CH 67

Chapter 67: Alliance (10)

"Cayden, Judy Ice has been chosen as your fiancée."

At Grandma's words, the three of us froze simultaneously.

Keirsey was the first to react.

"........Huh?"

She shook her eyes vigorously, alternating her gaze between Grandma and me. 

"Wha... Grandma, what did you just say?"

Ignoring her words completely, Grandma continued, "Cayden, take good care of your fiancée from now on. After graduation... you will get married."

Certainly, as Asena had previously hinted, there was indeed a change in relationships. 

But what the hell Asena did to bring about such a rapid change?

"And Cayden, after marriage... it seems you will settle in the Ice family's territory."

Keirsey stood up abruptly.

"Grandma! What does that mean-"

I quickly raised my hand to calm Keirsey down.

"Keirsey, please sit down for a moment."

"Edgar... or rather, I heard from Duke Ice that you wanted to enter the Ice family as a member?"

Again ignoring her words, Grandma, who maintained a stern expression, spoke to me. 

"Yes, Grandma."

I nodded my head in response.

"....Huh...?" Keirsey made a gasping sound.

".....Oppa?" Asena's face showed a pained expression.

I shrugged my shoulders and spoke to them.

"Why? Didn’t I tell you about my decision to leave the family?"

Asena's expression twisted. Her eyes became bloodshot, and tears welled up.

"...Yesterday, you told me you loved me."

"And I still do."

"....."

I scratched my head as I looked at them.

"Why are you both so shocked? It was going to happen someday, anyway."

Grandma also looked at me, a little surprised.

"...You're taking it quite lightly, my child."

"...I think it's actually for the best. It's not like I'm ending up with a woman I’ve never even talked to before... and Judy, well..."

-Bang!

At that moment, there was a sound as if a bomb had exploded.

Keirsey clenched her fists and slammed them on the desk with an angry face.

"Keirsey! What are you doing-"

At the moment I was about to reprimand her for her rudeness, Keirsey ran out of the room. 

Confused by her sudden behavior, I also stood up from my seat and said to Grandma.

"...I... I'm going to see Keirsey."

Grandma nodded, showing some puzzlement for the first time since we arrived.

"...Sure. Take your time. There’s no hurry."

Grandma then suddenly looked at Asena. This time, Asena didn't avoid her gaze.

"...Asena, I have something to talk to you about for a moment."

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.

.

As Cayden bowed his head and left the room, the rest of the attendants also left, creating a private space for Liana and Asena.

****

Asena didn't show it on the surface, but she was feeling intense anger.

It was a surprise attack. She still remembered the conversation she had with Liana just the day before.

Clearly, there was no definite conclusion. In such a state, how could the conversation progress so quickly and Cayden be involved with another woman?

That fact caused a stabbing pain in her heart.

Asena slowly began to recall the conversation they had the previous day.

.

.

.

.

"...If Oppa is a Pryster, then he can't marry me."

"........"

Liana looked at her granddaughter with her mouth agape. It had been the first time in a long while since she was lost for words.

When she heard that James had died in an accident… Liana was experiencing that level of shock.

She blinked her eyes and eventually let out a sigh. 

".....Haah."

That was all she could do.

And then, her strength left her, and she leaned against the sofa. She picked up the teacup that was on the table and brought it to her lips. No matter how much she thought, she couldn't make sense of the situation.

In the end, Liana, too, could only come up with the usual words that she knew would not work.

"...Asena, stop playing around."

But Asena had no more hesitation. After gently wiping away the tears on her cheek with a soft touch, she faced Liana with a small smile.

"I'm only telling the truth."

"....Th...This is just a misunderstanding on your part. Love and familial affection-"

"-No. This is... not familial affection. It's love."

"No. You don't know. You don't know what love is. This is not normal!"

"I know, Grandma. You would be surprised if you knew how abnormal I am."

"...Th...Think about it. Can you kiss your brother on the lips? Not the pecks you always do, but the kind of kiss that true lovers share-"

"-I want to do that every day."

"Asena!"

“Grandma. I even imagine having children with Oppa. I’ve already thought of hundreds of names.”

Asena took the teacup from Liana’s hand and put it down, then gently grabbed her hands.

"Grandma, I have never once complained to you… you remember, right?"

"........"

"No matter how hard the day was. No matter how tired I was of learning. I have never said I didn't want to or couldn't do it anymore... Do you know why?"

"......"

"...Because Oppa was there. Because you brought Oppa to us… No, to me... I endured it in return."

"....Asena."

"...So you can't do this now."

Asena put some strength into her hand. 

Firmly holding Liana’s hand, she expressed her opinion.

"...What will I do if you send Oppa to another woman? What am I supposed to do if I'm left behind? Just the thought of Oppa looking at another woman makes me go crazy with jealousy... Without Oppa, even if I'm alive, it feels like I'm not really living..."

".....Right, Asena... You feel lonely, that's why. This old woman made a mistake. I should have helped you make friends... So don't say such things. Even though it may be difficult now, you won't feel Cayden's absence once time passes. Just like how James has left, but you don’t feel his absence now."

".....Grandma, I still feel the absence of Father... When the person you love leaves you, it leaves scars on your heart. And Oppa has already entered my heart so deeply. If he leaves... It won't be a scar, it will be a hole that’ll destroy me."

"....... "

"I will tell you clearly. If Oppa marries another woman besides me, I won't do anything anymore. I won't have any hope for that future... I don't have the strength to endure it."

"........Ah...Wh..."

"As a family member, as a Pryster, as a person, I won't do anything."

"Asena… Are you threatening your Grandma?"

“It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.”

"......"

After saying those words, Asena lowered her head for a moment. She, too, was organizing her thoughts before speaking.

Liana was still uncertain about her emotions. She worried whether the words coming out of her mouth made sense or if she was inadvertently speaking nonsense.

Asena released Liana's hand for a moment, then brushed her own hair back and looked at her with much clearer eyes than before.

"Grandma, I know you must have been shocked. But... Grandma, please tell me. How can I not love Oppa? How could I have avoided falling in love with him?"

“……”

“When my parents passed away and I was having a hard time, you brought Oppa with a ‘shining’ personality just as you’d promised. I was able to stand up again because of him. Because of him, I was able to fill my empty heart with love. How can I not fall for him after that?”

“…..”

“He solved all my struggles with love. He has been my guide, supporting me at every step. Is there anything I could do differently? Could I have had a different mind? Wouldn’t it be strange if I don’t love him even after this?”

"Just love him as a family, that should be enough."

"The magnitude of the love he gave me made it impossible."

Liana closed her eyes and lowered her head for a moment. It seemed like she was calming herself down, her breathing becoming faster than before.

After a while, Liana spoke.

"...It's an excuse. If we say that you had no choice but to fall for Cayden, what about Keirsey? Keirsey was in the same situation as well. Why... with you..."

As Liana spoke forcefully, her voice gradually slowed down. It was because Asena was looking straight into her eyes without avoiding them.

From her gaze, Liana read a message, and that message was enough to give her another shock.

"...Tell me it's not true."

"........."

Asena did not divert her gaze.

"... even Keirsey...?"

Liana eventually pushed Asena's hand away and covered her face.

"No... No... Aiden… I don't know what to do..."

“…why not, Grandma?”

Asena asked Liana, who was murmuring her husband's name, in a serious tone.

Liana raised her head abruptly and looked at Asena, then answered.

"'Why not?' Are you out of your mind?"

"I really don't know. Please tell me."

"Cayden is your brother! Who marries within the family?"

"I told you Oppa wouldn’t be a Pryster after graduation. It's not like we share blood, and our families are not the same. How can he be my brother?"

"........"

Liana blinked her eyes a few times and changed the subject.

"You... You're a Pryster. You have to enter into a marriage that strengthens the family..."

"Grandma, you said it's okay for me to marry the person I want, didn't you? You said it doesn't matter which family they're from as our family's power is strong."

"But the condition was to get married, wasn't it? It wasn't that it's okay not to get married!"

"I want to be with my Oppa."

"It's absolutely not allowed. How can your marriage with your brother bring any benefit to the family?"

"...Happiness is more important than the family."

"......"

"Those were your words, Grandma. After Father left, you said happiness is our top priority... I know Grandma doesn’t care about me marrying someone who can bring benefits to the family. You just have a problem with me having these feelings for Oppa."

"......"

In the end, Liana couldn't hide her emotions and bit her lips. From her perspective, there was no argument she could make. She had received a clear message from their conversation.

"...Leave."

Liana eventually commanded Asena, who got up from her seat without saying a word.

When she reached the door, she turned her head slightly and spoke.

"...Even Keirsey likes Oppa, but I'll tell you now. Oppa is mine. Not even Keirsey can have him... Please keep that in mind."

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.

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.

Remembering that conversation, even Asena was surprised by her own calmness in the sudden situation. When the true problem erupted, instinct intervened, making her behave that way.

"...I'm sure I mentioned it yesterday."

However, Liana, too, was equally calm.

"What?"

"...That if Oppa leaves my side... I won't do anything."

“Pryster is not swayed by threats.”

"...Grandma... Don't you understand why I brought up that topic?"

"..."

"...If my heart is torn apart because of that choice, does it not matter to you?"

"..."

The two continued their conversation in a more composed tone than the day before, but that didn't mean the tension between them had diminished.

If yesterday's conversation was like clenching fists and harshly striking each other, now it was like a fencing match, trying to inflict lasting blows on each other.

Asena asked, "Why do you have to go this far? Like I said... If Oppa is no longer a Pryster, why do you have to oppose it?"

"No matter how you package it, Cayden is my child, our family, and your brother. That doesn't change."

"...So you're just giving my Oppa away to another woman? Taking him away from me... and from Keirsey?"

"...That's not the only reason. As I said, even Cayden wanted to go to the Ice family."

"..."

"And besides, don't they seem close to each other? They could have a lifetime of happiness. It would also benefit the family."

Asena clenched her fists.

It pained her to admit that he could be happy without her, but she couldn't deny that she had tormented him too much to claim otherwise.

But even so, she couldn't accept her Grandma’s words.

"I can't approve it."

"You don't need to approve."

"I am the head of the family, Grandma. Let's cancel this marriage."

Asena tried to get up, but her Grandma’s words stopped her.

"You're mistaken."

"..."

Asena, who was about to turn around, looked back at Liana slowly.

Liana, with a much calmer demeanor than last night, spoke to Asena with a pained expression.

"It's as if you see me and Judy or any other woman as obstacles in front of you."

"..."

"What will change if your brother doesn't marry another woman? What will be different if it doesn't happen?"

"..."

Liana also got up from her seat and approached Asena.

Her energy seemed to be growing. It felt as if the wrinkles on her face were smoothing out. She resembled an experienced general, making others feel inferior in her presence. 

Liana's old spirit seemed to be returning as she spoke.

"...Asena, even if you block his way to lead to another woman, it doesn't mean it will lead to you."