My younger brother did not say a single word in the place where the shadow and the witch were.
The witch left, saying she was going back to the villa to look after the young lady who was sleeping.
The shadow, feeling troubled, said she would take a short walk in the garden before coming inside.
She told me not to follow her. She said that having me around would only make her feel more disturbed.
It doesn’t look like she has given up on the deal yet.
Considering the benefits the shadow stands to gain, that’s only natural.
If anything, the involvement of the Empress would make it even sweeter.
There are risks, of course.
She probably needs some time alone to decide how far she should push her limits.
In the end, I ended up leaving the forest with my younger brother.
The two of us walked slowly.
We both knew there were things we needed to discuss.
“What are you thinking about, little brother?”
“I was wondering what expression our father would have if he knew about your achievements, brother.”
My younger brother shrugged his shoulders and said,
“Well, he still wouldn’t say he wants to make you his legitimate heir.
No matter what, it would be difficult for him to choose someone with ties to the Empire as his successor.”
“It’s not a bad relationship; they’re the ones who are indebted to me.”
I let out a deep sigh.
I still have hope.
Even if the Empress has made a move, I hope it’s not because of me.
Rather, I hope she’s searching for something that will benefit her more.
“What if we just invite the Empress separately?”
“What kind of nonsense is that, little brother?”
“Is it nonsense?
If the Empress is trying to display military strength, then secretly inviting her for a conversation might be a more constructive approach.
Would she really come all the way to the count’s estate just to harm you?”
“……”
I thought about it.
No matter what, it would be quite difficult for the Empress to harm me.
For one, I appear to be a completely different person on the outside.
Besides, the Marquis also knows about my current state.
He hasn’t officially acknowledged it, and I have no idea what will happen in the future.
But if the Empress did something reckless, the Marquis would undoubtedly seek revenge.
He may not be able to oppose the entire Empire, but it would change the dynamics of the kingdom in many ways.
The losses would outweigh the gains.
The shadow spoke of “justification,” but at this point, all that remains is lingering resentment.
And even that is just the Empress’s personal frustration over a ruined idea she once had.
“I will consider it.”
“Ayla will be startled again.
Aren’t you afraid of becoming hated?”
“……”
“Haha.”
“What are you laughing at, little brother?”
“What else can I do but laugh?
Brother, do you know what I think the more I listen to you?”
My younger brother shook his head.
“I think you wouldn’t care if the whole world became your enemy just for the sake of one woman.
Seriously, what kind of noble thinks like that?”
“I am not a noble.”
“The difference between a noble and a commoner is whether their name is registered in the records or not.
Since Father registered your name and paid the taxes, you are a noble.”
“I have already died once.
That name in the records doesn’t matter to me.
I am not a noble.
I am different from you at the root.”
“But we share the same father, don’t we?”
“I grew up in the back alleys.”
I spoke firmly.
I thought many of my old habits had faded after meeting Ayla.
But at the same time, my past experiences and thoughts shaped who I am today.
If I hadn’t been there, I would never have met Ayla.
For that reason alone, I can’t completely deny my past.
“You’re so frustrating, brother.”
That’s what my younger brother said.
“Well then, I’ll go speak to the shadow. We need to find a way to contact the Empress. With your cooperation, I believe it’s possible.”
The shadow usually worked in the royal capital, and most of her duties were confined there.
But that didn’t mean she ignored nobles from other regions.
On the contrary, she exchanged information with foreign nobles as well.
Such information was always closely connected to the people of the royal capital.
After all, in this kingdom, all roads eventually led to the capital.
Whether I answered or not, my younger brother swiftly leaped toward the garden where the shadow was.
“…… He’s grown a lot.”
I left that short thought behind and headed toward the mansion.
“……”
The past.
Not many people have heard my stories about Ayla.
Of course, those who did probably heard them enough times to be sick of them.
But the number of times doesn’t really matter.
Telling one person multiple times doesn’t mean the story spreads widely.
And sometimes, the people who listened would say to me,
“Isn’t that all in the past?”
“Why don’t you find a new connection?”
It’s not that I never thought it was foolish.
But I couldn’t help it.
She was the first person I had ever seen who shone.
The first person I ever wanted to approach.
No matter how it ended, I had to see it through.
Ayla was righteous, but she wasn’t always just righteous.
Just as I was influenced by Ayla, I believe Ayla was also influenced by me.
Her laughter.
I can never forget the sound of Ayla’s laughter.
There were commoners who saw us as mere street thugs.
Ayla was an illegitimate child, but not every commoner knew that.
And I had been a vagrant to begin with.
Not all commoners were poor.
Some successful merchants lived quite well, even if they weren’t at a noble’s level.
Perhaps it was their confidence in having achieved success through their own efforts.
Some arrogant commoners acted as if they were nobles themselves and looked down on Ayla and me.
“Hah. I really stole it.”
Ayla muttered while looking down at the apples she had gathered in her clothes.
She had lifted her top slightly, using it to carry a heap of apples, revealing a bit of her stomach.
I struggled to keep my eyes focused on the apples instead.
“Yeah. You really did steal them.”
That day, someone had shouted at Ayla and me for walking around with swords at our waists.
I don’t exactly remember what they said that led us to steal the apples.
I only remember that Ayla and I were furious when we heard it.
I nudged Ayla’s side and crouched low, sneaking away in a direction where the shop owner couldn’t see us.
At first, Ayla had no idea what I was trying to do.
She simply crawled along with me.
But when she saw me reach out and grab an apple, her eyes widened.
Normally, Ayla would have stopped me.
But maybe she was in a worse mood than usual that day.
Seeing me steal an apple, Ayla stole one too.
We ended up stealing an entire armful of apples and crawled our way into the alley.
Halfway through, we stood up and ran at full speed.
We dropped a few apples along the way, but it didn’t really matter.
There were plenty of hungry people in the back alleys.
There wouldn’t be any evidence left behind.
With our stolen apples, we climbed the hill outside the village where we always went.
Breathing heavily, we looked at each other awkwardly and exchanged a few words.
Then, we dumped all the apples on the ground and plopped down beside them.
Ayla looked guilty.
I picked up the ripest apple and took a big bite.
Maybe because we had run so much, but the sweetness tasted even stronger than usual.
Then, I picked up another apple and handed it to Ayla.
“……It’s delicious.”
Mimicking me, Ayla took a bite and muttered.
“We’re accomplices now.”
“I have no intention of betraying you at this point.”
“……”
For a while, we just ate in silence.
The crunching sound of apples filled the air.
The city’s noise was faint in the distance, and from a faraway ranch, the sound of sheep occasionally echoed.
“Normally, you would’ve told me not to do this.
Why today?”
I asked, thinking the silence was getting too awkward.
Ayla thought for a while before answering.
“They were the ones who did wrong first.”
“As I thought.”
We laughed.
“But we took too many.”
“Let’s share them with anyone we meet on the way back.
That guy probably doesn’t even know how much we stole anyway.”
Ayla let out a laugh of disbelief.
I found myself laughing along too.
“……”
Yeah.
Back then, we got by just fine without any grand purpose.
Becoming a noble heir, gathering intelligence to rule the underworld of the royal capital, seeking the truth of the world—those things didn’t matter to us.
We simply swung our swords freely.
We ran, breathed, and saw beautiful things together.
Under the blue sky, we lay side by side, staring blankly at the clouds.
In my entire life, the only person who made me happy just by being there with me was Ayla.
“Luna.”
As my thoughts faded away, I entered the mansion.
Ayla was outside.
She was leaning against the window in the hallway outside her room, gazing out.
As if living up to her name, Ayla looked beautiful in the moonlight.
Had she been watching me return?
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I just woke up for a moment.”
Ayla replied.
Then, she turned her gaze back to the window.
I stood beside her.
“……”
No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to return to those days.
But I don’t want to give up.
No matter how much others tell me to move on.
I simply don’t want to give up.