Thought It Was ‘The End’, Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 83

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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 15. The Face of a Traitor (5)

“All I can give you is opportunity. An opportunity you can only seize if you have the skills.”

To become a royal guard, Harrison had to belong to the Greenwinsor Empire, not the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

Harrison lived alone in the lord’s manor, where only people who moved according to Keith’s will remained, training his body.

Keith was an elusive person. He would suddenly appear and stay for a few days, then disappear for months at a time.

When Harrison reached his early teens, Keith said he could leave his post for a while and took him to the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

The Brubewinn noble who supposedly rescued and raised the twins seemed to have little interest in Keith. But he showed great interest in Kaitlyn, and despite the blatant discrimination, Keith didn’t seem to mind.

“Why did you bring that traitor here, Keith!”

“Harrison isn’t a traitor, Kaitlyn.”

“What do you mean he’s not?! You know whose son he is! Even if we tore him apart, it wouldn’t be enough…”

“He’s Betty’s son.”

“…”

“If it weren’t for Betty, we couldn’t have known in advance and escaped that night. What do you think Harrison, who was younger than us, could have done? Should a powerless child be called a traitor just for being alive there?”

“But.”

“If you have complaints, I’ll arrange separate quarters for Harrison. But I’ll leave too. Is that what you want?”

Kaitlyn was a stubborn and reckless girl who, while not listening to her parents, had a strange weakness when it came to her twin’s words.

Though she showed a dismissive attitude inwardly, she couldn’t stand up to Keith when he pushed.

Keith was the same. He considered his twin immature, yet would do anything for her without hesitation. To the twins, each other was their world, their treasure, their everything.

That’s how it looked to Harrison.

The Kingdom of Brubewinn was at least more comfortable to live in than the lord’s manor, which had been full of nothing but living corpses.

Harrison trained with the instructor Keith assigned him and was occasionally deployed in real combat, steadily building his skills. During that time, he briefly dated Kaitlyn. Keith knew everything but said nothing.

Kaitlyn was cute, but Harrison had never pictured a future where he would marry her. It was just a brief fling.

They had a physical relationship but never went all the way. Kaitlyn would have to marry properly someday.

And Harrison’s stay in the Kingdom of Brubewinn was limited to two years from the beginning.

After two years, he was to leave for Greenwinsor, having built his skills in the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

“You can refuse if you don’t want to, Harrison.”

“Why? It was decided from the beginning.”

“Because I think Kaitlyn will cry.”

“She was just playing with me for a while. She’ll forget quickly.”

“Are you saying you were just going along with it too?”

“Kaitlyn is your twin, so I couldn’t refuse.”

“…”

“There’s no problem at all.”

Rather, being given the option to refuse made him feel more hurt and anxious.

Harrison informed Kaitlyn of their breakup and left for the Greenwinsor Empire.

Kaitlyn expressed her displeasure, but faced with Harrison’s firm attitude, she soon flew into a rage and shouted for him to leave.

Keith provided Harrison with the perfect environment and opportunities. He manipulated people very cleverly, finishing everything before they even knew they were under his spell.

At least in the process of Harrison becoming a royal guard, no one could find anything suspicious. He took time to go through all the proper steps and made bloody efforts. To others, he would simply appear to have received the reward for his efforts.

This was the difference between Keith and Kaitlyn.

Kaitlyn liked to show off her superior power and crush others with it. Keith, on the other hand, preferred to cleverly infiltrate gaps and mix lies with truth. He hid himself and led everything according to his will without revealing himself.

Harrison smoothly joined the Royal Guard with Keith’s cooperation.

It was around that time that the Saint appeared.

Back when he couldn’t even approach the Prince yet.

Harrison and Keith first saw Genevieve, who was called a ‘Saint Candidate,’ from a great distance.

*

She was a dazzling person.

Would it look like that if light were molded into human form?

Harrison had seen enough of humanity’s dark side. His father, who was both a faithful knight and a traitor to his lord, was the same person. They were faces of one individual.

He saw two faces in Keith as well.

Keith clearly became strange after seeing the Saint Candidate.

Though he said she should be killed, he wasn’t very enthusiastic about it.

If Keith had truly intended to kill her, the Saint Candidate would have died before she could become a Saint.

Even if the Bertrand Viscountess had suddenly interfered and died in her place, Keith had prepared various other plans and could have tried again. Keith had originally considered the possibility that Kaitlyn might fail.

But Keith didn’t kill the Saint Candidate.

Even after she was revealed to be a true Saint, he chose to let her live, reasoning that her abilities were pathetic compared to previous Saints and posed little threat.

“Are you feeling sorry for her?”

“…Maybe.”

“Or have you fallen for her?”

“Me?”

Keith snorted as if he’d heard something ridiculous.

Harrison knew perfectly well that this was Keith’s habit when hiding his true feelings.

Still, he didn’t press further. He was afraid Keith might ask the same question back.

Several years passed like that.

Harrison successfully became Prince Edwin’s guard.

The suspicious Prince often looked at Harrison meaningfully, but since ‘Harrison’ was genuinely his faithful knight, he gradually gained trust.

The Greenwinsor Empire was like an unbreakable stone wall.

Though the Emperor was a useless figurehead, there were the capable Empress and Prince, and a Duke with imperial blood had strong power standing on one side. As if that weren’t enough, the Duke had obtained a true Saint and held power as a 【Guardian】.

Countless estates that had once formed separate nations long ago were united under the Empire’s banner. Though several prestigious families held considerable power, they all maintained good relationships with the imperial family.

The Kingdom of Brubewinn should probably have submitted to the Empire long ago and become a small estate.

But the Kingdom of Brubewinn was a nation with strong pride in surviving in harsh lands. It had the stubbornness to prefer destruction over being ruled by others.

Keith said he had come to love the Kingdom of Brubewinn.

Harrison, though he had only lived there for two years, loved the Kingdom of Brubewinn that Keith loved.

At least the time spent there was the happiest time of his life.

Those days when Keith was there, when Kaitlyn was there.

“Harrison, could you seduce the Saint?”

“…Me?”

“Well, just try it. If it doesn’t work, it can’t be helped.”

“…Keith, I’m not the type women would like…”

“I know that, but if you could win the Saint’s heart, your help would be valuable when she becomes a threat. There’s no harm in trying.”

“…”

“Betrayal is most effective when it comes from someone you love. I thought it would be fine to let her live before, but there’s always the ‘what if.’ I don’t want to miss even small possibilities.”

“Just because I confess doesn’t mean the Saint will like me…”

Keith said lightly that since he had already gained the qualification to draw his sword behind the suspicious Prince, maybe he could do it.

“At least make her believe you like her. Just confess.”

When he confessed like that, he became her husband.

Keith laughed, saying “I told you so.”

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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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