For the heart - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11

The person who stopped Nina was Lillien.

Shorter than Nina, she glared at the twin sister before her with a venomous expression.

“Say no.”

“What?”

“Who are you to try to claim Duke Montregger?!”

Lillien, who had been seething, let out a sharp shriek.

Though she couldn’t know that Casian had made this choice in order to marry her, Nina couldn’t tell her that fact.

“Claim what? I’m going to war.”

“I absolutely hate it! I’ll tell Father not to allow it!”

“…Do as you please.”

That stubbornness and unreasonableness wasn’t something she could handle.

Just as Nina was about to turn around, Lillien finally couldn’t contain her anger and roughly tore off the sunflower-shaped brooch decorating her shoulder.

Then she swung it forcefully toward Nina’s arm.

Though it was obvious where and how that clumsy motion filled with nothing but force would strike, Nina didn’t dodge.

“Ugh.”

The sharp tip of the sunflower’s petal tore through Nina’s thin shirt and cut deeply into her arm.

Though it was a deep wound that immediately began bleeding, the groan that escaped Nina was so faint it was barely audible.

Even at that sight, Lillien screamed as if her anger wasn’t satisfied.

“I really hate you! There’s nothing in this Imperial Palace that you can have! Everything belongs to me!”

It was when Lillien raised her arm high toward Nina’s face once again.

Thwack—!

“Please calm down, Your Highness.”

Just as the sharp tip of the sunflower petal was about to slash across Nina’s cheek, Lillien’s wrist was caught.

It was Casian.

Lillien’s eyes widened in surprise at his appearance.

Nina was the same.

‘Why is he wearing that there…?’

What glittered on the inside of his wrist was her jewel that she had given as proof of their alliance.

As if it had always been a bracelet, thick yellow thread wrapped around the jewel’s border with dense knots.

To think he would openly wear the proof of alliance on his body after asking for it. She had only thought he would secretly store it somewhere.

“Please be sure to keep your promise, Your Highness. It would be troublesome if you said something different later.”

Is he doing this because he’s worried I won’t keep my promise?

Indeed, it became certain that he had quite a suspicious and persistent personality.

Nina momentarily forgot about her injury due to discovering the proof of alliance in an unexpected place.

“Your Highness, you’re bleeding.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Nina answer in a tone like ‘Oh right, that’s true’ and look down at her arm with indifferent eyes.

‘This must not be the first or second time this has happened.’

From her appearance of neither surprise nor anger, Casian read that this wasn’t the first time such a thing had occurred.

Seeing the blood seeping around the torn thin shirt, he immediately reached out to heal her.

But at that moment,

Clatter—!

Lillien loosened her grip and dropped the brooch.

Along with the sound of metal hitting the floor, she held her head and swayed toward Casian.

“Ah…”

“Princess Lillien!”

When the attendant standing nearby cried out in surprise, Casian reflexively caught her.

Nina let out a short sigh and turned away.

Since she was putting on an act of fainting because she didn’t want Casian to heal her, it was better to leave at this point.

‘This would be a good opportunity for Casian too. If he heals and comforts her, they’ll become closer.’

Though Casian couldn’t take his eyes off Nina’s bleeding arm, she turned away without regret.

Watching Nina’s retreating figure as she walked down the corridor with straight steps as if nothing had happened, he only lowered his gaze to look at Lillien leaning against his chest.

‘It seems everyone has been playing along with this ridiculous acting until now.’

Casian frowned then relaxed his expression, turning his head toward the end of the corridor again, but Nina had already disappeared.

* * *

The War Council Building near the training grounds was already shrouded in deep darkness.

Though all the staff who had participated in the strategic meeting had returned, Nina, who had to organize the newly decided matters and report to the Emperor, was still in the strategy room.

Nina, having closed the organized documents, sank deeply into her chair.

A heavy sigh escaped.

“Will we really be able to use Baraguz as a weapon?”

“Even acknowledging its destructive power, there’s no guarantee it won’t attack our allies. Just look at how it attacked the Captain.”

An elder serving as advisor added to the tactical staff’s words as if he had been waiting.

These were the people who had scoffed at Desmorak’s claim of using monsters as war weapons.

But the appearance of Baraguz that he had demonstrated yesterday was no longer at a level they could mock.

Moreover, as rumors spread rapidly that Knight Captain Nina had been brutally defeated, anxiety spread uncontrollably.

Eventually the discussion concluded with ‘let’s wait and see,’ but Nina too was taking Baraguz’s danger more seriously than anyone else.

That day, Nina had definitely thrust her sword deep into its heart.

Whether human, monster, or beast, they all die when their heart stops. Except for her, who has no heart.

‘What kind of sorcery could have been cast for him to survive being stabbed through the heart?’

Now she might have to go to the battlefield alongside Baraguz, who could no longer be killed by any means.

The fear of Baraguz, carved deep into her bones, instantly spread a chill throughout Nina’s body.

“Ugh…”

The moment she wrapped her shoulders with both hands against that chill, Nina let out a low groan.

It was because she had touched the wound that had been tightly bound with a handkerchief, sending a sharp pain shooting through her.

Lillien, who had terrible athletic abilities since childhood, had a talent for inflicting wounds with seemingly trivial things.

It had become rare since she started going to battlefields. Getting hurt like this after so long made her sigh anew.

“Are you alright?”

Nina’s body flinched at the voice that suddenly came to mind.

It was Casian’s voice, strangely gentle and filled with an oddly ticklish vibration.

Just recalling his voice made her feel as if her body was slowly warming up.

It must have come to mind because her body had grown cold.

That overwhelming sensation of blood instantly heating up and spreading throughout her body, so bizarrely powerful it felt strange, wasn’t something easily forgotten.

If she were to get injured again someday, would she be able to receive healing from him?

Could she feel again that explosive transfer of life force that made her understand what it meant to be alive?

“Who are you to try to claim Duke Montregger?! I absolutely hate it! I’ll tell Father not to allow it!”

A bitter smile appeared on Nina’s lips.

Casian had said he would become her dedicated healer, and the Emperor was pleased, but if Lillien was the one interfering, the story would be different.

From childhood until now, Father had granted Lillien anything she asked for.

“Father, Nina is a knight now, so why is she growing her hair? Please make it so knights can never grow their hair.”

“Please make it so women who don’t wear dresses cannot attend parties held at the Imperial Palace.”

“Knights are mostly out on battlefields, so they don’t need maids. One nanny for Nina at the Satellite Palace is enough.”

From trivial matters to important issues, Lillien’s interference toward Nina was countless.

Until now, the Emperor had never refused such requests from Lillien, and Nina had silently accepted them.

But this time, somehow, she felt regretful.

‘It could have been a chance to stop sacrificing healers…’

Lillien, who was completely infatuated with Casian, wouldn’t stand to watch him help her.

She was someone who would choose to let hundreds of healers die rather than witness such a sight.

Nina shook off her heavy heart with effort and stood up.

Coming out of the Strategy Room after several hours and looking up at the sky, she saw a half moon floating there.

Nina breathed in the cool night air deeply into her lungs and lowered her head, then paused for a moment.

There was a silhouette standing at the bottom of the temple stairs, looking up at her.

“How are you…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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