Marriage with the Younger Brother of the Man Who Betrayed Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Before I could even calm my startled heart from the captain’s icy words, he coldly shot back again.
“You forgot, even if just for a moment, whose man you are. That’s all.”
Having just fought monsters side by side, relying on each other, I’d thought the captain might now trust me just a little.
But the captain was telling me it had all been my illusion—that he’d simply forgotten who I was for a brief moment.
“Do you truly… still distrust me this much? Do you really not see me as your man?”
“…I’d appreciate it if you didn’t force me to repeat myself.”
“…”
It felt as if something inside me was crumbling apart.
Unlike in my previous life, to the current captain, I seemed nothing more than a spy sent by the enemy.
Then again, perhaps we simply hadn’t spent enough time together yet for him to trust me.
It seemed I’d need another five years or so to earn his complete trust.
Though my head fully understood that fact, my heart still ached—it seemed I couldn’t help it.
My voice, slipping out between my lips, had grown slightly damp without my noticing.
“Understood. I apologize for causing you discomfort. From now on, I’ll be more careful not to show you such casual disrespect.”
“…”
“And though you told me I could act as I pleased without seeking your permission… as your vice captain, at least outwardly, I can’t just carry out operations on my own whim. I’d like your permission to enter the rift.”
The captain remained silent for a while.
He could have simply said, “Go,” and ended it, yet even that seemed unwilling for him.
But since I couldn’t just enter the rift without permission, I stood firmly in place, waiting for his answer.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem intent on leaving me standing there indefinitely to suffer, and soon his lips parted.
“You may enter the rift. If you’re so determined to go alone to a dangerous place and die, I’ve no right to stop you. As long as you don’t harm our squad members, I won’t interfere.”
“Thank you. I’ll prepare right away this evening and depart. The viscount’s domain isn’t far from here, and the rift itself isn’t that dangerous—I should be back by tomorrow morning.”
After that, the captain said nothing more.
Since I’d achieved my initial goal, I left the tent without lingering further.
Time was pressing.
I hurriedly made preparations for departure and was able to leave for Parmat Viscounty, my next destination, by evening.
[This is the timeline separator]Heavy rain poured down on the road to Parmat Viscounty.
It was unexpected.
No matter how much I remembered from five years in the future, I certainly hadn’t memorized the weather from before my regression.
Thus, by the time I arrived at Rift No. 1 of Parmat Viscounty, I was completely drenched.
My damp clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin, but I didn’t bother changing.
Time was tight, and besides, they’d dry quickly once I entered the rift anyway.
Yet I still couldn’t step into the rift immediately—because just then, a desperate shout came from behind.
“Vice Captain!”
It was Karl’s voice.
Startled, I turned to see Karl dismounting from his horse, having clearly galloped here in haste.
He grinned cheerfully despite being soaked just like me.
Then he opened what looked like a brand-new umbrella and held it over my head.
“Ah, thank goodness. You haven’t gone in yet.”
“Karl? What are you doing here? Did you follow me?”
“I heard you were going into the rift alone again, so I rushed after you. It’s dangerous by yourself—let’s go together.”
“I’d like that, but…”
I couldn’t readily invite him along.
The captain’s words still echoed stubbornly in my mind.
—“You may enter the rift. If you’re so determined to go alone to a dangerous place and die, I’ve no right to stop you. As long as you don’t harm our squad members, I won’t interfere.”
The captain had said he wouldn’t interfere as long as I didn’t “harm our squad members.”
Which also meant he wouldn’t stand by idly if I did something harmful.
Unlike me, Karl was clearly the captain’s man—and dragging him along would surely irritate the captain.
Even aside from that, I didn’t want to recklessly endanger my own subordinate, so after some thought, I shook my head.
“Thanks for coming all this way. But I’ll go into the rift alone.”
“Huh? But…”
“I’m more comfortable alone. This rift doesn’t seem very dangerous anyway.”
“…”
Karl, who usually responded quickly to my words, stayed uncharacteristically quiet now.
Amidst the loud drumming of rain against the umbrella, he finally spoke.
“Why do you always try to shoulder everything alone?”
“What?”
“I don’t believe it’s simply because you prefer being alone. You’re just afraid of putting someone else in danger, aren’t you, Vice Captain?”
For a while, I couldn’t reply to Karl at all.
Because he’d just pierced straight through feelings I hadn’t even known myself.
Yes, I didn’t want to put the people I cherished in danger.
That was exactly why I’d gone alone to the imperial palace when Ernant summoned me to kill me before my regression.
I hadn’t expected him to poison me, but I’d sensed something would happen that day.
To prevent others from getting dragged in, I’d met Ernant alone.
Getting hit by a monster’s icy attack when I entered a rift by myself before, and now coming all the way here alone again—it was all because I was a coward.
A coward terrified of losing someone dear to me.
“…You’re right. I’d prefer none of our squad members enter the rifts if they can help it. Not you, not Elma, not even the captain.”
“But why go that far…”
“I had a dream once.”
Karl’s green eyes flickered briefly.
Staring steadily into those eyes, I continued.
“In that dream, I lost you. I buried your body with my own hands. I stroked your cold cheek and wept… for so long, for so long.”
“…Are you talking about that dream you mentioned before?”
“Yes. It felt so real… I never want to experience that again. And it wasn’t just you I lost. I lost you, I lost Elma… and in the end, I lost my own life too.”
In my previous life, I’d been that complete a failure.
I’d lost comrades fighting monsters, been betrayed in love, and ultimately lost my life.
To avoid repeating that past, I had to grow strong alone.
I had to become strong enough to seal every rift spreading across the empire.
But Karl seemed displeased with my resolve.
“You don’t want to suffer that sorrow from the dream again? Then you should lean on us even more, shouldn’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“If you keep charging ahead alone under the pretense of protecting us, and end up leaving us first… what will we do then? What about us, left behind without your protection?”
Karl reached out his hand.
His touch was so gentle and tender that I didn’t even think of pulling away.
Only when his fingertips brushed my cheek did my shoulders flinch slightly.
“…”
“…”
We’d often playfully pinched or touched each other’s cheeks before, but this felt… somehow different.
As if his gesture carried a slightly different emotion.
So I was somewhat flustered, but quickly shook off the thought.
Karl, who’d stayed by my side like family, couldn’t possibly harbor any unusual feelings toward me.
While I was thinking that, he gently stroked my cheek and spoke again.
“I wish you’d lean on me a bit more.”
“…But if you come with me into the rift, the captain won’t just let it go, will he? Did you get his permission?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. As soon as I said I wanted to follow you, he gave his permission right away—as if he’d been waiting for it.”
“He readily let you go?”
Surprised, I repeated the question, and Karl immediately nodded.
“He was probably worried about you deep down.”
That was a bit unexpected.
The captain’s attitude earlier had been so harsh.
He’d said he didn’t trust me and acted as if he didn’t care whether I lived or died.
Yet here he was, so readily sending Karl—one of our key knights—to me.
“Seriously? You really got the captain’s permission?”
“That’s what I said. Want to go back and double-check?”
“Forget it. Let’s just enter the rift.”
Karl nodded, and the raindrops gathered in his red hair fell onto his cheek.
For a moment, they looked like tears—but he dispelled that thought instantly with a clear, bright smile.
“Um… I always get a little nervous entering rifts… Could you hold my hand?”
“…You really can be childish sometimes. Just this once.”
“Thank you, Vice Captain.”
Karl tightly grasped the hand I offered.
Expecting it to be cold from nerves, I was surprised to find his hand warm instead.
So warm, in fact, that it almost felt hot.
Holding his hand, I stepped with Karl into the world beyond the rift.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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Yulia is exceptionally intelligent and always finds creative solutions to difficult problems.
Took you so long!! I suspected him when he sneek up on you at the river and finally confirmed my suspicion of him since the Ball!!