CH 62

The Crown of Thorns

***

A few days later, Kyrie called Leschaux to her room.

“Welcome.”

Kyrie greeted Leschaux with a smile. Recently, the room without the bed was filled with various silk cushions. Kyrie pointed her fingers around.

“Sit anywhere.”

〔I feel comfortable standing.〕

“So be it.”

Kyrie laid down long and wriggled her tied wrist.

“MarryAnne, get some refreshments and go out.”

“But…….”

“I’m with the Patriotic Lord. It’ll be safe. Because he will protect me. Isn’t that right, Lord Leschaux?”

Leschaux noticed the cynicism hidden in her drowsiness.

〔Definitely.〕

“You hear me?

MarryAnne looked confused for a moment, as if saying ‘Is that so?’ and eventually followed Kyrie.

The room became quiet. Kyrie hung silent and looked out of the window with weary eyes.

“It’s a little snowy, but it’s a nice day.”

〔It’s not like that either.〕 

Kyrie blinked twice slowly at Leschaux’s answer.

“That’s amazing. Nathaniel doesn’t lie.”

Leshaw was surprised not to be revealed.

〔How did you know?〕

“It’s said to be the virtue of the connoisseur. Would you like some refreshments?”

〔I don’t have that in mind.〕

“Oh, me too. Well, let’s just say that’s for decoration.”

Kyrie lifted herself up. No, she tried to raise, but she slipped because her arm seemed weak.

“Whoa…….”

Fortunately, She wasn’t hurt thanks to the cushions, but the wriggling and correcting her posture looked very difficult.

Kyrie’s wrists were tightly bound, apparently not mindful of unwinding the ribbon. The same was true of her ankle. A length that was often enough to walk, but cannot run in. That was the way it would be. Nathaniel wouldn’t want to let her run away.

Leschaux rarely opened his mouth first when he saw her thin arm wrapped in a cushion.

〔I heard you skipped meals.〕

“Did it go viral again? At this rate, everyone will know when my moon is.”

(T/N: moon=periods (menstruation cycle))

Because Leschaux had an uncomfortable face, Kyrie smiled bitterly.

“That’s true I see. No wonder he kept bringing out sweets.”

〔You’d better take care of yourself.〕

“For Nathaniel?”

〔It’s for your own good.〕

“How does it work for me to shove people into flour just because I skipped meals?”

Rumors had already spread in the capital that when Kyrie Buchanan skipped her meals, Nathaniel made a huge barrel of wood and threw flour, water, and Kyrie Buchanan into it. Until seeing Kyrie Buchanan again, Leschaux also thought Nathaniel had gone too far.

But in person, he (Nathaniel) was right. It was also clear why the nightlife was no longer held. Kyrie Buchanan was like a scrawny winter birch that would break now.

〔Do you need anything?〕

“Everybody asks that these days.”

Kyrie murmured. She pulled the cushion with the tip of her fingernail, which began to crack due to malnutrition. Leschaux wondered for a moment whether to stop her or not. Add a little lie, and now she would lose the cushions.

“Is there anything you need just to move? What can I give you just because the wind breezes? When I stretch by the window, the servants come running and ask me if I’ve called.”

〔You don’t like it?〕

“Who would be happy to have your day written off?” 

Leschaux closed his mouth. Kyrie giggled to herself about what was funny. She took a half-lying position, apparently struggling with it.

“You don’t have to forgive me for not being able to greet you in the right posture.”

〔It doesn’t matter.〕

“I thought you would.”

Kyrie breathed out a dry breath. There was a terrible silence when she closed her mouth. Kyrie, who was looking at a meaningless tea that had cooled down, said as if she were throwing it.

“That’s why I called you.”

Sadness slowly came to Kyrie’s eyes, which were like the surface of a calm lake.

“……Can’t you help me die?”

Leschaux stared at her silently without any embarrassment and opened his mouth.

〔Why would you want to die?〕

“It’s my last responsibility.”

〔Is it because of that dead guard?〕

Kyrie was flabbergasted.

“Aaron was…….”

She reached out slowly and raised a glass far away.

“It’s not because of him……. I’ve always been a responsible person, and now that I have nothing to take responsibility for, I just don’t have any reason to live.”

〔You’re responsible for Nathaniel.〕

“So I’m going to die. I’d like to buy you an assassination, but if I did, the assassin would be angry.….”

A cold sweat ran through Kyrie’s forehead, and her hands shook with a teacup. Leschaux approached and took the glass from her hand and put it down.

〔I can’t help you.〕

“Is that so?”

Kyrie hesitated and opened her mouth.

“Can’t I be as strong as you, beyond human beings?”

〔It’s impossible as you are right now.〕

“Why?”

〔You don’t have any stamina.〕

“Oh.”

Kyrie opened her eyes wide and laughed out loud.

“Oh, my God. I didn’t expect that.”

〔I didn’t mean it as a joke.〕

“I know. What do you think you are.”

Kyrie laid down long, leaving a small smile around her mouth. Light purple hair, sometimes silvery under the sun, trickled down her shoulders.

“Do you know why I asked you that?”

〔Did you think Nathaniel would release your confinement if you were stronger?〕

“That’s right. Is that possible?”

Leschaux blinked silently for a moment.

〔He will, but if you want my opinion, it’s not a good choice.〕

“Because it’s a difficult road?”

Leschaux pulled out a sword instead of an answer. From the sword body to the handle, it was a black two-handed sword. It was as big as Gladioso’s sword, but it didn’t feel so crude but rather beautiful.

〔Humans can transcend themselves only when they push themselves to the brink of death and then luckily gain “enlightenment”.〕

Kyrie, who was mesmerized by a beautiful black blade, belatedly came to her senses and replied.

“You’re a swordsman.”

〔Yes, I was given a sword by Nathaniel, and it gave me a glimpse over the horizon of truth.〕

“Will it be difficult for me?”

〔People have different ways of enlightenment. Whatever you do, you just have to push yourself to the brink of death.〕

Leschaux held out his sword as if to hand it to her. Kyrie refused. His sword had the decency not to burn (shine) in other people’s hands, as well as it weighed. [1]

Leschaux said, gently closing the sword.

〔I won’t stop you whatever you do. However, it would be better to start with the heavy body of that teacup.〕

“Is there any other way to be strong?”

Reddish purple eyes stared at Kyrie, but there was no answer. Kyrie shook her hand when he realized he didn’t want to talk much.

“You’re not just saying this to stop me fasting, are you?”

〔No, but you’d rather have a meal.〕

“There’s been some embarrassing sound coming from my stomach.”

〔I’m not interested.〕

“I know.”

The conversation, which used to flow like water, ended. Kyrie muttered, lying on the cushion like a light purple carp.

“You’ve mastered six martial arts, but I don’t have any talent for it in this kind of situation. You want me to turn myself in right before I’m about to die? But I don’t think I’m going to give you a needle.” 

(PR note: giving a needle is an idiom for going to prevent someone.)

〔It is not enough simply to act. You have to immerse yourself in a state of mental uplift.〕

“It’s a joke, so you don’t have to take it too seriously.”

Kyrie blinked her violet eyes. She was getting more and more bored because just talking was exhausting her stamina.

Where will the free end be? It was not that I was curious about the end. Because it’s obvious that it’s going to be death. My only concern is the reaction of Nathaniel when he sees me dead.

Leschaux grabbed the sword handle. He felt a little sad for the first time in a long time.

〔Kyrie Buchanan.〕

Kyrie looked up and watched Leschaux

〔Do you think Nathaniel will be fine if you die?〕

The favor quickly disappeared from Kyrie’s face.

“I just want to die, so you’d better talk to Nathaniel about that kind of big issue.”

〔Didn’t you say that? Nathaniel knows how to do more than you think. It may not just end in death.〕

Kyrie stared at him with heavy eyes.

“You take away my last hope lightly.”

〔I’m sorry.〕

A deep sadness came in her violet-colored eyes. Kyrie slowly turned her head, looking blankly at the ray of the sun on the carpet.

“I…… I don’t know.”

A little sad murmur was put on top of it.

“There must have been a better way…….”

Ironically, upon hearing that, Leschaux suddenly became able to understand Nathaniel as if he had struck a bolt of lightning.

He didn’t know Nathaniel’s past, but he knew what Vallabriga ended up like. After putting Nathaniel to sleep, Vallabriga went crazy under the delusion that the dead Nathaniel would return and avenge him. Perhaps that was the norm.

Besides, Kyrie Buchanan hated Nathaniel but was not bound by hatred for him. She was buried in revenge, hatred and anger and never lost herself. Unlike Vallabriga Owrenbridge. And probably unlike the people before that.

〔…..Kyrie Buchanan.〕

Realizing that, Leschaux slowly knelt before Kyrie and sat down.

〔There’s only one way.〕

Kyrie’s head turned around. Leschaux spoke clearly as if he were pressing a word into the air.

〔To make him obey you.〕

Kyrie, who had been looking forward to it for a while, immediately looked flat.

“Who said such a crazy thing, and that’s you, My Lord.”

〔Does that sound crazy?〕

“Who can tame Nathaniel? He’s strong and…….”

〔Yes. He is strong. He’s really a pale horse that has never been tamed since its inception.〕

“Did you come here to discourage me?”

〔But you’re the horse’s only rider now.〕

Kyrie’s eyes shook. Leschaux hesitated a little before saying the next thing. He also knew that Kyrie Buchanan was overloaded. He didn’t want to put another burden on her. But the situation was already obvious.

Leschaux calmly offered a crown of thorns over Kyrie Buchanan’s head.

〔And there’s probably no next time for you〕

***

“You’re not going out?”

[Yes.]

Nathaniel, who was sitting on the sofa in the drawing room and opening a book, replied without even looking at her. Kyrie’s eyes rolled from side to side.

“Why?”

[Because I want to.]

“You’re busy.”

[Thank you for your concern.]

Kyrie recalled an ivory chess horse hidden in a secret space on the bedpost. She couldn’t get it out of Nathaniel’s place.

“Okay.”

Kyrie nodded and stuck out her wrist tied to the ribbon.

“I’m going to read a book.”

[Call someone to read it for you.]

“I don’t want to look like this.”

Kyrie stuck out her wrist again. Only then did Nathaniel turn away from the book and turn to her. Nataniel, staring at her soft wrist, put the book down on the console and reached out.

“What is it?”

[I’ll read it to you.]

Passion immediately disappeared from Kyrie’s eyes.

“That’s fine.”

She quickly lifted herself up with a sour face. At that moment, the ribbon that tangled her ankle twisted.

Nataniel grabbed Kyrie, who was about to fall, faster than the light. Kyrie tried to say thank you but closed her mouth. What do you have to thank for making this ladder?

“Let me go.”

There was a rather nervous voice. She was sure he would nag again. It was because she skipped meals, or if she needed to learn how to walk, just ask him. But Nathaniel curiously let go of his arm with a slightly grumpy look.

[Leschaux’s sword is thicker than your waist.]

“It wasn’t that bad.”

[You must have measured it, huh?]

***

1) Leschaux’s sword will only obey Leschaux so when he hands over the sword to someone else, the sword will stop shining and its weight will increase so as to signal that the person holding the sword isn’t the real owner of the sword