I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

After Asrahan and Lariette entered the mansion, Gerard and other elite knights of The Night returned and unpacked. They, who had heard the news in advance, were waiting for them, cheering and welcoming them.

"Congratulations on your safe return!" Fireworks burst and laughter erupted.

Gerard smiled happily and thanked his colleague for taking his luggage, offering him a glass of beer instead. Asrahan ordered his elite knights to return first, but they couldn't keep up. Gerard was born as a poor commoner, a body that could never be a knight forever if Candel hadn't taken him in.

Asrahan relied solely on his talent and loyalty, elevated him to the highest position, and as his knight, Gerard felt compelled to repay his master's favor. The same went for the other elite knights of The Night. Therefore, they waited in the city around the Simsan Desert, where they would go to find him if they couldn't hear from him for a long time. After receiving Asrahan's telegram, they prepared a carriage.

"Good job, Gerard."

"I can't believe Melissa told me I did a good job."

"...!"

"I don't mind dying today." Gerard squealed, feigning breaking his neck.

This was because even though they had been together for a long time as general manager and vice general manager, those who heard such a friendly greeting from her could be counted on one hand.

"If you really don't want to die, do it in moderation."

"Yes, Melissa."

But Melissa spoke bluntly, as if she hadn't been kind to him, and Gerard quickly became disheartened, while the other guards laughed at their inverted superior-subordinate relationships.

"Hahaha! They got you again!"

"Who's the difference? I still haven't kicked him!" Gerard snorted, while Melissa swayed as if she was ready to kick his ass at any moment.

"Come on, let's make a toast. For Candel!"

"For Candel!"

The knights of The Night shouted vigorously and drank beer. One, two, three... The number of bottles stacked on the floor increased, and people's faces gradually turned red. The ones who were weak were already lying on the floor, all of them chatting drunkenly except for a few called seasoned drinkers. And some of them lost control and burst out their hidden complaints.

"The Lord knows what he likes so much, I don't understand."

"Brandon."

"Don't I have a point? His lover disappeared without a word while he was going to war. And with another guy too! How could he forgive her for that?" A knight named Brandon grumbled with a flushed face.

It was because he thought his master was pathetic for clinging to such a bad woman. One of his companions looked around and scolded him in a low voice.

"There was a situation. Why are you refuting the Duke's decision?"

"What situation? She ran off for an affair, where's the situation? You have to catch all those unfaithful guys and beat them..." Brandon kept his babbling mouth shut.

It was because there was a shadow over his head. In his knight's instinct, that was a bad omen. When he carefully turned his head and looked up, he saw a smiling face. It was Gerard, whose cheeks were tinged with pink to some extent, and a soft voice spoke.

"Hey, friend, let me advise you as a leader..." a large palm covered Brandon's shoulder. "You're really going overboard with your mouth talking like that."

"..."

"You don't even know the subject, and the hands of the Lord who have pity on you," Gerard added sternly.

"What is that woman?"

Brandon couldn't even open his mouth and muttered in his heart. Then, as if reading his heart, Melissa, who was standing next to Gerard, spoke.

"Don't speak in vain; she is the one the Lord loves..."

Unlike the others, she wasn't drunk at all. Because she, Candel's finest knight, hadn't been seen so late at night.

"She will soon be our mistress."

---------------------

Clank!

The clear sound of something falling resonated in the room.

"What? What are you saying now? What did you say?" Hallstein asked, with trembling lips.

It was a terrible voice, his satisfaction-filled face distorted by shock, and he even dropped a fork he had been cleaning.

Lariette seemed more desperate than when she was sentenced to a time limit. Asrahan sighed briefly because it was ridiculous, then repeated his words.

"Prepare a new room."

"What is this foolish master talking about?"

Hallstein looked at Asrahan with irreverent thoughts.

"What is this about?"

"I will have a separate room, so I want you to have my room ready."

"The preparation of the other room is still..."

"Don't make excuses for not being prepared, I won't say anything more."

He asked with a hint of hope, but the response was firm. There was no other way for Hallstein to do that if the owner of Candel declared it so. Now was the time to retreat. He nodded with a somber look on his face and left with the tableware.

Lariette, who hadn't been able to say anything because she had been wary of the situation until now, finally spoke up.

"Asrahan, don't you want to share a room with me?"

It was a rather straightforward question. Thanks to her experience in Astar, it was important to show her honest mind to avoid misunderstandings between them. He shook his head as if it had never crossed his mind and responded quickly.

"That can't be true, I would like to share a room with you, but..."

"Just...?"

"Lariette, you're not feeling well, I think it's better to be separated at least during the recovery period."

It was true that Lariette wasn't feeling well, and she began to feel sick shortly after leaving Astar. Perhaps due to relief, the accumulated fatigue had caught up with her. The slight fever had come and gone the next day, but Asrahan's concerns soared through the roof.

"Since you refuse to call for a priest or go to the temple, shouldn't we rest properly?"

Lariette trembled at Asrahan's words. Because it was a delicate subject for her. Just the thought of the shrine and the temple made her tense up. It was because she remembered the fear of the moment she was hit on the neck and forcibly thrown. Lariette grumbled, pretending to be fine.

"What does resting have to do with separate rooms?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized the strange connection between them and fell silent, and Asrahan's eyes were timid and embarrassed.

"I mean, I will disturb your rest."

Asrahan added in many ways in a low voice, his blue eyes shimmered with a familiar longing. Lariette, a simple-minded woman, cheered inwardly. It was already difficult enough to do something like this with him, but there was no reason to reject it because it felt so good. There was a sly voice with subtle expectations.

"I'm fine."

"I'm not fine, I won't be able to stay still," and Asrahan responded with an iron wall.

It was an attitude that reminded her of his former self, which prevented him from kissing. Lariette frowned in frustration. With the same heart, she wanted to scream:

"Don't leave him alone, let's do it, man!"

But just as she was about to remove her lips in anger, Asrahan took the initiative. It was to cover her lips with his. Lariette opened her eyes in surprise, she could see his condescending face right in front of her. As if he was passionate about kissing, he slightly furrowed his brow and lowered his black eyelashes ever so slightly.

He was so handsome that she felt her heart skip a beat, their lips were intertwined and their breath mixed with the sound of an empty house, and Lariette, who had closed her eyes behind him, enjoyed a sweet kiss with her senses overwhelmed. The frustration that had bothered her had vanished.

"Haaa."

"Whoa..."

How well their lips melded, Lariette's lips were red at the end of the kiss. The purple eyes were watery and reddened around her eyes. When he saw that, Asrahan felt something firm again, so he furrowed his brow even more. If he stayed there, he wouldn't be able to get up and move forward again. She seemed confused, perhaps right after the breathless kiss. Taking advantage of this, he proceeded with what he had in mind.

"Lariette, you're going to do as I say, right?"

"Yes..." Lariette responded expressionlessly with a dazed grumpiness.

She didn't even know what he was talking about.

"That's sweet of you, thank you. Then I'll go."

"..."

"I have a lot of documents to process," Asrahan said, gently folding his eyes.

He didn't forget to praise and thank her further so that she wouldn't say anything later. Asrahan walked away before Lariette could protest.

After being away from the Candel mansion for a long time, the documents that needed to be reviewed piled up like mountains. But there was a man in his way, and it was Hallstein.

He didn't even know how long he had been waiting there. Hallstein stood near the wall in a very upright position, enough to be called a statue. His cold gaze soon turned to Asrahan. Those eyes, he, knew those terrifying eyes. It was a so-called "imprisoning gaze" that haunted him so badly when Asrahan kept himself away from Lariette. He felt dismayed seeing him staring at him in the darkness and tried to quicken his steps.

On purpose, Hallstein didn't even look. While ignoring him and passing by, he followed his steps as expected. Until Asrahan reached his office, the butler persistently followed him without making any noise. Finally, Candel stopped ignoring him and opened his mouth as if he had lost.

"What's the matter with you again?"

"That's what I want to ask, why is the master doing this again? You already joined forces in the past! Why are you coming in and out now?"

He was silent, as if he had been waiting for it as soon as the door closed, and it wasn't courteous, but he was eager to sound like a heart. His sharp gaze was worse than the general's, and Asrahan shuddered. Then he continued, as if apologizing.

"...I'm planning a future with her forever."

"What does that have to do with...?"

"If there's a rumor that an unmarried man and woman are in the same room, it will be a disgrace to Lariette."

Hallstein gave an incredulous look and opened his mouth wide.

"Since when do you care about rumors?"

It wasn't something the man who severed the marquis's arm would say to him.

"Well, I'd rather die than see the successors."

"...Can't we see posterity like this?"

Hallstein lifted his head at Ashrahan's brief explanation, his fresh green eyes began to radiate.

"No way, that means..."

Hallstein thought, shaking his arms and legs, he was so excited he couldn't breathe.

"Whether it's a child or a successor, I would like to proceed formally."

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat!<

Hallstein's heart was racing like crazy. And finally, the words he had waited and longed for his whole life came.

"I'm going to propose to Lariette."

Asrahan felt embarrassed saying that in front of Hallstein, who raised him. However, his voice expressing his will was more determined and serious than ever, there was no hesitation at all. Marriage, once even imagined, was a sin.

It was because he thought it was too much to love or be loved with a cursed body, but now his skin was clean, and his beloved loved him. So now he wanted to marry her and be with her forever.

That was the true reason for refusing to join Lariette, and although they had already been in a relationship, he wanted to go through formal procedures so that no one could undermine their reputation. It didn't matter if the rumors were strange, but she wasn't.

"It's really okay to die now."

Asrahan's sincere attitude made Hallstein think that. His clear eyes filled with tears, as if affirming the idea, his body fell helplessly.

"True!"

Hallstein, who had always maintained good posture, knelt on the floor, so overjoyed that his legs gave way.

"Hallstein?" Asrahan took Halstein by the shoulder, surprised, concerned that his heart wouldn't improve, but his face was radiant.

Hallstein cried tears of happiness.

"Well, I think the black and gold room for the little princess would be nice."

He couldn't stop crying as he blamed himself for being foolish. He was confused whether gold or pink was better. Although Asrahan thought it was a concern that hadn't even been proposed yet, he soon gave Hallstein a warm pat on the shoulder.

The imagination of marrying Lariette, having a baby, and sharing everyday life unfolded before them. Hallstein laughed beside him, and Asrahan's face was filled with happiness.

--------------------------

But the happiness shattered too quickly.

"Cough, cough!" Lariette covered her mouth with her hands and coughed forcefully. "Whoa..." She frowned and looked at the liquid in her hands, the red dripping through her palms, and her purple eyes followed it as if waiting for it.

When the red droplets were about to fall to the floor, Lariette quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped it, but within seconds she turned her face away and removed it.

"Oh!" Lariette roughly threw her handkerchief onto the table and ran with her mouth covered.

The bathroom door closed, and the sound of her pouring something into the toilet could be heard.

Asrahan was watching all of this from a distance. His eyes and lips trembled with shock, and his whole body stiffened. He forced his weak legs to move slightly. Then, he picked up the handkerchief she had left behind, stained with the bright red liquid that Lariette had just expelled.

Asrahan had a faint hope, thinking it could be something else, but soon his body collapsed to the ground. It wasn't caused by joy like Hallstein. It wasn't a bright joy that colored his face, but a sadness that knew no end.

"Blood," Asrahan murmured congested, repeatedly like a fool.

Having been on the battlefield for a long time, he couldn't help but recognize it.

"Blood..." The red liquid lay in his hands.