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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Thrown Glove
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The blood in my veins turned to ice.
What if I just killed him right here—
“Ugh.”
Kivrin let go of my hand and pulled my head into his chest.
It was a bit rough, but it snapped me back to my senses.
“Cheria, don’t, make, things, difficult.”
Kivrin spoke as if he knew exactly what I had been thinking.
Did I clench my fists without realizing it?
Was he stopping me because he thought I would lunge at Nocturne?
This wasn’t the time to ask, so I held my breath.
The cruel impulse from before had vanished, and I’d calmed down, but in exchange, Kivrin had drawn all the attention to himself.
A chilling silence fell, and I was almost disappointed that I couldn't see the Pope's expression while buried in Kivrin's embrace.
“How upsetting. I, on the other hand, have brought very good news.”
Good news?
My ears perked up.
Nocturne, wearing the mask of a benevolent Pope, tried to soothe Kivrin.
“The fact that the Duchess is late in returning home must mean she is heeding the cardinal’s words, does it not? Of course, that’s only natural. We have come to convey that the Young Lord’s confinement is unjust.”
“…”
Huh. What’s with the sudden change of tune?
I squirmed, trying to glare at Nocturne.
Kivrin refused to let me go.
“…You, you said you would start a holy war if that monster wasn’t thrown, thrown back in his cage immediately.”
He said that to Kivrin?
I ground my teeth.
Nocturne’s voice, sounding almost impressed, drifted over.
“So you still remember the commotion from when you couldn’t even babble.”
“Because, I’m a, monster.”
As Kivrin said this, he patted my head a couple of times.
Ugh.
It seemed Kivrin wanted to handle this himself.
I finally let the tension leave my body and allowed myself to be held quietly.
“A monster? You have proven you can be perfectly fine even outside the Snake Pit, so you should no longer be called by such an unpleasant nickname. Do you think we have some personal grudge against you that makes us turn a blind eye and a deaf ear? We believe that you have changed under the guidance of God.”
Guidance of God, my foot.
Nocturne paused deliberately before adding.
“As a token of our apology, may I offer you a blessing?”
I flinched reflexively, remembering how utterly unpleasant it had been to receive Nocturne’s blessing.
Kivrin refused immediately.
“I don’t, need it.”
“…”
“It’s nauseating… filthy… and repulsive. I don’t want it.”
Ack, those are the exact words I used…!
The Pope must have gone stiff, but Kivrin didn’t stop.
“The, the Saintess seems quite angry… I take it you came without her permission.”
It was a remark clearly intended to get under his skin.
Well, it was a truth universally acknowledged that my sister was the real power in the Temple.
If my sister hadn’t kicked the papal seat to the curb, Nocturne wouldn’t even be in the Grand Temple.
Still, it must have been a while since Nocturne had his place in the hierarchy pointed out to his face, right?
I was so curious that I lifted my head slightly.
Just then, a priest holding a communication stone jumped out of the carriage.
“Are you, curious, about the, future, the Saintess saw?”
Kivrin asked slowly.
I saw Nocturne hesitate.
As if to show his contempt, Kivrin threw his glove in Nocturne’s face.
“You will die by my hand.”
H-Hey, that provocation is so intense it’s making my head spin.
It was the kind of venomous remark Kivrin’s past self would have made.
…Is it possible his past and present memories are already merging smoothly?!
Nocturne’s face twisted in fury.
But he had no choice but to back down when he heard my sister’s voice coming from the communication stone.
[Get back here right now. Before I chase you down and humiliate you even more.]
The priest with the communication stone was already telling the coachman to depart.
Kivrin calmly called for the gatekeeper.
“Prepare to, close, the gates.”
Whether it was because Kivrin used polite language even with a mere gatekeeper while ignoring him, Nocturne’s lips parted as if to speak.
Regardless, Kivrin led me inside the castle.
My sister hated it when people even called Kivrin ‘Young Lord.’
Yet, she only reprimanded Nocturne, pretending not to have heard Kivrin’s words.
And after threatening him by saying she’d seen a future involving me, she had suddenly clammed up, which led to Nocturne coming all the way here.
What kind of change of heart did she have in that short time?
In , my sister shared even the most trivial things with Nocturne.
Reading the novel, I’d gotten the strong impression that Nocturne was her closest confidant.
“Cheria-nim? Are, are you, all right?”
A hand gently touched my cheek, and I looked up at Kivrin.
It was obvious to anyone now that Kivrin was taller.
Even though my birthday was a month and a day earlier than his.
The look in Kivrin’s eyes, so full of concern for me, was the same as always, which made me worry about him.
“I don’t understand at all why he’s suddenly acting like this, but the bottom line is that from today, the Temple won’t say anything even if you leave the castle, right?”
“I think… so.”
“They won’t go back on their word just because you were a little harsh, will they?”
I asked, conveniently ignoring the fact that Nocturne was still the Pope, no matter how precarious his position was.
Kivrin’s golden eyes held a listless light.
“It, it doesn’t matter to me, either way.”
“It matters to me! There are so many places I want to go with you! Oh, right, why on earth did you give me that villa….”
“Mother is, is coming.”
Kivrin quickly changed the subject.
The castle gates closed as soon as my parents-in-law entered.
Winter and Menelik were both safe.
“…The Duke is with her.”
“So he is.”
The relationship between this father and son showed no subtle signs of mending.
Menelik, who had returned to his relaxed self now that Winter was by his side, spoke.
“I saw the Pope and thought about grabbing him by the collar, but it seems the Saintess was already calling him every name in the book. I’ve resolved not to become an old man who can’t read the room like that.”
Winter, on the other hand, wore a serious expression.
“Do you really think the Saintess is conscious of Cheria?”
“I guarantee it. She’s doing the exact same things I used to do to Kivrin.”
“…Lik, I’m so embarrassed for you. Please don’t proudly announce that you acted just like a girl in her mid-teens.”
Winter shook her head. Then she approached Kivrin and placed her hands on his shoulders.
She finally touched Kivrin!
Kivrin looked as surprised as I was, blinking his eyes.
Winter took a breath, then offered a gentle smile.
“The Temple wishes to leave the duchy alone for a while and not interfere with you. What is it that you want to do?”
“…”
“If you say you’ll stay cooped up because you’ll be a burden again, I’ll lock Lik up with you.”
Wouldn’t that be torture for both of them…?
Kivrin’s eyes trembled.
From behind Winter, I shot him a barrage of meaningful looks.
Hurry up and say you want to go outside!
You have to seize the opportunity when it comes!
I want to travel to a place that’s warm year-round in the dead of winter, and I want to go boating when spring comes!
Kivrin answered awkwardly.
“I, I want to go out. Being in the castle all the time… is suffocating.”
Winter glanced back at Menelik.
He shrugged.
“Good thing he’s at least mindful of Cheria.”
My visual assault must have been too obvious.
But a burden? It wasn’t like Kivrin was an adopted child…
My thoughts trailed off as I looked at my father-in-law, who had hurled verbal abuse at a much younger Kivrin.
The rift between this father and son was entirely Menelik’s fault. Winter knew it, I knew it, and Menelik knew it too.
“…I deeply regret it.”
Menelik confessed, having noticed where my thoughts had drifted.
After exchanging a few more words with Kivrin, Winter turned her head toward me.
“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? That won’t do.”
Winter sent Kivrin and me straight to the banquet hall.
We were having a late dinner and were about to have dessert.
The head butler called my name.
My sister had contacted us through the communication stone, he said.
“She says she will explain the situation. But only to you, my lady.”
…Why me, of all people?
With a reluctant heart, I followed the head butler.
He led me to a room that looked remarkably similar to Winter’s office.
“This is…”
“His Grace’s office.”
The head butler closed the door as I entered.
There was no one else inside.
It was my first time in Menelik’s office, so I glanced around for a moment.
Then, my sister’s impatient voice came from the communication stone.
[Hello, little sister. I didn’t tell him to do it, so blame the old man, not me.]
It was a breathtakingly swift disavowal.
