CH 75

Chapter 75: Starting Point (3)

“It’s time.”

Grandma stood up from her seat and spoke.

Although Asena had been told to reconcile with Grandma, it wasn’t as easy as it sounded, and a cold atmosphere still lingered between them.

I was concerned that the meeting would proceed with such an atmosphere, but since I couldn’t forcibly reconcile Grandma and Asena, I let things unfold naturally.

And upon closer observation, it wasn’t just Asena who had a strained relationship with Grandma. Keirsey also seemed unhappy and didn’t exchange glances with Grandma. What was strange was that even Grandma seemed aware of Keirsey’s displeasure and maintained a certain distance from her.

“....Ugh.”

While I groaned, Grandma left the room first. Thein and Helen, who had been waiting in front of the door, greeted her.

While Grandma waited for us outside, I called the twins.

“Guys.”

Despite Asena clearly expressing her discontent, she still responded to my call and turned to face me, and Keirsey also did the same.

“Come here for a moment.”

“......”

“Uh?”

The twins approached me with a hint of doubt but without saying a word.

Although there was some unnecessary closeness, still, it was better for them to hear me clearly, so it was good.

I spoke to them.

“...I know you two have complaints. But let’s control ourselves at least during the meeting.”

“.......”

“.......”

“Through this, we can achieve peace with the Ice Family. You two, who are involved in politics, know best how much it will help the people of our territory as well as the people of Ice territory.”

“......”

Keirsey remained silent, but Asena finally exploded with her pent-up frustration and spoke to me with an exasperated voice.

“.....Oppa, being by your side is more important to me than the happiness of someone I don’t even know.”

“...Asena, listen to me.”

“...Ugh, seriously...”

Asena expressed her dissatisfaction in a way I had never seen before.

“.....”

I doubted my ears and furrowed my eyebrows.

Then, Asena glanced at me a couple of times and took hold of my hand, leaning her head on my shoulder.

It seemed like her way of apologizing, but she didn’t verbally apologize, whether it was due to her pride or because she was still angry I didn’t know.

Perhaps because we had grown up together… or perhaps because I played an important role in their lives as they grew up, she apologized to me right away. However, I quickly realized that if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have done it.

Instead, she would have acted as she pleased. In fact, if we weren’t together since childhood, I wouldn’t have been able to fight her like this; She would have destroyed everything before I could have a chance to stop her.

‘At least, that’s what their recent actions entail.’

Honestly, I was confused if the reason they became villainesses in the novel was really because they lost their parents and were broken by that loss.

Involuntarily, the possibility that their nature was just inherently evil also crossed my mind several times.

However, I wanted to believe it was not the latter.

Fortunately, she hadn’t committed any serious unforgivable act so far to make me doubt too much.

I gently stroked Asena’s head as she leaned on me.

The fur on her shoulder added to her dignity, but Asena remained unchanged to me.

I reminded her once again.

“....Let’s behave properly during the meeting. If you cause a scene just because you don’t like it, I’ll get mad. I’m telling you in advance.”

“.........I don’t want to.”

This time, it was Keirsey who answered.

“...What?” I turned to her.

“I don’t want to.”

“Keirsey, you can’t just do whatever you want. I said I would get angry.”

“.......?”

Keirsey continued to pout, and eventually, just before crying, she slumped down and sat with her legs folded.

She buried her face in her knees and complained.

“Why did you dress well for the people who’ll take you away from me...”

“They’re not taking me away. It’s what I want.”

“....Because of us?”

“.......?”

“Oppa... I said I was sorry... I won’t gossip behind your back anymore...”

I spoke without letting her continue.

“...I’ve made my decision.”

Keirsey asked coldly at that moment.

“...Are you already so fond of Judy?”

“...It’s not necessarily like that.”

“......”

In the momentary silence that followed, I realized that we were already a mess. Keirsey was on the verge of tears, tightly holding my hand, and Asena was barely holding herself back with her head leaned against me.

After taking a deep breath, I spoke again.

“...Let’s calm down.”

“......”

“......”

“Will this be the impression we give to the Ice Family?”

The twins reacted to my words. Keirsey wiped away her tears, and Asena raised her head.

Keirsey stood up and said,

“...Unnie, don’t show any weakness to Judy, even if it kills you.”

“...Stop putting me on a pedestal like that.”

Asena played with her fingers and suddenly put on a serious expression as she spoke.

“...Oppa.”

Was it her way of sulking?

Asena looked up at me and whispered, making a request.

“...Kiss me.”

“..................What?”

Asena looked straight at me and said,

“Kiss... me.”

As if to prove that what I heard was not wrong, she said it slowly and rhythmically, almost like a command.

I was momentarily taken aback and felt embarrassed about what I was thinking.

Even if Asena’s words were confusing, I should have understood them perfectly.

There’s no need to feel embarrassed about it. I muttered.

“...You’ve always asked for pecks, why specifically ask for a kiss now?”

I chuckled lightly as if finding her prank amusing and gave her a peck on her forehead.

“Why? Does the word ‘peck’ sound too childish now?”

“......”

But even after receiving a peck, Asena showed no reaction. She didn’t let go of my hand, tightly holding onto it as if she were a stone statue.

I felt the atmosphere shift in Asena’s silence. Seeing Asena, who seemed to want something more, I couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t a slip of the tongue.

It was an absurd assumption.

What was I even thinking?

Of course, I knew she liked me a lot, but this and that were different.

‘No, she doesn’t want a kiss, she just wants more pecks.’

I lowered my head towards Asena’s frozen face.

She was startled for a moment. But I made the first move.

I pecked her on her left cheek.

I could feel the softness of her cheek against my lips.

Asena blinked and looked at me, once again freezing in place. Apparently, it wasn’t enough yet.

This time, I pecked her on her right cheek.

Asena’s frozen expression gradually broke. Her cheeks turned red in embarrassment, and her downturned lips slowly lifted upward.

Despite her efforts to maintain a stiff expression and repeated attempts to lower her arced lips, she couldn’t do it. Finally, she let out a sigh and smiled.

I stood up straight, caressing her head. It seemed like she was satisfied with that.

I let go of her tired hand and said to them,

“Alright, let’s go. Grandma is waiting.”

As I was about to leave after saying that, someone embraced me from behind.

It was Keirsey.

She said,

“...Me too, Oppa.”

****

We took our seats one by one, facing each other.

On the opposite side of Grandma was Ice Duke.

Next to her was Asena, and the man sitting facing her was Ice Family’s eldest son, Sid Ice.

I and Judy sat next.

And finally, Keirsey and Nera Ice, Duke Ice’s youngest daughter, sat down opposite each other.

Suddenly, there was a strange tension in the air.

However, seeing Judy, who was stiffer than me, I smiled.

For some reason, whenever Judy gets tense, my tension seems to ease.

When Judy is scared, I gain courage, and when she’s struggling, my determination strengthens.

I felt the same way when dealing with the twins. Unconsciously, I became their pillar of support, maybe because I wanted to be there for them.

And now, seeing such a reaction from Judy as well, I felt a growing sense that I really needed to protect her.

Even though we were close as friends, and events that made us aware of each other as lovers were only limited to holding hands and making an unofficial verbal promise, emotionally, we were continuously getting closer.

That aside, I felt sorry for Judy’s stiff appearance. As expected, she couldn’t relax among her family members.

I never heard about how she had been in the Ice Family, so I couldn’t understand why she acted that way... But still, I felt the need to be cautious of the Ice Family more than I had initially thought.

They may be a family on the good side in the novel, but since the Ice Family’s eldest son, Sid Ice, and their eldest daughter, Nera Ice, didn’t appear in the novel, I didn’t know their personalities well.

The only person I could somewhat deduce their personalities from was Duke Ice.

The awkward atmosphere lasted only for a moment.

After exchanging greetings, Duke Ice looked at me.

“I’ve been thinking for a while, but... Cayden, how should I put it? You’re an impressive young man.”

He initiated the conversation by praising me.

“Thank you.”

Grandma Liana also patted me on the back while nodding her head.

“We don’t accept just anyone into our family. Cayden has always been different from the rest.”

“Haha... Grandma, you embarrass me.”

“It’s because people who don’t know him can only attack his birth. I proudly say that he is my child.”

Duke Ice stroked his chin.

“Hmm, well, I’m glad then. Judy has found a good person. But I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to push for an engagement.”

“...Even though we’re opposite factions, you know I don’t make empty promises.”

Duke Ice let out a smile.

“Haha... You’re right. I know that well. I still vividly remember when James got married.”

Whenever he had a conversation, Duke Ice often mentioned James, the twins’ father.

Sometimes it felt like he was provoking us, but now I realized that he truly honored and cherished his rival in his memories.

The melancholic emotions reflected in his eyes assured us that his words were not intended to insult us.

Grandma seemed to understand that as well and didn’t point it out.

Duke Ice changed the subject.

“Cayden, it seems like you have some familiarity with Judy.”

“That’s correct.”

“Can you share the story of how you became close?”

“It’s not difficult. Our connection was formed when Judy interrupted me during the first class of knight training.”

“Cayden...!”

Judy was surprised by my words and her face turned red.

I continued speaking to alleviate her tension, although I didn’t want to mock her in this situation.

“It was really sweet... She didn’t even tell me who she was. She just took my horse and left.”

“...Because you were a Pryster...!”

Duke Ice also sided with Judy’s words.

“...Yeah. Actually, that’s what I was curious about too. Considering our families, how did you become close?”

“Should I say I felt a sense of affinity? It’s a bit hard to bring it up here, but I was an adopted child... and Judy, well….”

“Honesty… I see.”

“And choosing the same knight department also played a role. I thought she had the same interests as me... or at least, that’s what I believed.”

The truth is, I don’t know exactly why I was drawn to Judy as a friend. But since I couldn’t admit that to Duke Ice, I had to come up with some reasons.

At that moment, Asena loosened her throat. All attention shifted to her.

For a moment, she remained stiff and glanced at me.

And those eyes were already apologizing to me.

...I clearly asked her not to do anything strange. However…

Asena spoke.

“...There’s one thing Duke Ice should keep in mind.”

“...Please go ahead.”

Despite realizing that Asena was about to say something negative, the Duke responded calmly.

Asena remained silent for a moment and spoke with a stern face.

“When he graduates, he will be expelled from our family.”

“........”

I looked at Asena and remained silent.

Yes, it was definitely a problem that needed to be addressed. It was fortunate that it wasn’t just a trivial matter.

This topic wasn’t a secret either. I had told Judy and Daisy. There was no point in hiding anything.

But at the same time, it was critical. Even if this engagement was immediately terminated, there was nothing I could say.

It would be beneficial if I were a Pryster, but since I was a commoner, there was no advantage for the Ice family to make connections with the current me.

I suddenly felt ashamed. It was to the extent that lifting my face felt disgraceful. Perhaps I had only wasted everyone’s time.

That’s also why I had planned to improve my skills as a knight and enter as a vassal. But I had forgotten about this aspect due to the hasty engagement.

“.....?”

However, what surprised us was the reaction of everyone except me and the twins; They seemed calm as if they hadn’t heard anything shocking.

Duke Ice spoke.

“...I am aware of that.”

“...What?”

Asena asked with rare hesitation.

“I heard about it even from Judy’s letters before... Cayden had already told her about his intention of joining the Ice family as a vassal.”

At that moment, I felt a warm sensation in my right hand. It was Kerisey holding my hand under the table.

“...Is it true, Oppa?”

She opened her eyes as if she couldn’t believe it and asked.

“.....”

I didn’t answer and gently brushed her face.

Duke Ice continued.

“...I won’t ask for the reasons. I won’t make hasty assumptions. Anyway, the only thing that matters to us is Lady Liana’s promise.”

“......?”

Asena’s gaze shifted to Grandma, who replied.

“...Yes. After graduation, Cayden will live as an Ice, but we will not abandon him. If there are any problems in the Ice family, we will definitely give our support.”

“That settles it.”

Although I didn’t show it, I couldn’t help but admire her internally. How far had Grandma planned ahead?

I could speculate on the reason why Duke Ice was so quiet. It seemed that Grandma and Duke Ice had many conversations. So there was no need for Duke Ice to probe further into this situation.

And yes, if it went according to Grandma’s promise, there would be no problem even if I were to be a commoner.

Indeed, I didn’t need the Pryster name. It was the power of Grandma that was needed.

“Since I can gain Pryster family’s support when things go wrong, I have no issues. The only concern might be... Judy, right? After all, it means marrying a commoner...”

Although Duke Ice said there was no problem with the engagement, as he scratched his cheek awkwardly, an unhesitant voice spoke up, making me lift my head.

“...I don’t mind.”

The owner of the voice was Judy.

“...Even if Cayden is a commoner.”

Unlike before, Judy now held her shoulders confidently. She still had a shy expression, but it seemed more like she was uncomfortable saying such words to me than being oppressed by her family.

And at that moment, I became convinced that we would continue to be well-suited for each other. Because she had become so brave. And just as I had said to her, she also wanted to support me.

“....”

While smiling at Judy, I felt another cold sensation in my right hand.

When I turned my head, Asena was looking at me.

Her eyes were shaking vigorously.

We didn’t say anything, but it was probably her plan—A plan to keep me close to her. However Grandma had stopped it.

Asena briefly shook her head as if telling me not to go.

I just gave her a reassuring smile.

‘Even if I move away, I will always think of you. That’s why it’s okay.’

I conveyed this with my eyes.

And in the next moment, the door opened, and various dishes were brought in by the servants.

The meeting was not over yet.