Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 51

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 51
“Now you understand why I was so desperate to grasp the Demon’s Power, don’t you?”
……
“It’s the best struggle a weak person can manage. No matter how much pain you’ve endured, you who stand in the position of the strong could never truly understand it.”
Deyan swallowed hard.
Tick. Tick. The clock’s ticking filled the silence between us.
After one breath, I spoke again.
“While you were all caught up in your War Games, drunk on victory and triumph, have you ever looked back to see what was sacrificed to reach the summit of that distorted power?”
Deyan’s brow twisted, his mouth falling slack.
He looked as though he might weep at any moment.
I had grown calm, but now it was he who seemed on the verge of tears.
“……No. I have not.”
“There you have it.”
A thin smile escaped me.
“You resented only the Hell you found yourself in, swayed by a force you named a Curse?”
“Yes.”
“You thought only of the lives lost to that force, never understanding the loss that clung to those left behind. The grief of those who remained with something torn away.”
Though you too have known loss.
Though you’ve tasted the pain of having a tender world stolen from you—soft petals brushed between your fingers, sleep in a mother’s and father’s arms—and yet you drowned yourself only in the guilt caked upon your own hands.
“I resent you for standing at the vanguard of war.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to hear cheap apologies.”
“I’m sor——”
“I hate that things have come to this. Hate it with every fiber of my being.”
Deyan finally closed his mouth and stared at me, lifting his head with desperate effort.
I gazed into his eyes and wondered.
What was he feeling now?
And I waited, giving him space to chew through his emotions fully.
When I sensed that was enough, I moved slowly toward him.
Then I took his right hand—the strong one, where he’d been nervously rubbing where his nails had fallen away—in both of mine.
Deyan’s hand was so large that even both my hands clasping it left room to spare.
“What I hate most is that even as I despise you, I find myself envying you.”
……
“You gained the Demon’s Power and don’t die even when wounded and pierced. Born with a strong body, you could step directly into war and shoulder everything yourself.”
On the hand that had wielded countless blades, calluses had hardened in patches.
A powerful hand.
A hand so formidable that no one would dare challenge it.
“If I possessed such strength, perhaps I could have changed things far more quickly.”
Though I am treated as livestock because of this power, I still envied him.
The hand I held flinched.
When I gripped his hand tightly on purpose, I felt his whole body go rigid with tension.
“I despise you, but I’ll offer my thanks all the same.”
For the first time, I gave Deyan a sincere, tender smile.
“Thank you. For being willing to be used by me.”
“The Ducal Princess frightens me.”
Deyan’s grip tightened.
Though I had been holding his hand first, it was now as if he held both of mine captive.
“It frightened me from the start, and you still frighten me now.”
“What?”
What was he saying?
Here I’d gone and offered him kind words.
As I listened in silence, Deyan’s voice turned deadly serious.
“What you said frightened me even more.”
“Why? Because it sounded like I’ve lost my mind?”
“No.”
My sharp retort made him shake his head slowly.
“You call yourself weak, yet you burn with desire for what you want. That terrifies me. I have……”
His gaze, which had been struggling to meet mine, suddenly dropped to my feet.
“I have never burned like that.”
His confession, for all the difficulty it took to voice, came out quite calmly.
I watched the crown of his bowed head for a moment, then withdrew my hands.
“That’s because you’re an idiot.”
What was he boasting about, spouting such nonsense?
Startled by my unexpected response, Deyan lifted his head and stared at me blankly.
“What are you looking at? Leave. I’ve seen all I need to see.”
I shoved his massive frame aside like a troublesome object.
I pulled the Bell Pull near the door, and the butler and my father’s attendant arrived promptly.
“Look after my father.”
“Very good, Ducal Princess.”
I watched the butler bow respectfully, then stepped over the threshold.
Deyan stood rooted to that spot, bewildered.
“Why did you say something like that here?”
Finally, he voiced his indignation.
He sounded as though he’d been betrayed.
“If you’ve lived your whole life without once thinking about what you actually want, then you’re an idiot. That’s all there is to it. Now come away from there. I have work to do, so return to your room.”
I added a warning never to set foot on this floor again.
I watched Deyan shuffle back to his room, looking thoroughly crestfallen after all the rebuke I’d heaped on him, then turned away myself.
As I entered my office, I found myself laughing despite my best efforts not to.
‘Fool.’
* * *
The relentless rain, as if foreboding the misfortunes to come, had finally ceased.
The servants of the Plene Grand Ducal Castle began their day as they always did.
Yet one change had taken place: those who had never known of Deyan’s existence now recognized him with absolute certainty.
“Should I bring this to the Ducal Princess?”
“No. It’s for the guest.”
“The guest? Oh, I see.”
His reputation among the maidservants and attendants who cared for him under special instructions had shot up vertically.
“There’s a kitten in his room. The Ducal Princess seems to have approved, and it’s such a tiny baby kitten. I thought he might need this.”
“Then take this along too, would you? The towel we brought for him hasn’t shown up in the laundry, so bring this instead and collect whatever needs washing.”
“Will do.”
And no wonder—they had all witnessed Deyan act on behalf of Idir in that awkward situation.
None of them said it aloud, but everyone knew how hard Idir worked for their sake.
Though the Plene Grand Duchy was a minor kingdom, barring external threats, it was the most pleasant place on the continent to live.
There was no tyrant oppressing the people, and no arrogance or extravagance among the nobility that reached the heavens.
This was the result of the members of the Grand Ducal House taking the lead in exemplifying the proper bearing of nobility rather than exercising unnecessary authority.
Moreover, Idir was admirable from a human standpoint as well.
She always greeted people with a warm smile, spared no praise, and possessed both kindness and the clarity to draw firm boundaries.
She was a mistress easy to trust and follow.
That is why all secretly lamented the many trials Idir had to endure.
Some had even begun suggesting that it would be wonderful if Deyan were to propose marriage to Idir.
“Are you heading to see Lord Deyan?”
Those who earnestly wished for Idir’s happiness were more than willing to participate in this play.
They pretended to believe the tale of his lost memory, acting as though he truly was a knight of unknown origin, keeping their silence absolutely.
“Take this along too, would you? We didn’t realize how large he was. I worry whether he’s been eating enough.”
“Here, let me take that.”
The tray that the maidservant had been carrying toward Deyan was now laden with all manner of items.
She had no hand left to knock.
The maidservant had no choice but to tap the door with her foot.
There came a rustling sound from within, and shortly the door opened.
“What is all this?”
Deyan opened his eyes wide, startled by the maidservant’s laden appearance.
He quickly reached out with his large hand to receive her burden.
“Milk?”
“The Ducal Princess mentioned that the baby kitten would need something to eat!”
The maidservant explained brightly.
He pointed uncertainly at the various snacks placed together on the tray.
“Then what is this?”
“That’s from Gus. He was concerned you might not have eaten enough. And this—May thought you’d need fresh towels, so she sent these along. If you have anything that needs washing, give it to me. I’ll have it cleaned for you.”
As the maidservant spoke with an artless smile, Deyan hurried to look around his room, then reluctantly retrieved a used towel and some damp clothing.
“I went out yesterday and got my clothes a bit wet.”
“Oh my. These will need mending too. Let me have them!”
The maidservant fussed as she eagerly accepted the laundry from him.
Deyan looked down at her with a bewildered expression.

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