Thank you Not a Cofee Lover for the coffee.
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The day after returning to Trachen, my father summoned me to his office.
“This room is perfect. No one except you and me will know what was discussed here today. So, answer me. What is your relationship with him?”
“…….”
I remained silent with my eyes downcast, offering no response.
“Just keeping your mouth shut won’t solve anything. All the researchers in that room witnessed you standing in front of him and blocking their way. There’s even talk of sending you to trial.”
“…….”
“Of course I won’t let that happen. But to do so, you’ll have to be honest with me about what exactly happened. Tell me. Was it you, Eila, who let him escape seven years ago?”
“…….”
I nodded silently. My father’s eyes gleamed with sadness.
“Why? Why would you do such a thing? He’s a demon. The same breed that killed your mother.”
“As I mentioned back then, Father, my mother’s death had nothing to do with Clyde. In fact, you may not even be aware of it. Clyde is innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“Innocent! Just having demon blood flowing in his veins makes him an entity that should not be allowed to live in this world!”
My father raised his voice uncontrollably.
“That’s not true! Clyde didn’t choose to be born as a half-demon. When he was captured, Clyde was just a child, only thirteen years old. He was my age! How could you torture an innocent child like that? How could you?”
Seven years of pent-up resentment poured out of my heart.
“The demons are our enemies; they are monsters, and have you forgotten that even at this very moment, your big brother is on the front lines, risking his life to fight them?”
“Clyde is not a demon! He has human blood in him!”
“Do you think you can call him human just because he has human blood mixed in? Have you not seen it? The ominous magic he possesses! Moreover, he has a regeneration ability that surpasses that of ordinary demons by dozens of times. He’s a monster that can regenerate instantly, even if his whole body is incinerated!”
“I know. I watched Father burn Clyde and torture him right next to me.”
“…….”
Father remained tight-lipped.
“Even after seven years, that scene still haunts my eyes. I’ve had nightmares of that day over a hundred times. I never knew my father was capable of such cruelty.”
“If I had known you were there, I would never have shown you such a sight.”
“So you’re saying you don’t regret what happened?”
“…….”
Father closed his eyes tightly and then slowly opened them.
“Tell me. Why did you save him? How did you even know that he was trapped in the laboratory?”
“I… I happened to wake up at night and saw you heading downstairs to the basement. I followed out of curiosity and found out.”
“I don’t believe it. If that were true, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed.”
“You were probably too drunk to notice, just like that day.”
“…….”
Just like with Clyde, I couldn’t speak about my past life to Father either.
“…So, you saw him and you pitied him. Is that the reason?”
“How could anyone not pity a child so young, locked in a cage the size of a doghouse, suffering from all sorts of experiments?”
“It was to find a way to win the war against the demons. We had to confirm whether his formidable regeneration ability was solely due to his being a half-demon or if it was a special mutation. There was even the possibility that the demons were kidnapping human women and systematically raising half-demon soldiers.”
Father stopped in the middle of his sentence, noticing my contorted expression.
“…Was it you? The one who orchestrated his mother’s escape…”
“Yes.”
“How, and by what means, you were only thirteen years old at the time!”
“I borrowed Father’s bracelet and used the invisibility spell to get in. Before that, I had infiltrated a few times to learn the patrol routes and shift changes of the guards.”
“…….”
Father’s expression was a mix of amazement and disbelief.
“Why go to such lengths to save him?”
“Because I didn’t want Father to become a monster.”
“What are you saying?”
“The father I knew wasn’t the kind of man who could do such a horrible thing as burn a child my age while laughing. I didn’t want Father to be consumed by vengeance against demons to the point of giving up his humanity. That’s why.”
“…….”
Of course, I had saved Clyde to prevent him from causing the downfall of the empire in the future. But the reason I told Father was undoubtedly the truth.
At that moment, Father was not just a character from a novel but my precious family.
“What happened after you helped him escape? Did you secretly maintain contact with him from then until now?”
“No. I sent him and his mother into hiding abroad, and we had no contact after that. Clyde returned to Trachen only very recently, about a month before the investigation team set off.”
“Why did he come back? Was it to seek revenge on me?”
“…No, Clyde came to see me because he wanted to thank me for saving his life seven years ago.”
“So, he risked getting caught again just for that?”
“During that time, his mother passed away, and Clyde had no one else to rely on. He lived in seclusion all these years, hiding his identity, and I was the only friend he had.”
I lowered my gaze again.
“Clyde felt the same way about me.”
“…….”
Father looked at me with misty eyes.
“So, you kept meeting him secretly, away from me and your brothers, right?”
I nodded.
“…Where did he go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Answer me properly, Eila. If you try to protect him further, you won’t escape punishment either.”
“I’m telling the truth. I really don’t know where he went. I just told him to run away—to go far away so he wouldn’t get caught again.”
“What if he comes back? Will you deceive me again and secretly meet him?”
“…That won’t happen.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
【I won’t trust your promises ever again. Never.】
As I recalled Clyde’s final words, a sharp and painful ache pierced my chest.
I understood why he’d said those words. I had lied countless times, deceived him, and even broken the promise I made not to lie again.
So it was only natural that Clyde eventually distanced himself from me and came to dislike me.
At one point, I had even intentionally pushed him away, thinking it was the only way to avoid the same future as the original and to protect people’s safety.
So, in a way, the current situation was somewhat what I had hoped for.
However, why does it hurt so much, and why does it feel like I would burst into tears at any moment?
I would never see Clyde again.
I would never hear his voice calling me Ruby, and I would never feel his warmth, which was hotter than my own body temperature.
Although I had pretended to be awkward and hesitant whenever he touched my cheek or embraced me, deep down, I didn’t dislike it. The thought that his touch would never reach me again was overwhelmingly sad and lonely.
I struggled to keep a straight face, not wanting my father to know how I felt.
Father stared at me in silence for a while and then spoke again.
“What was the magic you used back then? Did you teleport him outside? It was a spell I’ve never heard of before. Where did you learn such magic?”
At the same time, Eleanor’s voice echoed in my mind.
– Don’t talk about me to anyone.
‘What? But then, how can I explain where I learned the magic I used back then?’
– Just make something up. You touched an artifact, and suddenly, unknown knowledge entered your mind, or something like that.
‘…….’
– It’s all for your own good. If you say you have ancient sorcerers’ knowledge in your head, do you think the palace’s mages will leave you alone? Just do as I say without any objections.
‘Alright, I understand.’
I explained to Father as Eleanor instructed. Upon hearing my words, Father narrowed his eyes.
“Is that the only thing you remember? Nothing else?”
“I’m not sure. The memories of what happened inside the artifact are vague. I even forgot about the spell I used until it suddenly came to mind.”
“…….”
Father stroked his chin with a pensive expression.
I now understand why the original translator felt the way they did about our FMC
Right, I understand her side but at the same time she’s also very frustrating 😶