Chapter 56

Raul gazed at Layla’s face as she stood at the top of the fortress, feeling the cool breeze. Her golden eyes, peeking through her flowing blonde hair, sparkled like stars, and every gesture she made was simply beautiful.

His heart raced. Just looking at her face melted away his fatigue. Everything felt fleeting, like a dream, yet radiantly beautiful like moonlight.

Even the time they spent together made him anxious, wondering when it would end, and his heart wouldn’t calm down.

Raul couldn’t quite grasp what this feeling was. It was both suffocating and exhilarating at the same time.

“Raul…?”

“Layla.”

Raul was at a loss for words, unsure why looking at Layla’s face felt so new and overwhelming.

“Did I fall in love with you because you’re so beautiful?”

“Falling in love… I don’t really know what that is.”

Raul couldn’t understand what love was.

Books said that love was what a mother gives to her child.

But what Raul wanted to give Layla wasn’t cold glances or scorn. Rather, he wanted to give her the exact opposite.

“I just want you to stay by my side endlessly.”

“…Alright. I’ll wait.”

“What are you waiting for?”

“For our fool to finally understand the meaning of love?”

Raul even found Layla’s teasing voice beautiful. Everything about her was like a lamp illuminating the darkness. Even someone as endlessly dark as himself felt a little brighter just by standing beside her.

“…If that can deepen our relationship, then I’ll strive to understand it too.”

Raul pressed his forehead against Layla’s as he continued speaking. Such physical closeness was a natural part of their daily lives.

“So, help me understand it too.”

“Anytime.”

Their relationship was practically public. No one dared to flirt with Layla. Many were captivated by her breathtaking beauty, but no one had the confidence to confess their feelings to her, knowing Raul stood in the way.

“Actually, I can teach you now…”

Layla said as she grabbed Raul’s chin. She then slightly raised her heel, bringing her shimmering lips close to his forehead.

“Lord Raul. Count Arthur Berze has sent a care package.”

Suddenly, Raul’s aide appeared, completely ruining the moment.

“You should come down and check it.”

The mood shattered, Layla grumbled in annoyance.

“Ugh, that brat is a master at ruining the atmosphere.”

“I merely came to deliver important news. Was there something between you two that held greater value?”

Raul’s aide, a boy Raul had taught many things, was always overly confident.

He had followed Raul around, handling complicated tasks, and had slain countless enemies on the battlefield.

However, his overly rigid attitude even annoyed Penelope, and Layla disliked him intensely.

“Kyle. What did my father send that requires my attention?”

“Come down and see for yourself.”

“…Judging by your reaction, it must be something unusual.”

Raul sighed lightly as he followed his aide downstairs with Layla.

The fortress was filled with the quacking of ducks and the stench of livestock, enough to give anyone a headache.

Knowing Raul liked ducks, his father had sent a large number of live ones. Nearly 400 ducks quacked loudly, forcing Raul to sigh deeply.

“…Your father really went overboard.”

“A little? More like a lot.”

Raul sighed again as he saw a cart filled with his favorite mushrooms.

He had only mentioned once during dinner that he liked the mushrooms, and his father remembered, sending a whole cart of them.

It was astonishing that someone who was bedridden due to illness and overwork had gone to such lengths.

“Tomorrow is the decisive battle, so it’s good to eat well.”

“…Should I cook?”

“Let me be clear, you and Camilla are the type who should never cook. Even bears couldn’t survive your toxic stew.”

Raul had once seen the aftermath of a stew made by Camilla and Layla, which had killed all the wildlife and fish in the area.

“Kyle. You handle the cooking. For all the soldiers too.”

“Over 400 ducks? By myself?”

“And don’t forget the cart full of mushrooms.”

“Damn brat…”

Raul’s aide muttered curses under his breath as he began preparing the ducks.

Layla found the scene amusing, but Raul held no grudge.

He didn’t even understand the meaning of what Layla had been about to do.

He didn’t understand his own feelings, nor did he realize that Layla had noticed them.

“…Layla.”

“What now?”

“There’s something I want to ask of you.”

“What is it? If it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything. You’re my other half, after all. What you desire is what I desire.”

Raul couldn’t understand love, but he was aware of his desire to spend his life with Layla.

He also knew the most effective way to ensure he could stay by her side forever.

He knew that future would be very happy, and he had even asked his father how to propose.

“…Later. I’ll tell you later.”

However, he also knew that such a proposal always had to be accompanied by love.

So he hesitated. He still didn’t understand his own feelings, didn’t know the meaning of love, and wasn’t sure if he was worthy of her.

Raul’s mother had once called him a child who should never have been born, so Raul lacked confidence in his own worth.

“When all the confusion in my mind clears. Then I’ll tell you.”

“How dull.”

Raul clenched the ring box hidden in his pocket and swallowed his words.

“…It won’t be as bland as your cooking.”

“Fine. I’ll cut out your tongue today. I’m sure everyone will applaud.”

“There’s nothing more futile than planning something you can’t execute.”

With that, the two began to spar, their weapons clashing.

Layla’s ring could transform into any weapon, named “Thousand Transformations.”

Raul’s staff was unbreakable, named “Eternal Constancy.”

Their weapons symbolized their bond—ever-changing in form but unchanging in essence. The essence that they cherished each other more than life itself.

“Lord Raul. I’ve prepared everything as you ordered. Just as you said, the skin… what the hell?”

Kyle, Raul’s aide, looked at the ruined dining room in disbelief. The aftermath of their fight had reached even there.

Staring blankly at the mess, Kyle lit a cigarette and began to complain.

“Damn bastards. If they ever have a marital spat, half the empire will be destroyed.”

Just then, the sound of their fighting echoed from outside.

“Fix that frustrating attitude of yours! We’re aging ten years every day because of you!”

“That expression doesn’t quite suit your face. You possess beauty surpassing even the empire’s noble ladies.”

“Hey…!!!”

Watching the scene, Kyle took a drag of his cigarette and let out a hollow laugh.

“Hahaha, watching these love idiots is going to give me a heart attack. If you’re going to kiss, do it properly. If you’re going to compliment, be straightforward. It’ll take them 30,000 years to get it together, damn it.”

At fifteen, he had more romantic experience than Raul or Layla.

“Sir Kyle… shouldn’t you try to stop them from fighting…?”

“Me? Why?”

“If they keep fighting, the fortress might get damaged…”

“Honestly, the main force of this operation isn’t this pile of bricks but those two. If the Dragon Race knocks a few times, this fortress will be gone. How am I supposed to stop people who can knock those dragons straight to the afterlife?”

Kyle complained daily but still closely observed their antics.

“Just watch. It’s infuriating, but oddly entertaining.”

Like noblewomen enjoying illicit dramas, he cursed while enjoying their hopeless love story.

“By the way, both of them are ridiculously strong… their speed and movements are beyond human…”

“…I’ll warn you. If you call them monsters in front of me, I’ll kill you. They’re perfectly human. They’ve just slightly stepped beyond the usual human limits for our sake.”

Kyle knew.

They had undergone countless modifications and endured painful drug treatments for the empire.

“So, everyone, rest assured.”

He reassured the soldiers with a smile.

“As long as those two are on our side, losing is harder than winning.”