My Strange Savior - Chapter 129

Chapter 129

[The Last Shelter]

“What…”

“I told you I’d buy you your bracelet again.”

A scene flashed through Kalion’s mind. 

Was she talking about the time when he almost died at the hands of the Kayler? He recalled the moment when Gia, in tears, promised to buy him the bracelet again, saving his life thanks to the bracelet. 

Kalion sighed heavily at the memory.

“That’s…”

Even words alone were enough, but Gia pulled out the deeply buried words.

“You have more money here than I do, but I just… I wanted to give something that money can’t buy.”

Various emotions crossed Gia’s confession. 

What to do with this lovely woman? Kalion bowed his head deeply and leaned his forehead on Gia’s slender shoulder.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know… I just wanted to do it.”

Gia hid her loneliness and pulled Kalion closer.

“It’s the same color as your eyes. They say you can’t buy it with money.”

“Gia…”

Kalion buried his face even deeper in Gia’s shoulder and nodded.

“Yes. I understand. But…”

“Yeah.”

“Never… Never do this again. I thought my heart was going to stop.”

“I got it.”

Gia laughed at Kalion’s antics and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Even if she couldn’t find the cure and disappeared like that. Even if she had to give a million gold, she wished this bracelet would forever be on Kalion’s wrist.

Gia made a small wish.

It was said to be incredibly valuable. Even if she broke up with her lover, she couldn’t easily let it go. So, like a maniac, Gia stubbornly sought and successfully caught Satapi.

Now, all that was left was to craft it beautifully and put it on Kalion’s wrist.

Gia smiled and wondered if she could engrave alchemy on this magical bead, expecting Gregory’s assistance. 

She embraced the anticipating Kalion.

Looking at Kalion’s forehead covered in sweat, which clearly showed how much he had worried about Gia not coming back, she didn’t need words to understand. She vowed once again never to worry Kalion. 

“Let’s go home.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

With an apologetic heart, Gia held Kalion’s hand. The strength drained from Kalion’s body, relieved that Gia had returned safely.

Looking at Kalion, who could barely stand and was staggering, Gia made another promise.

She must never worry Kalion. Seeing her lover in such distress, she felt like she couldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Kalion, who tried to stop Gia from taking care of the fallen Satapi, called someone. 

The official from the Imperial Palace looked at the dead Satapi with a shocked expression, and when everyone showed the same reaction, Gia scratched her cheek, looking pale. 

The official’s gaze at Gia was filled with astonishment.

“This… is this… Did you catch it alone?”

The official hadn’t asked intending to hear a response and was trembling alone, quickly summoning other officials. Their reactions were all the same.

Noticing Gia feeling burdened by the attention, Kalion led her towards the carriage. Gia, now away from the eyes of the crowd, let out a low sigh.

“Ugh, I might become even more famous like this.”

As Gia laughed and spoke, Kalion, unable to hold back, wiped the dusty cheeks with his fingertips.

“Gia…”

“Yeah?”

When Kalion hesitated to speak, glancing around, his lips trembled with difficulty.

“There’s bad news.”

“What is it?”

“Morrison seems to be coming in the capital’s direction.”

“Morrison?”

“Yes.”

Gia’s face turned serious at the sudden news of Morrison. Kalion seemed uneasy as well. 

Kalion concentrated on brushing off the dirt from Gia’s body.

“It was expected, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t expect it to be this fast…”

“Let’s go inside for now and rest. We can discuss it tomorrow.”

Kalion pulled the tired Gia towards the carriage. Before she realized it, a damp towel touched Gia’s cheek as she sat next to Kalion.

“I’ll do it.”

“I want to do it.”

With Kalion’s resolute attitude, Gia obediently leaned her body. Kalion’s touch as he wiped Gia’s face was incredibly gentle.

In the large hands that softly wiped her face, Gia laughed as it tickled. Despite hearing about Morrison’s news, with Kalion by her side, she couldn’t take it too seriously.

In the past, wouldn’t she have already jumped up from her seat and rushed out countless times? She would have undoubtedly urged Kalion to go and kill Morrison right away. That’s how it would have been.

The fact that Kalion was by her side allowed Gia to maintain a calm composure. Like they say, when you like someone, you start to resemble them.

Whenever a new aspect of herself that she didn’t have before emerged, Gia felt happy when she discovered where this change came from. The saying that you become like the person you love is so overwhelming that it can’t be expressed in words. 

Every day, as she saw herself becoming a better person, Gia felt a sense of accomplishment.

With her face against Kalion’s, Gia closed her eyes slightly. Then something warm and soft touched her lips. Even though her eyes were closed, she knew what it was, so Gia let out a happy laugh and hugged Kalion’s neck.

Having someone on her side in this world is so reassuring. 

Gia deeply inhaled Kalion’s scent. In response to Gia’s antics, Kalion comforted her with a gentle pat on her small back.

Even though Morrison was nearby, Gia’s worries seemed to fade away, thanks to Kalion. The goal of having to kill him was clear, but she wanted to enjoy this happiness for a little longer. Even if she knows the day she’ll die, doesn’t she have the right to be happy?

As Gia pressed her cheek against Kalion’s, she spoke with a teary smile.

“Is it okay for me to be this peaceful?”

“As much as you want.”

“Since my partner is like that, it should be fine, right?” 

When Gia pulled away, Kalion’s handsome face filled her view. 

The eyes that met each other seemed to continuously crave for one another. Without saying a word, both knew that their confrontation with Morrison was imminent, making this time together incredibly precious.

Even the fleeting moments were not to be left untouched. They couldn’t just let it pass. 

Fighting Morrison could mean someone would inevitably shed blood and perhaps even lose their life. No, it was certain they would lose someone. There was no guarantee that it wouldn’t be Gia and Kalion. If that day came, Gia was prepared to die in Kalion’s place.

It was likely the same for Kalion. Determination burned in his eyes as if a fire had been lit. The unspoken promise, ‘I would willingly sacrifice my life for you if necessary,’ was communicated through their gaze. 

Gia stared intently at Kalion’s lips.

In the discreet corner of the carriage, amidst the deepening kisses, Kalion’s hand, as if consciously, started to tighten around Gia’s waist but then gripped the sofa tightly instead. As the kisses deepened, leather twisted in Kalion’s grip.

In the dimly lit carriage, where moonlight settled, only the hushed breaths of the two lovers filled the atmosphere.

* * *

“Kkufgh, ugh.”

The Emperor’s breath, lying alone in the bedroom, became rough. 

Trying to vomit to relieve the rising nausea only resulted in a yellow liquid.

“Dammit, ugh.”

His lips, gruesomely swollen and burst open, continued to exhale laboriously. As the torn flesh on his lips was chewed, blood began to trickle down. 

The Emperor’s eyebrows twisted in despair as he saw the blood staining the white handkerchief.

“What… What has someone done to me?”

They should have prepared for the possibility of an attack from a sinister figure. Regretting after the fact was utterly useless. He never expected that someone would target him in such a way.

The Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected turn of events. After finding out what that person had fed him, he couldn’t contain his shock.

“Damn it…”

The Emperor’s complexion, already reddened, turned even deeper shades of purple. Soon, the Emperor pressed his face into the nearby metal basin. Even though he retched with a nauseated sound, nothing came out.

The Emperor, with his nails, scratched his own throat in anguish. The imprints of his nails were visible on the slackened skin.

Surely, he was forced to consume something. 

Morrison’s wrist, which had blue blood instead of human blood, looked as if it had been just severed.

The face of the man who laughed while raising his limp arm was vivid. Along with the assurance that he would find him again, he vanished without a trace.

The Emperor, who had intended to order his subordinates to pursue him, closed his mouth. If someone found out that Morrison had fed him something, the horrifying consequences… 

The Emperor shuddered at the thought.

How did he become an Emperor like this? Those who doubted the legitimacy of his rule were all eradicated. Among them were his father and brothers. The throne he gained through such means was now vulnerable because of this incident.

Even now, he was hiding the progressively worsening illness and living in restraint. 

The Emperor, fearing that someone might take his place, turned pale with anxiety.

Sons and nobles who aimed greedily for his throne, fearing that he might leave the throne for even a moment, were always ready to strike. If he allowed even a little opening, his neck would be the first to be severed. Just as he did, his sons would likely follow suit.

The Emperor, who had no intention of yielding, rolled his eyes and shivered.

“Kkufgh.”

At the sound of the Emperor’s cry, the servants outside the door became restless and knocked.

“Your Majesty, are you okay? Shall I call the physician?”

The Emperor swallowed his failing breath.

“Everyone, retreat! I have ordered it!”

Clang.

Unable to contain his boiling anger, the Emperor threw the metal basin with one hand. The basin, propelled from his weakened grip, tumbled to the ground right in front of his nose.

“I-I apologize. We will leave now.”

Even in the face of the terrified voice of the chief servant who had gathered his courage, the Emperor just wiped his wet forehead with a trembling hand.

“What someone has done to my body… Ugh.”

It felt like thousands of insects were crawling and writhing inside his body. 

Was this his hallucination, or was there really something alive, moving inside him? He wanted to cut open his abdomen right now to check.

At that moment of contemplation, something snagged on the fingernail that was drawing across his belly. 

The Emperor’s pale face froze in terror.