Chapter 9 I Want It
Chloe, nervous, began to breathe in small gasps. A new scent wafted in on the gentle breeze. It was a bitter, almost cool scent.
“Isn’t that right, Chloe?”
The scent washed over Chloe once more.
The muffled voice, the pleasant scent, it all belonged to this man.
A very simple question, no long explanation.
A very simple answer, with only a yes or no to indicate his intentions. Even under such easy conditions, Chloe hesitated.
‘Friend.’
Kuhn’s voice echoed in her head.
She didn’t want to lose him in a one-day.
Not at this moment, when she had been abandoned by her family, by her home. Claw needed someone.
A friend would be the best person for the job, and just in time, the best person for the job came along.
‘But…’
But now was not the time for her to be swayed by personal feelings. Besides, Kuhn’s timely arrival seemed suspicious.
What if this was actually a ruse, a coincidence?
Did she have any evidence to determine whether the man in front of her was dangerous or safe?
What if he was just another man who wanted something, like everyone else?
“You.”
Her usually friendly voice hardened. She’d dropped his fanciful name and replaced it with a dry one.
“What do you want from me?”
The nervousness in her tone made Kuhn tense for a moment. The question that followed quickly quelled the nervousness he’d never experienced before.
What I want.
Kuhn’s eyes reflected his desire.
Gold hair that reflected the blazing sun. Transparent skin that was even brighter. A forehead like a master craftsman’s and blue eyes like jewels.
“I speak, and then you listen?”
A large hand gripped the nape of her pure white neck.
When Chloe winced at the heat, he shook the hair he’d picked up with a smirk.
“I need to know so I can reap the rewards of this relationship.”
“If your intentions are impure, would it be better to hide them?”
“The very premise of asking me seems odd…”
“I’m just trying to be as accommodating as possible to my best friend.”
Who already has Chloe on board.
‘He’s an interesting person.’
This was so different from the way Chloe had been treated before. The man in front of her seemed arrogant, yet he was looking out for her.
His eloquence was a mask for his caring.
“I want to hear it, so tell me.”
She wondered if she was drawn to this mystery, if Chloe had said something she would normally have passed over without a second thought.
“Chloe, you.”
“…”
“I would like a letter from -.”
Kuhn cut her off mid-sentence, as if to cough. He had unintentionally said that he wanted to have Chloe’s letter.
Chloe didn’t mind, but Kuhn’s face went wide with surprise.
“Really?”
There were many things people wanted from Chloe.
People who actively sought to befriend her, hoping that being royalty would bring them congolese. A husband who exploited her money and honor.
Letters, on the other hand, were not worth the effort. It was ridiculous that a man would want to have such a thing.
“Well, then, you’ll have to convince me before the carriage comes.”
His words calmed her nerves.
“I’m honored that you’d give me a chance.”
Kuhn smiled, too, noticing the subtle change in Chloe’s reaction.
They walked along the promenade near the clock tower.
They exchanged small talk as if they had forgotten that they had just had a serious conversation.
“Ah, you must be Callis Argent’s wife.”
“Yes?”
The name of the person closest and farthest from her. Chloe was surprised to hear her husband’s name out of the blue.
Over Kuhn’s shoulder stood a statue of Callis. It was so ordinary for a statue, it looked as if the villagers had erected it themselves.
“Come to think of it, there’s a statue of him in the capital, too.
Callis wanted a statue to commemorate her achievements in a lasting way.
The location: the square of the largest town in the capital. The materials to be pure gold and precious stones.
Naturally, the statue was to be built at Chloe’s expense.
On the day the statue was unveiled, Callis smiled at her.
A short but intense smile. It was a single smile that her opponent would have given without effort, and it sent Chloe spiraling downward once more. Funny, because that smile healed her broken heart.
“Callis Argent, was he such a great man that a statue was erected in his honor?”
“He saved the kingdom, after all, and we owe our happiness and peace to his efforts.”
No one in the kingdom is unaware of Callis’s accomplishments. They owe their freedom and peace to him.
Kuhn’s exoticism might have come from elsewhere, so Chloe doesn’t hesitate to explain.
But Kuhn doesn’t seem surprised by her story.
“He’s just the one who ended the war, but he didn’t do everything. There are countless others who shed their blood and sweat to protect the well-being of our country.”
He might have ended the war, but that didn’t mean he’d stopped trying.
“Including you, Chloe.”
The next words were addressed to Chloe.
“Including me?”
“You were there, Chloe, doing your part, tending to wounded soldiers day and night.”
“…”
“Reminded me of a love I’d forgotten.”
Subtexts that reminded her of a past she’d forgotten.
‘No way.’
Chloe looked at Kuhn in disbelief. She shook her head in an unspoken signal, and he nodded nonchalantly.
“I don’t know if you remember, but you healed me in the war.”
He was claiming to be one of the knights Chloe had healed.
Chloe’s hand was now in Kuhn’s.
He wrapped them around the sacred hands that had healed him as if they were treasures and kissed them.
“Thank you,” he said, “I am still living a happy life.”
It tickled.
No, it’s more like a touch, a real touch. It was the first time she’d ever felt it, so she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“… Kuhn.”
***
Afterward, Kuhn told her everything.
As soon as he saw the photo in her wallet, he realized that Chloe was the nurse who had treated him.
So he did what he would normally have done with indifference.
“Chloe, I owe my life to you, and I’ll never be able to repay you for a favor like today.”
“…”
“Please give me a chance. It’s okay if we’re not friends, and I can chase your shadow alone.”
“…”
“Even after all this, you still… Don’t you want me as a friend?”
The question dropped again.
Chloe stared at her opponent. Her dark hair flowing in the wind and her deep blue irises were striking.
A man who claimed to need a letter. The only one who remembered her past, the only one who appreciated her.
How many people had she trusted, befriended, beenfriended.
Why couldn’t she just pretend she couldn’t trust him this time?
“Okay, letter buddy. Sounds fun.”
A new relationship, Chloe thought, introducing herself.
In order to exchange letters, she had to reveal her address. So, naturally, she had no choice but to reveal her identity.
Unsurprisingly, Kuhn was not surprised, and he introduced himself with a nonchalant response.
Being from another country, he often travels to the kingdom. He said he had grown fond of the kingdom since he volunteered to help during the war.
After that, the time passed quickly as they talked about the past. The carriage arrived just in time.
Chloe, escorted by Kuhn, stepped into the carriage and began to say goodbye.
“Thank you for today, Kuhn.”
“I did what I had to do.”
Kuhn stared longingly at Chloe’s hand, wistful for the one that had left his side.
“Chloe.”
It was before the carriage door closed.
Kuhn called the woman who had become his best friend by name. He always called her by her first name, but this time his voice was solemn.
As Chloe turned toward the source of the sound, a breeze blew past them.
Her curly golden hair fluttered in the breeze, distracting his attention. Chloe quickly smoothed it back and tucked it behind her ear.
The blurred focus gradually came into sharp focus.
“Are you happy?”
Kuhn came into focus as well.
The man’s back was to the blazing sunset, and his eyes, which glowed a dull color like Chloe’s, flashed red.
‘… Happy?’
Chloe stared at the man, unable to answer.
She was sure his friend was waiting for an answer, but she didn’t have one.
Chloe felt as if Kuhn’s question penetrated her unhappiness, as if no one else had noticed her unhappiness, but a stranger had.
“Are you still happy?”
Kuhn added after a moment. There was no nuance to the answer.
Only then did Chloe realize the true meaning of the question.
He was asking if the Chloe of today was as happy as she was three years ago.
Three years.
So much had changed.
Half a year of war, and the other half of the kingdom’s recovery after the end of the war.
The following year, Chloe married Callis, and their supposedly happy marriage crumbled after only half a year when the truth was revealed.
The following year, the ill-fated Cinderella arrived. Just as the two had planned.
“I’m…”
“…”
“I’m happy.”
Not happy. An abomination in a life of bad luck, she couldn’t scream happy.
But one day she hoped to regain what she had lost.
Kuhn gave Chloe a strange look at her answer. Sometimes it seemed to be the same expression as when he had asked the question, and other times he seemed to be pondering something.
“I dare say I’ll make it up to you.”
“…”
“So, be happy.”
At the end, he smiled.
