They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 58

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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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Gazing upon her beauty and loveliness, my arms naturally grew taut with strength, yet I had to learn to control it as well.
Since I had already decided to become her man and hold only her in my embrace until death.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prince’s conversation with Iserna was drawing to a close.
The Crown Prince, unable to voice even some of his prepared words, appeared ready to depart after leaving behind a comment about considering the matter.
Yet even amid this, his inability to conceal his joy at having grown so much closer to Iserna was evident, though his teeth were clenched.
“Your Highness, you’ll wear them down at this rate….”
Elhart pretended not to hear Kei’s murmur and relaxed the tension in his jaw.
After all, healthy teeth would be essential for spending a peaceful old age with Iserna.
***
The Crown Prince stared quietly at my face for a moment.
He appeared to be turning over the meaning of my words.
But that silence did not last long.
Soon he slowly rose from his seat.
The dull scrape of the chair against the carpet echoed softly through the reception room.
I watched him quietly, teacup still in hand.
The Crown Prince adjusted his attire once.
He straightened the coat that had fallen across his shoulders, and lightly brushed his sleeves with his gloved hand.
Each of those movements was excessively neat and composed.
As if the conversation we had just shared held no burden for him whatsoever.
No.
‘It must have been burdensome.’
Otherwise, that look in his eyes just now would never have appeared.
I slowly set down my teacup.
The Crown Prince’s gaze turned back to me.
His eyes were subtly excited, unlike moments before.
Looking at that face, I felt my insides twist.
‘Yes.’
Right now, that man must be convinced.
That I had accepted him.
That I had believed the lies he had fabricated.
And that I would eventually stand on his side.
Yes, that was precisely what I intended.
Yet despite achieving it perfectly, I could not help but feel disgusted.
I gazed at him with an unaffected expression, concealing my true feelings.
The Crown Prince spoke with a soft smile at the corners of his mouth.
“Ser, I think it would be best to end our conversation here for today.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes.”
He slowly nodded.
“Your proposal will have a significant impact on our future.”
His eyes shimmered hazily, as though he were lost in a dream.
“So I will take time to consider it carefully.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Yes, that’s good.”
That was my intention anyway.
It would have been troublesome if a conclusion came too quickly.
What mattered was making him deliberate sufficiently, harbor enough delusions, and overflow with anticipation.
After finishing his words, the Crown Prince’s gaze lingered on me for quite some time.
I blinked slowly at him as though I couldn’t fathom his meaning.
In truth, I already knew what he was hoping for.
In the end, it was the Crown Prince who spoke first.
“Ser.”
I raised my eyebrows slightly.
“Hmm?”
“May I embrace you, just once?”
I chuckled and rose from my seat, approaching him.
“Why ask such a thing?”
And I pulled him into a tight embrace.
The rapid beating of his heart was felt through his clothes.
‘Not even his own.’
In the moment my teeth clenched with displeasure, the Crown Prince whispered near my ear.
“Wait just a little longer. I will create the world you desire.”
I laughed inwardly.
‘The world I desire.’
As if he had any idea what world I truly wanted.
“Yes, I look forward to it.”
I patted his back firmly in encouragement.
He, who had seemed taken aback, mistook it for a true comrade’s gesture and smiled brightly.
Shortly after, he took a step back, bowed his head slightly, and turned to leave.
His footsteps toward the door were light.
Like one who had shed all burdens—a victor who had achieved his goal and surpassed it perfectly.
I watched his departing figure quietly.
That broad, upright back, so familiar to me because it had belonged to Mikhail.
The door opened, and light flooding the reception room spilled into the dark corridor.
The door closed behind Kailyb as he faded into that brightness.
The reception room fell silent once more.
I stood there for a while longer.
My eyes fell upon the teacup where Kailyb had been sitting, its contents unchanged.
It had all been an act—even lifting the teacup to his lips.
He merely pretended to drink.
I muttered in exasperation.
“Truly… a remarkable human indeed.”
I barely swallowed the curse that threatened to spill from my lips.
I could not afford to show such language to Elhart, regardless of what Kailyb or Carterus might think.
‘Kailyb, you remain unchanged.’
Never ceasing in your suspicions.
You do not know how to give and receive trust with people.
You hear only what you wish to hear, and see only what you wish to see.
‘So be it.’
I lifted my teacup to my lips.
The tea had already grown completely cold.
It mattered not.
I swallowed slowly, taking a single sip.
The chilled tea traced its path down my throat.
The sharp tension that had gripped me seemed to ease at last.
Yet my fingertips still trembled faintly.
Though I sat with an impassive expression, I could not help the turmoil churning within.
‘Fallen into another Hell, another Demon Realm.’
The Black Rift.
I knew that place better than anyone.
It was a dimension teeming with demons and beasts.
With neither sun nor moon, there was no way to perceive the passage of time—only an endless expanse of nauseating mist stretched endlessly before one.
The acrid stench of sulfur hanging thick in the air reminded me of where those creatures crawled up from.
There was no way to obtain clean water.
Food was equally impossible to find.
Thus, magic was essential.
One had to conjure water and consume purified flesh of the beasts.
Even setting such things aside, it was an environment brutally cruel for any human to endure.
Alone in such a place.
How long had he searched for me?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Live well. Fall in love, marry, and find happiness after all your suffering.’
When I realized I had been deceived, when I had to accept that he would never meet me again in life.
What must Mikhail have felt?
With what heart did he die?
“Commander.”
Kei’s voice came from behind me.
I did not turn my head.
“Yes.”
“The Crown Prince has left.”
“I know.”
A brief silence fell between us.
Then, moments later, another set of footsteps echoed through the corridor.
I knew whose they were.
“Ser Brin.”
It was Elhart.
Opening my eyes and lifting my gaze, I saw him standing before me.
He knelt down to meet my eyes at the same level.
His gaze as he studied me was careful and tender.
“Did you hear everything?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you have that expression?”
I let out a soft laugh and gently caressed his cheek with the back of my hand.
Elhart fell silent for a moment.
As if he were deliberating what to say.
Then, as if he had made a decision, he opened his mouth.
“I swear on my life—I will cast that man into Hell for you. I will stand beside you in your vengeance.”
It was a promise far more intoxicating than any proposal of marriage.

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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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