# Chapter 26
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"Rock, why is Rockherd such a shady deal?
"It was so ugly it actually made me frown."
"Did you say you're ugly?
"They say all the maids in my castle are so nice."
"What?
How can such a sound come out of your mouth when you look at Nezar's face every day?
If you like it so much, take it with you.
"I'm most welcome."
I was the one jumping up and down, not them.
Rockherd, who was already crazy about horses and enjoyed riding day and night, now returned as a true wild horse.
I already got goosebumps thinking he would intimidate me with his stronger strength and more experienced hair.
I wish they could quickly hold a wedding ceremony and get out of Ezelot.
Nezar laughed at my grumpy tone.
“But it seems my face is still useful to you.
"I thought my charm had gone out of fashion in the last five years."
After saying that, Nezar turned around again and slowly walked down the road.
I was secretly hoping he would hold my hand, but as he continued walking in front of me, all I could see was his broad, proud back.
I debated whether to say this or not, but I finally straightened my hunched back and walked side by side alongside Nezar.
I didn't have the confidence to take the initiative to ask him to hold my hand instead of freaking out.
"and you?
"Did you find the friend you were waiting for?"
"Uh, um...
...no."
Let alone Nezar's lover, the only person I could tell my story to was Charon.
Nezar clicked his tongue and placed another musk rose he had picked on top of my head.
If it had been Rick, I would have shook my head and told him not to do anything weird, but this time it was a little different.
The back of my ear, where Nezar's fingertips touched, was so hot that I couldn't react.
“What the hell were you doing while I was gone?
Since you debuted...
1 year?”
"I turned 20 this year.
So, it's been two years since I debuted in the social world.
"It's not just one year, it's two years."
Nezar let out a small, almost inaudible sigh.
I've felt this for a long time, but he sighs a lot.
I wondered if he thought of me as pathetically as he did, but the feeling of self-destruction disappeared when I immediately met his eyes full of affection.
Like right now.
"Twenty-year-old Kate.
It's so unreal I feel like I'm dreaming.
"It feels like 10 years have passed overnight."
This is something Nezar has always said for a long time.
It was the first time in so long that I heard such a lament that I couldn't help but laugh.
Since I was eight years old, whenever I had a birthday banquet, the first guest was always Nezar.
He had an expression of disbelief and lifted me into the air, half asleep.
'Are you already ten years old?
— Is he that stocky?
The year I turned twelve.
'Katrina Ezelot is twelve years old.
'It won't be long before the sky falls.'
Even after twelve had passed and I had turned fourteen.
'fourteen?
You're kidding.
Let's just say Rockherd's tinkling Rottweiler turns 100 this year.
And until the year he turned fifteen, just before he left.
Did Nezar want me to remain eight-year-old Katrina for the rest of my life?
Even the mother I've seen so far never told me anything like that.
As I thought about this and that, I noticed that the musk rose bushes that were in full bloom on both sides of the road had disappeared without a trace.
I turned around and looked around, feeling quite embarrassed.
Pure white roses were in full bloom beyond the long road I had traveled.
"Nezar, where are we going now?
There are no yard lights here, so it's dark.
Shouldn't we go back now?
My already slow steps have become so heavy that I can barely crawl.
"Why are you afraid of the dark?"
Nezar, who had been walking for a while now, silently turned his head and made eye contact with me.
His eyes, which should have been red, were blacker and quieter than the night sky at this moment.
"You are saying strange things about a subject you talk about every night.
There is nothing you can be afraid of anywhere in this castle.
The stunning Cassandra Hall, this precious musk rose...
...
."
Nezar's long fingers touched the rose in my hair.
"Soon everything will be yours."
Slightly misaligned eyes, corners of the mouth, and stiff cheeks come together to create a strange face that cannot be expressed in a sentence.
The Nezar in front of me had an unfamiliar feeling that I had never seen before.
I spoke quickly, feeling a discomfort that was difficult to describe.
"What are you talking about?
I'm not saying this place is scary, I just want to go somewhere brighter.
"If it's that dark, we can't even see each other's faces."
Nezar stopped walking completely and looked at me.
He had an expression of deep concern about something.
And then, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth an instant later.
"You still have the engagement vows, right?"
"Well, of course.
"It hangs beautifully in a frame in my father's office."
"Photo frame?"
"He said every time I cause trouble, he finds comfort in looking at the promise.
"I think it's comforting to know there's a man to take responsibility for."
Nezar laughed loudly at those words.
It's simply ridiculous.
Even thinking about it, it was absurd to think that it was Count Ezelot who hung his youngest daughter's betrothal on the wall.
After holding his stomach for a while, Nezar regained his composure and pulled out the musk rose that had been placed in my hair.
The rose he picked didn't fall to the ground, but stayed behind my ear.
"The Count's room is already full, so now it's time for your room too. yes?"
Nezar, who must have enjoyed seeing me with a flower in my ear, leaned over to look at me and searched his waist.
"Why, give me a gift?
"Is this a victory gift?"
"I tell you this, Kate.
You should prepare such a gift, not me.
Of course, I didn't expect it in the first place."
"Well, I know that.
I will prepare, not just words.
So don't give up on your expectations...
...
."
He snorted openly at my words.
At Nezar's gaze, I calmly brought my hands together and held them out in front of me.
As if to praise him, a small glass bead appeared in his palm.
"...
...
That?"
When I looked closely, I saw that it was not just a glass bead, but a paperweight made of glass.
Although it was dark and difficult to see, a flower in full bloom was clearly visible within the clear glass.
It was a lily of the valley.
"The legacy of the Kingdom of Ibrium.
As you said, it would be convenient to think of it as the victor's trophy.
After suffering repeated defeats, the royal family of Ibrium decided to commit suicide.
All the items passed down by the royal family became part of our Cabal Empire.
"This is one of the many trophies we have obtained."
"Well, I was a little scared after hearing the whole story.
"Is it okay if I have such a precious item?"
The previous owner was a member of the royal family of a ruined country who had committed suicide, so if you looked closely in a bright place, it looked like it would be covered in red blood.
"Because things shine brighter when they find an owner who recognizes their value.
Well, I don't know if the day will ever come when you'll use a paperweight."
It didn't matter what it was used for.
I was so excited to have received a precious gift from Nezar that I smiled broadly, holding the glass paperweight in both hands.
At the same time, I was embarrassed that I hadn't prepared anything.
In this way, nothing has changed since the year he left for the battlefield.
I only receive and Nezar only gives.
Even though he was just my fiancé in words, I never expressed the slightest sincerity towards him.
"Hey, Nezar.
I didn't know you actually prepared a gift.
Everything I have now...
...
."
Well, should I at least make a bouquet?
It was time to quickly turn my head and look for the musk roses blooming profusely behind my back.
A warm hand grabbed my cheek and turned me around.
As soon as our eyes met, Nezar's hand that was holding my face fell quickly as if he had been scalded by fire.
" for a moment.
"Kate, I'm sorry, but please don't say anything for a moment."
Before I can express my doubts, I hear a loud coughing sound.
Nezar's back, which had been hunched over to make eye contact, straightened.
I looked at Nezar, holding a glass paperweight with both hands.
"First of all, thank you for waiting for me for five years, Kate."
From somewhere, I could hear the sound of blades of grass rustling in the wind.
However, the lingering sound of the light spring breeze soon disappeared in the distance due to Nezar's calm and serene voice.
"so...
...
.
Ha, saying those words seems a lot harder than coming back from the battlefield alive.
"If Rockherd or something hadn't scared me, I would have been able to tell you without any problem."
Does that mean it was so hard to say thank you?
It was strange.
Nezar's face had no color or smell that I had ever seen in my life.
A slightly more subtle tremor and blue vitality were seen.
For me, it was surprisingly different from what I was used to seeing stereotypically.
Even when he was embarrassed for not recognizing me in a banquet hall, his facial features weren't that distorted.
But I waited calmly for him to speak.
I don't know why, but it felt like it had to be this way.
"Kate, will you marry me?"
And it actually happened in an instant.
"Ah Shit.
"I finally said it."
Nezar raised his arm, shook his head and continued.
"I'm sorry, Kate.
It might seem like an excuse, but it was hard to get the word out, so I was just wasting time at the party.
...
...
"Isn't it funny when you think about it?"
I didn't know exactly what happened.
Tens of thousands of large fireworks temporarily exploded in my head, which was filled with the peaceful quartet of birds chirping and rivers flowing.
'When will Nezar get married?'
I still remember that.
Nezar, who was silently smoothing the horse's mane, was so frightened by my words that he almost fell from the saddle.
The same happened to Rockherd, who pulled an arrow from the body of a hunted rabbit.
I must have pulled it all at once without being careful, causing big scratches on the fur and leather.
'Why are you asking this out of nowhere?'
Purr.
I looked away as I stroked the horse's head, which was busy brushing its nose.
He avoided it because he didn't want to answer, but Rockherd's mouth opened too easily.
'Eden's marriage partner was decided a few days ago.
— And a girl about Kate's age.
Because it was pulled out in a hurry, the arrow shaft didn't look very good.
Rockherd threw the broken arrow to the ground without hesitation and slung the rabbit's limp body onto the back of the saddle.
There were three or four pieces of meat hanging on the side, as if they were trophies.
'How old is Count So this year?'
Rockherd immediately responded to Nezar's question.
'twenty-one.'
'This afternoon.
Rockherd, don't you have a spouse you can talk to yet?
I got out of the saddle and walked to the creek.
As I sat down on the rock and unlaced my leather boots, I felt some of the frustration pass.
As I took off my boots and rested, Rockherd climbed down beside me and washed his hands in the stream.
'You may think of me as a neglected goat.
As long as it doesn't shame the family's honor, it really doesn't matter whether you take a man as a concubine or I take you as a concubine.
Nezar frowned at those words.
'Are you going to become a man's concubine?
Does honor really exist in the first place?'
'He is sure?
That means there isn't.
'My father and mother consider individuals more important than family honor.'
I felt like an outcast in a conversation I couldn't understand.
He looked at Nezar's face, shook the mud off his fingertips, and opened his mouth.
'So when are you getting married?'