ESMLT 19

Chapter 19

“I have something to tell you, Duke.”

Jaeger, who had been reaching out with a dagger, flinched at the words. He turned his gaze and looked down at me with a dangerous glint.

The look in his eyes seemed to ask what nonsense I was about to spout with such precision, and I took a shaky breath before speaking.

“I want to formally apologize for my past behavior.”

Jaeger frowned.

“Apologize?”

His gaze suddenly sharpened.

A chill ran down my spine, but I didn’t back down and continued.

“The truth is, I lost my childhood memories during this incident. So my recollections are fragmented.”

“Huh?”

He pulled the dagger from the cabin wall with a look that clearly said, What kind of trick are you pulling?

‘That timing is suspicious… Didn’t he just pull that dagger intending to stick it in my neck?’

I watched the blade nervously and hurriedly explained.

“Ah, of course, I’m not asking for an excuse because of amnesia. I want to sincerely apologize to you for the harm I’ve caused.”

“Hah.”

Jaeger let out a cold, moonlight-like scoff.

“You want to apologize while claiming you don’t even remember? Do you think that makes sense?”

I had expected a reaction like this. An apology loses sincerity if the wrongdoer doesn’t fully acknowledge the wrongdoing.

But if he asked why I tormented Roeni, or why I sent the assassin, I couldn’t answer—not as Redria, anyway.

I could lie, but if he knew anything about the Redria I didn’t, it would backfire.

So, to soothe him, I decided to apologize while pretending to have lost my memory.

I lowered my eyes. I wasn’t talented at acting, but maybe this would look like genuine remorse.

“I know I haven’t lost all my memories. I remember tormenting Roeni, and… that incident too…”

I glanced at the scar on his eyebrow, then met his sharp gaze and lowered my eyes again.

“I’m truly sorry. I also intend to apologize to Roeni when I return.”

“……”

Jaeger stood silent, dagger in hand, staring at me. After a moment, in a cold tone, he spoke.

“……So, you’re asking me to forget the past now that you’ve apologized?”

‘He’s sharper than I thought.’

I glanced up at him and forced the best smile I could muster, though my trembling lips betrayed the effort.

“Hah.”

Did he find it ridiculous?

Jaeger scoffed as if exasperated and wiped his face with his hand.

“Still the same.”

He let out a deep sigh and slowly turned to face me.

The contempt in his eyes flashed like a blade.

“Was this how you deceived His Majesty and the Tower Lord this time as well?”

“Excuse me?”

“The way you charm and betray people—it doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“……?”

Charm me? Doesn’t work anymore?

What is he talking about?

He spoke as if he’d been bewitched and backstabbed by Redria.

Seeing my utterly confused face, Jaeger, as if deeming me unworthy of attention, wiped the dagger along his shoulder and sheathed it in the leather holster.

“You don’t need to approach me unnecessarily. I’m only here to monitor you until your escape, as promised.”

He said what he needed to and turned sharply away.

I watched his retreating back in disbelief, then snapped back to reality.

‘He’s really trying to make me look like a cunning woman who charms everyone, isn’t he?’

Annoyed, I glared at his back. Given my temperament, I probably wouldn’t sleep for days if I held back.

‘If he’s going to act like that, I don’t need to grovel anymore.’

Even if I behaved submissively, it wouldn’t make a difference to him now that my apology hadn’t worked.

I called out to him as he opened the back gate.

“We still have unsettled business, don’t we?”

Jaeger stopped and looked back at me.

“Unsettled business?”

“I apologized, but you haven’t thanked me yet.”

He laughed as if incredulous.

“……What did you just say?”

“I saved you, Duke. You should at least say thank you. I don’t think I’ve heard that from you yet.”

And indeed, I had saved him.

In the original story, Jaeger, searching for the saint in the Holy Forest, unknowingly leaves and is bitten by a zombie.

Thanks to the knight’s quick thinking, he amputated his own hand to prevent infection, but permanent disability was unavoidable.

Since then, he always wore prosthetics and gloves. When greeting the saint, he hid his hand over his chest, and during meals, he used only one hand.

Whenever the male leads asked the saint to dance, he stood behind her with his hands clasped.

The desperate struggle to survive became nothing but a barrier in front of the pure, holy saint—forever out of reach.

I saw contempt flash across Jaeger’s face as he looked at me.

Though the tense atmosphere made me briefly regret, I had no intention of backing down.

“Why? Is your pride hurt at having to thank a leech? You can say that much to an old friend, can’t you?”

“Who said we were friends?”

Jaeger snarled, his expression darkening.

‘Interesting… he reacts strongly to being called a friend.’

This person is terrible at psychological games; I could see his trigger clearly.

“Why? We were childhood friends. Ch. i. l. d. h. o. o. d. friends.”

“……Hah.”

Jaeger laughed coldly, scanning the empty air. Then he closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, as if calming his anger.

“I’ve never considered you a friend.”

What? My slightly crooked stance faltered.

‘What are you saying? Not friends? In the original story, he and Roeni were childhood friends.’

I thought quickly.

Indeed, Jaeger’s emotion seemed too strong to be mere betrayal. It was deeper—contempt and disgust, not just hurt.

If that stemmed from wounds in his heart rather than just betrayal…

‘Could it be…?’

The thought escaped my mind.

“Did you… like me when we were kids?”

Jaeger glared at me with eyes sharp as blades.

‘Impossible.’

His murderous gaze was as good as a “yes” to my question, hitting me like a slap to the head.

“You didn’t like the saint from the start?”

His cold, north wind-like eyes pierced me.

“Your nonsense about amnesia is enough. Do not trouble the saint, Roeni.”

Tsk. Jaeger clicked his tongue and went into the cabin, as if he didn’t want to be in the same space.

“Was that… real?”

I stood dumbfounded, letting out a nervous laugh.

Thud.

After Redria closed the back gate, the cabin was silent.

Lihard slowly opened his eyes and looked at the blanket wrapped around him.

He chuckled softly.

It was hot and stifling, but he had no desire to loosen it.

As Lihard closed his eyes again in peace, a voice spoke.

“Why not open your eyes now? Stop pretending to sleep so annoyingly.”

Lihard looked toward the bed on this floor.

Sien was half-sitting, lazily adjusting his hair.

“Introducing yourself, huh? Not your place, sneaky one. Pretending to be weak and innocent… almost made me vomit.”

“You’re the one pretending to care while distrusting Ria. That’s disgusting.”

“Same difference. You act all sweet toward her, even though you don’t like her.”

“Your tongue is long. I have a gun.”

Ha!

Lihard smiled cynically.

“I, who blocked your relentless attacks over the years, can’t handle this?”

“You’ve never won against me, either.”

“Nor have I lost.”

“Does it make you feel better to delude yourself like that?”

“Paul’s saying is correct—if your head’s bad, your body suffers. I was just scolding you in place of the previous Tower Lord. Didn’t expect you’d misinterpret that.”

“Hah. If it weren’t for that power of yours—”

Sien frowned, speaking with a strong tone of displeasure, then suddenly widened his eyes.

‘Ah-ha.’

A faint smile lifted Sien’s lips. He rested his arms on the railing and his chin on his hands.

“Now, the only ones who know about your power are the Emperor, your secretary Paul, and me, who has sparred countless times. A few others, that’s it.”

Sien’s eyes softened slightly as he smiled brightly.

“If Ria finds out about your ability, she’ll be startled and—”

Whish—!

Thud—!

A dagger flew suddenly, grazing Sien’s cheek.

A fine line appeared on his pale skin, and slowly a drop of blood welled up.

Sien maintained his smile while inspecting his cheek, then wiped it with the back of his hand.

Lihard glared at him with a raptor-like gaze and hissed fiercely.

“Your playfulness is excessive today. Watch your tongue, Tower Lord.”

Sien twitched an eyebrow, then let out a weak scoff, turning serious immediately.

“If you can’t manage your mouth, what will you do?”

The previously soft voice had dropped sharply in an instant.