Chapter 37: 37

Chapter 37 – Follow Your Heart

His eyes opened wide, disbelieving.

Ashia tilted her head at him. “You don’t want to? I’ll go alone if that’s the case.”

When she took a step back and turned away, Kaligo urgently grabbed her hand. “No! I don’t hate it!”

“…”

“I will go. Wherever you go, I will go.”

Ashia smiled softly and nodded, very satisfied with his answer.

She didn’t care at all the broken potions she had worked so hard nor the messy floor of the Imperial Palace. She didn’t even pay attention to the scratches on her body or her torn robes. She was concentrating on the hand that was holding her.

 

* * *

 

“Do you want something to drink? Water? Tea?”

“I’ll go with tea, please.”

They sat around the round table as they returned to the store. A rather unsophisticated kettle and teacup were placed on the table. Moving her hands leisurely, she poured the water to the tea leaves in the teacup.

“There’s no pretty teacup here unlike in a duke’s or grand duke’s mansion.”

“…”

“That is a luxury. But still, the tea leaves are of the highest quality.”

Pour

Ashia smiled softly as she looked down at the water filling the teacup, “I will slowly tell you ten years’ worth of stories. It’s a lot, so it shouldn’t be let out in such haste,” she said with a sigh as she pushed the teacup in front of Kaligo. “By the way, what should I do after I made that mess in the Imperial Palace? There was even attack magic…” She raised her head and her eyebrows. “Ah! Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t me. It was only used by my opponent.”

Kaligo slightly smiled as he saw Ashia and grumbled that he was a witness.

“Were you watching?”

“I wasn’t watching. I saw it on my way back.”

“Ah.”

Kaligo thought for a moment, then tilted his head slightly and spoke softly, “There will be probably an investigation regarding the use of attack magic inside the Imperial Palace. We will find out who it was.”

Ashia tilted her head at his words, scratching her cheek. “…And what if it was the Magic Tower’s master?”

Surprised, Kaligo looked at Ashia. “Was it the Magic Tower’s master?”

“Yes, but I think I’ve heard that Magic Tower masters cannot be punished by the empire’s laws.”

Hmm

Kaligo raised his chin. “It can be seen as a problem between countries, as the Magic Tower has as much power as a small country.” He sighed as he leaned back on the chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “You are right. But even if that person was the Magic Tower’s master, if it was revealed that they used attack magic, they won’t be able to move quietly.”

“I see. Ah! I’m gonna say this again, but I never used attack magic.”

“I know. Even if you used it, I will ensure that it won’t cause you any damage, so don’t worry.”He looked at Ashia and smiled before closing his eyes.

Even if his words were mere promises, her anxious heart seemed to be lightly relieved.

“Then… what about you?”

“Me?”

“You used your aura.”

Kaligo smiled at her again. It feels good that he had a place in her worries. “There are only a few people in this empire who can hold me accountable for my sins as grand duke.”

“…Was it because you have a higher position than the Magic Tower’s master?”

“You seem to be aware of all the bad rumors about me, but you don’t seem to have any interest in the good ones.”

“…Ah.” She was reminded when she first met Kaligo and listed his scandals. Somewhat embarrassed, Ashia wiggled her hand on the table. “That’s, well…”

“Even the current emperor and the crown prince cannot so easily blame me.”

“…”

“If it reaches the emperor’s ears, it will be quite annoying, but don’t worry too much, as even that will be dealt with by the crown prince.”

“…Yes.”

The concern on Ashia’s face didn’t go away even with Kaligo’s words reassuring her, so he gently grabbed her fingertips as he stood on the table. He then continued talking while looking at the hand he was holding, “What more, my aura was used for defensive purposes so that shouldn’t be a big problem.”

“Alright then… I’m glad.” The corners of her lips trembled as she watched his large hand grabbing one of her fingers and reassuring her.

Sadness marred his forehead as she tried to pull out her fingers to grab the teacup.

‘Ah really…’

Ashia bit her lower lip as she held back a peal of laughter while quickly lifting the teacup to cover her trembling lips. She didn’t know why she would come to think of love as she looked at this wild, intimidating man.

Who was Kaligo Edmund?

’He was a person who wouldn’t change his expression even if a knife were to stab his neck. He would’ve been calm even if I was the one who died first and heard the news later.’

The day they both lost their lives, when he died before her… Renna remembered how Kaligo looked in his last moments that he didn’t know about. At the end of the day, he could never know, so Ashia alone remembered it and kept it for herself.

‘Ah… of all things.’

As the memory she had deliberately tried to bury came to mind, she trembled.

“Ashia.” Kaligo called her name softly as he saw her suddenly pale face.

Ashia’s head turned to him.

‘You’re alive.’

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Both the man and Ashia—they were both alive. That was enough. No matter wherever he was in this book or he ended up with, it was enough that he was alive here. Ashia struggled to hide her bitter feelings, raising the corners of her lips and smiling.

“No, it’s nice of the crown prince to take care of it.”

“Yes, you don’t have to worry about that part.”

“Yes.”

There was silence for a while. It seemed that the work at the Imperial Palace would be handled in an appropriate way, fortunately.

’Then, the problem is that Lisa Felthran came to the capital, and the female lead Princess Aileen also appeared.’

The timing was too good to call it a coincidence.

“Ashia?”

“…Ah.”

“Are you thinking about by yourself again?”

“…”

Kaligo reacted sensitively to her silence. “Your complexion hasn’t been good since earlier. Did something happen?”

She was confused about what to answer to his question. She couldn’t bring up Aileen in the first place.

“…It is different from the original content I know.”

“Uhm,” Kaligo gulped, tilted his head, and continued speaking, “Of course, a lot has changed.”

“…Yes?” Ashia’s eyes widened at his calm words.

He looked at her expression and said in a calm tone, “I said a lot of things has changed.”

“…”

Kaligo’s words now meant that the 10 years Ashia had lived, careful not to damage the original story during those years, were all in vain.

Ashia’s goals changed after her plans of getting out of here were thwarted—a life where she could safely reach a happy ending just as what was in the original story, hear about the happily ever after of the main characters, and applaud.

– Of course, a lot has changed.

’Of course?’

Those words made her face the reality that her instincts had been avoiding for so long.

‘But why? I tried so hard not to interfere with the original, but why?’

In fact, she already knew the answer to that question.

The original was already twisted from the moment she entered the book. Ignoring the changed story, she turned away from that and rushed to run away. The result of ignoring the minute cracks in front of her eventually shook her whole life.

“Don’t tell me that you wish for me to live protecting the original story?”

“…” Ashia’s eyes fluttered violently at his words.

“Is that for real?”

“…”

“Ashia…” In an instant, Kaligo burst into the laughter that he had been holding back.

The gloomy Ashia looked at him with a puzzled face.

He tried to cover his mouth with his clenched fist, but his laughter was difficult to suppress, so Kaligo laughed for a long time. Barely calming down, Kaligo coughed a few times before continuing, “My apologies.”

She was a strong woman that he met in a new world. Not only with the magical power she had, but also the mental fortitude that allowed her to live alone. He wanted to be someone she could depend on and open up to instead of someone who would provide materially. However, Ashia seemed to be getting well enough that she didn’t his help at all, so he was inwardly upset. She was close to perfection, except for being a little ignorant.

He was so glad that she also had a flaw.

“I think I’ve just found something I can help you with.” He put his arms on the table and rubbed his chin. “Just tell me everything, Ashia.”

“…”

“There are only the two of us who know about the situation. So, let’s both think about it and solve it together. What do you think?” His voice was soft and soothing.

‘Thinking together… and solving it? Is that… is it possible? No, maybe, with this person…’

He was the main character of the original story, so he was a person who had to move in the direction the original wanted him to be. However, on the contrary, he was also a person who didn’t dare to touch the original even if he deviated from the original story.

Ashia could feel a sense of relief at Kaligo’s direct gaze.

She had lived safely in the original story for ten years already. She expected that if she lived her life like that without anything else, she would be able to live until she died of old age. But this man made her face that what she considered safe had been broken in the first place.

Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t tell if it was from the overwhelming feeling of disappointment or relief.

Silently looking at Kaligo for a long time, Ashia slowly opened her mouth, “Can I live my own life now?”

It was a question that she had never asked. It was also a question no one could answer.

“Ashia.”

“Just… the kind of life that I don’t have to hide anymore.” Her eyebrows scrunched down, considering the burden she had placed on herself.

Just as Kaligo exercised abstinence, Ashia had lived with her ultimate goal to protect the original story. Then there was only one answer—there was only one thing Kaligo could say to Ashia.

“You can.”

“…”

“Not avoiding, running, or hiding—you can do as you please.”

Ashia’s eyes fluttered at his permission; his voice was like a magic spell powerful enough to instantly melt the bars within her heart

“I will be by your side to help you. Wouldn’t two be better than one?” Kaligo’s answer now was magic to Ashia.

“…”

“Follow your heart, Ashia.”

(T/N: Oh, I guess my popcorn isn’t needed [cries in bunny])

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