A Knight Who Protects His Enemies

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The soldiers rushed to Vivian’s door amid the commotion.

A good number of familiar comrades from the 4th Knight Order were gathered there.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with Kylo?”

They murmured, trying to figure out the situation, but they looked just as confused.

Vivian ignored their stares and spun around from her desk, grabbing my arm.

“…C-calm down. W-we… let’s talk it out again.”

“You’ve been avoiding me for days! What conversation can we have now?”

“I thought this moment would come!! Aah… I’m sorry. L-let’s start over…”

“…I’ve given you more than enough time. You know, Vivian. I’ve made my decision… even you can’t change that.”

At my firmness, Vivian stumbled back a step from me.

“…Vivian, as much as you mean to me… so does my family. I have to go back now.”

I said.

Slowly, the sorrow and despair faded from her face, and a dangerous madness flickered in her eyes.

“Then what about me…?”

She asked.

“…You have your family, but… I have only you.”

She asked in a tone that used to be filled with tears, now sent so coldly.

“…What about me left behind?”

I couldn’t find an answer.

Suppressing my pain, I said coldly.

“…Goodbye.”

I didn’t want to see her fall apart, so I took a long look at Vivian… then turned away.

I wrapped this ridiculous and draining final moment as if it were a big joke.

“…Who do you think you are?”

But Vivian whispered.

She seemed absolutely unwilling to accept this kind of ending.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Like she was peeling off a mask, she whispered fiercely.

“Kylo, you’re not going anywhere.”

Whatever gesture she made behind me, my comrades in front exchanged glances, confused, and took combat stances.

“…”

I had no choice but to stop in panic.

Vivian kept whispering from behind.

“In my land… in my castle… you think you can do whatever you want? No way. No matter who you are, you can’t do as you please without my permission…! Have you forgotten how strong the power I’ve regained is? Do you not realize how massive the power you gifted me is?”

I clenched my fists.

Emotion surged up to my fingertips.

An overwhelming fury and sense of betrayal washed over me, along with bitter sadness.

Just like Vivian, extreme emotions were rising within me.

I turned to face Vivian.

I glared at her like I might threaten an enemy.

Vivian, it seemed, had also resolved to completely stand against me, refusing to flee from my gaze.

In fact, she even flashed a shallow smile.

“…This feeling is familiar.”

She whispered softly.

“…This feeling of hating each other.”

My teeth gritted tightly together.

“…Vivian, if you keep this up… I might genuinely start to hate you.”

She stood unwavering.

“Good. The fact that you say you might hate me means your feelings aren’t a curse. Rather, it’s a curse that makes you love me. A curse that makes you unable to hate me.”

“Vivian!!”

“I would prefer you to hate me. At least when you’re mad, you’re still here with me, right?”

I let out a frustrated breath.

“…What?”

“At least when you’re mad… you stay by my side. I would much rather have you yell at me than see you go to some other woman and smile at them.”

Her calm voice held a twist of something.

“…Honestly, I’ve gotten used to your anger. It’s not new to me to be blamed any further. Kylo, besides which, you’ve told me before, haven’t you? That sometimes we have to do things we don’t like. You’ve said it countless times.”

Her determination shone through.

She seemed ready to endure my hatred and anger just to keep me close.

And as it went on, the situation began to turn even more unfavorable for me.

That meant she would endure even the things I hated.

It meant there would be no more leniency in her actions.

Suddenly, I felt like I had fallen into the enemy camp.

This castle felt like a prison cage in that moment.

I took a deep breath and pulled out my two-handed sword.

The comrades swallowed hard.

“…Everyone, tell them to move aside.”

Vivian didn’t heed my words.

“…If you’re leaving, kill me and go. I’ll die anyway without you.”

“I have no reason to kill you now!!”

“That’s not what I mean. You’ve… been my reason for living for a long time.”

I was at a loss for words. I asked.

“…So, you can’t even say you love me? Are you saying that tormenting me is your reason for living?”

“…Think as you like. It doesn’t change my feelings anyway.”

Realizing that I could no longer communicate with Vivian, I faced my comrades.

They took a step back, flinching.

As soon as I drew my sword, they had drawn theirs as well.

“Everyone, move!”

“Hold Kylo down!”

Vivian commanded behind my threat.

The comrades exchanged glances between Vivian and me, raising their swords and taking their stances.

“You really going to do this…?”

I felt my grip on the two-handed sword weakening.

This feeling of fighting against comrades with whom I had shared so many trials could hardly be called a joke.

Among them, a few caught my eye.

Balron, Willas, Martin.

Swallowing hard, they broke into cold sweats as they aimed their swords at me.

Balron spoke up.

“…It was you, Kylo, who always said to prioritize Lady Vivian’s orders. And I… already told you I wouldn’t help you. Don’t be upset.”

Willas also whispered.

“You bastard…! You should have just escaped at night if it was going to be like this… why are you charging in head-on like an idiot?”

Then came Martin’s turn.

“P-put the sword down, man. You’re not seriously planning to kill us, right? It’s already over. Are we all going to die?”

Balron, Willas, Martin, Yanes, Duran, Tom, Malron… and more.

All of my comrades who’d faced hunts, battles, and wars stood right there.

For me, having grown up in this land, they were the only friends I had.

Only them.

While the other nobles had their noble friends, I had only these filthy, smelly commoners as companions.

And even though they didn’t say it, they were precious to me.

Our beginning was truly a rough one, but in the end, we had blossomed into friendship.

Just like my relationship with Vivian.

I stepped forward.

They didn’t step back.

“…You really want to go through with this?”

Balron responded.

“I don’t want to do it. But if you want to, we have to too.”

Countless trainings and duels with them flashed through my mind.

While we had faced battles prepared for death, what I felt this moment was entirely different resolve.

“Step back. This is your last warning. I have to return home.”

Willas shook his head.

“…I’m sorry. We received orders. I don’t want to end up like Baelor with foolish, unilateral thoughts. I’m going to live as a dull blade.”

I tightened my grip on the two-handed sword.

“You all will die.”

Martin replied.

“…I won’t hold it against you, Kylo.”

“…”

I dropped into a combat stance.

It should have been the kind of pose that made everyone shrink back in fear.

But none of them backed down like it was a sparring match.

Not a single one moved.

Realizing they were truly ready for death, my strength drained away.

-Thud!!

I ultimately threw my sword to the ground.

I looked back at Vivian.

And then I spat coldly.

“…Yeah. I’m kind of used to this side as well.”

Vivian’s eyes were cold, as if she had suppressed her anger.

I probably wore a similar look in my eyes.

“This is what my relationship with you was like. This feeling of hating you is somehow familiar.”

Only after I said that did I see a brief flicker on Vivian’s face.

As that happened, my comrades approached and locked thick handcuffs around my wrists.

“…Should we take him to the dungeon?”

Balron asked.

“…”

Vivian seemed not to hear Balron’s question as she faced me.

I could tell various thoughts were swirling through her mind.

“…Lady Vivian?”

Balron asked again.

“I asked whether we should take him to the underground dungeon.”

Vivian looked at me, then at Balron, then at Nesto, and shook her head lightly.

“…No.”

“Then where…”

“Tie him up over there.”

At the tip of her finger was her bed.

It was a blatant display of her obsession towards me in front of everyone.

“Y-you mean on the bed?”

Vivian didn’t repeat herself, and she summoned the maids standing behind the gathered soldiers.

The maids rushed over and bowed to Vivian.

Vivian commanded.

“From now on, bring all meals to my room. For both Kylo and me.”

“Yes. Understood.”

The maids replied, hiding their trembles.

“And bring clothes to change into, and warm water to wash twice a day. Kylo will live here from now on.”

Immediately afterward, Vivian walked slowly towards me in full view of everyone.

The 13-year-old girl who had been merely tiptoeing for survival could no longer be found.

Not the vassals, not the soldiers, not the maids… all seemed to lose meaning to her.

Vivian gently placed her hand on my face in front of everyone, pulled my neck, and stole a kiss.

The maids and soldiers gaped at the sight of our relationship, something they had never seen before.

There was a big difference between what they suspected and what they were actually witnessing.

Vivian smiled at me, unconcerned with anyone’s gaze.

“…Finally getting to taste those lips again.”

“…Are you insane?”

“Well, you should’ve listened when I told you not to go.”

“…”

But I could see it.

Within Vivian’s madness, I could glimpse her sadness.

She didn’t want things to escalate this far either, that much was clear.

“…It was your mistake for wanting to leave.”

She murmured as if trying to convince herself.

“Kylo. From the moment I had nothing, you were the only one who truly thought of me. The only one who didn’t give up on me among all these people was you.”

She stroked my cheek again.

And then she spoke thickly.

“…So I won’t give up on you either.”

---