Don't Concern Yourself With That Book

Chapter 55

Translator: wuttisyun

When I looked up at this unbelievable sight, I noticed his clenched jaw which gave rise to blood vessels prominently running along his cheeks.

Hernandez caught the flying half-broken sword and raised it again.

“Who said you could stop me?”

Castor flicked his unscathed sword.

“… Are you going to kill her?”

“Then are you going to stop me?”

“Stop?”

I thought I heard Hernan’s empty laughter but soon he let out a soft whisper as if he was nearing death.

“How can I stop you? Even now, I haven’t stopped you, all I’ve done is to break a sword in half. And I’m just doing this as a friend.”

I realised that the arms embracing me were steadily getting wet. After tilting my head to look around, I noticed the fragment of the sword that had broken off was stuck in his shoulders. It was blood that was gradually wetting his white clothes. His now bright red clothes made him look as if he had just been in a fierce battle.

Why did he save me? What was going to happen now? What was going to happen to me? I was utterly confused and had no idea what was going on around me.

“Get out of my way, Hernan.”

“Your Highness.”

Hernandez just embraced me tighter as he knelt on one knee.

Judging by his groan as he held me in his arms, the fragment must have been causing him a lot of pain. Even to the end, he did not let go of me and gave me a polite nod. His white and almost straight hair flowed down his neck. And my forehead that was touching his shoulder felt tingly.

“I will receive whatever you want to do to me without protest since I dared to interrupt my friend. So, could you do me a favour?”

His arms were trembling and he was barely relying on the half-broken sword for support. Blood dripped down his jaw. Once I noticed the blood, I looked up at him without a moment’s notice and found an emotion that was hard to describe on his face. I thought he would be feeling somewhat sour and spicy emotions but the moment I looked at him, he looked more like he had just swallowed a bitter pill.

“Your Highness, you’ve agreed to grant me a favour long ago and you promised that you will use everything at your disposal to make it happen.”

Like a knight in a story, Hernandez tightened his hold on me and knelt on his knee as if I was some princess in a fancy dress and not a girl with a bird’s nest for her hair dressed in a maid’s robes. This made me seem as if I would wish for nothing else in the world other than to lay in his arms.

“Your Guardian is asking Your Highness to grant him a wish.”

Even with such a miserable appearance and with a fragment of a blade embedded in his body, he still spoke calmly.

“Please save the Princess.”

The room remained still as if everyone had fallen dead. Even though I opened my eyes, I was still at a loss because it felt as if my vision had gone haywire because of the darkness.

As if the story had now reached another page, everyone was looking at a certain someone with their own intentions.

As I stared at how his nose bridge fell to the tip of his nose and how his eyebrows stretched across his face, I felt as if I was suffocating from the dizziness.

In the end, amidst the gazes in this room whose intentions I could not see past, I looked at the golden eyes whose gaze seemed to be penetrating only Hernandez.

His black hair fluttered in the wind.

Thinking that I was shaking because of the sword, I tried to focus on his face. His eyes that were coloured with possibly the world’s brightest colour and were yet filled with the darkest emotions a human could feel seemed to be shaking dizzily with all the wind blowing around us.

For a moment, his gaze looked sad as if he was gazing at something pitiful before the emotion was completely erased.

A little later, Castor straightened his back, standing tall like a pillar of an ancient temple with a beautiful smile hanging on his face.

“… Fine.”

The ruler finally gave his permission.

“Sir Granius, please take care of your own affairs.”

Hernan mumbled at Granius after Hernan stood and walked past him. He then walked towards the door, kicking the broken pieces of the once door aside and approached the opening.

The half-broken door then opened with a creak. At the final moment, a smile appeared on my face. I had never felt this much satisfaction after the 43rd 10th day of the month of Habermia.

Castor who was slowly scanning the place then made eye contact with me. When no one was looking, he brought his index finger to his mouth. And I remembered what he whispered clearly as the doors closed.

‘Congratulations.’

Collapse.

Once we entered the hallway, Hernandez collapsed midstep. I thought he would be trembling as he fell but soon after, he got up calmly and continued walking as if nothing happened.

“Hernandez.”

“I know you have many questions but could you be patient for a bit?”

In a flash, Hernandez fixed my position in his arms before smothering my face with the back of his neck. I blinked my eyes before looking up at him and realising I seriously did not know a thing. I whispered in a barely audible voice within his arms.

“Bring me to the carriage.”

“The Forbidden Forest will be faster…”

“I have someone waiting for me.”

The white hair that filled my vision was stained dark red as it was soaked with blood.

I could hear him having difficulties breathing. If I moved my hand a little, I could see the fragment that was embedded in him. Did it hurt? I did not want to touch it but I was worried. Was this what he had to do to save me? Why? Why did he? Without answering any of my questions, he walked along the forest path.

As the heat seeped out of the sky, it was slowly getting dark. Revealing the pain he was experiencing, his breaths began to shorten.

“Let me down.”

But without letting me down at all, he continued to add strength into his arms. In the dark, his darkened hair swung side to side. After replaying our conversations, I realised it in a flash.

He knew.

“Was my acting clumsy?”

I knew I could not take it back after saying it so calmly. He continued walking without pause but I knew he heard me loud and clear. Anxiety and nervousness filled me. It felt like there was an immense pressure surrounding my heart.

“Answer me.”

I held the hem of his clothes so that I would not hurt him.

“We’ve just entered the Forbidden Forest, right?”

Then, as if out of reflex, he patted my back. At the same time, he replied calmly and softly.

“Shush, Princess. There are more eyes and ears in this place than you think.”

“That means you already knew that I’ve only been acting like a moron.”

“… His Highness, the Crown Prince might not have known but I did. I recognised you at first glance when I first saw you when you were dressed in a maid’s uniform… However.”

After a short pause, he looked down before continuing.

“If you don’t want me to know, I can pretend as if I don’t.”

“Are you going to pretend you don’t know now?”

Why me? Why?

“From now on, I shall carry out any order you give me.”

“You knew me?”

“I can pretend not to if you don’t want to reveal it. I’m sorry for not protecting you all this time.”

It was a surprisingly soft and friendly voice.

Blood had dried on his cheeks and his fingers were trembling like a shaking spider’s web. I could tell his smile was natural and it made me feel safe. The ripples grew in intensity as I stared at him whispering.

This was strange. This was really strange. This was not the person I thought I knew.

This was strange.

Why did he not save me back then? I thought I let out an unknown sound till I realised it was just a distressed cry.

“Why now?”

In the end, I grabbed his shoulder and spat out harshly. In my dry white eyes, no tears formed. Even if something were to come out, it would only be sand. Because I had cried my share of tears three months ago when my whole body had been soaked in blood.

“The fact that you saved my life or the fact that you said that you’ll protect me. They don’t make me happy at all! Why now? Why did you only save me now?”

I panted like a person who had just been rescued from drowning. I let out a growl I had never heard myself make before.

“You’re just a bad person. You should have just stayed as bad as Castor. You should have just been that way. Don’t be so clumsy around me and stop being so nice to me! Why would you? How else are you going to make me feel miserable behind my back? Stop it, I hate it. I hate it!”

“Miserable…? I don’t understand what you’re saying at all…”

He heard me out before mumbling with his lowered gaze for a moment. He seemed to be hiding what he wanted to say.

“Urgh.”

Soon, his face contorted and he let out a short breath. He looked exhausted. Nevertheless, he lowered his head and whispered.

“I know. Whatever happened today was not your fault, Princess. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for involving you in things that both you and I don’t know anything about.”

Things I did not know about?

“The fact that this is solely my arbitrary apology without any of your consent… I also know that. And the fact that I cannot tell you who cannot even cry even at this moment the truth.”

I did not want to believe it. This man was apologising to me with a cold and pale face as he bled out, looking as if he was going to die soon.

‘Then, what about what I’ve been going through all this time?’

As if his consciousness was fading, he looked sad and he softened his expression as he continued to whisper to me constantly and softly. I hated this. However, I could not ignore the blood that continued to drain out of him and his dropping body temperature.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Princess. Please don’t cry.”

Hernan looked very sad possibly because he thought I would cry. When he realised that I was not going to cry till the end, I seemed to pity me.

I did not know him. There was no way I could understand the very person who was staring at me with pity.

“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t understand a single thing you just said. If you can’t explain it to me, don’t even apologise!”

“I, for a long time, had sinned against you.”

Heran said as he wrapped his arms around me without hugging me and laid his hand on my cheek. Then, he rubbed the scar on my cheek with his thumb carefully and gently.

For a slight moment, some feelings arose in me as the way he said ‘sin’ faded into the air. The words sounded heavier than anything else in the world and his confession seemed to want to compensate for the fact that he could not properly apologise.

“You have been cursed. Have you heard of a curse that must be placed upon birth? This curse… Cough…. The curse does not go away until the caster dies.”

“What are you talking about now? What curse?!”

“I’m well aware of your confusion. I’m sorry. I want to tell you right not but I can’t because of a strong gag placed on me. All I want is for you to be alive for a long time and take all the happiness that I could possibly give you so that you can at least be happy… I hope I have judged correctly.”

He tried to walk casually so I thought he could actually still walk but the wound was taking a much heavier toll on his body than I thought. I pushed his body away in a hurry.

“Let me down.”

I wanted to get off him and refused to be hugged by him.

“I may sound like I’m dying but it’s actually a wound that’ll heal quickly. So please… remove your hands. Your hands will get dirty.”

“Don’t. Talk.”

I clenched my jaw and spat it out. His voice which had been trembling from all the blood he was throwing up just now gradually calmed down. Hernandez then stretched his head around and began to talk.

“I could not blame him at all till the end but I could not just turn a blind eye to you.”

Hernandez felt weak and damp to the touch because of his blood that gave off a fishy smell. I blinked slowly as his hand held my hand which had been grabbing onto the hem of his clothes.

Blankly, I stared at him as he gave a light peck on my hand.

“Someday, you’ll find out the whole truth.”

“…..”

“When that time comes, will you resent me?”

His face that was filled with sorrow and remorse was etched in my memory. His hands were as cold as the biting wind. I did not have the strength to push his hand away and his hand ultimately rested on my cheek again.

“I know my apologies have no meaning.”

Hernan stared at me anxiously before forcing out a dry cough that blasted out of him and murmuring desperately.

T/N:

emo hours