~Chapter 87~
“…Henry actually said that?”
“Yes. I’m extremely disappointed.”
“…….”
“I was disappointed, but hearing it from someone other than you made it unbearable.”
Ah… could it be that Henry’s proposal—engagement, marriage—was all just a scheme to unsettle Yushen?
And he himself fell for it? Serves him right!
Realizing this, I let out a string of nervous laughs, only to catch myself—laughing like that in front of someone else wasn’t exactly appropriate.
“You deliberately didn’t tell me. You’d be way too worried otherwise.”
“I admit it. Whether I heard it or not, I would’ve grabbed that guy by the neck anyway.”
…Huh? Why did the conversation suddenly shift that way?
It didn’t feel like he was talking about the same thing anymore—but I didn’t correct him either.
Yushen wasn’t wrong. Whether I heard it from Henry or Henry from me, the outcome would’ve been the same.
At this point, the biggest fool of the sparring tournament seemed to be Henry—the one who underestimated Yushen.
“Since we’re being honest, there’s one more thing I’m disappointed about.”
I tensed. Disappointed in me…?
I couldn’t think of anything. If anything, shouldn’t I be the one feeling disappointed…? No! I’ve never been disappointed!
“What is it?”
“That you didn’t warn me about Henry’s ambush and went ahead with Aiden and Siron on the mission.”
“Well, it’s because you didn’t look well…”
“So I’ll blame myself for not controlling my emotions, not you.”
“…….”
“But being disappointed is being disappointed.”
Fair enough. Even if it was my fault, he had the right to be upset.
Still, looking at the results alone, Yushen had basically gone along with my plan.
When Aiden and Siron were struggling against Henry, Yushen appeared and knocked Henry out, allowing us to catch him.
Just as I was analyzing whether Yushen’s point was fair, he strode forward with long legs, closing the distance.
“Letitia.”
“What—why!”
My instincts, which never failed, fired off again. Danger would strike if Yushen got any closer.
“Stay there! One step closer and I’ll throw a punch!”
I clenched my fists tightly and backed up in a boxing stance.
But sadly, my back hit a hard wall. Space was limited; I had nowhere to retreat.
Swallowing dryly, I widened my eyes and glared at him.
Fortunately, despite my instincts warning me otherwise, Yushen didn’t try anything weird and didn’t step closer when he saw I was cornered.
Still, he didn’t lower his fists. Even if I felt safe, I couldn’t relax until he moved away.
‘What exactly is he planning?’
If he was going to do something strange, just do it already! This waiting is nerve-wracking.
Neither of us spoke, the air thick with tension, making it awkward to start talking.
Then Yushen reached out.
He gently ran his fingers through my hair that had fallen loose in the chaos.
“Catching Henry was our little secret.”
The intimate tone and soft voice sent a shiver through me.
And because Yushen addressed me informally, it felt so unfamiliar that I froze, all my limbs stiff.
“I hate that someone else knows the secret we kept.”
…Jealousy?
I wasn’t sure. I’d never experienced this before. I just felt confused.
Even though I knew his feelings, I couldn’t let my heart follow so easily.
We weren’t as close as three days ago, almost close enough to feel his breath—but my heart was pounding. I was afraid he could hear it.
‘No, this isn’t right. I need to draw a line.’
I bit my lip and pushed Yushen’s hands away as they toyed with my hair.
But Yushen seized my hand as if he’d been waiting for that.
“Hey, you—”
“See this?”
He ignored me and lifted our clasped hands.
I was about to snap at him, but then I saw it—his bare hand, no gloves.
“What…?”
I blinked wide-eyed, astonished. He just shrugged, saying nothing.
“Did you… really overcome it? Is it really okay for you to touch me like this now?”
Only a few days ago, we couldn’t even hold hands properly.
I touched his hand with both of mine, inspecting his expression.
He wasn’t forcing a smile or hiding discomfort. That meant… he’d really overcome it?
“When, and how did you manage that?”
“……”
“Answer me! Are you trying to drive me crazy?”
He smiled gently and covered my hand with his.
“I only do this with you.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re the only one who can touch me like this.”
“……”
“You know you had a big part in why my body changed this way, right?”
How was I supposed to respond to something so intimate without misunderstanding it?
Almost instinctively, I realized I couldn’t indulge his provocations any longer.
I pushed his hand away firmly.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“I can’t accept your feelings.”
Three days ago, I was too flustered to respond properly.
Now, after thinking it through, there was no hesitation. The answer was clear: No.
“You and I come from completely different worlds. Nobility and hiding in the countryside—there’s no way we belong together.”
“……”
“The life you’ve lived and the one I’ve lived are just… different.”
It was double-layered meaning: the Yushen here and the Letitia in this world are from different backgrounds, and the Letitia inside me is literally from another world.
I had to end it first since he didn’t know the latter.
“Fold your feelings now. Holding onto something impossible will only hurt you.”
I said it coldly but tried to spare him as much as I could. Yushen was smart enough to understand.
I glanced at him, worried he might cry. He didn’t.
He didn’t argue either. For a moment, I braced for confrontation, but he simply stayed silent.
‘…He’s stepping back so easily?’
It felt strange, but I decided to leave it be. Better safe than complicated!
The silence was awkward. I remembered the information about Henry I hadn’t shared yet.
I moved to stand across Aiden’s desk, putting a barrier between Yushen and me.
His eyes asked what I was doing.
“Consider it my defense line.”
“……?”
“I have something to tell you, but I’m afraid you’ll try something weird again.”
Yushen laughed at the absurdity of my caution. Who could blame me?
“…Do you dislike me that much?”
“I don’t dislike you. I just can’t accept your feelings.”
“Fine, I don’t need you to.”
“Exactly. I don’t want to be a tormenter.”
I cut off his whining sharply.
“Enough of that. Listen to me. Henry… that bastard has to rot in prison forever, and this information is crucial.”
Conrad was ideally part of our plan, but he didn’t appear in the tournament. Yushen probably anticipated that once Henry was caught.
At least the minimum goal—crippling Conrad’s influence—was still achievable.
‘Better to secure one thing for sure than risk losing Henry by being greedy.’
Once Henry never leaves prison, Conrad will be inactive until he finds new pawns.
We had to prepare thoroughly with no escape routes and strike again when the time came.
I slammed the desk to emphasize focus.
“Henry is secretly communicating with the Terran Kingdom.”
“Excuse me?”
“Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. He’s been trading information with the de facto ruler of Terran for quite a while.”
“…Is there proof?”
“Of course. Do you think I’d risk telling you this without evidence?”
Henry’s mansion had a hidden basement filled with proof.
Yushen’s expression went blank at the scale of it. No one would expect the Captain of the Royal Knights to be selling empire secrets.
“…We need to secure that evidence immediately.”
“Yes. It’s your job—do it carefully.”
After that, silence fell again.
I couldn’t endure the awkward quiet and left first, stepping away.
Blockquote – Key plot point:
“Henry is secretly communicating with the Terran Kingdom… trading imperial information with the de facto ruler of Terran.”
Blockquote – Character development:
“You and I come from completely different worlds. Nobility and hiding in the countryside—there’s no way we belong together.”
Blockquote – Character dynamic:
“I only do this with you… You’re the only one who can touch me like this.”
