FTA Ch 4

<Chapter 4>

 

“The pain you’ve endured until now is nothing more than a fleeting bubble that would vanish instantly if you just swallowed a drop of my blood.” Gloria said.

“…….”

 

The man’s face twisted even more painfully.

As Gloria faced him,

it felt as though she was staring into a mirror, creating a strange sensation within her.

This is why she took her eyes off the Duke and instead looked towards the window, which was covered with curtains.

The curtains were drawn so tightly that not even a sliver of light could sneak through.

‘How long had the Duke been enduring alone in such a dark room?’

 

“Who has been blinding your eyes and covering your ears all this time?” the duke asked.

 

Gloria knew exactly where the Duke’s anger was directed.

She could also feel the intense betrayal he must be experiencing at this moment.

 

“…What do you want?”

 

The voice that answered was rough and grating, like the cry of a beast.

Only then did Gloria turn her gaze back to the Duke.

By now, the Duke had regained control of his emotions and returned to a blank expression.

Yet, Gloria could still clearly sense the remnants of burning emotions smoldering in his eyes, like a fierce fire.

 

“Say what you want.” he said.

 

The man, finally freed from the agonizing pain that had tormented him for his entire life, asked.

 

“You must have come to find me because you want something.” Gloria said.

“That’s right.”

 

Gloria admitted freely, sliding the dagger back into its sheath. She then glanced down at her palm, which was already beginning to heal. The long gash she had made on it was starting to close up.

 

“Right, what is it you want?” he asked.

 

The Duke licked his lips, which were stained with Gloria’s blood, and looked directly into her eyes.

 

“I only have the hollow title of Duke.”

“I need that hollow title.” Gloria replied

She wiping the bloodstained palm on her clothing.

 

‘Leonard Iverke, Duke.’

The half-brother of the current emperor.

A pitiful man who was sacrificed due to his sibling’s lust for power.

A victim who lived miserably, never knowing there was a way to escape the terrible pain he was enduring.

 

“I need your name.” Gloria said.

 

Gloria declared, looking the man directly in the eye.

The Duke, who had frozen for a moment, let out a bitter laugh and then asked.

 

“Are you asking me to marry you?” The duke asked.

“Marriage? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“…….”

“…….”

 

A brief, awkward silence passed between them.

Gloria and Leonard exchanged only uncertain glances.

 

“Didn’t you say you needed my name?”

It was Leonard who broke the silence first. He asked the question, as though utterly baffled, and Gloria shook her head.

 

“I’m not thinking of marrying.” Gloria said.

“Then?” The Duke replied.

 

Although marriage was out of the question, she had already been engaged once before.

Gloria had no intention of getting tangled up in such formalities again.

 

“Adopt me.”

 

At that moment, Leonard’s handsome face stiffened.

 

“…What did you say?”

“I said, adopt me.”

 

Leonard stared at Gloria as if she were an incomprehensible creature.

After a long pause, he suddenly asked a question.

 

“Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m in my right mind.”

 

Gloria couldn’t hide her displeasure at his response.

She frowned.

Leonard also frowned and looked back at her.

 

“Why is someone in their right mind talking nonsense like this?”

“When did I say anything nonsensical?”

“You really don’t make any sense.”

“That’s what I was going to say.”

 

Gloria stood with one leg casually propped up and her arms crossed, then tilted her chin up to look down at Leonard as she spoke.

 

“What’s another way for me to get your name, other than marriage or adoption?”

“….”

 

Leonard was left speechless and silently looked up at her.

 

“I have power and ability. Not just any power, but more than anyone else.”

 

Gloria continued speaking quickly, as if the words had been building up for a long time.

 

“But now I’m about to be disowned and become a commoner again. And that’s going to put me in a tough spot.”

“So?”

“I need a solid background to protect me from the Imperial Family and the temple.”

 

Most of the high noble families were closely tied to the imperial family.

Moreover, the knights of the 1st Crusade, to which Gloria had belonged, were all children of noble families. She had endured their cruel torment for years.

So, despite her hatred for the imperial family, Gloria wanted to align herself with a family that had no ties to the 1st Crusade.

At the same time, she needed a family that had enough power to stand against other high noble families.

There was only one family that fit this condition: the Iverke Dukedom.

 

‘Though the Duke’s influence is still not enough to challenge other families…’

 

That would be solved in time.

Now that Leonard Iverke, the Duke, had broken free from the curse, he just needed to regain what he had lost and grow his family’s power.

And Gloria planned to help him with that, as long as he cooperated.

 

“So, you want me to adopt you?” he asked again.

“Yes.”

 

The blunt reply left Leonard speechless. He sighed and stood up.

The excruciating pain that used to gnaw at him had completely disappeared.

His limbs, which had been stiff and hard to move due to the numbness, now felt as light as feathers.

That was why he had softened toward Gloria.

She was the one who had freed him from the agony that had tormented him for half his life.

He asked in a gentler tone, his voice much calmer.

 

“…How old do you think I am?”

 

Gloria took a moment to look him over.

She knew that the Emperor and the Duke had a large age gap.

The Duke was the child of the late Emperor’s young concubine, born shortly after the death of the Empress. She’d heard they had about a twenty year difference in age.

The man in front of her seemed to be around her age.

After a while of estimating, Gloria answered casually.

 

“I don’t know. Maybe around 25?”

“Twenty four.”

 

Leonard corrected her lightly before asking again.

 

“And how old are you?”

“I turned eighteen last month.” she replied.

“I see.”

 

Leonard sighed.

 

“So, you and I are only four years apart.” Leonard said.

“And?” Gloria replied.

“Then why would you ask me to adopt you?” he said.

“……”

 

Now that it was said out loud, it did sound a little strange.

But she couldn’t think of any other solution.

 

“So what do you expect me to do?” Gloria asked.

“Think it through. Is there really no other way?”

 

Leonard spoke softly, almost as though soothing a child.

 

“And my name really is just a hollow title. It won’t help you at all.”

 

Gloria furrowed her brows.

 

“Whether it helps or not is for me to decide.”

“Well, listen.”

“……”

 

Gloria had many things she wanted to say, but for now, she kept silent.

Leonard watched her quietly for a moment before speaking again.

 

“As you said, you have power and ability. But I…”

He paused, as if overwhelmed with emotion for a brief moment, but it quickly passed.

 

“I have nothing.”

 

He continued in a quieter voice.

 

“What would you gain by helping me?”

 

Isn’t this a deal where you’re only losing out?

When Leonard asked that, Gloria didn’t answer.

Silence stretched between them until he spoke again.

 

“…Once it’s known that I’ve broken free from the curse, the Emperor will try to kill me again.” he said.

“I told you, it wasn’t a curse.”

 

Gloria corrected Leonard’s words in a firm voice.

At that, Leonard paused for a moment, then sighed and responded.

 

“Curse or not…”

 

He pressed his temples in exhaustion.

 

“The important thing is that I’ve once again become a threat to the Emperor.”

 

Gloria silently regarded Leonard for a moment, then casually remarked.

 

“That’s exactly what I want.”