Chapter 161: Black and Gold – End

Chapter 161: Black and Gold – End

Upon returning to the lodging, Simon grabbed Reyna and almost threw her into the training ground.

With her unique sense of balance, she tried to quickly regain her posture.

However, every time she attempted to steady herself, he swung his staff towards her center.

Its training.

Side, thigh, ankle.

With each of his attacks landing, her body wobbled and staggered from the impact.

Oof, ugh! Oh, father ugh!

Youve been lazy for two weeks. Your body has gotten dull.

Despite his daughters suffering, he showed no mercy.

Watching his actions, members of the Golden Carnival shook their heads in disapproval.

Here we go again.

Hed rather vent his frustrations on the wrong person.

They pitied Reynas plight.

But unlike before, it was now difficult for them to intervene.

Formally, Simon was training her.

The training focused on maintaining balance and shifting center of gravity to avoid falling.

Although he seemed to be randomly striking, he was actually adhering to the training process.

However, pushing at such intensity left few within the Golden Carnival capable of enduring. It required the skill of a tightrope walker or the agility to barely keep up.

In this era, it was strongly believed that children who hadnt reached adulthood were entirely the responsibility of their parents.

While he might genuinely injure or even kill her if he wanted, he was still restraining his strength within the boundaries of training.

Indeed, the members who had grown up enduring their fathers harsh discipline couldnt condemn his actions, even if they found them unpleasant.

With this level of skill, hmph. You might as well yield your position to Ella.

Instead, he taunted her with his gaze and words.

Reyna momentarily paused at his mockery, and in that moment, his staff struck her again.

And so, for ten minutes, he mercilessly subjected her to violence under the guise of training before swiftly leaving.

As she rolled on the ground, pouring sweat and saliva, he offered no consolation.

He declared a calm ten-minute break and ordered autonomous training.

Although the members wanted to comfort her, they couldnt bring themselves to act.

She always rejected their attempts. She was determined to fulfill any task her father set, regardless of the circumstances. And if they dared to criticize her father, she would push them away.

The only person she could relate to was one who had been sent on an errand by Simon today. Perhaps he intended to trade him away once he got Ella, but since the members knew Ella was merely pretending, they werent concerned about that.

Lord Fantastic had gone up to his room.

The members hurriedly entered the villa, casting pitiful glances at the crumpled Reyna on the ground.

They wanted to leave her alone.

As soon as they were all inside, curses poured from her lips.

The recent training hadnt been that intense, really.

It was something he did occasionally when his mood soured.

If it were two weeks ago, she would have calmly accepted the situation.

She just need to work harder.

If she show a better performance, it will be okay.

She would have repeated these words to herself, trying to bolster her resolve.

But now, she couldnt.

Perhaps because her uncle wasnt here, it was harder to control her emotions.

Her chest heaved.

Tears flowed.

She clawed at the dirt with her fingernails.

The name of the emotion tormenting her heart was undoubtedly longing.

More pleasant practices awaited her there.

Colleagues who needed her were there.

The affectionate Director was there.

Though it had only been two weeks, it had become dearer to her than her hometown.

She approached the cliff.

Leaning against the wooden balcony railing, she looked down.

A narrow alley was visible several meters below.

If she followed that path, she could get there.

Just five minutes, no, three minutes walk away

Then, cries of horses echoed from below the alley.

It was incredibly bad timing.

A carriage carrying those she longed for had just arrived.

Reyna quickly pressed herself against the railing below.

She feared they might spot her.

They passed beneath the cliff.

The sound of jovial conversation floated up the cliff.

Reyna blocked her ears.

She didnt want to hear.

It was a place she could never return to.

Longing for it would only hurt her heart.

She had to let go.

She crouched like that for a few minutes.

She took her hands off her ears.

The alley was quiet.

They left.

Still, she could hear their voices and laughter as if they were ringing in her ears.

She stroked the sore spot where she had been hit and held the tender spot where she hadnt been hit.

The day she fell asleep on Dads lap.

The day she looked at the stars with Dad.n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m

The day Dad dressed her.

As long as she was still under Simons influence, talking to her was risky.

However, she showed an unexpected side on stage.

She defied her fathers orders.

You could tell from Simons expression, who was making a disgusted face.

She held onto her feelings until the end.

Of course, I was still anxious.

This rebellion was a one-time thing.

She could still submit to her fathers orders again.

But I thought about the courage she showed.

Wouldnt it be okay to trust her once?

Wouldnt that help her mental independence?

You rotten brat, you naughty.

Child, shush! Youre too noisy! How long are you going to grumble?

Ella couldnt stand the constant swearing from Gascon and shouted.

We returned to the mansion.

When we entered the guest room where I intended to contact Reyna, news came from her side as well.

The system detected her desires.

[Member Quest: Do you want to be secret friends with me?]

I read the contents of the quest and laughed.

What a fantastic timing.

She also wanted to contact me.

I opened a communication channel with her through the sound room function.

Reyna?

But I heard no response from the other end.

Whats this? Is there interference or equipment failure here too?

Reyna Maquire, can you hear me?

When I called her again, I heard her answer from the other side.

S-Sir? Is that you, Sir?

Even from her voice alone, I could tell what emotions she was feeling.

I joked, injecting a bit of mischief into my tone.

Hehe, seems like my daughter had a rough time, huh?

***

Under the moonlight, Reynas figure could seem eerie to someone unaware of the situation.

The sweaty and dusty girl shouted into the air, alternating between crying and laughing, sitting down hesitantly and then jumping up as if hearing hallucinations.

Intermittently, the word Dad could be heard, causing sighs from the members of the Golden Carnival, who recognized the ailment afflicting her heart.

They quickly informed Greimi, who was Reinas uncle and had been her mothers companion, albeit limping due to a leg injury, he was a skilled dagger acrobat who visited Reyna once or twice a year despite roaming different regions.

Reyna, rather than her cold and distant father, followed him diligently.

Their connection was also formed during the formation of the Golden Carnival.

Greimis face distorted upon hearing the news.

Reyna? Damn it, that Simon!

Greimi couldnt understand.

Though he had always been greedy and ostentatious, he never behaved that way towards family.

After his wifes death, his personality had inexplicably changed.

Despite other issues, he couldnt fathom why he became harsh towards Reyna.

Greimi and the members went out to the backyard.

They were sure they would find her there, rambling and acting erratic due to hallucinations.

However, what they saw there was a golden-haired angel flying through the air.

She ran across the tightrope, using only the strength of her ankles between the lines and ropes, in a graceful manner, unlike her usual mechanical and linear movements.

Her movements were fluid, drawing curves, and her posture was relaxed.

Above all, the smile on her face was captivating.

She smiled brightly in tune with her beautiful movements.

At the end, when she performed three consecutive aerial somersaults, she even made them laugh out loud.

Greimi felt a thrill.

It was as if his sister had come back to life.

Her body landed on the rope.

The members cheered.

They had changed too.

Two weeks ago, they wouldnt have reacted like this.

But perhaps due to the time spent with Ella, they had come to enjoy practicing.

Above all, they were glad to see Reyna brightening up.

They wanted her to continue practicing.

Some even threw lines that would befit heckling audience members.

Well then, lets continue.

Originally, they were only supposed to practice one act, but buoyed by their response, Reyna continued with the next movements.

With each laugh and cheer from the audience, her smile grew wider.

Ah, the circus is fun.

She lit up the highest rope and bounced upward.

At that moment, she caught sight of another villa peeking behind the trees.

He wasnt far away.

He was watching her from there.

He was cheering her on.

A ribbon used in the second act flowed from her wrist.

As the golden silk unraveled, it drew a tail several meters long in the air.

Against the backdrop of the black sky, the golden trail danced.

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Chapter 160: Black and Gold 31