103 [103]

Karen opened her eyes to the noise at dawn. The sun was rising. Oh, is it time to die? How long has it been? Where is it this time? How old am I now? I'm so tired and time is crushed, and someone wakes me up.

"Hey... get up, Karen."

"…what is it?"

Karen rubbed her eyes. Duran shook himself. It was still early in the morning.

"If you're going to kill me humanely, can't you do it while I'm sleeping?”

"…I need time.”

Duran says something unknown. Karen sat up in bed. The sky hasn't dawned yet.

Unlike Karen, Duran looked like he couldn't sleep a wink. The pale face was almost as tired as a corpse. Karen sat on the bed and asked Duran.

"You're running the executioner?”

"Wow, that's what I was going to do...Bé, I told Mr. Berdick that, too."

"Then what's the point of not killing him quickly? I don't like Mr. Berdick's axe."

"…my bet."

Karen pulled Dulan's hair.

"I lost.”

It's over now.

Karen said she did not love Raymond. Love is what people do, so you can't love anyone. Next time, I'll have to try harder to trick Dulan, but this time it was too much. Her initial plan to kill people and run wild made her life a mess.

"But you still don't regret killing me?"

“…….”

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill more. Why are you so weak? Next time, I'll try to kill Verdick."

Karen grumbled. But Duran pulled the blanket back and screamed.

"It's cold."

"Get up."

"Why?"

"Be, Verdick is coming.”

Karen heard a faint, thumping sound. My face turns pale. Now it's time. Already? Already? I'm dying now. It's over now.

"Uh, get up and go to the window."

At Duran's instruction, Karen scurried to open the window. The cold early morning air penetrated into the room. Outside the window was as distant as a cliff.

“…….”

I can hear the harsh wind. Karen sees Duran. He was blocking the door with his bed. I can hear a small crack in the door from afar. Karen did not understand what Duran was doing.

"What are you doing?"

"Poetry, I'm taking the time.”

"Escape from Verdick? Do you think that's possible? No, in the first place... You're the one who brought us here."

Karen looks at Duran's face. His face still didn't know what he was thinking.

"Car, look at the window."

Karen approached the window. A fire was burning in Berdick's barracks. Karen turned her flapping hair back. I couldn't figure out how things were going.

And Karen saw him.

Her article.

***

Raymond picked up the gun.

He replaces the army by himself.

The beginning is a shot. Raymond planted a bomb at dawn. Zion helped him.

"I don't do it anymore."

To the end, however, he grumbled, but all of them installed gunpowder, stepped back and started firing. Slowly the fire began to rise, and people woke up screaming. Raymond aimed his gun at the people who were rushing out.

One, two, three.

"Stop! Stop! There's a sniper!"

People are floundering and lowering themselves. Raymond sees the snipers' heads drop sharply. Kick your tongue. It's still seven. It's far. Raymond sees people's faces and costumes from afar.

As expected, clothes are plain clothes, but movements are clearly those of trained soldiers. But no soldier has officially escaped.

"As expected, Your Majesty is very angry.”

The king must have told Karen to die. Raymond was loaded.

There is plenty of gunpowder.

***

Lord Raymond is back.

Karen could tell.

I just could tell.

"I must be crazy."

Karen put her head back into the tower. Karen did not know why he came. No, I could tell. Because she loves her. Why? Why do you say you love her? She doesn't know why.

I thought he would be late again.

"This time, somehow everything happened a little bit faster."

Karen murmured.

Maybe it was because he killed a person this time, but everything happened a little earlier than before. It was faster to enter Isela's house, faster to lead Raymond out in sympathy with her abused, and even faster to confess.

"But."

But what does that mean? She's going to die again.

Karen still wanted to be polite again. If I die this time, I've come up with a resolution next to him to die. Karen sees Duran. He stacks the door with his luggage.

"Dulan. Lord Raymond is back."

"…yes."

"Sir Raymond is back. I told you not to come.”

Karen became sad again. This time he returned, and he loved the woman who would lead him to hell, who would do him no good. And Karen can't give him anything back. Even emotions. But it's a new... It was burdensome.

Karen can never have the same weight of emotion.

But one thing is for sure.

The only emotion is the truth. One of the emotions she couldn't let go when she put a knife to Tom, when she put a knife to Donna, and when she tried to leave herself to madness.

"Sympathy for him."

You will never think of him as a human being. The feeling of seeing him make meaningless efforts. That shallow compassion was undeniable truth.

He'll forget everything if he comes back to life. That is what Karen is really, really hated.

"I want Lord Raymond to remember me."

"…yes."

Duran answered Karen. Strangely, Duran's voice was peaceful. It was the first tone I heard from him.

Tuduk, puck.

"Open!"

At that moment, I heard the sound of breaking the door. Berdick was standing outside the door with an axe.

Now when that door opens, he will die.

Karen asked Duran.

"...why are you doing this here?”

Why is he here? Karen was curious. He didn't answer. Unlike what he said to Berdick, he never touched Karen. He just, he asks. Duran looked at the door and answered Karen.

"Poetry, I'm going to time you."

"…what time."

Karen asked Duran.

Duran answered Karen.

"Time for you to die."

***

"Puppies."

Berdick gritted his teeth. It was obvious who was pointing the gun. Raymond Sayertes, you damn son of a gun. It's a pity that the king let down soldiers in plain clothes, and all of his private soldiers would have been killed.

"There was an order to be sure."

Of course, you should. No matter how old a king is about to die, he has that much influence. Berdick was a foreigner who had no patriotism, but he was deeply moved by his parents who lost their children. He who is taken cannot die in peace.

"What do you think it's going to be like?"

When Verdick asked, a soldier answered briefly. His voice was filled with discontent.

"Berdick Evans, you should have cut her throat from the beginning and sent her to His Majesty."

"…that's not very good.”

Berdick shouted at the horseman, looking pitifully at the soldier who tried to give him the responsibility in this situation.

"Escape Isela! I'm going to finish!"

Isela ran out with a white face. Berdick grabbed Isela by the forearm.

The situation is not good. I'll show you the girl's hair later."

"Oh, father. What the hell is going on here?”

"Go away, Raymond. I think the bastard is here now."

He should have loved his daughter. He had to pay his debts. Berdick gritted his teeth.

"Let's go!"

Berdick pushed Isela into the carriage. Isela said to Berdick.

"Father, run away with him."

Isela grabbed Verdick's sleeve. But Verdick took her daughter's hand off.

"I don't go until I cut her throat."

Berdick's eyes were red and bloodshot. It's because I couldn't sleep well, and the sparks flew into my eyes. Berdick felt like he was born to slaughter the woman, the red-haired girl. I will never go back until I have my head cut off.

"Father, just go back. It's too dangerous."

"Get the carriage going!"

Berdick closed the carriage door roughly. Verdick could not forgive. Raymond, Karen, Duran. Berdick did not tell his daughter, but more and more doubts about Duran were rising.

"Why isn't Karen still hanging in this situation?"

Why hasn't he killed Karen yet? By the time Raymond's coming?

Berdick picked up the axe. And the iron gate was broken.

"Get away! I'll take care of it myself!"

"Dangerous!"

"What have you done? What's inside is a dried-up fuse and a girl! Cover the door properly!"

Verdick jumped up the stairs. It was a dark staircase, but he wasn't scared. Anger reigned over him. He jumped up the stairs. with an ax in one's hand

I will slaughter the girl with this hand.

***

The wind blew hard. He swept the tower.

Karen asks again because she doesn't understand what Duran says.

"Now, what?"

“…….”

Duran looks under the tower. And say it again.

"…jump, jump. G, if you don't jump now... Berdych. Oh, he's coming.”

Duran's words, of course, were not meant to be safe at the bottom. Karen looks down. I'm telling you should die.

"Lord Raymond is here."

But Duran says again. speak in a hurry

"Ka, Karen."

“…….”

"Now, in a little while, you, you'll know. This... will be comforting for you."

“…….”

"Come on."

Karen sees. Hold the window frame. I didn't know why Duran was telling me to jump now. I didn't know why he was telling me to die. But Karen could do anything to get even a little hint. I thought so.

"But here... And today."

"You're familiar with this, aren't you?”

Duran's rebuttal is correct. For Karen, death is a routine. This is not particularly different. Even if the middle is different, the conclusion is not different. Like this before, Verdick.

Boom.

"…why would you say that?”

What's that got to do with you? Karen wanted to ask. Duran does not answer. It goes on and on. He is always dutiful. But now I don't have time to ask.

"Who are you?"

Duran pushes Karen's shoulder like a rush.

"Because I won the bet."