Chapter 37

Karina entered the infirmary. The room was empty.

It seemed the medic had stepped out for a moment. With no other choice, Karina walked over to the desk by the window.

‘I probably shouldn’t touch anything.’

The medic wouldn’t be gone for long. Karina sat upright in a nearby chair and waited for someone to arrive.

But even after a long time, the surroundings remained quiet. There was no sign of anyone coming. Eventually, Karina stood up and walked over to a nearby shelf.

“Where could they have gone?”

On the shelf were various ointments, bandages, gauze, and other tools for first aid.

After some deliberation, Karina reached out for the ointment that looked the most familiar.

Just then, the sound of the door opening reached her ears, and she instinctively turned her head. The person who entered was Phyllis. Karina, seeing him, nonchalantly continued reaching for the ointment and took it out.

“Not that one. Use this ointment.”

“…….”

“I got it directly from the medic. Take it.”

Phyllis approached her with an even more composed expression than hers and handed her the ointment. Karina looked down at it without taking it and said:

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it myself.”

Leaving only those words, she opened the ointment container, but Phyllis reached out again.

“Don’t be stubborn. Just take it. I’ll leave after giving this to you.”

His gaze was directed downward, as if he were sincere. Karina stubbornly pushed the ointment he offered back.

“It’s not stubbornness. I really don’t need it.”

“You really…….”

Phyllis’s face twisted slightly as his words trailed off. It might have seemed childish, but Karina was being honest.

It wasn’t about the ointment. Karina no longer needed Phyllis’s kindness. No, she couldn’t allow herself to need it.

“Just leave.”

She didn’t want to explain herself at length. Karina deliberately turned her back on him more coldly.

“Tell me, Karina.”

His urgent words stopped Karina, who was about to return to her seat.

“What do I need to do to ease your heart, even a little?”

“…….”

“Please. If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything.”

The trembling voice reminded her of a few days ago. That day at the hospital, when she had run into Phyllis. Remembering the sight of him on the verge of breaking down in tears made it hard for her to speak.

“I can’t bear to continue this kind of relationship with you.”

Only after hearing those words did Karina turn to face Phyllis. His gaze was sincere—it couldn’t have been anything else.

And that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to respond. She knew too well what she needed to say.

“There’s nothing you need to do.”

Her firm words echoed off the opposite wall and came back to her.

“You don’t have to do anything. That’s my answer.”

Phyllis’s eyes wavered greatly. Karina ended up turning away from him. Her wound no longer hurt. Placing the ointment she had picked up back on the shelf, a cold sound echoed.

Karina brushed past Phyllis, who stood frozen, and walked toward the door. Phyllis, as if snapping out of a daze, grabbed her arm to stop her.

“Let go.”

She twisted her body as she spoke, and Phyllis lowered his head, muttering softly.

“If I let go, you’ll leave.”

Contrary to his words, the strength in his hand was gradually fading. Karina stopped moving and raised her head. As always, his light brown eyes, beautiful in color, were fixed on her.

Even though Phyllis’s grip loosened completely, Karina didn’t pull her arm away. Instead, she spoke in that state.

“Yes. I’ll leave.”

“…….”

“I won’t greet you like before. I won’t go out of my way to help you if you’re in trouble. and I’ll act like I don’t know you.”

Karina’s voice was clearer and more resolute than ever.

“That’s how it’ll be.”

It wasn’t something said out of anger. Finally, Phyllis let go of Karina’s arm completely. With an expression and gaze she had never seen before, he asked:

“……Why?”

When she didn’t answer, Phyllis hesitated, as if finding the answer himself, and began to speak.

“But Karina, we’re…….”

She didn’t even need to hear the rest to know what he was going to say. Karina let out a weak laugh.

“Yes. We’re friends.”

It was strange. Even though the words came out of her own mouth, a corner of her heart ached.

Still, it didn’t hurt as much as before. If she could properly end things today, it would continue to hurt less in the future.

“Let me ask you one thing, Phyllis.”

“…….”

“What do you think a friend is?”

Karina asked in a tone that even she found dry.

“Someone who greets you warmly when you meet? Someone who shares every hardship, joy, and secret with you?”

It was something she had to say eventually. Even if not today, they would have had to end things someday.

“Or is it someone who continues to meet you as if nothing happened, even after breaking off an engagement… someone like that?”

It was a question, but at the same time, it wasn’t.

Karina closed her eyes tightly and opened them again. Her eyes stung, as if they were a rusty handle that hadn’t been used for a long time.

“There’s no such thing as a friend like that.”

It was something she had held back for a very long time.

“……There’s no such thing as a friend like that, Phyllis.”

Phyllis stared at Karina with subdued eyes. She didn’t feel any particular emotion from him anymore.

Her business here was done. Karina walked past Phyllis at the same pace as before and stood in front of the door.

Just before stepping out, Phyllis asked softly:

“Then what were we?”

For the last time, her steps halted. Without the slightest hesitation, Karina answered.

“We were friends. And we still are.”

***

Kaya charged through the hazy air toward Noah.

The result was the same as always. Thud! Kaya was slammed mercilessly to the ground, and she rubbed her back while shouting.

“Ouch, my back!”

“Sorry. I couldn’t control my strength.”

As Asis, who had been watching the scene, walked out from the annex and approached the two, he commented.

“You’ve been training hard enough to kick up dust. Very good.”

With a satisfied expression, Asis patted Noah on the shoulder. Then, in a solemn tone, he added:

“There’s not much time left, so keep it up. That way, it’ll be worth sending you to the tournament.”

In the training grounds, only Noah and Kaya remained. Even when the sun set and evening arrived, it would likely remain the same.

Now, with less than ten days left until the tournament, Asis wasn’t worried about the participants he had personally selected, but he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

“As I’ve already said, remember this. If you win the tournament, I’ll grant you any wish you desire.”

Asis tilted his chin upward as he spoke, and Kaya, still lying on the ground, nodded her head.

However, unlike Kaya, whose eyes sparkled with excitement, Noah showed little reaction.

“How many days does the tournament last?”

“The tournament itself is two days. Including travel time, it’ll easily take ten days.”

“I see.”

Noah, answering mechanically, picked up a wooden sword nearby and resumed his training.

“Noah. Is there anything you want? Even something small, just say it.”

Asis, ignoring Kaya, who still showed no sign of getting up, directed his question to Noah.

“It doesn’t have to be an object. It could be land, or even a knightly title.”

“I’m already a knight. I don’t need a title.”

Without even a hint of hesitation, Noah shook his head and swung the wooden sword. The wooden blade sharply cut through the air. A bit of the straw wrapped around the wooden training dummy was sliced off.

Asis gave a light round of applause, thinking to himself that he had made the right choice in sending Noah.

Before long, the wooden sword broke. As Noah reached out for another one, he suddenly stopped.

“Come to think of it, I wonder if Miss Karina will attend.”

Asis muttered absentmindedly, but when he noticed the sudden change in Noah’s demeanor, he smirked.

“I plan to send her an invitation. Especially since this time, a special event will be held.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Asis let the words hang in the air, and Noah, as if nothing had happened, resumed swinging his sword.

To Asis, it was an incredibly intriguing sight. After all, this was Noah Velcarid. A few days ago, when Karina, who had visited the imperial palace, suddenly returned to the Duke’s residence, Noah had looked as dejected as a puppy separated from its owner. It had been quite the sight.

‘It didn’t seem like romantic affection.’

As Asis rolled his eyes at the memory, he shook his head as if dismissing the thought. Whether it was affection for a master or for a lover, it didn’t matter.

What Asis sought was pure entertainment. That was the only reason he had bothered to summon Phyllis and Cornell.

‘After all, love triangles are the most entertaining type of conflict.’

Kaya, who had been watching Asis stare into the air with a faint smile, stood up and gave him a strange look.

“What’s this special event you’re talking about?”

“Well, you’ll find out when the time comes.”

Asis deflected the question. If he revealed it now, it would spoil the fun, so he intended to keep it a secret. Besides, the event wasn’t the most important thing for Kaya and Noah at the moment.

Ever since the hunting tournament began, Duke Melbourne’s household and the Imperial Family had engaged in a bloody competition every three years. In the forests of Marquis Pentium’s estate, where the beasts were particularly large and dangerous, it wasn’t unusual for one or two people to die.

To be precise, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that someone had always ensured such outcomes.

“Well… this time, at least, it seems there’s no need to worry about anyone dying.”

At some point, Kaya and Noah, now armed with daggers, faced each other with sharp intensity.

Asis turned away after confirming that Noah was aiming the broken wooden sword at Kaya’s neck.

‘I should remind someone to prepare an invitation for Lady Karina.’

Even as the Crown Prince left without a word, a bloody sparring session disguised as training continued behind him. But that, too, was of no concern to Asis.

Before leaving the training grounds, Asis gave one last piece of advice, just in case.

“Do try to learn how to capture beasts alive, rather than killing them.”

Noah and Kaya, who had stopped moving at the same time, exchanged puzzled looks.

“Is that even possible?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never tried it myself…”

Leaving the two bewildered individuals behind, Asis leisurely headed toward the main building.

This hunting tournament was shaping up to be quite entertaining. It wasn’t just a feeling—it was a certainty.