal to think I’d lost my mind.
But I hadn’t asked him thoughtlessly.
“Because Helion trusts you.”
He was someone that cautious Helion had trusted for ten years.
Not only was he skilled, but even with that personality, he was someone reliable.
“The money you convert will be used for the territory’s people. If you betray me, I’m not the one who loses.”
“…How are you going to use it?”
“You’ll see.”
“And if you’re lying?”
“Then I’ll die.”
If he betrayed me, Kal would probably kill me immediately.
If it’s Kal, who once lived in the barony, he won’t be able to refuse easily.
Even after ten years, he probably still couldn’t abandon it—
just like I couldn’t abandon those days.
“I’ll pay you properly.”
“…If I betray you, what then?”
“I’m asking you because I’ve already calculated that possibility.”
In truth, I hadn’t calculated anything.
But when you say something like that, people tend not to betray you until the end.
“If you try to change your story later, you’re dead.”
Kal pondered for a long time, but in the end he couldn’t refuse.
He accepted and tucked the key into his chest.
“That won’t happen. And there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“Again? Do you think I’m some kind of errand boy?”
Even while grumbling, he didn’t leave.
He was simple to read—no wonder Helion found him easy to handle.
“There’s a medicine I want you to obtain.”
As I explained the medicine, Kal’s face twisted unpleasantly.
His expression clearly asked why on earth I needed that, but I had no intention of explaining.
“Are you some kind of spy or something?”
“No. So you won’t do it?”
“If I get caught, I’ll be in danger too.”
“Oh, is it a medicine you can’t get?”
“…As if there’s anything I can’t obtain. After murder, the thing I know best is poison. Just stay quiet and wait.”
Kal flared up, saying he’d bring it immediately.
“If you’re scamming me, I’ll kill you no matter what.”
“Then make sure it’s as painful as possible.”
“…I’ll contact you first, so don’t do anything stupid.”
All I knew about Kal was that he was Helion’s close friend.
I waved my hand, telling him to do as he pleased.
“Then I’ll go—”
Kal suddenly stared at me.
His blue eyes, which strangely held no contempt, were clearer than expected.
“Helion lives because of you.”
“……”
“It might be none of my business, but… is that really okay?”
The unexpected words made me miss my chance to respond.
…It’s because of guilt.
Of course it’s not okay.
That’s why I tried to keep some distance.
But it wasn’t a problem that could be solved easily.
For now, it couldn’t be helped.
“If it’s not okay, then tell that bastard too.”
Kal sat on the balcony railing and spoke like a true friend.
He crooked one corner of his mouth.
“He’s secretly pretty stupid, so if you don’t tell him, he won’t realize.”
As if he had said everything he needed to, Kal threw himself off the balcony.
He disappeared instantly after landing.
That speed… clearly the work of someone who had done many assassinations.
To call him stupid…
Usually Helion was rational, but sometimes he had that side.
I didn’t know Kal was aware of it too.
Especially when it comes to me.
Things had gotten better, but they hadn’t disappeared.
There were still mountains of problems to solve.
Ten years had only tangled the relationship further.
There was too much to untangle.
* * *
On the plate, freshly baked cookies were stacked neatly.
Reina looked proudly at the cookies she had baked herself.
This time, they were shaped like cats.
They weren’t overly sweet, making them easy to eat.
…I wonder if that person will like them too.
Full of anticipation, she carefully selected the prettiest ones.
The first time she had presented them, that person had eaten them happily, so Reina felt somewhat confident.
She had been so happy when they said it tasted good that she ended up baking them again.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
A faint blush, similar to the color of snow, appeared on her cheeks.
“I hope they like it.”
“Of course they will! It’s so delicious—there’s no way they wouldn’t!”
A maid declared confidently while devouring the mountain of cookies.
Because Reina kept baking until they were perfect, she had ended up producing them in large quantities.
Everyone was happily eating them.
Even though she had entered the baron’s household as an adopted daughter, everyone treated her kindly.
In fact, they even showed her special consideration because they felt sorry for her.
Thanks to that, Reina had adapted to the baron’s household more quickly.
Now she received even more goodwill than the baron himself.
“Before, I was going crazy wanting to quit, but these days every day is enjoyable!”
“Was it that hard?”
“Don’t even ask. Before, it was like living as if we were dead. And Lady Laila was terrifying too…”
The maid shuddered, as if she didn’t even want to remember it.
Reina’s eyes widened while packaging the cookies.
“Her? But she’s incredibly kind now.”
“That’s what I’m curious about too. Of course, it’s great now! But it changed way too suddenly…”
The maid glanced around before whispering into Reina’s ear.
“Now everyone’s praying that Lady Laila keeps being crazy.”
“I see… I thought she was an angel from the start.”
Even though things were comfortable now, before coming to the mansion she had been consumed by endless anxiety.
Reina’s life had been a downhill path from the moment she was born.
Since it had never gone upward even once, she only hoped now to be a little less unhappy.
To be hurt less.
To despair less.
Reina struggled desperately to live.
Maybe then something would change.
But the downhill slope only became steeper.
The moment she became an adult, Reina was scammed.
It happened in a ridiculous way.
Her landlord suddenly told her to move out, so she barely managed to find a new place.
But the moment she handed over the money, the person disappeared.
My entire fortune vanished in an instant.
Even if she reported it, there was no way to catch them.
To make matters worse, the house she had signed for wasn’t even owned by that person.
She couldn’t understand why these things only happened to her.
What’s the point of trying when it always ends like this?
She couldn’t see any reason to continue living like this.
She wanted to give up.
But whenever she wanted to give up, a way to survive always appeared.
“You have nowhere to go, right? How about living with us?”
“It’ll be a life you can’t even compare to this.”
The ones who reached out to her when her future was bleak were Baron Merdin and his wife.
They asked her to become their adopted daughter.
Reina couldn’t refuse them.
She knew they probably had other intentions, but she had to survive.
She wanted to live rather than give up, so she accepted.
Still, she couldn’t help being afraid.
She had to abandon the life she had barely adapted to and start over from the beginning.
I thought I would regret it.
She had even resented herself for wanting to live…
But she had been wrong.
It was the only lifeline thrown to someone who had been endlessly falling.
When Reina followed the baron couple to the capital, she met an angel.
She didn’t need a reason.
From the moment she saw her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had met her savior.
