When My Enemies Began to Regret

“Before that, if I could give you Europa, would you really do anything?”

“Yes! I will give you anything I have and do whatever you ask me to do!”

“From now on, can you keep everything related to me a secret?”

“Of course!”

Carl had a kind personality that seemed endless. However, the nature of this kind boy is not quite serious.

‘I’m sure he’s the same when he’s still young.’

I had a reason to choose this person as my accomplice. This is because he is from the Andras family.

Carl Andras.

When it comes to cruelty on the battlefield, he is the second most cruel man in the Kingdom. The story of how he made all those who fought against him into a dough and laughed happily for a long time was already well known to the public. That’s why I made a mark on this sadistic human being.

‘I’m looking for an accomplice to murder nobles. So I need someone who keeps their promises as well as their lives, but they’re not afraid to see blood.’

Perhaps there is no more reliable accomplice than him in this Kingdom.

‘…’

But, no matter how much I lived in the future, what if I misjudged his character?

I made a sure move to get rid of the small disbelief in my mind.

“Then, first of all, I have a favor to ask you…”

It was to create a small event to test how far he could go for Europa. However, Carl cut me off when I took out the word ‘favor.’

“Wait a minute.”

The following words were obvious. I stopped, wondering why he brought up the cliché word now.

“That, before I make a promise…”

I listened to him and tilted my head. It meant to keep going. Then Carl came a few steps closer to my side and looked into my eyes.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

Carl Andras’s eyes were too pure. I rarely made eye contact with someone, so this made me feel awkward. However, I tried hard to keep my face calm.

“Then Lady… Vanora? If I become your dog, you can really give me Europe… right?”

But when he was so close, he did something. He looked directly into my eyes and checked again.

‘Is he suspicious of me because I’m still young?’

Of course, I answered without a single lie.

“Yes.”

Afterward, Carl began to grin as I rolled my head about how should I prove that I could give him Europa.

“Thank god! I don’t think you’re a liar. I will follow Lady Vanora from now on!”

How did he decide to believe me right away?

‘Is he really believe me easily?’

But it was enough for me to join hands with him anyway. With that, I can think about it slowly.

“Others say that there was a time when 100 years of war fought to obtain a holy relic, but I will definitely become Lady Vanora’s dog for a few years if Lady can really give me Europa!”

“Don’t be that excited…”

After calming him down, who had been carrying on his imagination, I continued to talk.

“Carl Andras. Now we are on the same boat. So I want to give you the first job to confirm your loyalty.”

“Pardon? Yes!”

“Listen to me, and you should never tell your family anything about this.”

“Of course, it’s all a secret…”

“You say you will do that, but I don’t have enough faith in you. Betrayal always begins with unexpected reasons.”

Is it because people can’t see it? I stared at Carl with a strange look that didn’t fit my 15-year-old’s body.

“So…”

“…”

“The sword competition of knights will be held right after the birthday banquet. There, you should fight a person named Shuteri.”

“And after that?”

“Just have a match with him. Instead, you must take responsibility for everything that will happen as the result of that match.”

“All I need is to have a match with him? I see… Shuteri. Shuteri. Shuteri. I remembered.”

If Carl completes this request safely, I will be able to trust him. In addition, I will be able to deal with one of the people I target.

‘How serious will Carl Andras take this promise?’

I did my best to negotiate, so I decided to leave the rest to heaven. 

And a moment later.

Before I knew it, the tune of music flowing outside had changed to quiet. As I slowly got out of the staircase and tried to return to the banquet hall, Carl asked me a question.

“Lady Vanora, I have a question for you. Is there a reason you chose me to help you with your work?”

“Because I can give you Europa.”

“Ah, it’s interesting you said that. It’s true that I really need Europa, but I never said anything about it when I came to the royal capital.”

“…”

“You look like a noble from the central region. How did you know this?”

My heart jumped inwardly after hearing those words.

‘I was in such a hurry that I forgot to be careful!’

Fortunately, I didn’t show any signs of agitation.

‘When I gave a bait about the holy relic, he bit it, so I thought he already talked about it everywhere…!’

But I could make up an excuse quickly.

“Well, who in the world doesn’t need Europa?”

“Ah!”

“I’m just looking for someone to pay the best price for it, and it happens to be you, who is from the prestigious Andras family.”

Carl smiled brightly when I explained one after another. However, as the conversation continued, the color of Carl’s face, which had been bright, gradually darkened.

“I can’t believe Lady chose me with such expectations.”

“…”

“If Lady wants me to do anything in the future, Lady will need to contact me often, but if Lady Vanora’s reputation is damaged…! I will do my best so I won’t make Lady ashamed of me.”

I, who was puzzled by that remark, talked to him.

“The only thing I was ashamed of was my family, and there’s nothing to be ashamed of being with you.”

“Everyone said they’re scared of me because I like to fight. Isn’t it better to hit someone than to get hit by someone? But they said I’m violent…”

“…”

“Actually, I don’t have any friends. So I was alone here. Did you come here not knowing that I have a horrible reputation?”

It was only after listening to everything he said that I could understand.  The violent tendencies that flowed through the Andras family’s blood were in a category that ordinary nobles couldn’t understand. Although his family was good in the military force, Carl often heard bad things from young nobles who couldn’t hide their expressions.

‘Is it true this boy broke off the engagement by using violence against his fiancée?’

I looked at the boy who was looking at me for a moment. Apparently, he will be very tall in the future. But now, he was a young boy, and that was enough for me to make eye contact without lifting my chin.

“That’s all right. Don’t care about it.”

“!”

“People can be violent. In fact, I really like to hurt others.”

Carl opened his eyes wide to the following voice. Then I continued to talk with a subdued expression, recalling the old past.

“And the biggest reason why I wanted to join hands with you… was because of your personality.”

“…”

“I think you’ll be good at keeping your promises…”

I looked up at Carl in front of me. Then a young, good-looking face came into my sight.

Why did I choose him as an accomplice?

Why do I want to hand over the information about Europa to Carl, not to anyone else?

In fact, this was the most fatal reason.

“I really think you will keep your promise.”

In my past, Carl died at the age of twenty. He was killed in a conquest war waged by an irresponsible King. So I couldn’t even thank him for the bail, and now the right opportunity has come.

* * *

About five days after I made a deal with Carl Andras.  The day has come for me to visit Shuteri’s corpse.

‘There’s not much that happened.’

The sword competition held in the royal capital was over while I looked at the new midnight novel. The knights sent by Count Celcius to participate in the contest also returned one by one. Most of them didn’t appear to have been injured, but one or two of them were wearing splints, perhaps breaking their bones. I leaned against the window and watched them come in.

“Aargh… Uurggh…”

“Are you all right?”

“Didn’t you hear my groan! Arrgh. I… I think my ribs are broken too. Andras, that bastard drop me like trash then acting cool!”

“You’re really unlucky. Out of all of the contestants, you had a match with Andras. You should have abstained, you idiot.”

“That bastard hit me in the mouth first!”

However, Shuteri, the knight who was barely breathing, was transported to the mansion. It looks like he has been treated by a doctor in the royal capital, but he might have to lie down for a few months.

‘As expected, Carl is really worthy of Andras’s name.’

I predicted this outcome since the time I asked Carl to have a match with him. This is because no human has ever walked out on two legs in a 1:1 match with him in the future.

‘Don’t you know Carl was only beating him moderately?’

“…”

Well, anyway. If Shuteri, who had competed with Carl, suffered serious injuries like that, his life would be over soon. I let go of my hand that was holding the curtain and turned around.

* * *

That night.

“Uuugggh”

A groan was heard from one of the countless rooms on the first floor of the Celcius mansion. It came from a guest room with a luxurious bed and a tea table. However, the one lying down was not a noble but an apprentice knight of the Celcius family. He was seriously injured in the sword competition he had participated in for honor. The Celcius family, as a courtesy, decided to give him this luxurious bedroom until he recovered to some extent.

“Ugh…”

After taking the prescribed medicine, his pain subsided, and somehow, his body was limp and sleepy. Indeed, the soft bed helped him greatly, and he soon fell asleep. At the same time, the door of the luxurious room opened silently.

“It’s not locked.”

A mysterious female voice filled the cold room. The woman, who didn’t lift a lamp or make a footsteps sound, quietly closed the door. She quietly looked down at Shuteri, who had fallen into a deep sleep. Her messy hair was braided up into one and hidden with a nightcap.

“…”

Vanora leaned over without saying a word and lifted Shuteri’s top. Then, she saw countless bruises on his stomach that looked mottled in the dark.

“Sir knight.”

Shrug.

When Shuteri tossed and turned in a sweet dream, she began to speak her words.

“You didn’t lock the door.”

Vanora spoke with a merciful tone as if telling an old-fashioned story.

“If something happened to me like what will happen to you…”

She whispered those words and then lowered her eyes.

“It would be very embarrassing.”

The darkness fell, and no one could see what her last expression was like.

* * *

The next day.

‘Vasago’s family is very harmonious. Ah, so that’s why you’ve grown so fond of other people’s fiancé?’

My veins already stood out from the morning. Lately, it has become common for me to write down the midnight novel in my diary and scribble the letters so that only I can understand them. However, when I re-read the novel I had copied so much that my eyes fell out, all I could see was that Vasago was given a doll as a gift from her cousin and that she was given a warm hug by her mother.

‘The novel became like a daily routine of Vasago.’

I would have burned it out if this had been a book novel.

“The mansion seems to be noisy today. What’s going on?”

But it was all right. There’s good news for me today.

“Ah, that’s…”

“Cecil, I don’t have anyone to talk with me unless it’s you. So, if it’s not your precious secret, it wouldn’t hurt if you tell me a little bit about the mansion.”

“All right, Lady.”

I persuaded my maid, who was flinching beside me, to open her mouth. Her following words seemed like a good poem recitation.

“It is said that a man named Shuteri, the apprentice knight of the family, died last night.”