Chapter 57
“Oh dear, she’s fainted. My Chanel.”
The devil’s piercing gaze, which had been fixed on the screaming woman, now turned toward me.
The silver-haired reaper, Stjern Miache.
On the battlefield, both allies and enemies alike had called him that. Looking back, it was absurd. That man never deserved such a grand title as Reaper.
“How was it? Enjoy the show?”
He smirked, and I ground my teeth as I asked,
“Why aren’t you killing her?”
“If she dies, her true form will be harmed. Can’t have that.”
“Don’t tell me… you actually think that woman is a dragon?”
“Of course.”
“To me, she’s nothing but a madwoman…! No—wait, you’re insane too!”
“Heh, that’s right! That’s it! Because you don’t believe in dragons, I want to prove it to you no matter what!”
Stjern shrugged and sat down in front of me, leaning back as if he were comfortable.
“Just wait. When she transforms into her true form, you’ll understand why I’m going this far.”
“Nonsense.”
Until recently, I thought the most insane person in the world was Chanellica—the woman who impersonated my brother’s fiancée and actually managed to take that position.
The first time I thought she was crazy was because of the rumors among the servants. On the day she first came to the Cartel mansion, some servants eavesdropped outside the drawing room. Not only did she claim to be my brother’s fiancée, but she even told him she was a dragon.
A swindler, and clearly not right in the head.
That was what I thought of her. But seeing this now, I realized—it wasn’t just her. Stjern, this vile man, was just as insane.
“You only wish it were nonsense.”
He kept chuckling as if this were the most entertaining thing in the world.
“If she really is a dragon, that means your precious brother you adore so much is one too.”
“Shut up!”
“Your brother would be disappointed, you know. A younger sibling who can’t even accept that he’s a dragon. Or maybe… once he finds out you dragged his mate here, he won’t care about being your brother—he’ll just kill you.”
“My brother is human! It’s you and that woman spouting all this dragon nonsense!”
“Heh, faith like that is nice. From where I’m standing, the greater the shock when it breaks, the sweeter it is.”
Stjern nodded smugly, as if he understood everything. I wanted to smash his face in right then, but the ropes binding me left no room to move.
“What do you plan to do with me?”
“Well… honestly, you’re a bit annoying. Following me without a word? If Derwin gave you a secret order, shouldn’t you have reported to me directly?”
“I didn’t plan to follow you.”
“But you changed your mind, didn’t you? Why was that?”
I shut my mouth. No answer came easily—because there was no convincing reason.
“Don’t tell me… it was out of sentiment? Guilt, maybe?”
“That’s not it!”
It was just… because my brother seemed to truly care for that woman. That fact kept gnawing at me and eventually pulled me here.
I was sure she was a fraud, a thorn that had ruined his relationship with the princess. But… did she really need to die?
Still, if death was the only way to remove her, and someone was determined enough to make it happen, then helping that person wasn’t difficult.
So I didn’t come here with some foolish thought of swooping in at the last moment to save her. I just thought—if Stjern really killed her, at least I could take her intact body back. That way, my brother wouldn’t suffer as much. And I’d have proof that I obeyed his order to protect her. I could bring back her corpse, claim I tried to protect her but failed, and that would be that.
I let the two of them leave first, waited deliberately, and then followed slowly. I took care of another group secretly tailing them, then gave Stjern plenty of time after he entered the cave.
But even after a long while, he didn’t come out. So I went inside to see what was happening.
The woman was still alive. My first thought was, thank goodness.
It’s ridiculous, but while I waited outside, silently abetting murder, I had countless thoughts. Was it really okay to sit here and do nothing? Even if my brother was blind enough to want to be with that crazy swindler, shouldn’t I respect that? Should I rush in and save her right now? In the end, I did nothing. But when I saw her alive, all those worries felt laughable.
That relief quickly vanished, though—because she was being beaten by Stjern. Her body was already a wreck.
As a human being, I pitied her. But the idea of fighting Stjern and rescuing her was impossible. I already knew how vast the gap in our abilities was.
The only thing I could do for her was to end her suffering swiftly.
But even that failed. My lie—that her pain would end quickly if she just gave up—meant nothing. How useless I was.
“Well, if everything goes my way, I’ll let you go. And if you feel too guilty to stay by your brother’s side, I could even take you in.”
Stjern grinned and then lay down a little ways off, as if to nap.
The cave grew quiet. Other than the crackling fire, there was no light, no sense of time.
Soon, I heard Stjern snoring across from me, while the woman’s painful groans continued nearby.
“You filthy bastard.”
I cursed—not at him, but at the person I knew better than anyone else in this world, the one who had committed the vilest deeds.
At myself. Ferdin Cartel.
I only ever wanted to be close to my brother.
I first met Derwin after joining the Kaissel Knights. Because of our similar hair color and demeanor, others often teased us, saying we looked like brothers.
He always looked out for me kindly. To me, an orphan who’d never had family, he became the one person in the world I could trust and depend on.
He excelled at everything—his mind, his swordsmanship, his skill with the bow. I was always proud of him, always followed him like a real younger brother.
He also had another close friend: Stjern. Somehow, they got along perfectly. His abilities, too, far outstripped mine.
The three of us were inseparable. Within the order, we were always together, like true family. Even when wounded in battle, I felt content so long as I had them beside me.
If only it could have stayed that way forever.
My brother distinguished himself in battle after battle, even playing a decisive role in securing the current king’s throne. For that, he was made a duke in honor and rose to become commander of the Kaissel Knights.
Maybe that was the problem.
One day, he was accused of treason.
It was a lie. My brother was the most loyal man alive. But most of the knights close to him were dragged into the royal dungeon, tortured to force confessions.
And the worst part? The root of that lie… was me.
My brother never once parted from his black longbow. I admired it deeply—it was his weapon of legend. With it, he never missed, near or far, and always claimed victory.
Once, in a distant village, an old blacksmith saw his bow and fell to his knees, calling my brother “the noblest man alive.”
Proud, I told Stjern about it—never imagining it would become the seed of treason.
And worse—I admired my brother so much, I imitated everything: the way he fought, the books he liked, even his eating habits. Most dangerous of all, I practiced copying his handwriting.
Stjern used this against me. He had me write in my brother’s script, praising my skill. Those copied letters were later compiled into a forged document, used as proof of treason.
Not stopping there, Stjern dragged the old blacksmith before the king. After torture, the old man repeated his words: “He is nobler than anyone.”
All evidence pointed to my brother. And all of it had come through me.
Thankfully, the other knights never gave false confessions, despite the torture. But Stjern whispered to the king:
“Your Majesty is their lord, but they remain loyal to their commander instead.”
The king wavered. Though my brother and the knights denied everything, the old blacksmith’s testimony made it impossible to dismiss outright.
In the end, my brother and all of us were expelled from the order.
I saw my brother’s devastated face, and the guilt nearly crushed me. I held on to him, ready to do anything for him.
At that time, it was the princess who extended a hand to him. She liked him. I prayed for them to marry, believing it would restore his honor and allow him to take revenge on Stjern.
But then Chanellica appeared, and everything was ruined. Soon after, Stjern himself contacted me.
He told me to befriend her and gather information.
I refused immediately. But then he said—
“If your brother learns that his downfall was your fault… do you think he’ll spare you?”
I had no choice.
Then came his strange proposal:
“Your brother’s so-called fiancée is more dangerous than you think. She’s mad. Not just to your brother, but to this kingdom as well. She must be eliminated. Why don’t we cooperate?”
I had sworn to live for my brother. She was an obstacle between him and the princess. Stjern was my greater enemy, yes—but for now, we agreed she needed to go.
So I worked with him. I read books on dragons I cared nothing about, so I could converse with her. I relayed everything she said to me. I even eavesdropped on her conversations with my brother.
Never once did I feel wrong about it. Whenever I listened to them talk, I felt I too was being driven mad—with all their nonsense about dragons, hatchlings, mates, lords. I just wanted to free my brother from her.
Finally, the day came when she was to die, per Stjern’s plan. And I simply watched. For my brother’s future, I told myself I would bear all the filth.
But… was this really for him?
I lied to her, saying my brother wanted her dead. But what if—just maybe—he suffered too much because of it?
Suddenly, fear gripped me.
What was I doing here?
