Arc 3
The Glory of God (8)
Those words made Kyle snap his head at Elt.
Elt eyed him with open disdain.
In his previous life, Kyle told him the same thing. He was more subtle and face-saving, though. With his fiancee’s hand on Kyle’s, they tearily implored him to terminate the engagement between him and her.
Elt was not one who would bow his head to beg others like that. He peered at Kyle with cold detachment, “Why? Unwilling? Didn’t you say it yourself that you won’t care about her finding a lover?”
“But I never said I didn’t care about her leaving me. ”
Elt, “……”
That answer was so fucking unexpected.
Elt was stricken dumb with amazement. It took him a long time to recover. He summed up, “So, you mean, you don’t care if your future wife has an affair with me?!”
Kyle floundered to speak. Elt burst out laughing. He ridiculed, “Kyle, you are a coward. You don’t care about it. I care.”
Elt rose from his seat. His voice was low, “My woman should be all mine. Even if it is only in name, she can’t be someone else’s. If it’s because you consider it’s difficult to terminate your engagement, I’ll help you with it. Tomorrow, I will go to your Harris Family and announce to the outside world that I snatched Ye Chen from you.”
“Have you asked her?” Kyle abruptly questioned, “Is she willing?”
Elt didn’t answer and that provided Kyle with courage. He confronted him and declared, “If she is not willing, I won’t do it!”
“What if she is willing?”
“She is willing…?” Kyle was taken aback. He smiled bitterly, “She… How can she be willing?”
She told him, she is his fiancee, she will always treat him well.
The past played in Kyle’s mind. She accompanied him all the way to the Imperial Capital, and she enabled him to save Yin. She never expected any return nor did she complain.
For the sake of saving Yin, she was beaten bloody. Those pictures flashed in his mind, shifting into a sharp pain.
Once, she loved him so much… But he… He failed her love.
He failed her and owed her. Thus, he didn’t speak out about the thing between her and Elt until this moment… Because, when she was together with Elt, she was evidently happy.
However, the instant Elt tried to cut all the connections between them, Kyle discovered a thing. He was unable to accept that outcome.
He was unable to accept Ye Chen vanishing from his world, thoroughly lost from him.
He was her fiance. They were destined to be together. They should be together.
Kyle clenched his fist, dismissing Elt’s sarcastic smile, he braced, “I’ll ask her.”
“If she is willing— I will bless her. If she is not…” Kyle was firm, “Elt, she and I will start afresh.”
“She is my fiancee. I like her. I love her. I can’t tolerate her contact with other men. So, please, stay away from her!”
Elt scoffed at his words. Seems like Kyle finally understood his own heart.
He scrambled to Ye Chen’s room and banged on her door. “Chen, I have something to say to you! Chen! Open the door!”
Ye Chen and 38 glanced at each other in confusion.
“Did he drink the wrong medicine?”
“No,” 38 replied thoughtfully, “I think, this must be Elt’s work.”
Ye Chen opened her door cautiously. From the gap, she could see Kyle kneeling on one knee with bright eyes, staring at her. “Chen, I ask you, please marry me!”
Ye Chen, “……”
Elt leisurely stroll from behind. He leaned against a pillar with a dazzling smile.
“Accept it,” he motioned with his chin. “Don’t you like him so much? In that case, accept it.”
Ye Chen didn’t respond to Kyle’s proposal right away. Her heart prickled.
Kyle was solemn, anticipating her answer. Ye Chen unhurriedly spoke, “Kyle, have you thought about this carefully?”
“I have,” Kyle assured. “I have thought about it. I can’t lose you.”
“But… The current me, I, don’t like you enough.” Ye Chen hung her head. Elt bowed his head and played with the ring on his finger. He remained silent, plainly eavesdropping on their conversation.
Kyle froze.
If it was before, Ye Chen would have promised him.
She used to like him so much. It was him who squandered her love. The time she was with Elt, Elt continuously treated her well. After everything, why would she choose him over Elt?
He was not reconciled.
He was really… not reconciled.
Clearly, she was his fiancee. Clearly, the person she likes was him. Why did Ye Chen get snatched from him?
Kyle’s head slumped. He conveyed the words from the bottom of his heart, “But, you can try to like me again. Ye Chen, this time, I will work hard to make you like me again.”
“Do you know, Kyle?” Ye Chen slanted against her door, She heard Kyle’s repentant words. She had her complaints about it, though. “I greatly hate your goody-two-shoes appearance. At every turn you do good deeds, I will be the one who cleans the mess for you. You never put me in your mind. To help others, you give them our money and leave me starving.”
“I also hate your fickleness. You fancy all the girls you see… Don’t interrupt me. Let me finish. I know you don’t like them. You just treat them well, but I can’t tolerate it. I hate that my man is good to all women. I especially hate that my man doesn’t keep his distance from other women.”
“You told me you wish to devote your life to being a knight. I understand it so I support you and backed out.” Ye Chen breathed out. Kyle was anxious to speak, but Ye Chen held him back, “You said you want me to like you again. Fine. Then, I will ask you. Kyle, would you like to leave with me?”
At this, Elt snapped his head at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen ignored Elt. Her focus was all on Kyle. “Are you willing to give up your dream for me? To not be a knight?”
Kyle was dumb. His tongue failed him.
Ye Chen lifted her hand rubbed Kyle’s head. Her eyes sank. “Think about it carefully and let me know your answer.”
Kyle didn’t react. He got on his feet, returning to his room to weigh her questions.
Ye Chen didn’t want to deal with Elt, so she moved back to her room. Before the door could fully close, Elt propped it up, looming over her.
“Where are you leaving?”
“What?”
“Where are you taking him to leave?”
Elt’s tone was ghastly. Ye Chen was caught off guard, “What does it matter to you?! I’ll take him back to the countryside, satisfied?!”
“What about being a knight?” Elt’s voice was chilling. Ye Chen walked to her bed and folded her clothes in a bad mood. “Day in and day out, you always want to kill Kyle. You think I will leave him here to die?”
“You care about him that much?” Elt raised his voice, “Don’t you want to be a knight? The person I want to kill is him, not you! Why must you protect him so?!”
“Elt,” Ye Chen spun around and locked gaze with him. “I don’t know how to talk without concealing any information nor concealing my purpose. But, for once, I want to talk frankly to you.”
Ye Chen stood up and strode up to the furious Elt, their gaze remained on each other. “I like you. I want to marry you. I want to fall in love with you. I like the feeling of being together with you. I really want, and I really wish, to live a stable life with you.”
Elt strained to maintain his cold expression, but he couldn’t help softening it when he heard her words. He diverted his eyes and warned, “Don’t try to confuse me with sweet words. I don’t like you. It’s useless for you to say these things to me.”
“I know,” Ye Chen smiled grimly, “Still, I want to say it. I may not like you that much, but I really like the feeling of stability you give me. However, I have a【Beep—】”
Ye Chen wanted to tell him she had a task to complete. Yet, she found she couldn’t say a word about it.
Elt frowned, “What do you have?”
“I have a 【Beep—】”
“You beep once again,” 38 dragged its words, “You will be punished. Such as electric shock, point deduction, and so on.”
Ye Chen, “……”
“You can’t just disclose your true identity or any information related to the system. It’s no use to say, write, or hint about it. In case the other party realizes it, it will be cleared from his memory right away. Don’t waste your energy,” 38 bit a cigarette, “Really, you[1]! You are not even aware nor do you have the basic knowledge about this. “
Ye Chen, “……”
Wasn’t you the one who trained her?! The blame was all on you, okay?!!
Ye Chen’s face was ugly. Elt blankly stared at her, “What the hell are you trying to say?”
“You are right. It is necessary for me to protect Kyle,” Ye Chen looked back at him and pleaded, “So, I ask you. Put down your hatred, Elt. I am together with you, it’s not because I want to protect Kyle,” Her gaze softened, “I really like you.”
38, “Liar. Your Emotional Value hasn’t broken 50.”
“Can you just shut up?!!”
Elt gazed wordlessly at Ye Chen. Her eyes were tender and affectionate. Elt sized her up, as if considering something.
An inexplicable impulse surged in his heart, madly screaming at him. As if it was an accumulation of a long-cherished wish of innumerable years,
Promise her, promise her.
He almost did it. Though, he shut his lips the moment he caught her eyes.
What a clean, tranquil, and apathetic pair of eyes those were.
Elt laughed mockingly at himself.
“Ye Chen,” He called out, “You don’t like me.”
Ye Chen jolted. Elt pointed to her eyes, “Perhaps you like others, I don’t know. The only thing I’m sure of is you don’t like me. There is no love in your eyes when you look at me.”
Ye Chen was silent.
And with that, Elt walked out of her room.
He paused at the door. “Moreover, I will not give up my hatred for love. Ye Chen,” He paused, “You may have your reasons and difficulties, I can see that. However, Kyle is not a good man. In his previous life, there may have been hundreds of women he had slept with and you probably were only one of these hundreds of women in his life. Regardless of liking him or not, think for your own good. You are an exemplary knight. You will have a bright future.”
Elt tilted his head at Ye Chen, his face sober, “The position of my Knight is reserved for you.”
“Even if I like Kyle?” Ye Chen couldn’t withhold her laugh. Elt mused for a while and eventually nodded, “I have always welcomed talented people. Except for Kyle.”
“Ye Chen,” He stated earnestly, “You are a swordsman worthy of respect.”
Footnotes
真是的 – zhēn shi de; Really! (interjection of annoyance or frustration)↵
Ry’s Corner
A make-up chapter for the missed update!
1 out of 6 done.
I will update the bonus chapters after I’m done with the made-up chapters.
Please consider checking ‘The Memory Lost in Space‘ in case you like a good read(feels)! I’m gonna always put this here because I’m obsessed with it! No thanks needed.
If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!
Words count (excluding title, footnotes, TL’s corner): 1924
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The chatting guest on the seat went, so the book slept.
I have a bad feeling with how this will go.