TDKSR 08

Chapter 08

While waiting for Livga, Jonathan tapped the table with his fingers.

Livga seemed to have gone to change clothes, so it took longer than expected.

Or perhaps he felt that time was dragging because he felt bad after watching her acting class.

“Your Highness, Livga Wilton is waiting.”

“Huh? Oh, come in.”

Livga was dressed in a neat uniform.

“I greet His Highness Jonathan Kusakov, the glory of the Empire.”

“No need. Sit down. Why be so formal.”

At her bowing posture, Jonathan forced a smile. A habitual smile, like an old reflex, hung on his lips.

“So, Livga? I’m not sure where to begin.”

“I am diligently focusing on my studies so that Your Highness need not worry.”

“No, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

Where had that alluring young lady from before gone? In front of Jonathan stood an upright, well-mannered female student.

She was definitely seventeen now, and she seemed to have grown a little taller than when she was sixteen.

Her face also carried a more mature air, making her feel like any adult woman.

Jonathan’s feelings grew even more complicated.

“Right. Let me start with your class. What was that role earlier? I know your scholarship is sufficient without you pushing yourself that hard.”

“I should always do my best. And I thought acting skills would be necessary if I want to join the information department. It was also a role that gave bonus points…”

“Livga Wilton, listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

“Even if it’s just acting, there’s a reason other students don’t take on roles like that.”

“……”

“Even if you make all sorts of excuses, an image that suggests you’d readily jump into that kind of work later for money or other debts will harm you in the end.”

“I have no intention of doing that kind of work. It’s just acting. And since the information department handles many things, I thought even indirect experience would be helpful to me.”

“If the information department is going to make a young lady do that kind of thing, then it’s better not to have it at all.”

“Was my acting not good?”

“No, that’s not it. Your acting was excellent and wonderful. It’s just… No, never mind. Yes. The academy is insane. Putting such a crazy role in acting class.”

“It’s true that I took it because I wanted a high score, but…”

“Haa…”

Jonathan let out a sigh involuntarily.

“To be honest, it was a mentally draining role.”

“The information department won’t make you do that kind of role. I’d rather do it myself.”

“…Pardon?”

Livga mulled over Jonathan’s words, then asked back as if she had heard something strange.

“You could have done a different role. I think your acting skills would have been excellent in any role.”

“So you’re saying today’s performance was also excellent in Your Highness’s view?”

“Huh? Oh, well…”

Jonathan wasn’t sure what to say.

“Is my opinion important?”

Jonathan asked back with a slightly dazed expression. That question itself was a mistake.

“Your Highness Kusakov is the one who gives me the scholarship, and the one who will influence my future path. Of course it’s important.”

Livga looked into Jonathan’s eyes as she spoke. Unlike a year ago, when she couldn’t meet his gaze.

Livga smiled and said,

“I worked hard in my own way. So it’s only natural that I want to be recognized.”

At that moment, Jonathan felt as if a certain button inside him had been pressed.

“It was excellent. Even though it’s been a long time, there’s no way I could forget you. Because you’re the only Star.”

At those words, Livga’s smile faded slightly.

Jonathan quickly added.

“It’s true that you’ve grown and become more mature, but the essence of who you are hasn’t faded. Your acting was also so good that I was a little surprised.”

Livga’s face was fair and still covered in soft downy hair.

“Personally, I detest that kind of work—even the pretense of it—but your acting had a charm that transcended all of that. It was brilliant. You’re a born actress.”

The words flowed out effortlessly.

‘What am I even rambling about right now?’

Even as he spoke, Jonathan felt as if someone else was controlling him.

What on earth was he going on about so verbosely?

And the content of what he said was praising a child for doing well in the role of a back-alley woman.

Jonathan’s face turned pale. Just replaying the words he had said made shame rise within him.

“Thank you for the compliment. I will continue to dedicate myself to my studies and achieve excellent results.”

Livga, taking it as a pure compliment, smiled contentedly.

—

Jonathan talked with Livga a little longer, then fled the academy as if running away.

Truly, as if escaping.

‘The Star is difficult. Meeting her without being fully prepared is insane.’

Jonathan was genuinely afraid of Livga.

No—he was afraid of being in her presence.

He realized that he was dealing with Livga in a state of extreme tension.

He felt bad.

Was it because she was a Star? Just meeting her consumed so much of his mental energy.

“Livga Wilton is an excellent candidate for the information department. As expected, at the gathering where all the knights heading to this war will assemble…”

“Stop. Leave her alone.”

In fact, he had never intended to take her to war from the beginning, so it didn’t matter.

“…Your Highness?”

“She’s a child. Drop it.”

Leaning his head against the windowpane, Jonathan murmured weakly. As if reassuring himself.

In his meeting with Livga, Jonathan had made many slips of the tongue. Uncharacteristically so.

The very act of meeting her again had been uncomfortable. He didn’t know what other slip he might make.

Himself, spouting nonsense in front of Livga again—he would rather be strangled to death.

“Who’s in charge of that child?”

“Yona Wesley.”

“Yona speaks harshly, doesn’t he?”

Jonathan asked back.

“He does his job well.”

“That’s true…”

In fact, Jonathan didn’t need to concern himself with the Star’s educators. It was unnecessary attention.

But he ended up adding more.

“Tell Yona. To pay close attention and make sure Livga doesn’t get entangled in things a child shouldn’t be doing.”

That night, Livga appeared in Jonathan’s dream.

Livga pointed at Jonathan and spoke to Duke Anras.

“This man is an aura manifester!”

Bound with rope, Jonathan chuckled.

“I trusted you.”

Duke Anras had been dead for a long time. Perhaps because it was a dream, he didn’t notice the inconsistency.

“Now that I know your ugly true nature, isn’t it only natural?”

“What…?”

He asked back because he didn’t understand what she meant, but Livga sneered and brushed Jonathan’s cheek.

Jonathan was more shocked by her action than by the fear of the situation.

As Jonathan stood frozen in surprise, Livga kissed him.

Jonathan couldn’t resist. It was a kiss that barely brushed against his lips.

“Goodbye, Your Highness.”

Livga smiled and stabbed his heart with a knife.

“How dare you harbor romantic feelings for me.”

‘Romantic feelings? Me?’

Jonathan was more horrified by her words than by the pain of his heart being pierced.

Livga looked at Jonathan with cold eyes and said,

“Disgusting.”

At those words, Jonathan’s face turned pale.

He wanted to scream, but no voice came out.

—

“……”

Jonathan woke up in a cold sweat.

It was a terrible nightmare.

“…That can’t be right.”

There was no way he would have feelings for such a young child.

Of course not.

Jonathan had never felt anything like a spark of love when looking at the Star. She was merely a piece he was holding onto because she would become a dangerous weapon if she fell into enemy hands.

Romantic feelings?

Besides, Jonathan was the type to feel repulsion toward most people.

He admitted that he tended to be relatively protective of children. But that was simply because he had seen too many of them being exploited.

He had never harbored feelings beyond that for the Star!

Jonathan couldn’t eat breakfast because his mouth tasted bitter. It also took him considerable time to compose himself that day.

Fortunately, he would soon be busy with the war, so at least these delusions would finally come to an end.

Jonathan counted the days until he could go to the battlefield.

He wanted to escape from all distracting thoughts.

—

* * *

—

The war Jonathan had anticipated was, in a word, horrifying.

Even more so than Jonathan had imagined.

Before he even departed, the advance troops that had gone ahead were nearly annihilated.

“The enemy is unbelievably strong.”

“What?”

By the time he arrived, the tide had already turned, and they had barely managed to avoid being pushed endlessly to the rear thanks to Jonathan’s support forces.

In terms of troop numbers, they had overwhelming strength, yet somehow they kept losing battles.

Moreover, the knights who went as vanguards died without even being able to properly fight.

It was bizarre.

The knight at the front of each battle would suddenly be unable to move properly, then get his head cut off by the enemy commander. And riding that momentum, the enemy forces mercilessly swept away their immobilized allies.

Faced with this bizarre tactic, Jonathan began to suspect that the enemy might have an aura manifester.

‘Suddenly being unable to move. What kind of ability is it? Manipulation? There’s no way the aura manifester is a successor of Duke Anras. Then could it be a successor of the tyrant Udunan?’

Jonathan bit his lip.

‘No. If it were manipulation, there would be no reason to use aura just to immobilize a knight, right?’

Jonathan found it difficult to determine what technique the enemy was using to bind their knights.

He could only cut down the enemy charging at him with the ‘Stealth’ ability, bypassing the vanguard knights who seemed frozen in place.

However, it wasn’t easy for someone of his high rank to keep sneaking in with ‘Stealth’ and assisting the vanguard commander.

And so the stalemate dragged on for two years.

The Empire wasn’t completely defeated, but neither did they always win.

Also, a considerable number of those who went out as vanguard commanders met their deaths.

There was a limit to what ‘Stealth’ could block.

Even though he could pretend to be invisible or cut down enemies, Jonathan himself had also been struck by stray arrows and laid up.

That very fact crushed the soldiers’ morale.

When those who went as the vanguard kept dying or returning wounded, which army’s morale wouldn’t be crushed?

Some who had witnessed their comrades die felt that even eating was a luxury.

Some actually developed mental illnesses.

With a series of grueling battles, Jonathan gritted his teeth.

Still, he had to endure. By any means necessary.

He had no intention of returning without victory.

—

* * *

—

When it was becoming difficult to hold onto his sanity in the hellish war, his attendant Michael entered the tent where Jonathan and his escort knight Tern were staying and spoke.

“Your Highness, there is someone requesting an audience with you.”

“Is it a spy sent from the enemy camp?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Soon, with Jonathan’s permission, a small figure wrapped in a long cloak followed a knight inside.

And as they slowly removed the hood from their head,

“!”

To his shock, it was Livga Wilton.