What Family Is (2)
You don't deserve to be unhappy.
It was a strange thing to say.
How could someone she barely met tell her that she doesn't deserve to be unhappy?
But.
Adonis found those words piercing her heart.
A drop of water fell on her hand.
"Ah."
Adonis, who realized it late, bowed her head and apologized to Reed.
"I'm sorry...."
"You can cry if you want to. I'll pretend not to know about this."
"No, that's not it."
Despite her words, the tears welled up. She wanted to make some excuse, but even that, she couldn't do.
"Ugh, uh...."
Adonis tried to calm her heart, but it was difficult to manage the emotions that were welling up.
She knew very well that she couldn't stop it and had to let it out.
However, she couldn't cry.
Because she was not a princess, but the Third Knight Commander, Adonis Hupfer.
As the face of the Hupper Kingdom, she always had to be an inspiration to others.
She couldn't be crying pitifully like this.
Adonis pressed her tear glands hard with her finger.
Despite being a woman known as the "Giant Slayer" and possessing such traits, she was woefully inadequate to block her tiny tear glands.
She swallowed her tears and her sorrow for a while.
Reed waited patiently for her to control her emotions.
Once she had calmed down a bit, Reed stood up from his seat and quietly handed her a glass of water.
After drinking all the water, Adonis, stroking her chest, opened her mouth again.
"I am.... a disgraceful woman."
It was a shockingly frank confession coming from a knight.
However, Reed listened to her words calmly.
"Why is that?"
"Whenever I see my younger brother, I think of our mother... I miss her terribly, and also, my heart turns bitter... I start to hate him without end. Even though he didn't kill our mother, even though he is not at fault...."
Queen Elizabeth Hupper, Adonis's biological mother, had to make a choice when she gave birth to Morgan II.
And Elizabeth chose Morgan II, sacrificing herself in the process.
It was a gesture of a great mother's love and a wound as well.
At the end of her teenage years, at 17,
Adonis lost her mother in that way.
"I knew from a long time ago that His Majesty the King dotes on my younger sibling. No doubt he intends to place him on the throne."
She wasn't a fool, so she had some idea.
"That's why I'm afraid to look at my little brother’s face. I was afraid that my wicked heart might be exposed to his innocent eyes, so I had no choice but to keep my distance from that child."
The Giant Slayer, Adonis Hupper.
She, who was praised by everyone, also had the heart of a delicate girl.
But she, who had no one to rely on, could not reveal her true feelings.
She had been living a life thoroughly for the Hupper Kingdom, wearing the mask of a knight.
Reed listened carefully to Adonis's words.
He too felt it. That she was revealing her inner feelings for the first time.
"Commander of the Knights, no, Miss Adonis."
Reed spoke to her in a gentle voice.
"I understand that family matters can be difficult. But you are not disgraceful."
"Why is that?"
"Everyone has desires. There are even people who kill their own family due to their desires. But you have tried to protect your family. Even though you've avoided your sibling, it's probably because you were trying to suppress the evil emotions that well up even without your knowledge. Just by this fact alone, you are a knight and an older sister who is nobler than anyone else."
Reed approached her and handed her a handkerchief in his left hand.
"So, you don't need to blame yourself. You don't need to make yourself unhappy."
His golden eyes showed a warm smile.
She couldn't stop it.
Even though she tried hard to block the tear ducts.
Even though she bit her lips hard and tried to hold on, everything fell apart because of this man who spoke kindly.
In the end, Adonis cried out loud.
Adonis looked down at the handkerchief Reed had handed her.
The red handkerchief embroidered with golden threads was soaked with her tears.
Adonis blushed with embarrassment at the handkerchief and carefully put it in her pocket.
No, it would be more accurate to say she hid it.
"I will... wash the handkerchief for you."
"You can throw it away or burn it on your way. It's better than having a rumor going around that you received a handkerchief from the owner of the Silence Tower."
As Reed said this, Adonis looked up at him with her moist emerald-like eyes.
"You are kinder than the rumors, Tower Master."
"Rumors?"
"I heard that the owner of the Silence Tower used to be an authoritative person. Cold and jealous of those who are superior to him."
"......I think it's quite inappropriate to tell you this."
"But because you are not like that, I can say this."
Reed turned his head as if embarrassed.
Seeing his expression, Adonis almost laughed unwittingly.
Adonis, who was about to smile, touched her face and returned to a blank expression.
She had returned to being the Knight Captain Adonis Hupper, but she could not hide her reddened eyes.
"How can I help you with those who are trying to defame me?"
She couldn't just stand by when she heard they were planning to ruin her.
But Reed decided to just accept Adonis's feelings.
"Please, Knight Captain, just act as usual. This matter is for the wizards."
"The wizards' matter... I see. My involvement wouldn't be helpful."
Just as a wizard doesn't understand a knight's battle, a knight doesn't understand a wizard's battle.
Wizards, who value information, never reveal their secrets.
Adonis had been educated to never trust anyone since she didn't know their true intentions.
Recalling her training, Adonis looked at Reed.
Was it right to trust this man?
'I have no choice but to trust him now.'
Reed had been honest with her so far.
His honesty allowed Adonis to express her feelings, and Reed accepted them as they were.
So, for now, she decided to trust Reed.
