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My head was spinning.
It was already hard enough to accept that the Empress of the Empire was using the power of the demons, but now to learn that there's a separate contractor behind it all…
That was an even bigger issue.
"Who is it?"
"We haven't been able to identify them precisely yet. We're doing everything we can to find out, but His Majesty has been so deeply affected by the demonic poison that he can't even regain his senses..."
My mother let out a deep sigh. But then she looked at me with resolute eyes and spoke firmly.
"His Majesty was preparing to depose the Empress. Up until now, the demons had never directly targeted His Majesty, but now they're clearly trying to harm him head-on…"
"So someone tried to stop the Empress's deposition at all costs."
"Exactly. This incident confirmed that the demon's contractor is working to protect the Empress. That's why we mistakenly thought she was the contractor herself."
"Why would the demons suddenly…?"
The demons, creatures that had never been part of my ordinary life until now.
In fact, I'd never encountered a demon in my entire life.
But looking back, the demons had already shaken up both my life and Enoch's.
Enoch lost Aunt Diana because of them. Our engagement was hastened because of it. And I had to confront memories of my past life, memories I thought I had left behind.
"Come here, dear."
Seeing how troubled I looked, my mother pulled me into a warm embrace.
"I know it must be frightening… all these things happening right after you awakened your powers as a Swordmaster."
"……"
"But we are the Emblems, those who stand at the very front to protect everyone behind us."
Her hand slowly stroked my back, warm and comforting.
In a soft voice filled with understanding, she continued.
"But Cherry, never forget that I will always be standing in front of you. Your grandfather and I will be the first to stand and protect you, our family, and the entire Empire."
Her words filled me with a sense of strength and comfort.
If I could just stay behind my mother and grandfather…
Maybe I could live safely and happily in this peaceful life forever.
But… but...
"Then… what about Enoch?"
At my question, the hand gently stroking my back came to a stop.
"Who stands in front of Enoch?"
My mother said nothing.
"The fact that you told me Aunt Diana was actually alive and has been living as the Emperor's shadow… I know that means she intends to return and reclaim her true identity. I'm not completely clueless, you know."
"Cherry…"
I bit down hard on my lip.
"I know Duke Gray raised Enoch with love and care. But even Enoch needed Aunt Diana's support. That day, when she disappeared, Enoch…"
That was the first time I realized a child could look so utterly devastated.
The shadow that had cast over Enoch that day still lingered.
Whenever I looked into his eyes, I could sense an emptiness, something hollow that could never be filled.
We constantly fought whenever we were together, but I think that hollowness is what kept it from ever becoming anything more sincere between us.*
"Now that we know the Empress isn't the actual contractor, Aunt Diana is offering herself as bait to uncover the real one, isn't she? If she, the one who claimed to witness the Empress using demonic power, suddenly appears, the real contractor will have no choice but to show themselves to protect the Empress!"
"...!"
At my words, my mother's eyes widened in surprise.
I had always preferred to keep things simple and act straightforwardly, but that didn't mean I hadn't thought about what was happening.
I'd never truly experienced happiness in my previous life. That's why, in this one, I just wanted to hold on tightly to the happiness right in front of me.
But now, with how things were unfolding, I knew I couldn't afford to live simply anymore.
"Now that both Enoch and I have awakened our powers as Swordmasters, I'm sure someone calculated that together we could stand against the demons. I understand… I really do…"
But I couldn't hold back the emotions that surged within me.
"But for Enoch… this is just another wound."
I was more concerned about how Enoch would take Aunt Diana's return now, more than the threat of demons.
Because I knew better than anyone how he had buried his pain… how he had tried to forget her.
"You're right, Cherry. I know she gave Enoch a wound that may never fully heal. But back then… if Diana hadn't made that choice, not just Enoch but the entire Gray Duchy would've been in danger."
"…"
"Diana… she actually wanted to die and return to Enoch that way. But His Majesty and I couldn't allow it. We convinced her that if she just held on, she might one day be able to return to him alive."
"And that time… is now?"
My mother gave a heavy nod.
I would probably never be able to understand what she must have felt.
All I could understand was this. When Aunt Diana returned, Enoch was going to be hurt all over again.
"I have to go. Before Enoch sees her, I need to…"
"By now… he's probably already with her."
"What…?"
I blinked slowly at my mother's words.
Enoch had just left the Emblem estate.
That meant Aunt Diana had been waiting nearby.
And if that's the case…
They were already meeting.
My mind began to race.
"Let's give them some time, Cherry."
My mother, sensing what I was thinking, gently tried to stop me with a cautious voice.
"No, I have to go!"
But I quickly shook my head and started moving as clarity hit me.
"I know Enoch better now than even you or Aunt Diana. He can't see her right now. Maybe after some time has passed… but not now!"
I could understand it.
Why Aunt Diana made the choice she did. Why my mother didn't tell Enoch that Aunt Diana was alive, even though she knew.
Because that's how adults are. And I, too, had become one. So I could understand.
But that understanding was only possible because I wasn't the one directly involved.
"Not Enoch. He'll never understand. There's a reason he was always like a little old man, even as a child!"
A child without someone to lean on learns to stand on their own first.
Even though Enoch was more mature and intelligent than me, who had the memories of a past life, his emotional wounds had never moved past the day Aunt Diana disappeared.
That's why he gritted his teeth and endured everything alone. And the longer that time stretched, the deeper his resentment must have grown.
"She didn't come back to find happiness together, she came to cut ties!"
Foolish adults.
I clicked my tongue and pressed my legs harder into motion.
🍓; *The relationship felt empty or shallow, and that emptiness prevented it from growing into something real, meaningful, or sincere.
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