Chapter 79

The sun set indifferently. The inside of the mansion was dyed in orange light as well. Lennox, with one knee raised and his arm resting, did not lift his bowed head.

Inside the room, the sounds of Ellen’s sobs gradually faded. Lennox stiffly straightened up. He hesitated, gripping and releasing the cold doorknob several times, before finally opening the door.

In front of the fireplace, which held countless memories between them, Ellen sat on the floor, blankly staring at the hearth. Lennox’s heart broke again at the sight of her, looking as if she might disappear at any moment. Lennox quietly stood next to Ellen.

“Say it.”

“…….”

Her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much. Her dark eyes, devoid of spirit, looked up weakly at the tall man.

“Say you lost this bet.”

Instead of answering, Ellen pressed her lips together and turned her head back toward the fireplace.

“Say you’ll come back.”

Ellen’s gaze drifted toward the dark interior of the fireplace. His words sounded sweet—so sweet she wanted to accept them right away. But she couldn’t. She remembered all too vividly how she’d felt when she let go of Lennox.

“No.”

Her tone was firm, but her voice was weak and hoarse.

“Why? Why are you being so stubborn? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“We’re still in the middle of the bet, and I don’t want to lose to you.”

Ellen lifted her head, looking straight at Lennox, and repeated firmly,

“I have no intention of coming back to you. No, I can’t go with you.”

At that moment, something inside Lennox exploded like fireworks. An intense storm of emotion he’d never felt before tore through his mind, his veins, his heart. Despite the explosive feeling, Lennox’s red eyes turned icy cold. His fist clenched so tightly his nails dug in, thin lines of blood dripped onto the floor. The air around him seemed to drop in temperature, and Ellen’s shoulders flinched.

“That’s right. I proposed the bet. But what now.”

His voice was so cold it was hard to believe it was his own. Slowly, like a broken wooden doll, he knelt down to face Ellen.

“Thinking about it, there’s no need to go all the way to the Aryan Empire.”

In Lennox’s eyes, Ellen’s back was reflected against the fireplace—the hearth where she’d spent happy times with her mother and Ellen. Now, in this unchanged room, only two people remained, their statuses reversed.

“Leaving that child alive was a huge mistake.”

“What?”

“If I’d gotten rid of that child with his bloodline, you wouldn’t be so stubborn.”

“Innis…”

“I shouldn’t touch her? Why should I?”

“Innis can’t… Don’t touch her.”

“No. If she’s gone, you wouldn’t be so stubborn.”

Looking at Lennox’s expressionless face, Ellen didn’t think twice. She grabbed his shirt front, clinging to him.

“Innis…you can’t! Don’t touch her. I’ll do anything. If you want me to undress right now, I’ll…”

“Is this the time for you to say that?”

Lennox, who had never once yelled at Ellen, shouted so loudly the whole room echoed. Before the sound even faded, Ellen’s vision flipped and suddenly she saw the ceiling. Lennox’s rough grip brought a slippery feeling of blood and pain. Lying beneath Lennox, Ellen looked up at him, her eyes trembling. In the shadowed face, only his anguished, wild red eyes were clear. Lennox shouted as if coughing up blood.

“Why do you say things like that with such wounded eyes?”

“…….”

“Why do you make yourself miserable because of that child!”

He had always spoken to Ellen calmly, coldly, or indifferently. He’d shown emotion at their reunion, but never such violent emotion.

“Don’t make yourself miserable because of that child!”

It was almost like the howl of a wounded wolf. Hearing his cry, Ellen felt her heart break. The feeling of his bloody hand on her arm hurt her. She wanted to hold his hand and comfort him. She wanted to embrace his face, kiss him with comfort. She wanted to hug him and console him.

‘But…’

She was afraid. The times she’d worried over not getting a single letter after he went to war, the time she feared he was gravely wounded even if it was a lie, the days she’d spent in anxiety—all of it, even if caused by others, was also due to her own desires. She was scared. Afraid it would happen again.

“I can bow my head anytime for that child. I can die, but not her.”

‘Even if I cause you great pain, as long as you’re safe, that’s enough.’

Ellen couldn’t say what she really felt. She was afraid that if she spoke, her true feelings would slip out. She feared that being tied to her again would put Lennox in danger. Swallowed by her past fears, Ellen ignored Lennox’s desperate cries.

“Is that so?”

His intense emotions faded instantly, replaced by emptiness. Lennox moved off Ellen. She slowly sat up, stroking her wrist where his bloody handprint remained. Lennox raked his black hair back with a rough hand and sighed. His chest heaved as if suppressing anger.

“You nodded at my proposal. You never meant to lose.”

She never intended to lose. Even if her body broke, she didn’t want Lennox entangled with her anymore. That wasn’t the same as her desire to be with him.

“In that case, taking you to the Empire is meaningless. You already know I can’t treat you harshly.”

“…Yes.”

Ellen didn’t deny it. On the way here, Lennox hadn’t treated her harshly. He’d naturally stayed by her side, and Ellen had naturally accepted his care. Lennox’s red eyes moved slowly, glancing at Ellen before looking away.

“Being Captain of the Aryan Empire’s Pamphilenet Order means nothing.”

Lennox muttered so quietly Ellen barely heard, then drew the sword engraved with the Aryan Empire’s symbol from his waist. With a heavy, dull thud, the sword fell onto the soft carpet. Even though he’d become Richel’s dog to claim this position, he discarded the sword without hesitation. Ellen’s dark eyes flickered from the sword to Lennox.

“Let me make this clear.”

He paused briefly, exhaling a shallow breath. It was obvious he was suppressing anger.

“The bet—I didn’t lose.”

“What?”

“There’s no need to go all the way to the Aryan Empire. You’ll live here as if you’re dead.”

“What… are you saying?”

“This is the mansion you used to live in. You’ll stay here. Live here, thinking about the past.”

“Lennox.”

“There’s nowhere for you to go in the Aryan Empire, and nowhere for me to return.”

Lennox stepped on the sword he’d once knelt to Richel for, pressing it into the carpet.

“After today, I’m no longer a knight of the Aryan Empire.”

“What?”

Ellen looked up at him in confusion, but Lennox didn’t seem interested in answering. He turned coldly and spoke.

“Get some rest.”

“Wait. Lennox. What do you mean? You’re not a knight of the Aryan Empire anymore? You have nowhere to return to?”

Ellen clutched his sleeve, asking urgently, but Lennox didn’t answer immediately. In that brief silence, Ellen’s face turned pale. She desperately hoped his meaning wasn’t what she feared. In the heavy silence, Lennox slowly spoke.

“I’m giving up my Aryan Empire title and the captaincy of the Order.”

“What?”

Ellen’s face blurred in shock at his words. Lennox didn’t miss even the slightest change in her expression, but he didn’t ask why.

“If you won’t come back, the title and captaincy mean nothing. That’s all.”

Ellen suddenly felt her heart chill. The thrill and joy she’d felt when they first reunited still lingered faintly in one corner of her heart.

“Why…….”

Her dry lips moved slowly. She couldn’t understand why Lennox would give up his captaincy.

As Captain of the Aryan Empire’s Pamphilenet Order, Lennox’s future was secure. Unless war broke out, he’d never face danger, and no one but one person could order him to die. As Ellen trembled, Lennox spoke in a flat voice.

“You said you couldn’t come back? You don’t have to. I’ll disappear from your sight so you can live here with your daughter.”

Lennox didn’t want to say ‘your daughter,’ but he spoke without showing emotion. Ellen asked in a trembling voice,

“Then… what will you do from now on?”