Chapter 11: Red

“…”

Yujin left the Ehrenheit family.

The speeding carriage passed through the main road, even brushing past the gates of the estate.

The Ehrenheit mansion quickly faded into the distance, as if it were nothing.

As he gazed aimlessly at the now-distant spot, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

The memory of meeting his first lover in front of the church.

That day, he received a confession and was given several pairs of gloves…

And then, there were countless other memories.

That wasn’t all.

How is the old coachman who used to take care of me doing?

Come to think of it, I didn’t even get to say goodbye to the head servant.

Various thoughts swirled in his mind, but he quickly shook his head and forgot them.

A place he thought was happy, but was actually unhappy.

The place where he spent most of his previous life.

However, the emotions he felt now as he left in the carriage were quite different from before.

It couldn’t be helped.

Back then, he was being driven out, but this time, he was the one leaving them behind.

He was no longer a naive young boy.

He was clearly… the successor of a hero.

Having come back to life and now leaving this place, his thoughts had changed.

“…”

By the time the Ehrenheit estate completely disappeared from view, the storm of emotions had calmed into a quiet bitterness.

Only then did Yujin tear his gaze away and close his eyes.

Take care, Yuria.

///

The sky was overcast.

The faint light left behind by the setting sun made it even more so.

The air touching his skin was unbearably damp, and it wouldn’t have been surprising if it started raining any moment.

Thud.

Mercenaries holding iron shovels wiped their sweat and shivered, clutching their collars.

“The estate is slowly heading into winter.”

A mercenary took out a cigarette, lit it, and looked up at the sky.

He had never imagined he would experience two winters in a war.

A sudden thought made him chuckle softly as he lifted the shovel again.

The war would probably end in defeat.

That much was obvious without much thought.

The hero had not fallen.

The Ravenscourt family had produced many heroes throughout history, but no hero had appeared in this war.

It was then.

“Make way!!”

At the sudden shout, those with their shoulders hunched raised their heads.

There stood a man with the Ehrenheit family crest on his back.

///

His vision blurred.

What came into view was the man’s arm, his blood-soaked clothes.

And a familiar gaze watching him closely.

…It was the man who had saved him.

As he turned his head, their eyes met.

“…Ugh.”

At the same time, Charlotte, looking at him, averted her gaze due to an inexplicable feeling.

This feeling was entirely new to her.

Unfamiliar emotions made her instinctively avoid his gaze. 

She couldn’t look him in the eye.

“…”

Charlotte couldn’t understand what emotions she was feeling.

All she knew for sure was that her eyes couldn’t leave him.

Thump, thump.

Her heart was racing. 

Much more than when she had met him earlier.

Her face turned red, and her cheeks felt hot. 

These were emotions she had never experienced before.

Charlotte, wary of these unfamiliar and first-time emotions.

Surely, these were unfamiliar feelings.

…For some reason, she didn’t dislike them.

“Here you go.”

He gently set Charlotte down in front of the gathered priests.

Holding her waist firmly, he slowly lowered her.

These small acts of consideration kept stirring her emotions.

“…”

Charlotte felt her temperature rising.

For some reason, her cheeks felt hot.

Unconsciously covering her eyes, she glanced at him.

Perhaps it was because his scar bothered her.

Or maybe she wanted to make a good impression on him.

He stayed by her side the entire time she was being treated.

During that time, when he briefly stepped away, a female knight approached and asked,

“Ch-Charlotte. Who is that man…?”

“Th-that…”

“That man just killed an unbelievable number of enemies on his way here. From the looks of it, he seems to be from the Ehrenheit family…”

Ehrenheit.

At that word, Charlotte’s face stiffened.

That family was clearly a demonic household. Why was a swordsman here…?

There must have been some other business unrelated to the demonic household.

‘Charlotte, get a hold of yourself…’

Just as she was about to slap her cheek and get up,

The attendant said to Charlotte,

“He’s jealous…”

“…What?”

“That man, he’s been staring at you the whole time. He must have pushed himself to his limit just to get here.”

Gulp.

Now that she thought about it…

That was true.

Why was he still looking this way…?

She herself had more than just minor injuries. 

It couldn’t be painless.

Not even for a moment did his gaze leave Charlotte.

…Why? With that expression, she alternated her gaze between him and the female knight, who spoke in an exasperated tone.

“He’s worried about you, Charlotte. He’s not even tending to his own wounds, just constantly concerned about you. It’s obvious.”

-He’s only thinking about one person.

-…

-…!!!!!

Her heart raced again.

She was out of breath.

It was hard to breathe.

Her cheeks turned red like the sunset, and heat surged through her.

“Since when have you had such a man by your side?”

“Since when…”

“He just handed over a potion. A top-grade one at that, and he deliberately didn’t give it directly to you but went through us…”

An action that might mean he didn’t want to draw attention.

The answer was clear.

Her thoughts were in disarray. 

The words in front of her were blurry.

Precisely, her mind couldn’t keep up with the utterly unbelievable scene.

Her ears burned as if on fire.

“…I need to go see him.”

“Huh? But your wounds—”

“Quiet. You’re the one who… made me lose control. I need to resolve this to calm my mind.”

For a moment, Charlotte looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

With an expression she had never seen before, her face was so red it was obvious even from a distance.

Charlotte turned her head away and walked off.

‘It’s because he’s my first… friend. Yes, it’s because it’s the first time.’

Charlotte repeated to herself and closed her eyes. 

She forced herself.

It was the moment she reached him.

-!

“…”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, fluttering Charlotte’s bangs.

Her red eyes and scars, usually hidden under black cloth, were now visible due to the recent treatment.

But. 

The hideous scars that had been revealed during the treatment now entered his view.

“…!!”

Charlotte’s pupils contracted for a moment.

Even though she knew it wasn’t intentional, Charlotte stiffly raised her head and looked at him.

Her eyes, always a sensitive topic, were now exposed.

Born cursed, she had heard.

Instead of the special power symbolizing the Ravenscourt family, her eyes were a sinister red, opposite of blue.

If only someone had cared for her scars, it might have been different.

She might have been less emotionally scarred.

But Charlotte, who had suffered her whole life because of these eyes, couldn’t hate anything more.

No one had ever complimented her sinister eyes,

Only she had offered herself words of comfort.

So, as she grabbed her bangs to pull them down,

She felt a strange sensation on her hand covering her eyes.

“Don’t you want others to see?”

“…”

Charlotte was puzzled at how easily he had read her thoughts.

But she didn’t answer.

“…Not particularly.”

She didn’t want to reveal the pain in her eyes to him.

It would only make her feel more miserable.

Charlotte knew her appearance was flawed, so she didn’t want to talk to him and get hurt.

It was easier to push him away. Everyone had done that.

But instead, Yujin took a step closer.

“Let’s talk, just the two of us.”

He led her away.

Normally, Charlotte would have shaken him off.

But for some reason, she felt like she couldn’t do that now.

Before she knew it, they were in an alley,

Pressed close, Charlotte’s one eye wandered. Lost.

“…I said no…”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

Even to such a small question…

Why, why was her heart beating so fast?

Then, as he scrutinized her, she felt awkward.

No one had ever cared before, so why did it feel like someone was worrying about her for the first time?

But Charlotte couldn’t say this.

It was a lifelong blemish, a shame.

Charlotte couldn’t understand why she was acting like this.

“So, you see…”

She couldn’t continue.

The sentences she would have normally spoken didn’t come together.

It felt like her mind was broken.

Amidst this, she felt tears welling up, worried he might be disappointed.

…Who

“What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“…I hate my eyes.”

At that moment, he reached out and stroked Charlotte’s hair.

“You saw it too… how others are startled by them.”

“You must regret seeing them too… so… that’s why…”

“I never said I disliked them.”

“…Don’t lie… Don’t play with my feelings like that… it’ll only leave a bigger scar.”

But contrary to her expectations, Yujin didn’t move away. Instead, he stepped closer.

“What do you think is the representative color of the Ehrenheit family?”

“…?”

Without lengthy explanations, Yujin flicked his finger in front of her.

-Flicker.

A red flame.

The brilliant, shimmering magic hexagram revealed Charlotte’s one eye.

“Personally… I think red is much prettier than blue.”

“…Huh”

Charlotte felt a strange emotion as she watched him speak so casually.

She couldn’t say anything. Her hands trembled.

Just one word, ‘pretty’… and she was so shaken.

“Why…? Everyone always said… they were sinister.”

“They’re pretty… and more unique, don’t you think?”

“…”

“From the beginning, I thought those eyes were beautiful.”

“…”

Her breath caught again.

Normally, Charlotte would have ignored it,

But this time, she couldn’t withstand the shock.

She was overwhelmed.

Charlotte couldn’t speak. 

Her lips were tightly sealed.

She could already sense what emotions he held.

Her throat tightened again.

She had fought alone every day in a place where no one was on her side.

She had lived with the stigma of being cursed.

She didn’t know the feeling of being loved, treating unfamiliar emotions with caution.

“…”

Charlotte couldn’t suppress her rapid breathing. 

This feeling was entirely new.

Charlotte struggled to keep her eyes open, fighting back tears.

If she let go even a little, the tears would flow.

Later, she fled back to the infirmary.

“…? Are you already out?”

“There’s something… I need to say.”

“…”

Charlotte, unusually, lowered her head and avoided eye contact.

She couldn’t even look him in the face.

Her disheveled hair and, perhaps it was her imagination, her bright red face and ears were visible.

“Wh-what’s your name?”

“Huh?”

“I asked your name.”

Charlotte asked boldly.

This person, asking for a name was something she only did when she liked someone…

In any case, it might be a good sign for Yujin.

He answered immediately.

“Yujin Ehrenheit.”

“…Yujin, Yujin…. It really… has a nice ring to it. I’ll never forget it, I must… definitely… repay you.”

In that resonance, there was a strange, warm emotion.