AWWL Chapter 129

 

The scar on the back of his hand, which he got while living in the slums, resembled the shape of a bare winter tree with many branches stretching out.

<First branch, this mark signifies that you belong to our guild.>

It was a testament to his struggles to survive through the grueling assassin training, as well as a brand marking him as a criminal who harmed others.

It was also a distinguishing feature that set him apart from the “real Erich.”

‘My brother’s hands were long and clean.’

His hands were neat, without even a tiny scar, seeming to indicate that the life of the “real Erich Blant” had been smooth.

Because of this, for a long time, the scar had been akin to a personal flaw.

But now, not only was that flaw being exposed, but she was also looking at it directly.

Flustered, Erich tried to pull his hand away quickly.

“Cornelia, wait…”

However, Cornelia tightly held both of his hands.

“Stay still. I’m going to apply the medicine.”

After saying that, she lowered her long eyelashes and began to tend to his hand.

As she continued to spread the smooth liquid, he felt the stark sensation of her delicate fingers and her warmth.

Feeling strangely embarrassed, Erich worried that his face might turn red, so he tried to divert his gaze elsewhere.

At that moment, she said, “Why didn’t you say anything all this time about this serious scar?”

Was she scolding him?

Well, nobles were originally a ruling class that lived without directly working, relying on the service of their subordinates.

So, most nobles considered even labor to be lowly, and viewed scars on their bodies as significant flaws.

It was so severe that even the previous duke had criticized him for it.

<How can you walk around with such a vulgar scar! From now on, make sure to wear gloves at all times!!>

As a noble of royal blood, she might not have liked the fact that he was hiding such a hideous scar.

‘Now that she knows, she must feel deceived.’

Even though he was in a position of being disliked, he didn’t want to be hated any further.

Therefore, Erich hurriedly bowed his head to her.

“I’m sorry.”

At that, she frowned slightly.

“I wasn’t looking for an apology. I just thought that with such a vivid scar… it must have hurt a lot when you got it.”

Her voice as she mumbled while touching his scar was filled with concern.

It was as if she was speaking to him with a concerned tone, like she did when they were young.

<Are you okay?>

Though it had healed long ago and there was no pain, she was carefully caressing his scar as if it were a fresh wound.

Erich felt a warmth rising in his chest.

‘Everyone else would turn away when they saw my scar or act like they had seen something they shouldn’t have. You’re the only one who’s ever worried about me.’

At that moment, she said, “But I’m glad I know now. If we apply Parakel’s medicine, the scar might fade a bit.”

At her words, Erich had a blank expression for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.

‘It can’t possibly be erased…’

He had bought all sorts of medicines before.

But every time he looked at this unsightly scar, he was reminded of the harsh reality that he was an assassin who killed people for a living.

However, no matter what medicine was applied, the effect on the already engraved scar was minimal.

‘If only I had treated the wound properly at the time it occurred… But wounds caused by aura don’t heal easily anyway…’

Just as Erich unconsciously made a bitter expression, she spoke.

“You’ve been wearing gloves all this time because you didn’t want to show this scar, right?”

To his inability to respond, she smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Now that we’ve applied the medicine, it will surely fade.”

Though she spoke with certainty, the medicine made by Parakel was unlikely to have any significant effect unless it was a legendary elixir.

But right now, she was thinking of him, and that’s all that mattered.

Erich felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

‘Even though there aren’t many days left to be with you…’

Still, he was grateful to enjoy such luxuries during the time they had together.

Erich smiled and spoke.

“Thank you for your concern.”

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

A stunningly handsome man with golden hair looked as if he had been painted.

Even with a blank expression, his face was captivating enough to draw people’s attention.

But the moment he smiled, it seemed as if light radiated from that handsome face.

For a moment I stared at his smiling face in a daze, but then I looked at his scar.

‘By the way, it’s strange. Why does that scar seem familiar?’

The large scar, surrounded by smaller ones, looked like bare, sharp tree branches.

I knew of instances when such wounds could occur.

‘I’ve heard it happens when struck by an aura or lightning.’

However, his scar was slightly different from typical aura scars.

‘It looks almost as if it were deliberately shaped like branches.’

Even though it was such a uniquely shaped scar, no matter how much I searched my memory, nothing specific came to mind.

‘When did I see it? Was it from the knights? Or maybe…’

“Cornelia.”

“Yeah?”

Even at his call, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his hand, thinking I just needed to recall a little more.

At that moment, he spoke in a somewhat awkward voice.

“I think you already applied the potion; is there still a place left to apply it?”

The moment I heard his words, I finally became aware of my actions.

Not only was I holding his hand, but I was also massaging it while looking at it intently.

‘What am I doing…!’

Earlier, I had already felt strange due to the moth.

But now, thinking I had acted in a way that could lead to misunderstandings with him, embarrassment and shame washed over me.

‘At this rate, it seems like I have some strange ulterior motive! I even warned him not to have any foolish thoughts, but…’

Overwhelmed by indescribable embarrassment, I handed him the medicine bottle and said urgently, “I heard it’s good to apply the medicine and massage it, so I tried it. I’ll be going back now!”

With that, I hurriedly returned to my room, leaving him behind.

Fortunately, it seemed that Demian had returned to his room, as the room I was staying in was empty.

With no one to watch me, I buried my face in the bed and collapsed.

Then, kicking my legs, I regretted my earlier actions.

“You idiot! What on earth am I doing? I was supposed to show him that I’m not interested.”

Honestly, I knew it too.

That I still had feelings for him.

Because when I saw his face, my heart still reacted, and unnecessary hopes filled my mind.

‘This is all because Erich Blant is unnecessarily kind. Just like today, giving me a bouquet led to this strange misunderstanding…’

At that moment, a memory flashed through my mind like lightning, causing me to open my eyes wide.

<Your Highness, I brought you some flowers.>

A child from the slums who handed me flowers.

Now, time has passed, and I could barely recall the child’s face.

But this memory was clear.

<Thank you so much for accepting the flowers.>

That child definitely had a similar, unique scar on the back of his hand.

It was a scar much like the one on Erich’s hand.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

The day before the state council meeting, Reinhardt instructed his aide to review the matters with the mindset that there must be no failures.

Perhaps due to the considerable workload, the aide arrived quite late to report.

“Report on the matters you have checked today.”

“I have swayed the majority of the nobles attending the state council meeting.”

Although many institutions were centered around the emperor, the state council meeting was created to prevent the emperor’s monopolization of power and to protect the rights of the nobles.

Thus, the state council meeting typically decided on policies through majority vote and assessed the merits of the issues.

However, even if the majority was swayed, there needed to be convincing grounds for the opposition, so Reinhardt asked his aide.

“You handled that matter as I instructed, right?”

“I have strengthened the charges against the Grand Madam and fabricated evidence to prove Medelin Arzen’s innocence.”

After hearing his aide’s report, Reinhardt smiled with satisfaction and said, “Good work. Oh, and about Erich Blant…”

“You need not worry about that either. I’ve already gathered information on him.”

At his aide’s words, Reinhardt raised the corners of his mouth and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll be able to expose his true nature.”

The aide nodded in agreement and replied, “Yes. By tomorrow, the status of the Duke of Blant family will plummet.”

In response to that, Reinhardt, instead of agreeing, warned in a stern voice, “Complacency is the root of failure. This is an important matter, so there must be no setbacks.”

“Yes, I will be careful. It’s getting late, so please get some rest.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Once the aide left, Reinhardt glanced at the clock and then stared out the window.

Before long, it was well past evening, and the pitch-black darkness stretched infinitely in the late hour.

It was a time closer to dawn than night, but still far from the break of day, an ambiguous hour.

However, once this night passed, dawn would break in his life, which he had endured for so long.

“Tomorrow, Cornelia will recommend me for the throne. And she will come to despise him.”

Erich Blant was a thief who had taken away the woman who should rightfully have been his.

The thought of Cornelia looking at that man with betrayal and disdain already made him feel elated.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

After briefly smiling with his teeth exposed, Reinhardt extinguished the candle and lay down.

He imagined the day when Cornelia would warm this wide bed beside him.