TYWN Ch 13

Radia was speechless at the sight of the man looking at her as if he genuinely couldn’t understand. Julian, who had been stroking his chin, furrowed his handsome brow slightly.

“If Yuris can give it to you, so can I.”

Wealth, fame, lineage, and appearance. Julian possessed everything Yuris had. From Julian’s perspective, Yuris’s only advantage was that he had met the woman before him earlier.

But now things were different. It was as if the man who had been running ahead had suddenly returned to the starting line.

“Absolutely not.”

Julian clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Radia waver for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. He hadn’t expected it to be this difficult.

This woman was like a calm lake. Even if a stone was thrown, it would only ripple briefly before returning to its original state. The only time she reacted was when his damned cousin was mentioned.

He found it strangely amusing.

“You seem to think Yuris is some kind of saint, but he’s no different from me. He just hid his claws and pretended to be a cat in front of you.”

Were he and Yuris really that different? Having known Yuris for a long time, Julian disagreed.

The first time he saw Yuris acting like he’d lost a screw in his head, only in front of Radia, Julian thought he was hallucinating. The moment he realized it was reality, a twisted thought whispered in his ear.

Why are you making such a happy face? You shouldn’t be.

“My cousin is wary and doesn’t let people in easily.”

Julian gave Radia a crooked smile as she listened silently.

“He especially hates love. There were quite a few women who were interested in him, but he rejected them all coldly.”

She knew that. She also knew that Sadie Silveria was his only exception.

Even if it was a perfect stalemate, where they acted friendly as if nothing had happened, but he never truly let her in.

“I wonder if he’ll still love you if his memory doesn’t return.”

Instead of answering, Radia slowly folded the newspaper she was holding. The rustling of the neatly folded paper filled the silence as she placed it on the side of the table.

“Whether he does or not, it doesn’t seem like it’s any of Your Highness’s business.”

Julian chuckled as he watched Radia draw a clear line. Traces of unresolved emotions lingered on her face as she sat upright, stubbornly glaring at him.

‘Shall I leave it at this for today?’

Placing his empty plate and cup down, Julian slowly rose from his seat. To his unfeeling companion, who didn’t even ask if he was leaving, he offered a stylish farewell.

“Good luck.”

A long shadow stretched from the feet of the man walking away with his back to her. Lukewarm, half-drunk coffee and cold brunch remained on the table like remnants.

Radia somehow forced down the rest of the food and walked home. As she entered the residential area lined with houses on both sides, she heard a loud noise coming from up ahead.

“What’s that?”

As she tilted her head and approached, she spotted three men in slovenly attire coming from the opposite direction. They were harassing a woman walking on the other side of the road.

A woman with black hair and black eyes.

“I heard that in your country, you drink dirty water because there’s no clean water. That’s why your hair and eyes are black, right?”

“Go back to your country instead of leeching off ours! Oh, don’t you have a country to go back to?”

The woman’s face flushed red, seemingly insulted by their mocking taunts, but her trembling lips couldn’t form words. There were a few other passersby besides Radia, but they only watched the situation unfold.

Radia reached out and grabbed the shoulder of the woman who was quickly walking towards her. Ignoring the questioning look she received, Radia glared at the group following the woman. Then she raised her voice and shouted,

“Stop bothering her and get lost!”

“What, you?! Are you taking her side just because you’re from the same country?”

“Shut up! Are your eyes just for decoration? Do you think everyone with similar features is from the same place? If you’re going to be drunk and disorderly in broad daylight, shut your mouths and do something productive!”

“What, drunk and disorderly?!”

Such coarse language was hard to imagine coming from her composed face. As Radia continued to yell and curse, the men, looking appalled as if they’d seen a crazy person, backed away. Only then did Radia release the woman’s shoulder.

“Seriously, what was that?!”

Radia gazed intently at the woman who, though her Platt was clumsy, was shouting venomously. Despite trembling, the woman didn’t stop talking.

“W-What if those guys had guns or something?”

“I was the one shouting, so I would have been the one to get hit.”

Her voice remained calm, even as she considered the worst-case scenario. Telling the woman to be careful because there were quite a few people like that around here, Radia added casually, “If you don’t act strong, they’ll keep doing it. It doesn’t end just because you endure it.”

“……So, you’re telling me to shout and curse like you did?”

It was impossible for the woman not to be afraid, facing three men alone. Especially since they were much larger than her. Radia remained silent in agreement, but perhaps it seemed otherwise, as the woman bit her lip and turned away. A calm voice touched her ear.

“You did nothing wrong.”

At those words, the woman’s steps faltered for a moment before quickening. Radia quietly followed behind her, as if escorting her, as she hurried down the alley.

Radia stopped at the end of the alley. Watching the woman disappear without a word of thanks, Radia turned around and continued on her way. She took deliberately long strides, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

[You parasitic leech, shamelessly taking root in someone else’s country!]

The gaze and voice that had scorned her in the middle of the university campus came back to mind.

Even though there were so many people around at the time, no one there had stood up for her after hearing such insulting remarks. Amidst the gazes that seemed to see her as an interesting spectacle, Radia had forced herself to answer calmly.

[Gerard Hollyman. Are you aware that your statement is extremely discriminatory and insulting?]

[Why, are you going to run to Linnaeus, who adores you so much, and tell on me?]

[If you don’t apologize properly, I’ll have to.]

The fact that the most influential professor in the law school clearly favored her among the freshmen was one of the few strokes of luck in her university life.

Seemingly worried she would actually tell on him, Gerard Hollyman deliberately declared, “I was just stating facts, why should I apologize? You probably seduced that old man with your pretty face. It must be convenient to be born a woman. You have at least one more thing to exploit.”

As the man sneered, leering at her clothes, his group burst into laughter. Suppressing the urge to bash his head in with the law book she was holding, Radia said, “Indeed. But it’s a shame you can’t even outperform a parasite sexually, Hollyman. It’s not easy to become less than a worm. Is it?”

[W-What?]

[It’s truly remarkable that such discriminatory remarks can be uttered in the heart of a sacred university. Your background must be quite impressive. I should go study now, for your sake. Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to relay the comments you just made to the professor. Goodbye then.]

[H-Hey, stop right there!]

Perhaps it was thanks to her shouting just now, but she felt relieved, as if she had expelled pent-up emotions. That thought lasted only a moment before she felt aggrieved again.

Harassment was familiar. Discrimination was even more familiar. The first thing she learned after studying law was how harsh this country was to foreigners. Even if she wanted to take legal action, there were practically no laws to address such issues, except for defamation. Even the existing laws weren’t applicable to cases like this.

Lawyers were generally principled, and that tendency translated into the overall atmosphere of the profession. As someone who had dealt with law for a long time, Radia knew the conservative atmosphere within the legal community better than anyone. Even after finally securing a job, she constantly had to prove her competence among her male colleagues.

She didn’t have any major complaints. It was probably similar in any field.

She hadn’t wanted to live like this. She had changed because she had to. It wasn’t her fault that she ended up living this life.

She knew it in her head, but it was hard to feel it in her heart. Why couldn’t she be stronger? Every time she saw the fragility that still lingered within her, despite her age, self-loathing welled up.

[Don’t do that, Radia.]

A gentle voice from the past tickled her ears.

[If you can’t believe in yourself, I’ll believe in you. No matter what happens, I’m on your side. I can do anything for you.]

Yuris.

Besides her family, no one had respected her as much as he had. It was inevitable that different feelings began to blossom for him, her constant companion, once she had a respite from her hectic life.

She hadn’t known until she met Yuris how susceptible she was to kindness. Even when they were just friends, she felt comfortable even without conversation, and they rarely fought. If there was something wrong, they would honestly confess and apologize, and that would be the end of it. Even if they didn’t understand each other, they could acknowledge their differences and adapt.

Even though it was only in name, a noble was still a noble. If it weren’t for his bold personality, which earned him the label of a scoundrel even among other nobles, they would never have become close.

After meeting him, meaning was given to the time she used to let slip by, except when she was in class. At first, she just thought it was comfortable. She hadn’t known that strange feelings would creep into her relaxed daily life.

When she was with Yuris, everyone she knew said Yuris liked her. She always laughed it off, desperately drawing a line.

[That’s impossible.]

It couldn’t be. He had more than enough. Their only commonalities were that they each only had one parent, and they shared some of the same blood.

Many people had talked to her. Most of them were filled with prejudice against Hianquins. Well-meaning words laced with prejudice left invisible wounds like rose thorns.

Every time she heard such words, she wrapped herself in another thin layer. The transparent layers accumulated and overlapped, making her surroundings increasingly opaque. So she wouldn’t be hurt by anyone. So she could calmly deal with the provocations of a certain noble prince.

[I don’t care. In fact, I wish you were even more bothersome than you are now.]

[I knew you’d smile like that. I’m glad you enjoyed it.]

[Radia, do you want to read this book? It’s quite interesting. I thought you’d like it.]

[Radia!]

You strode into a place no one had ever invaded and poked a small hole in the barrier. So slowly, yet surely, that I couldn’t feel any resistance. I couldn’t turn away from you, reaching out to me through the hole with a grin.

And so, hand in hand with you, I slowly stepped out.

Now that you’ve lost your memory, I realize even more clearly how weak and foolish I am without my walls. At the same time, I can see how much you tried not to hurt me.

While she thought his memory would return soon, she also considered the possibility that it might never return.

She had received an undeserved blessing, and now it was simply being taken away. She couldn’t remain composed unless she thought that way.

She knew she was precariously shaking, as if she’d lost her support. She’d thought she’d gotten better with time, but she was still in the same place.

It’s okay. I won’t crumble.

Even if she wasn’t strong, she could at least avoid crumbling.

Radia slowly lifted her head and looked up at the clear, open sky. As she closed her eyes, a flower petal landed on her cheek and then trailed down like a tear.