Evernight immediately placed his hands under Anya’s armpits and applied force. Before he could even make a sound, Anya’s bottom hit the saddle. It was the kind of action one might do to a thoughtless child, so Anya’s pale complexion instantly flushed red. Sisou and Buppu, who hadn’t yet left their positions, noticeably averted their eyes.
Without a word, he gripped the reins as far away as possible to avoid touching Anya’s back. Soon, with a sound, Evernight’s black warhorse began to run.
A lukewarm breeze about the temperature of early summer quickly swept past Anya’s face. Each time his body swayed, the horribly welted skin rubbed against the cloak and squirmed, but Anya was so focused on the man sitting behind him that he momentarily forgot even the pain.
Evernight’s warhorse ran so fast that several passersby on the road were startled enough to fall down.
As he’d said, Anya arrived at the detached palace quickly within ten minutes. As soon as they dismounted from the warhorse, Evernight roughly grabbed Anya’s wrist and strode across the palace corridor. The servants doing chores immediately bowed.
Anya looked at Evernight’s broad back walking ahead and sensed instinctively that he was angry.
“Everyone out.”
As soon as they entered the bedroom, Evernight gave a cold order. The servants tidying the room sensed the ominous atmosphere and quickly withdrew.
“What the hell were you…”
Evernight roughly released Anya’s wrist and ran his hand through his hair. He paced around the room widely, then suddenly approached Anya closely and revealed his anger.
“Why were you getting beaten like a damn son of a bitch.”
Evernight recalled late this morning, when the council meeting had ended. The Emperor, who’d said he had important words to convey at the council, acted capricious and maintained an insignificant attitude. The scholars and the Empire’s dukes all hid their intentions and were busy gauging each other with roundabout speech. Compared to Tildyen-style councils that always discussed practical issues efficiently, without frills, and quickly, the duke’s meeting was nothing but pompous ceremonies of pretentious nobles. He regretted whether he’d suffered terribly beyond the barrier just to do this sort of thing.
When the council ended, the Emperor caught Evernight, who was the first to leave the chamber. Then he said he’d show him his armory and specifically proposed that Evernight accompany him. The Emperor’s armory, who enjoyed hunting despite his middle age, was filled with various weapons. Drawing a bow from among them, the Emperor proposed archery to Evernight and the other dukes. Naturally heading to the northern training ground, they discovered Anya beyond the trees of the training ground fence. Anyone could see it was Anya.
‘Sir Evernight!’
He ignored those calling him from behind and ran straight over. And he was at a loss for words at the scene that unfolded before his eyes. When he came to his senses, he’d already broken Royster’s wrist.
“Sir Sisou… was…”
Anya stammered in confusion. Every single thing this damn brat did made him uncomfortable, as if tightening a noose around his neck. When Evernight muttered a curse as if frustrated, Anya’s eyes wavered.
“Did… did that bastard Sisou ask you to take the beating for him?”
“N… no.”
“It’s not even that, so who are you to.”
“……”
Anya felt his heart grow cold as if stabbed with ice shards with each word Evernight spat out.
“Who the hell are you to be taking the beating there instead? Damn greenhorn, I didn’t know you were stupid too.”
Anya took an empty breath at the fierce criticism. The pressure felt so strong he couldn’t breathe. His voice contained deep anger beyond irritation that he couldn’t contain.
This was the first time he’d expressed such strong anger toward Anya.
“Has your treatment been so bad all this time? I’ve turned a blind eye to a certain extent so you could do as you pleased. When you pulled that nonsense at the barrier, when you went to the forest with Sabelli for that pointless training, I let it all pass.”
Anya couldn’t answer anything like a mute who’d eaten honey. He tried to control his emotions by running his hand down his face, but he couldn’t suppress the inexplicable rage that kept surging up whenever he saw his much younger partner before him.
“N-no. I’ve always been grateful.”
“Then you shouldn’t have acted like an idiot!”
He raised his voice sharply. Anya was so startled he instinctively stepped back. In doing so, he must have stepped on the end of the long cloak, as the cloak slid down from Anya’s shoulders. Evernight glanced at his cloak stained with blood, then cursed “Damn it!”
“……”
He naturally recalled the image of the boy who’d knelt before Royster and calmly accepted the whip. He was angry… it was troublesome, and more than anything, these emotions of his were burdensome.
He said roughly, as if grinding his teeth.
“If I’ve accommodated your whims, you should at least pretend to accommodate mine.”
“…Then, are you saying I should have just watched Sir Sisou fall into di-difficulty?”
“Yes, rather.”
“Wh-why? You were the one who taught me!”
Anya raised his voice without realizing it, with a hurt expression.
“To fulfill one’s du-duty. That’s what you said.”
It was true he’d said that, but that was only meant to stay quietly shut away and not interfere in anything. The meaning was, whatever you do alone, don’t flutter around in front of my eyes.
“I’m also a person of Tildyen… as Tildyen’s mistress, I wanted to pro-protect Sir Sisou.”
He didn’t know the kid would interpret and accept it in a different meaning. Anya craved people’s recognition and warmth so noticeably, like a puppy in the rain. Evernight wasn’t unaware of this. At first, he didn’t care either way. But now… it was clearly a mistake.
“A person of Tildyen?”
Evernight let out a scoff as if incredulous. Anya’s expression hardened. He felt a strange emotion whenever this young face contorted in pain.
Sometimes he even wished it would break down more completely. Then it seemed he could cut off this insignificant concern altogether.
“As long as Claist blood flows in your body, you’ll always live only a half-life in Tildyen. That will never change. To think that hatred built up over thousands of years would disappear with your pathetic good intentions—how pitiful.”
The moment he heard those words, Anya felt completely deflated. The countless things he’d experienced since crossing over to the North that no one knew about were endured solely for a sense of belonging that “I am now a person of Tildyen.” How could the person who knew that say such things to him. Anya wanted to cry.
“So… that’s why you said that at the ban-banquet. That you wouldn’t have an heir because I’m ha-half.”
When the topic of heirs came up, Evernight’s eyes turned even more fiercely.
“Shut up. That’s not for you to worry about.”
But Anya couldn’t stop. He felt wronged and miserable. The edges of his heart toward him began to sharpen.
“You never had any intention of having an heir, yet you still… had re-relations with me. Even beyond that cold barrier!”
The end of his voice broke miserably.
“Did you enjoy that? I found it damn horrifying.”
What briefly swept over his coldly sunken blue eyes was deep ‘self-loathing’. Self-loathing riddled with regret. Anya lost his words.
“I have no interest in your body whatsoever, nor do I have feelings for you. That will be much better for you going forward too.”
“How… how could you… say such things to me…”
Anya’s vision instantly blurred hazily. He never dreamed he would think of him this way. Even if he’d disliked him at first, now that time had passed, still… even if not as a partner, even if not as a knight of Tildyen, he thought… at least he’d consider him someone who could function somewhat as a person.
‘He still… loathes me.’
The sudden realization split Anya’s heart in half and crushed it to pieces.
Silence fell between them. And a knock echoed throughout the room as a man’s voice came through.
“Your Grace the Duke, I’m the imperial healer.”
…Get treated. With those last words, Evernight passed by Anya and opened the door. Y-Your Grace the Duke! The healer hurriedly bowed at the door that opened without warning. Evernight looked down indifferently at the elderly imperial healer in white clothing, then left the room as is.
“My lady, are you all right?”
The healer rushed over and supported Anya. The healer inadvertently touched Anya’s back, then was horrified and quickly led him to the bed.
“First, I’ll cast a pain relief spell, one of the healing magics.”
Anya buried his face deep in the pillow on the bed with a half-dazed expression. The healer smoothly concealed his flustered appearance, recalling the cold appearance of the Tildyen couple before entering this place.
A yellow light rippled under the healer’s hand and penetrated Anya’s wounds. Indeed, as he’d said, the burning pain eased somewhat.
“I’ll apply the herbs.”
Soon the healer unrolled a large rolled-up cloth and spread it on the floor. On it, various herbs were contained by type in small pouches fixed to the cloth, and tools that could immediately crush herbs and make ointments were hanging in a row. The healer quickly mixed several herbs and created an ointment excellent for wound healing.
“Hmm…”
The healer, who’d been applying ointment on the wounds and casting healing magic, suddenly tilted his head as if puzzled.
“Um… my lady. It’s an impertinent question, but have you by any chance had sexual relations within the last month or two?”
“…Pardon?”
Anya carefully turned his head to the side from where it had been buried in the pillow. His voice was so dejected that the healer hurriedly waved his hands.
“Ah, no. I’ll check again.”
It seemed to be about that time when he’d spent the night with Evernight in the cave beyond the barrier. But why would that…
“I… I have.”
When Anya answered timidly, the healer who’d been casting healing magic finally removed his hand and let out an exclamation of enlightenment.
“Ah, I knew it! I’ll check for a moment.”
Then he quietly placed two fingers, his index and middle finger, on Anya’s wrist. Soon a yellow light flowed into Anya’s wrist. Hmm, barely a small moan escaped his mouth before the healer smiled brightly and bowed his head to Anya.
“Congratulations, you’re pregnant.”
