When My Enemies Began to Regret

* * *

!

“I already blew the trumpet, so he’ll soon return to the mansion.”

The way Carlos called for Carl was simpler than shethought. First, he called the servant to bring a trumpet painted red. Second, when the magnificent sound resounded which also made your ears fall, Carl would come back to the mansion.

“But I didn’t see the stable when I was on the way in the carriage. If Carl is far away, he might not be able to hear the sound…”

And about a minute later, Fanora was struck by the astonishing sight. 

“Ah, there he is.”

Fanora didn’t expect him to appear right away, but the striking red hair came into her view after a few seconds had passed. 

It was natural that even the same horse would have a different speed depending on how the rider handled it. But his handling of a horse was so fast that it seemed dangerous, so she shouted, “You don’t have to come in such a hurry!”

However, those words reached him when he had already sped up his horse and jumped over the bushes in the garden.

! Perhaps he drove at full speed from the stable to here, and at the same time, as the horse made a loud noise, he grabbed the reins strongly and stopped right in front of them.

“Hello, Lady Fanora! I forgot you’re coming today.”

Carl Andras said hello. He was really a man who always made impressive appearances whenever she saw him.

“A person who makes such a rush in the garden… It’s my first time seeing someone like this.”

“Really? My whole family is like this.”

“…” Fanora has a lot to say, but she decided not to say it.

Carl slid off the horse, and the servant withdrew from there. Only then did Fanora speak properly to him. “The reason I came here today is… Wait a minute, the servant could show up again when we’re standing and talking here. How about going to the library?”

“Are you going to tell me a secret story?”

At Fanora’s request, Carl looked around unobtrusively, and he responded with the same innocent smile as always. “There’s a good place for that. Let’s go where I know.”

“…”

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

Fanora shook her head as she had never ridden it before. “I want to learn, but I don’t know how to ride it right now.”

Then she wondered if they could move to where that place was while riding the horse as she sat in front of him, and he grabbed the reins from behind. Surprisingly, Carl didn’t allow her to ride with him.

“Then we should walk!”

“If I ride it with you, won’t we be able to get there quickly?”

“No! It’s dangerous if a beginner rides on a horse carelessly. Be sure to learn how to ride a horse properly before riding it.”

Fanroa wanted to refute his claim by saying, ‘Right, say by someone who jumped over the fence of his mansion earlier,’ but she endured it.

She walked a long walk with him. Soon after, a vast meadow spread out. There was nothing left nearby to the extent that the stable looked so small in the distance.

“This is where my brothers go for a walk when they ride horses. But today, my brothers are busy, and my father is away, so no one will come here except me.”

“You’re saying we can talk freely, right?”

“Yes, you can hear the trumpet sound faintly from here, so it’s okay even if you shout it out loud.”

The nearby leaves lay neatly with the wind blowing from afar. At the same time, a faint grass smell was felt. It somehow put people’s minds at ease, but Fanora had to start saying things that didn’t go well with this beautiful scenery.

“All right, so let’s start with the matter of Shuteri first. First of all, you should be held accountable for his death…”

“That person? He didn’t have any family. The trial wasn’t even held properly. I’m sure the consolation money has gone to Lady Fanora’s family.”

“You did a good job, as I said. You even kept it a secret about that.”

Fanora walked calmly with her hands clasped over her belly button, and Carl, who followed her, opened his mouth. “By the way, Lady Fanora, is it really true that an apprentice knight named Shuteri died because of me?”

“You don’t think so?”

“I’ve had a similar experience before. But now I’m controlling my power so they won’t die…”

“You must have made a mistake this time.”

“No, it’s not.”

Carl who followed her from behind suddenly increased his speed and blocked her front.

“It may look like that from other people’s perspective, but he won’t die from it.”

Carl’s eyes were certain of something. He started looking straight at Fanora’s black eyes. “I think I did well as you ordered. So at least, please don’t lie. Why did Shuteri die?”

* * *

 11.

It was a question that had no significance now. Fanora stopped her steps and faced Carl, who stood in front of here. In his eyes, she saw her own face, a calm lady who had committed a heinous crime.

“It was necessary.”

As she stopped walking, Carl also stopped walking behind her and listened.

“Anyway, no matter what I say here, it won’t change the story that he died after a duel with you.”

“Are you thinking of blaming in the first place?”

“But I had to make sure your mouth was this heavy.”

Carl narrowed his brow at Fanora’s remarks. It was rare for him, who always had a smile on his face.

“Did you kill an innocent person just to make sure I kept a secret well?” His voice was full of disappointment.

Carl tried to cancel the contract at her answer. But the following words that came out of Fanora’s mouth were neither ‘yes’ nor ‘no.’ “A long time ago.”

“?”

“There was one knight who was addicted to gambling.”

Fanora placed her clasped hands on her stomach. Her expression was calm.

“The knight owed a huge debt from gambling one day, and he couldn’t afford to pay it off, so he decided to flee to another estate.”

“…”

“He was going to run anyway, so he stopped by his friend’s shop and started ordering expensive food and drinks. Of course, he pays on credit.”

It was the common story of a gambling addict up to this point. Fanora looked at the far end of the land and continued her words. “And the knight wanted to go to the brothel for the last time… But he didn’t have cash, so he was beaten at the door.”

“…”

“In the end, the knight pulled out his honorable sword and pointed it to the poor girl who was out for a night walk.”

I didn’t have any interest in the story, and my tone when telling it was dull.

“Then the knight brazenly threatened the girl, saying, ‘It’s your fault for walking around in the dark,’ and ‘If you tell people about it, you will be blamed more,’ after that, he ran away.”

“…”

“Then, there was a person right in front of me who repeatedly did similar things while walking around this area and that area.”

“…”

“He needs to be killed because he’s crazy.”

As Fanora continued the sentence in a gentle tone like reading a fairy tale, Carl’s expression changed strangely. But Fanora still had something to say, so she took the lead before he opened his mouth.

“Well, do I have to tell a story like this to move on?”

“Lady Fanora.”

“You made a great contribution in the battle with the Sankrit at the age of 14. That means you’ve already cut the enemy leader’s throat before, but are you afraid of killing someone now?”

Carl shook his head at those words. “I certainly have no resistance to taking their lives.”

“Then why…”

“But what kind of person are you if you hurt others as you want?”

Fanora thought for a moment, then Carl moved a step closer to her.

“I’ve learned that it’s not right to kill people.”

“Therefore?”

“But I have the blood of Andras. In the end, seeing someone die makes me feel better.”

“…”

“That’s why I’ve made the rules. Let’s not kill innocent people.”

Fanora was familiar with the story related to Andras’s blood. Unlike ordinary knights who suffered aftereffects from the guilt of killing someone when they went out on the battlefield, only the Andras family was said to be born into madmen who were excited when they killed the enemy from generation to generation. It was a horrifying rumor as if they were monsters like bathing in human blood, but it was true. Just like the scandal following Aloken might be false, but his cruelty was all true. 

“So I wondered why Shuteri died.”

Fanora closed her eyes for a moment.

“…”

Fanora, who had been choosing her words inwardly, opened her mouth. “Carl, I will kill people from now on. This is my revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“But I don’t have the strength yet. I don’t even know how to defeat them.”

Fanora wondered how he would react to this. Perhaps he would break their contract because it didn’t meet his expectations, but she thought it was time she told the truth since Carl had never lied so far.

“I need an accomplice.”

“So that’s why you—”

“If everyone I think of is guilty of a crime just like the knight in the story, just like Shuteri… Will you help me?”

Fanora fiddled with the tips of her nails while looking at the ground. 

“I’d like to say he deserved to die, but…”

However, Carl Andras’s expression subsided. He began to reply with a vague face.

“Well, taking someone’s life is worse than anything else.”

“…”

“I don’t know if Lady Fanora’s revenge is a proper judgment. What if someone gets an unfair ending for a small sin? What if there was a misunderstanding?”

“…”

“Besides, the people of the world will not forgive Lady Fanora who committed the murder, no matter what the reason.”

“…”

“Maybe revenge is the wrong way to go.”

Fanora suddenly thought she didn’t want to hear his voice. All the words this person was saying were honest and upright. But his sentences were very awkward for her, who began to deviate.

“So, is there any other way to get revenge? Um, if there isn’t maybe a way of looking for your own happiness…?”

Fanora  couldn’t stand the words he brought up and became angry. “No. I don’t have any. When did they get my permission to harm me? I was innocent at first, but they were the ones who ruined me!”

“…!”

“If you had been worried about paying them back too much, they shouldn’t have ruined my life so much! I finally got the chance to pay them back, and now, you said to forgive them?!”

The lady, who had been calm all the time, suddenly raised her voice. As my her turned red from getting angry, Carl tried to calm her down.

“Wait, that’s—”

“I know I’m going the wrong way! Still, still…”

“Lady Fanora.”

Then, Fanora finally shouted his name, “Carl Andras!” 

Carl was startled and shut his mouth. After that, her trembling voice echoed in the air. “Don’t say nonsense, just answer this. I can give you the holy relic of Europa.”

“…”

“So, will you quietly help me get my revenge? Or are you going to stop me by stating the same reason?”

Her gaze shook unsteadily. Carl stared at her eyes, then raised his hands gently, telling her to calm down. The opposite of her, he looked very docile towards Fanora.