Chapter : 47
Thinking I needed to escape quickly, I hurried—and twisted my ankle, losing my balance.
By incredibly bad luck, as I fell, my body tumbled toward Calix, and it was an undeniable fact that I was the one hit by the spear that Eden had thrown toward him.
But judging by what Rajif said…
At that moment, I recalled Calix’s desperate eyes and actions when I had regained consciousness—how he had stroked my face and held my hands.
Oh my God!
So that’s why?
Is that what Calix thought too, like Rajif?
That I had thrown myself toward the spear on purpose to protect him?
How could they possibly misunderstand that?
There’s no way I would do something like that!
The kind and tender gaze from Calix, the attitude of Rajif that seemed ready to give his life for me—it was ridiculous that it all came from a complete misunderstanding.
This is so embarrassing.
I need to clear up the misunderstanding…
!!!!!
No!
Let’s think slowly.
Right, getting hit by the spear was purely accidental.
But that’s a fact only I know!
Rajif and Calix are under the impression that I deliberately threw myself for Calix…
If everyone who saw that scene firsthand assumed that, then my actions must have appeared that way to anyone who witnessed it, right?
Then…
All I have to do is stay quiet, right?
If they’re going to misunderstand anyway, is there any reason for me to step in and correct it?
If I keep my mouth shut, the misunderstanding will turn into a beautiful belief.
After thinking it through, I finally made up my mind.
If they believe I saved Calix intentionally, then I’ll let them believe that.
The fact that I twisted my ankle and fell by accident? That will remain buried in my heart forever.
The outcome is the same anyway, so why ruin their beautiful misunderstanding by revealing the petty truth?
Their belief makes both them and me happy.
If I stay quiet, no one is hurt or disadvantaged; everyone is happier that way, right?
And technically, I’m not even lying.
No matter my intentions, it’s true that I was hit by the spear thrown at Calix.
It’s also true that thanks to me, Calix didn’t die.
Once I had sorted out how I would act going forward, I even realized that I couldn’t entirely see their misunderstanding as a negative thing.
From the start, I had come to Aolium to save Calix.
Back then, no matter how many times I explained, he wouldn’t believe me—but now, they believed so easily.
The fact that I survived unscathed was entirely thanks to my red stone necklace, which I had bought for a steep price. Bold investment spirit!
Wearing it on the battlefield was also a mark of my thorough preparation!
Yes!
I truly had saved him!
I felt triumphant.
I had been lucky enough to gain a priceless misunderstanding that could secure my life—and maybe even the lives of my family.
For this stroke of luck, I might have run all the way to this battlefield.
For the first time since leaving Everlen, I finally felt that this grueling journey to Aolium had been worthwhile.
Calix, who had said he’d return soon, did not come back to the fortress for several days.
Trapped in my room, I could no longer stand the frustration.
Eventually, I complained for days and nights, saying I had to take walks.
Thanks to that, I was able to move around a little within the fortress.
But even for a short walk, Rajif, with his legs all bandaged, insisted on watching over me.
That body of his…
Was he trying to guard me with his gaze?
No matter how much I said not to worry since we were inside the fortress, he remained unmoved.
In the end, I could only walk very rarely, and even then, only for a short time.
Days passed like that, yet the fortress remained quiet. Over time, the bruises on my chest faded back to their original color, and the pain in my ankle improved.
From the looks of it, Calix had gone on the counterattack against the Dacrus Empire immediately after leaving my room.
Almost half a month had passed, and the war would soon end.
After the ambush that day, Calix, like a war-crazed deity, defeated the Dacrus forces one by one with godlike skill, reclaimed all three captured fortresses, and achieved a perfect victory.
So my mind wasn’t on Calix, who was likely marching smoothly through the battlefield, nor the victorious situation—but on Everlen, where I had left.
By now, the emperor must have died, and Leon would have ascended to the throne.
News of this must have already reached Aolium through the subordinates Calix had left behind in Everlen.
Yet no one told me, and I hadn’t asked either.
Finally, the time I had feared so much was approaching. At this point, with the war ending, all I could do was wait to see what decision Calix would make regarding me and my family.
On the fifteenth day since Calix had left the fortress, as I checked my ankle and felt almost no pain, I suddenly heard bustling noises.
The knights had returned to the fortress.
The war was over!
Calix… was back…!
Walking toward the door, I froze right in front of it.
I could hear Calix’s voice along with a knock.
“Kaelin, may I come in?”
A request for permission…
“Yes.”
The moment I answered, the door opened, and there he was.
Through the open door, the twilight of sunset streamed in. Calix, with the light behind him, looked as if a god of war had appeared before me.
What a visual…
Seeing the male lead again after so long was dazzling to the point of being absurd.
I looked up at him in a daze.
“Calix…”
“Kaelin, I’m back.”
“Ah…”
It was as if I had been counting the days, waiting only for him to return.
The awkwardness of his words made me cringe, but in that moment, I recalled what he had said before departing from Everlen’s palace:
“When I return to Everlen, I want my woman—not my ally.”
Suddenly, my body went rigid.
And Calix stepped even closer.
“Kaelin, have you fully recovered now?”
“Ah… yes.”
Remembering his words, I felt even more tense, my heart shrinking at his casual demeanor.
No, relax! Stay composed!
I self-hypnotized.
This was the most crucial moment.
To turn a random accident into a noble sacrifice…
He was asking about the pain from being hit directly in the chest by the spear.
The fact that my twisted ankle hurt longer than my chest would remain buried in my heart forever.
“If you had died for me… I couldn’t have lived either, Kaelin.”
Focus. Answer carefully.
“For you, Calix, I would do anything…”
At that moment, Calix stepped even closer.
Flinch.
Trying to deliver a noble lie, I went blank and forgot what I was saying, stepping back as he approached.
Don’t come too close!
“I missed you.”
My body trembled.
Missed me…
He really sounded like a man who had come back to his woman.
Pretending not to hear, I quickly asked a question.
“Calix, when are you returning to Everlen?”
I also wanted to steer the awkward conversation elsewhere, but genuinely, this was all I wanted to know.
When would he return to Everlen?
And what would he do to my family when he did?
If he knew all about the rebellion in Everlen, he wouldn’t have the leisure to casually ask about me like this. He would have had to rush back to reclaim the throne.
“It was just as you said. While I was guarding the border, Leon claimed the throne. And…”
Calix stopped briefly.
“And…?”
I tried to steady my trembling voice.
“So now I must depart for Everlen immediately.”
Was that what he intended to say?
I had the feeling he was about to say something else, not the words he actually said.
Yet I didn’t have the courage to ask, “Did you mean something else?”
I was afraid I couldn’t handle it if I did.
“Right now?”
I asked innocently, pretending I didn’t know anything.
I then turned my head slightly to look outside through the open window behind him.
The knights, many still on horseback, were waiting.
They must have stopped by the fortress briefly on the way to Everlen.
Was it really necessary, in the middle of this urgency, to bring all these knights just to see me…?
His behavior felt burdensome, yet strangely odd.
After all, I was stuck in the fortress by his orders. But now that the war was over, there was no reason to keep me here while he returned to Everlen.
Was it really necessary to waste time visiting me at this moment?
“I came to greet you.”
“Huh?”
What does that mean?
To greet me…
He’s going to Everlen—why greet me?
I’m going to Everlen too.
“Once Rajif recovers, you will come to Everlen with him. I cannot take you with me.”
Ah…!
The moment I understood the hidden meaning in his words, I started trembling.
He intended to go deal with my father and brother!
On the surface, it could be interpreted as leaving me behind due to urgency.
But the implication of his words went further.
He was leaving me in Aolium, planning to strike my family before I could return to Everlen.
“I’ll see you later in Everlen, Kaelin.”
Even though he could clearly see my trembling form, Calix said no more and turned to leave.
No! I can’t let him leave like this!
“Wait!”
I called out desperately.
Luckily, Calix stopped.
Feeling my wildly beating heart, I spoke earnestly:
“Please don’t kill them.”
