Volume 6 Chapter 50-2 Interlude - The Knight and the Young Lady IV
Cecilia's eyes, brimming with entreaty, sparkled brightly under the moonlight.
"Run away?"
"Yes. I'm just Cecilia, and Luke is just Lucas. We'll escape far away and live happily together, just the two of us."
Smiling gently, Cecilia slowly reached out her hand to Luke.
At the sight of that hand, Luke involuntarily held his breath.
If he took this hand, at least he wouldn't have to give Cecilia to someone else.
He could wipe away that melancholic smile from earlier.
Lost in thought, Luke's hand extended naturally.
As he watched his own trembling hand reach out ever so slowly, a voice echoed in Luke's mind.
──Hey. You gonna slink away with your tail between your legs?
The voice that suddenly boomed was one he recognized──arrogant and familiar.
No, he only recognized it because it was always there.
It was his own voice.
(Shut up. I need to protect Lady Cecilia──)
Luke's scowling mind couldn't silence the voice.
──Protect Lady Cecilia? The one who keeps saying that to her, you're pretty mouthy.
(Did I make her say that? Me?)
──That's right. What happens if you run from this place?
──Live your whole life on the run?
(That's...)
──LiveIs that really what you want to do?
(Shut up! I need to get stronger, and for that, I need a place, a status...)
──Are you sure that's what you truly want? Think about it again. What it is you really want to do right now.
The voice in his head made Luke's outstretched hand to Cecilia stop abruptly.
"What I want to do..."
"Luke?"
He was supposed to protect Cecilia, who tilted her head questioningly.
But right now, Luke couldn't bring himself to take her hand.
He had realized something.
If he took Cecilia and ran now, he'd cause trouble for both Victor and Hartfield.
Their relationship would sour, and worst of all, Cecilia would never be able to see her family again, nor her dear friend Elizabeth.
Was that what it meant to protect her?
Showing her that path, choosing that path──could that truly be considered protecting Cecilia?
It was undeniable ── Luke was being protected by Cecilia, without a doubt.
To throw everything away and choose Luke like that, what else could it be called if not protection?
But it wasn't just that.
Now, he understood that he had been under Cecilia's care all along.
So... that's why Cecilia, right in front of him, had said such things.
For Luke, and only for him, she had chosen to make that sacrifice.
In this pitiful situation, Luke clenched his outstretched hand into a fist.
"What on earth did I really want to achieve?"
He muttered, as Cecilia tilted her head in confusion, gazing at him with those big, innocent eyes.
Having exposed such vulnerability, relying on the very person he wanted to protect, he couldn't help but wonder what he truly sought.
──To reach up to his mother in heaven, perhaps?
That had to be it.
He wanted to be strong.
Strong enough for his name to echo in the skies above.
The path he had walked until now must have been for that purpose.
──But wait, if it's just about wanting to be strong, then anywhere would work, right?
The voice echoed back in his mind, the voice of young Luke.
Yes, that's true.
Just getting stronger was one thing... but that wasn't all it was about anymore.
It wasn't just about growing stronger or making his name known.
When had it changed?
It was from when Alan had told him to come to Hartfield.
In the beginning, she had been just a kind lady, the kind he believed deserved to be served as a knight.
He thought she was indeed a beautiful young woman, but he could hardly remember when those feelings had shifted to something deeper.
He couldn't quite recall the moment it happened, nor the reason behind it.
Perhaps, since the very start, he had harbored feelings for her without even realizing it.
──He had even introduced her to his mother.
That's right.
He had introduced Lady Cecilia to his mother, Martha.
As the lady he was meant to serve.
(What I want now: To become a man strong enough to protect Lady Cecilia and make my name resonate!)
──Then why not? Protect her from the oddballs and grow stronger in the process.
That made sense.
After all, taking her hand didn't change what he truly wanted at all...
"Like hell it does!"
He yelled, teeth gritted, and in a sudden burst of frustration, he slammed his clenched fist into his own nose.
Cecilia gasped in surprise, "L-Luke?" at the dull thud echoing down the hallway.
In Luke's mind, a familiar voice rang out, one he had heard from his master.
──What is the purpose of picking up the sword? What is the reason to grow stronger?
"I... I take up the sword now to protect all of Lady Cecilia." His determination was fierce. "And for that, I will become stronger."
Grinding his teeth, Luke turned his gaze towards Cecilia, his resolve hardening.
"*My Lady*, I'm so sorry. I had no idea I pushed you so far because of my own ineptitude."
Cecilia looked flustered, noticing the blood trickling from Luke's nose.
"W-What are you talking about?" But Luke simply shook his head, signaling that it was enough.
That last strike had connected everything──the presence of Cecilia right before him and the eerie feeling in the hallway.
It also reminded him that he wasn't a man who had the right to even call her "Cecilia."
"My weakness made you anxious, but I won't let that happen anymore. Once this is all over, I'll express my feelings clearly. I'll make my plea to Sir Alfred as well. So... so please, just disappear."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm sorry. Thanks to you, I finally realized. Right now, you are just an illusion created by my desires."
As Luke bowed his head, Cecilia's form began to flicker and fade slightly.
"Is it really okay?"
"Yes. I will become strong enough to protect you── the real you, everything about you."
At Luke's declaration, Cecilia smiled, but it twisted and warped, her image dissolving like mist into the air.
A heavy silence enveloped the corridor, broken only by Luke's sigh.
The illusion of Cecilia had revealed itself to him as an illusion.
The fact that he was protected here only served as a bitter memory for Luke.
Yet, at the same time, it offered a strange sense of comfort.
A refreshing clarity washed over his heart, as if all doubt had been swept away.
"...Come out. This is a little twisted, but I owe you for helping me realize."
As Luke snapped his fingers and beckoned, a corner of the hallway warped grotesquely, revealing an old man shrouded in a black robe──Horace.
"To sense my presence, you've done well..."
"I was too flustered to notice until just now. But because of you, I've opened my eyes to many things."
Luke flashed a grin, and Horace's face twisted into a grimace.
"Thinking back, this feels wrong on so many levels. First off, I don't even know who you are, but you're definitely the bad guy, right?"
"I figured the captain would be a hassle... but who would've thought I'd reel in a young pup, and one who can see through illusions at that?"
Horace furrowed his brow, realizing it was no wonder he felt disoriented; he hadn't faced a genuine conflict in a while, too caught up in the plans he was executing recently.
"Even if you're just a small fry, you've noticed the bait. You're about to disappear as a meal for me."
"Keep talking, old man. Even if I am a small fry, I'm a damn legendary one."
With a crack of his neck, Luke beckoned, "Get ready for me."
Before the malicious grin of Luke, Horace briefly glanced over his shoulder.
He felt it too──a familiar presence creeping closer.
It was Conrad.
"You cocky little brat... I'll take you to the place where you'll meet your end."
Horace jabbed his staff into the ground... and the scene surrounding them began to warp and twist grotesquely.
By the time Conrad appeared at the end of the hallway, Luke and Horace had vanished without a trace.
"Luke, sorry for the wait...?"
Conrad's puzzled voice echoed softly down the dim corridor, dissipating into the shadows.
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