SOTBW - 49

Popin, forgetting that he worked for the Marquis Rochelle family, ran down the hallway in a hurry.

The servants, looking confused, watched Popin’s retreating figure. He was heading toward the bedroom of the precious only daughter of the Rochelle family, where she spent most of her time. After catching his breath, Popin tidied his disheveled hair and politely knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A clear voice rang out from beyond the door. Popin calmly opened it. Inside, Rachel, who should have been lying in her bedroom, was sitting on the sofa. Her arms and legs were wrapped tightly in bandages, extending all the way from her neck to her shoulders, chest, and back, with no skin visible.

Popin quickly rushed over and placed a cushion behind her back. Rachel smiled faintly and looked up at him.

“You ran over? What’s the matter?”

“Apparently, Sir Maximón Elgort has found a woman, Miss. What should we do now?”

Popin, kneeling and making eye contact with Rachel, spoke in a hurry. Rachel blinked for a moment at his words before bursting into laughter. It was the funniest thing she’d heard in a while.

“Maximón with a woman? That’s absurd. He’s the one who almost killed the women sent by Lucas, but barely spared them. There’s no way that’s true.”

“Well... actually, a letter came from Lord Lucas...”

“What?”

In an instant, Rachel’s gaze turned sharp. Popin quickly took the letter from his pocket and handed it to her. Rachel did not accept it. Instead, she looked down at the letter with a disgusted expression, then turned her gaze away.

“I don’t want to open a letter from that garbage. You’ve already read the contents, right Popin? Don’t read it all, just summarize it.”

“Yes, yes, Miss.”

Popin hurriedly added more logs to the fire before moving closer to Rachel. The Marquis Rochelle had censored all of Rachel’s incoming letters, fearing there might be one that encouraged her competitive spirit.

Rachel was a naturally gifted swordswoman. She mastered the swordsmanship passed down from the Royal Guard and several noble families in just over a month, including the sword techniques honed by Taylor Elderketh over decades. Everyone believed she would become the youngest Sword Master without a doubt.

That was, until she contracted an incurable disease that gradually decayed her entire body.

Before the disease took hold, Rachel had lived a free and unrestricted life, but now, confined to her room, she couldn’t accept the reality. As her muscles deteriorated, she could no longer wield a sword, and soon her body became weak. She began to self-harm while reading letters urging her to recover quickly.

Rachel was proud, and she was confident she could defeat anyone, so it was hard for her to adjust to her weakened body. The Marquis of Rochelle wanted his daughter to continue communicating with the world but also feared that the letters might hurt her if they were too light-hearted. That’s why he ordered his trustworthy maids to check the contents of the letters in advance.

At first, Rachel had been furious upon discovering that her father was tampering with her letters, but she soon understood. Every time she became angry, she would cough up blood, and her body would be covered with self-inflicted wounds and decaying skin.

How could she not understand the heart of her parents, who could only watch helplessly? The best priests and healers were summoned to cure the incurable disease, but all their attempts failed.

Now, Rachel’s remaining life would last at most three or four more years. But even then, it was a life with the condition that she had to remain calm and not succumb to self-harm or depression, like a bird in a cage.

Popin noticed that Rachel seemed quite upset, so he cautiously unfolded the letter, carefully observing her mood.

The summary of the letter sent by Lucas was as follows:

“Uhm, to put it simply... it seems Sir Maximón Elgort has found a woman... that’s all, Miss.”

Popin nervously spoke, unsure of what to do. Rachel, who had been reading a book, glanced at the letter in his hand.

Everyone knew about the tumultuous relationship between Lucas and Maximón. Rachel, having grown up with Maximón, knew better than anyone how much he disliked Lucas and how hard he tried to earn the affection of his stepfather, Edwin.

On the night of the last party at the Elgort mansion, when Maximón had decided to leave for the Noctis Fortress, Rachel had attended, dragging her ailing body, in the hope of somehow getting engaged to Maximón.

Before the disease struck, Rachel’s goal had been to become the captain of the Noctis Fortress. After her condition worsened, she gave up on all hopes and focused solely on surviving for as long as she could, but the more she suffered from the pain of her limbs decaying, the more determined she became to fulfill her dream.

If I can’t become the captain of the guard, at least I should become his wife. If I can achieve my dream that way, I would have no regrets.

Rachel had personally felt how powerful Maximón’s strength was under Taylor’s guidance, and she believed that if anyone could become the captain of the guard, it would be him. She had proposed an engagement to him countless times. The Marquis of Rochelle, embarrassed that his daughter had repeatedly been rejected by an orphan from the Elgort family, tried to find a better match for her, but Rachel insisted that it had to be Maximón.

Some might ask if Maximón was her first love and whether that’s why she kept pushing for the engagement, but that was not the case at all. Rachel didn’t love Maximón. He was never a good man, then or now.

What Rachel loved was rather Rakhshu Elgort. To be more precise, she loved the heroes who, with a single sword, brought down the Seriths and paved the way for humanity’s future with their lives.

Rachel wanted to become such a person.

Someone who would sacrifice their life to protect the world, who would light the darkness with their own life and guide the weak to the light... But unfortunately, Rachel didn’t have enough time left. If she couldn’t persuade Maximón with kind words, she was prepared to resort to threats.

“Say what you want. I’ll give you anything.”

That night at the party, Rachel, enduring the pain of her limbs being cut by a sword, blocked Maximón’s way. He was the star of the party, but he didn’t seem to get along with anyone.

Naturally, no one approached him easily. Even adults feared him. Maximón always had an atmosphere around him that made it hard to treat him carelessly, and those with a good intuition or quick wit knew that crossing him would lead to serious consequences. But Rachel had nothing left to lose.

Maximón, who had been looking at Rachel with annoyance as she persistently approached him and spoke to him, coldly uttered a remark.

“You can’t give me what I want.”

“How can you say that without even trying? Tell me, what is it? Money? Fame? Or perhaps a title?”

Rachel didn’t give up, and Maximón sighed and stepped out onto the balcony. He seemed irritated, but instead of giving up, Rachel stubbornly persisted.

“Are you ignoring me just because I’m dying?”

“Stop whining. Don’t irritate me.”

“Ha, you bastard… I want to marry you, so tell me what you want. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you anything for the sake of Rochelle’s reputation! That should be enough, right?”

“Do you love me?”

Rachel looked at him with a dumbfounded expression at this unexpected question.

Maximón leaned against the stone railing and asked again.

“Do you love me?”

“Are you crazy? You’re trash, except for your face. Your tone, your personality, your actions, all of it.”

Rachel laughed bitterly and looked at Maximón, as if it were all absurd. However, Maximón, perhaps expecting such an answer, didn’t seem hurt. Instead, he gazed at her with much colder eyes than usual.

“I want someone to love me.”

“What?”

“I want someone who will think about me all day long, memorize everything I like and dislike. I want them to panic as if abandoned every time I go somewhere and follow me around. I want them to be anxious, not wanting to let go of my hand. Whether in a crowded place or a quiet one, I want them to look at me and only me. I want them to be so jealous when I talk to someone else that they’d be willing to kill for me. I want them to pay attention to my every glance, my gaze, my gestures, and my voice. I want them to remember me forever, as an absolute being, until the end of the universe.”

“…….”

“How about it, Rachel Rochelle? Can you understand me?”

Rachel took a step back, looking into Maximón’s eyes, which gleamed with dark desire. This wasn’t something a nineteen-year-old boy would say. What Maximón wanted was absolute love.

It was blind and self-sacrificial love, like a chick freshly hatched from an egg following its mother around.

At that moment, Rachel saw emptiness in Maximón’s eyes. He seemed like a broken cross abandoned in the wilderness for thousands of years. Beneath that cross were stones piled up, made to wish for something, but collapsed by someone’s malice.

Between those stones, Rachel saw pieces of colorful cloth, scattered helplessly by the sandstorm, symbolizing peace and rest. It was as if someone had stolen the place where love should have been.

How could one describe the loneliness she felt in that instant?

Rachel instinctively understood. The only one who could fill Maximón’s heart was the person who stole that place.

No matter how much she clung to him or begged, it would be of no use...

“Marry me.”

But Rachel did not waver. She was that desperate and eager.

“If you marry me, Lord Elgort will be pleased. He’s been wanting to arrange a marriage between our families, but he’s been rejecting it, thinking it would burden you. So, you go and tell him yourself. Tell him you want to marry Rachel Rochelle and become the captain of the guard at the Noctis Fortress.”

Rachel couldn’t remember how that conversation or the farewell party ended. One thing was certain, however: after Maximón left for the Noctis Fortress, Edwin sent a response confirming the engagement to the Rochelle family.

Maximón did it to please Edwin, and Rachel, for the dream she had to put aside...

They were engaged at the age of twenty and had five opportunities to marry, but all of them were missed. All five times, it was Rachel’s fault. As her illness worsened, the priests had firmly declared that traveling long distances was absolutely impossible.

It would take about six days to travel from the Rochelle estate to Noctis Fortress by horseback, but considering Rachel’s health, she would need to rest for three to four days after each day’s journey. So, the trip would take at least fifteen days.

Maximón couldn’t be away from Noctis Fortress for more than a day. No matter what, the wedding ceremony had to be held before the bishop of the Sacred Church, where the bride and groom would exchange vows. The Marquis of Rochelle had repeatedly begged to skip the wedding ceremony due to Rachel’s health, but all requests were denied. Therefore, the best option was for Rachel to travel to Noctis Fortress.

“Oh, there’s one more thing, miss. The woman’s name is Najane Schnicks. She uses sword energy, just like you...”

Popin, absentmindedly reciting the contents of the letter, flinched and closed his mouth. But Rachel, hearing Popin’s words, snatched the letter from him. The letter mentioned that the woman who had moved Maximón’s heart was a knight who used sword energy, just like Rachel.

Rachel, who had initially thought that Lucas was spreading more lies to interfere with Maximón, finally showed a twisted expression. Popin, not knowing what to do, waved his hands frantically.

“Oh, oh, no, miss! Using sword energy isn’t something that can be done so easily. Don’t worry about it too much. If you’re planning to have the wedding in the spring, you should start taking care of your health now...”

Did Lucas lie in the letter? Although Lucas was the kind of man who would go to any lengths to bring Maximón down, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to lie to Rachel Rochelle, the only daughter of the Rochelle family.

“I need to write a letter to Maximón. Bring me some paper immediately.”

Throwing Lucas’ letter to the floor, Rachel said coldly. Popin, unable to defy his mistress’s command, hurriedly brought paper and an ink pen.

Rachel didn’t care who Maximón was dating or how recklessly he lived.

She only cared about being the wife of the captain of the guard. But if that woman who had caught Maximón’s interest also used sword energy, then things were different.

Rachel’s face slowly became stained with jealousy and inferiority.

Popin, carefully watching her, hurriedly wrote down what Rachel spoke on the letter paper.

“I will go to Noctis Fortress before the end of winter, no matter what happens. Until then, make sure to sever all ties with Najane Schnicks. Otherwise, the support that the Rochelle family gave to the Romsoa Knights, and the position of captain of the guard, will be nothing but a story. Don’t think that the Elgort family and Dame Elderketh have overlooked the murders you’ve committed. If you don’t want to fall from a hero to a butcher overnight, I hope you think wisely, Maximón. If we meet before the year ends, it will be the first time I’ve seen you since our engagement. I’ll prepare the wedding as soon as I arrive at the fortress. Until then, take care of the unnecessary things.”

Taking a deep breath, Rachel looked down at the letter. Popin, busy writing her words, kept glancing at her. Rachel stared at the letter without saying a word, then bit her lower lip.

A woman who uses sword energy...

Unable to contain her envy, Rachel hastily added a few harsh words the moment Popin removed the ink pen from the paper.

“Remember, Maximón. We’re no longer the children we were back then. Don’t forget that there aren’t many opportunities left for either of us.”