Chapter 8

Ether and Eyla’s attacks helped me return to the present. Rodrigo grabbed me, tapped the wall three times, then instantly reached the second floor.

“What is this?”

This is a tremendous skill. I want to learn this!

Rodrigo’s eyes bent gently as my eyes shone.

“It’s magic.”

Oh, no wonder… It wasn’t human behavior.

Cartina was very talented, however, they unfortunately did not possess magical abilities. Rodrigo and I stood next to each other as we observed the Cartina’s marching up the stairs leading to the second floor.

“As I always thought, Cartina is substantial in many ways.”

Unlike the first floor, where smoke bombs penetrated the atmosphere, the air on the second floor was freshly clean.

“Are you being sarcastic?”

I asked Rodrigo.

“No, I’m admiring them.”

No, I think you’re being sarcastic.

“Estiya! Where is Estiya?”

“What did that damned motherf*cker do to you? Are you being threatened, Estiya? I’ll tear your limbs apart, Rodrigo! Give me my sister right now!”

A violent voice raged throughout the banquet hall.

As soon as I heard the reverberation, curses and threats followed so swiftly, they seemed to be washing my ears.

“I think I made the wrong choice.”

Rodrigo replied with his arms folded, listening to the various abusive language directed at him.

“I feel closer to death.”

Don’t tell me…

I laughed awkwardly to shake the thought off, however, I had to admit of its accuracy a few days later.

03. It’s a difficult feat to meet your lover

[Not long ago, a bomb sent from Cartina blew up my Eastern mansion. Thanks to that, I was saved from the cost of demolishing the old building. I’d like to thank you separately.]

“What are you doing?”

Günter asked Rodrigo, his impression fitful. Rodrigo, which had been immersed in writing a letter, dropped his pen from the paper and glanced upwards for a brief moment.

“I’m writing a letter. Can’t you see? If you’re tired, leave and rest.”

“I can’t see correctly right now, but that’s not because I’m tired.”

Günter pulled the newspaper from his hand and placed it on top of Rodrigo’s desk. Rodrigo’s letter was thoroughly covered by the paper.

-Romeo and Juliet, what is the end of their love which sprouted between the family’s enemies?

After the disturbance at the Duke of Gloria’s banquet a week ago, Estiya and Rodrigo officially recognized their love relationship. The Capital shook. Rodrigo became busy. He was summoned to the Emperor for confirmation, and was to deal with the assassins sent by Cartina frequently.

Estiya is…

‘I wonder where and what you are doing.’

The woman who uttered such strange things, “I want to live,” was as silent as if she had never existed.

Maybe she was imprisoned in Cartina?

Rodrigo’s face crumpled as he recalled Cartina was an unrestrained villain.

“The Eastern mansion has been blown away.”

Günter tapped a corner of the newspaper. Rodrigo noticed a familiar painting of the mansion towards the area Günter pointed to. Even the black spheres falling over.

“Newspapers are promising with their drawings these days, aren’t they?”

“That’s not the problem, my Lord. Are you actually involved in a relationship with her?”

Rodrigo disliked him asking the same question twice. Especially so when he questioned a fixed matter. Günter asking for an answer although knowing of the response was an indication he didn’t favor the current situation.

“Lady Estiya. No matter how much I think about it, it’s suspicious.”

Günter knew there was some kind of deal made between Rodrigo and Estiya.

“Is that right?”

“Yes. She might have come here to seduce my Lord.”

Rodrigo listened to Günter as he reflected on Estiya’s behavior.

She didn’t commit any seductive gestures. Her pulling or pushing him once in a while seemed more like she was battling.

“Seeing her marriage proposal, she must have been after the money.”

Money.

“Cartina also owns a lot of money.”

Günter shut his mouth, his head hit by a nail.

“However, it’s still suspicious, isn’t it?”

Rodrigo rose from his seat. He crumpled up the newspaper and threw the underlying letter into the trash can.

“So, Günter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Günter waited for Rodrigo’s next order, his legs securely attached. Rodrigo’s mouth kept silent, then spoke in a solemn voice, as if to have him calmly carry out his orders and keep quiet.

“I have to visit Cartina.”

Rodrigo spoke as if he were going for a brief walk, however, Günter was overwhelmed with anxiousness. Cartina… Here goes Erhardt.

It was the first time to have such a situation occur in nearly a hundred years.

“Estiya, talk to your sister. That man… Did he threaten you?”

I had been suffering from my family for a week now. After the banquet, I announced my love affair with Rodrigo.

-I fell in love with him at first sight, we were meant to be.

Of course, no one believed my classic comment that would casually appear in a third-rate romance novel. Cartina, like Cartina, thought Rodrigo had caught on to my weakness and threatened me using it.

-Estiya can’t have any weaknesses.

-Our Estiya can’t bear to kill a soul; everything about her is perfect!

They also appeared to deny their hypotheses. So it was frustrating for me. In addition to Eyla, Kaylan, and Ether, both my mother, Hela, and father, Stefan, joined.

They followed me around during the banquet and tried to persuade me to reconsider spilling the truth, so I couldn’t greet or contact Rodrigo properly.

I didn’t even have time to write a letter.

Whenever I opened my eyes in the morning, three pairs of sad eyes would lay on the bed, and meal time was dead silent as if a funeral was occuring. In addition to various classes of mine being suspended. Everyone hung on to persuade me.

“Not at all. Lord Rodrigo is a good man.”

“Estiya… it can’t be. Erhardt, those filthy clans, they’re not going to leave Cartina be…”

The old story began to flow from Stefan’s mouth.

The unpleasant relationship between Cartina and Erhardt heads back to ancient mythology.

Goddess Ilia loved a man. He was a greedy man. His name was Palemon, and he wished to unify the continent. Ilia, who loved him so much, decided to assist him.

-What do you wish for?

-I want strength.

Ilya bestowed upon him three dragons. They were each distinguished with the colors red, black, and blue.

Palemon also possessed reliable associates.

The continent was so very large, it was too much for a human to unify it by themselves. Thus, Palemon shared the three dragons that Ilia handed him with his associates.

He gave the red dragon to himself, and the black dragon to Cartina. The last blue dragon was handed to Erhardt, which was his half brother.

According to the mythology, the three men joined forces to defeat the Continent, and once again established the Empire. Palemon then called himself Emperor.

The peace remained for a short while. Soon, the three, each holding their power, came to distrust the other. Eventually, the three families began to battle against each other.

From there, the legends of the Erhardt family and the legends of the Cartina remained different.

In Cartina, they claimed Erhardt to have raided and killed Cartina’s dragon. On the other hand, Erhardt claimed that Palemon and Cartina joined hands to kill their dragon and drive their families to the brink of extinction.

In any case, the bad relationship between the two families continued, either they believed the myth or not.

Cartina were educated as if they were infusing the myth from a very early age.

Their enemy was Erhardt.

In the meantime, small combatants may intervene, but who was the main opponent? Erhardt.

The perception injected inside their train of thoughts since a very early age, couldn’t convert easily.

In between the ferocious battle, the Emperor increased the number of cases which forced one to hate the other.

This is why I’m afraid of ideology education.

I pretended to be listening to Stefan incessantly swearing at Erhardt, and thought of something else.

Since the Cartina members were paying attention to me, I’m sure Rodrigo would be comfortable for the time being. If he’s fortunate, that is a satisfying enough conclusion.

However, it wasn’t until afternoon that I found out my notion was wrong. Rodrigo couldn’t be comfortable.

Boom.

Following the explosion, I could hear the sound of walls breaking down. Smoke had soared to my room existing on the fourth floor. Rubble was slowly falling all around, and the flowering trees that had just begun to form fell down like feeble reeds.

“What is this fuss about?”

Stefan jumped from his seat, pausing his long conversation of Erhardt’s many atrocities as he held my hand.

“Hyu, hyuk. Master, Erhardt has invaded!”

My door burst open, and a breathless article knight popped in as he reported the situation. Then he collapsed. There was an arrow stuck in his side. The small flag standing at the very end of the arrowhead fluttered as if to greet me. The flag was distinctly engraved with Rodrigo’s seal, the Blue Dragon.

“Everyone, gather in their positions. Proceed with Erhardt’s forces.”

Is this man crazy? Do you think love is a war? I don’t even want to argue about this, but what if they come to fight?

I sighed deeply.

“Estiya, this is better. If you do have a weakness you don’t want to tell us, it’s best to simply kill the mouse and keep quiet.”

It must have spread widely in the Capital that Erhardt had crossed the gate of the Cartina mansion. There are many eyes placed on Cartina and Erhardt. Eyla and Ether patted me on the shoulder, clearly misunderstanding the meaning of my sigh. Their eyes trembled finely.

You like it now, don’t you?

“We’ll be back, so you should never leave.”

At that time, my family exchanged glances and reaffirmed their determination. Overthrow Erhardt. Should I be pleased, seeing the Cartinas united for the same purpose?

Kaylan was the first to run out. He aimed to preoccupy the best position for aiming his daggers.

“That’s a foul, Kaylan!”

Ether chased after him. My room was vacant in an instant. I made sure my family was completely gone and got out of bed. I bent down and scanned under the bed.

I put it here, where is it… Found it!

It was an arrow. No matter how great Rodrigo was, it would be difficult to overcome the whole Cartina family. In addition, this was Cartina’s mansion. I’ll need to support Rodrigo from the rear. It was also to protect our family.

I approached and opened the window of my room. It wasn’t long before I spotted Rodrigo. The bitter smoke was roughly blown away by the wind. Rodrigo seemed uselessly gorgeous as he leisurely strolled through the demolished garden.

Rodrigo was not alone. Two knights stood beside him. That was all. I couldn’t help but let out a ridiculous laugh.

Are the mere three of you coming to Cartina now?

I felt rather displeased.

One has to be beat up harshly to find out just how terrifying Cartina is.

The hand with the arrow fell toward the floor. At that time, I heard a unique mocking sound. The owner of the laugh-like shout was Ether.

Ether raised her sword!

I felt goosebumps on my arms. Ether was a swordmaster. She was capable of slicing a small house in a ridiculously bizarre way if she made up her mind to hold a sword.

Esther decided to fight properly. A light glow formed in her hand.

It was also noticeable Kaylan had positioned his darts seated on a tree next to the speedily running Ether.

But although Rodrigo holds a promising capacity, it’s still 2:3. I thought I could help, however a yellow gas soon spread low to the floor.

It’s poison!

Hela and Eyla have released the poison!