KLRE C7

Chapter 7

Raon, leaving the Imperial Palace, spotted her still standing outside and helped her into his carriage.

“Thank you.”

Kina bowed deeply toward him, expressing her sincere gratitude.

Although it was the Senet Viscount’s household that operated the poorhouse, they escaped punishment simply because they were nobles, despite their lack of real power. The hired workers who had labored for the poorhouse, however, were treated differently. Rumor had it that the people there were being subjected to brutal torture.

She had sent several letters to the Crown Prince, but none were answered. It was the same when she went to the Imperial Palace herself. Even when she claimed she had come to see Versha, she was firmly denied entry.

In the end, the only person within her circle she could ask for help was Raon. It had only been a few days since she had resolved never to ask him for anything again, yet with the situation as it was, she had shamelessly sought him out.

Thankfully, Raon had granted her request. Though his face looked gaunt and worn from fatigue, he had neither turned her away nor sent her back.

“This is not your fault, my lady. Please don’t make such a face.”

Kina forced a faint smile. She looked drained, her gaze lowered as though she had suffered greatly in her heart.

After that, only the noise from outside filled the quiet carriage. Sitting across from her, Raon was lost in thought. Kina carefully observed his haggard appearance.

Versha was getting married. Not to him, but to the Crown Prince. What must he be feeling now, after even preparing a proposal?

At that moment, she noticed the wound on Raon’s hand. It hadn’t been there earlier.

She didn’t know what had happened inside, but it was clearly a wound he had received while going to meet the Crown Prince because of her request.

“Here.”

Kina held out the handkerchief she had with her. Following her gaze, Raon looked down at the injury on his hand. It must have been caused when the glass Chris had thrown shattered earlier.

“It’s fine.”

The wound wasn’t deep—just a minor inconvenience rather than something painful.

“Even small wounds can worsen if left untreated.”

As she spoke, Kina neatly folded the handkerchief into a triangle and looked at him quietly. Realizing she intended to wrap his wound, Raon extended his hand.

“Come to think of it, I believe what you said before is right.”

“…What do you mean?”

Kina gently wrapped the injured area with the handkerchief. Raon watched as the soft fabric encircled his hand.

“You wouldn’t blame yourself for a cut like this, would you?”

She had the sense that Raon, like herself, was feeling helpless. It might have been a mistaken assumption, but still.

Kina tied a knot so the handkerchief wouldn’t come undone.

“So it’s not your fault either, Your Grace.”

Her words were clearly about his injury, yet somehow they sounded like comfort meant for him. Perhaps it was because all his thoughts were centered on that matter.

Since leaving the Crown Prince’s palace, Raon had been replaying Chris’s words over and over in his mind.

The Emperor was still in good health; there was no telling when he would pass the throne to Chris. If it took more than ten years, could he really ask the woman he loved to endure that long? Could he soothe her with promises that it would only be a little while longer?

Could he endure it himself—
that sweet kind of hell?

And most importantly, would their love remain unwavering and unexhausted until then?

He hated himself for imagining the end of it all. Even if it was for Versha’s sake.

“Let’s say neither you nor I did anything wrong.”

Just having the neatly tied handkerchief covering his wound made him feel a little better. As Raon looked down at it and then met Kina’s eyes, the gentle smile she wore stirred a small ripple within his heart.

Very faint. Very quiet.

“I heard Raon came by.”

Not long after Raon left, Versha visited the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Oh.”

Chris replied as if it were nothing, prompting her to glare at him.

“If Raon came, you should’ve told me.”

“I was busy. As you can see.”

Chris lifted a bottle of liquor. It seemed he had finished the strong drink all by himself. When Versha had visited him earlier, she had also smelled alcohol on him. Seeing him drinking alone in such loneliness, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him further and instead plopped down across from him. Then she drank the liquor he had poured without hesitation.

“What did Raon say?”

“The same as always. Stubborn, and only speaking what’s right.”

“You told him everything about us, right? Did he understand?”

At her question, Chris, who had been lifting the bottle to pour another drink, paused.

“What do you think he said?”

But she failed to notice the subtle change.

“He must’ve accepted it.”

Versha spoke with complete certainty as she chewed on some dried fruit.

“And why do you think that?”

“If it concerns me, Raon would do anything.”

“…I see.”

At her confident words, Chris silently sipped his drink. Versha smiled as if she found him dull.

“By the way, I heard the letters my friend sent are being blocked.”

“Friend?”

“Kina. Kina, the daughter of Viscount Senet. Why is that?”

“Because she keeps pestering me about the poorhouse.”

Chris’s face twisted sharply.

“Why does everyone keep bringing that up? What’s so important about a bunch of commoners?”

He was already overwhelmed with his own matters. He couldn’t understand why people kept talking about some insignificant noble girl he barely knew.

“She’s not a commoner—she’s the daughter of Viscount Senet. She’s still a noble.”

“It’s all the same to me.”

“Yes, yes, of course it is.”

Giving up on explaining further, Versha replied with a sarcastic tone.

“But those people are innocent. If providing the venue is a crime, then who would ever offer such places for imperial events in the future?”

Even so, she said everything she needed to say. Hearing the same argument as Raon’s, Chris clicked his tongue. No wonder they were lovers.

“…Can’t you release them?”

They were alike in that needless compassion—they couldn’t ignore those in distress.

“Are they more important than my grief?”

“Why compare things like that?”

How childish. Versha pouted.

“If we’re comparing—Kina is a friend who would willingly throw herself in harm’s way for me. Aren’t you someone for whom I should be willing to do the same?”

It meant they were that precious and close to each other.

“…Wait.”

The cup that had nearly reached Chris’s lips stopped.

“A friend who would willingly throw herself in harm’s way for you? You’re certain she truly cares for you.”

“Of course. We’re true friends.”

At her words, Chris fell into thought for a moment before calling for his chamberlain.

“Send a letter to the daughter of Viscount Senet.”

“You’re granting my request now?”

Chris merely smiled without answering her.

Yes. There was no need to use himself directly.

Summary
[This work constitutes Part 1 and continues into Part 2, “ENDLESS.” Please take note before purchasing.]

In a quiet temple where no one else was present,
only a single couple and one priest stood within.

“Once you sign here, your marriage will be officially recognized.”

Raon and Kina sat facing each other and wrote their names on the document before signing it.
The priest lifted the paper bearing their signatures.

“Duke Raon Greyz.”
“Yes.”

Raon’s voice was calm, as if he were merely answering attendance.

“Lady Kina Senet, daughter of a viscount.”
“Yes.”

In contrast, Kina’s voice trembled slightly—so faintly that one would only notice if they paid close attention.

“I will now sign to certify the union between the two of you.”

The priest signed his name at the bottom. With that, all the required names had been filled in.

“With this, you are now legally recognized as husband and wife by the Empire.”

Even the priest’s tone was purely formal. He did not offer words of blessing.

There was no one present to congratulate them—no passionate kiss, no exchanged glances, no ring ceremony.

And so, Raon, who had once been Versha’s lover, and Kina, who had been Versha’s friend, became husband and wife.

“You… who are you?”

It was unmistakable—the same voice that had gently called Kina’s name in her room.

Raon seized Dave by the collar, visibly shaken.

“Since when? Since when have you known each other?”

He directed the question at Dave.

“Your Grace, I’ll explain.”

Kina realized that the situation was more than enough to cause misunderstanding—especially given his prior suspicions of her infidelity.

Still gripping Dave by the collar, Raon looked down at Kina.
From her expression, it was clear she didn’t know much about the man named Dave. She seemed to think of him merely as a young man who helped at the orphanage.

“I’ll hear the explanation from this man. Isn’t that right, Dave?”

Both Kina and Dave were startled that Raon knew his name. Dave had never been introduced to him before.

“If you know my wife’s name, there’s no way I wouldn’t know yours.”

Raon resembled a tiger guarding its territory, his voice low and threatening.