When My Enemies Began to Regret

Carl’s hair shone bright red in the sunlight shining through the window. The good-looking man shifted his gaze slightly at his sister-in-law’s words.

“Sister-in-law, you don’t have the same talent as me, so how do you know so well?” The man smiled half wryly.

In contrast, Haniel’s expression was calm. “It is said that if you watch someone with affection for a long time, you can understand their heart. Even if you don’t have to carry the blood of Andras.”

“…”

“That’s usually the case between parents and children. And it’s the same between you and me.”

Haniel considered her husband’s younger brother to be her own brother for a long time. So, she was even worried about him and wished him happiness.

“I advise you to reveal your lies quickly. Otherwise, you will be hated by the person you love one day.”

Carl lightly laughed off the advice. He had a bitter smile, not his usual bright smile. “Please let me off this time. There’s something I really want to hear.”

Given the conversation context, Carl Andras seemed to be lying something to Fanora. Haniel wondered what his intentions were. So she tried to find out what was going on but was stopped by the appearance of Fanora.

“Lady Fanora?”

“You are still here.”

“Where have you been? And why are you taking a long time? Can’t you find your room?”

A moment later, the dining room opened with an old sound. Fanora, who had said she would organize her luggage, returned after a while.

“Ah, I’m taking a long time because I was cleaning.”

“Cleaning?”

“There are only a few servants here, so I feel sorry for needlessly needing their hands. Lady Felton, I have prepared my own room.”

Although she’s now a central figure in society, she was originally the outcast of her family. So, she was able to do simple chores, and she finished cleaning without even thinking about it.

“I beg your pardon? You came after cleaning your own room with your own hands?!”

From Haniel’s POV, it was crazy, which made her rise up. What kind of scandal is this to make her savior, who obtained Europa, do that? Moreover, she was someone who might become her sister-in-law in the future.

“I can’t believe I put this kind of trouble on someone like you!”

she took a deep breath and started coughing, shaking her shoulders. Her health deteriorated rapidly due to the stress of mistreating her benefactor.

“Lady Felton!”

“Oh gosh, Sister-in-law!”

As soon as the two nobles in the restaurant saw Haniel’s cough, they quickly lost their composure and made a fuss. So the meal ended in chaos. The good news, though, was that Haniel now had Europa.

* * *

“It was a big deal earlier. I didn’t know she was that weak.”

It was a few hours later. The commotion in the dining room had subsided, and night had already arrived in the mansion.

“Carl, I’ve never seen someone cough up so much blood like that…”

“It looks like you were surprised.”

“Ah, now that I think about it, it’s not my first time. I’ve seen it a few times in this regression.”

Fanora was out on the terrace at the landlord’s recommendation. This mansion is old and small, so there isn’t much to show off, but she has heard that the view of the moon from the window is amazing.

“I’m glad that Europa was delivered safely.”

The weather was clear today. So, just as Haniel boasted, she was able to see the night sky filled with stars. Fanora leaned against the railing and momentarily looked up at the night sky.

Before coming to this terrace, when the clock showed 9 o’clock, they heard a word from Haniel, who was lying on her sick bed. She said her body seemed to have returned to her daytime state. Since they had safely seen Europa’s power directly, there was nothing to worry about now.

“Yes. The deal Lady Fanora proposed was the greatest luck of my life.”

Carl gave credit to her, saying it was all thanks to her. Fanora felt burdened by Carl’s attitude. She only paid a fair price.

“Do you remember Shuteri? Today wouldn’t have happened if you had messed up your first job.”

“…”

“This is something you just earned through your hard work,” she said casually as she leaned her arms on the railing.

Carl liked Fanora’s tone. No matter how harsh her tone, it’s all words for him in the end. He loved her jet-black hair. It was thanks to the kindness he had accumulated deep in his heart.

“Lady Fanora, by the way, what kind of person was the person who handed Europa to you?”

He continued the conversation with an arc drawn around his mouth. It was nothing special, but there was something Fanora remembered when he asked this question.

“She was a pretty old woman. She was from northern.”

“

.”

“I actually thought it was weird. Early humans had a much shorter lifespan than today, right?”

“But she was like an old woman at the time, so I was wondering why she was so old.”

The person who handed her the holy relic was none other than the head of the beginning clan, Europa herself. And if you look at the records of the old times that remain, there was a custom at the time where a young and bright person led the tribe. Fanora recalled that knowledge and spoke while looking at the stars in the sky.

“As she explained the holy relics, she also revealed the reason for her aging.”

“…”

“She often wanted to have a new family.”

Now that she understood the characteristics of the holy relic, she could tell. It didn’t allow you to repeat your youth. Instead, the state of your body is fixed indefinitely. In other words, women couldn’t have children as long as they used this holy relic. So, the reason Europa’s owner lost her youth was probably because of love.

“Is love important enough to throw away youth…?”

Carl didn’t seem to understand what she was saying.

“…”

Fanora lowered her eyes quietly. As her complexion darkened, Carl approached the railing.

“Are you cold by any chance?”

“No.”

“Lady Fanora, wait a minute. The railing must have been dirty. A stain on your arm…” He even handed over a handkerchief to Fanora when he noticed there was dust on her forearm, which was leaning against the railing.

His voice and behavior were uncharacteristically warm for the night air. Carl was always like that.

“Carl, do you love me?”

Fanora asked him this question. Then, the man’s face began to color like the symbolic color of the Andras family.

“…Yes.”

She just asked him a question. The sight of him not even making eye contact and the bright red turning tips of his ears were straightforward signs of affection.

“…”

The owner of Europa handed over her treasure and said she wanted her to live happily. So what should she do to be happy? She thought about this for a moment and came to one conclusion.

As expected, in order to be happy, you have to do what you want. In the past, it was the death of her enemies, but now, a more powerful desire has arisen.

“I really like you like this too.”

“…!’

Fanora saw Carl’s kind act and confessed her feelings again. Her new goal is to live with Carl.

“Lady Fanora…”

Carl’s eyes were filled with emotion. There is nothing happier than this if you can receive confirmation of feelings from the person you love.

“But I still have doubts. Who can I trust when my relationship with Aloken even ends like this?”

But it was then. Fanora’s attitude suddenly changed. For a brief moment, she suddenly raised her eyes bitterly and pushed Carl as if there had been a change of heart.

“Actually, you find me disgusting too, right? You’re making a play.”

“Yes?”

“You can say that, but in reality, you might think it’s unpleasant even to touch me.”

But Fanora didn’t even give him a chance to defend himself.

“As expected, I can’t do this because I’m anxious.”

Shortly after that, Carl was attacked by something and fell backward. Fanora, who was standing in front of him, rushed without warning. With the strength of Io, she laid Carl down and grabbed him by the collar.

“

?!”

“Can you stay still?”

Fanora Celsius was originally reluctant to show off her affections. However, after receiving a shocking insult from Aloken, her thoughts changed. Skinship was the easiest experiment to test affection.

“I need to check it out right now.”

She sat on top of him and pulled his collar, just like she was about to kiss.

Carl closed his eyes tightly as Fanora’s face drew closer. But after a long time, he didn’t feel anything.

“

”

Carl opened his closed eyes, wondering what was going on. Then he saw Fanora sweating profusely.

“…”

Fanora slipped back with her mouth tightly shut. When she tried to kiss him, she didn’t know how to do it, and she stopped doing what she was trying to do because she was scared.

“…That’s enough. I-I was just trying to see your reaction from the beginning…” Out of embarrassment, she lied without even knowing it.

It was the moment when I was avoiding his eyes. A hand full of scars popped out and wrapped around the back of her neck.

“

?”

It just happened in a flash. Carl pulled Fanora by the neck and overlapped their lips. It was a moment that felt like an eternity. Her breath was swallowed without realizing it, and her mind turned white as if struck by electricity.

“…”

He kissed and tilted his head slightly. There was a strange sensation where they touched each other. The hot body temperature pressed down on her nervous lips. And a gentle exhaled breath.

After a few seconds, Carl carefully lowered his head. Even after the kiss was over, his eyes were staring at Fanora.

“…”

Fanora, who had been stiff, reacted belatedly.  “?!”

Then, there was the sound of a punch on the terrace. It was Fanora hitting his shoulder with her right hand. She covered her mouth with her other hand.

“Y-You. What are you doing…”

How surprised she must have been that she wasn’t able to speak properly. Fanora jumped up as if she was on fire, speaking gibberish. But Carl also looked shy.

“I’m sorry! I must be crazy! No, that, I’m so sad to hear that you’re suddenly backing down!”

“…”

“Thinking only about you in my head… My body moved on its own…”

He quickly adjusted his posture and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I-I was wrong, Lady Fanora. I will make sure this never happens again.”

“No, stop apologizing!” Fanora, however, got angry when she heard his apology. “If you apologize too much, I will feel even worse because it feels like it happened by mistake,” she said, turning her head to hide her disheveled expression.

“…There’s no way it could be an unintentional mistake,” Carl spoke quietly to her, who had her back to him. His expression was stiff, but even his neck was bright red.

“

”

It was a stark affection. Fanora saw that, and her head throbbed at the sight. “From now on, don’t do things like that without telling me first. Of course, I was the one who was wrong first. I’m sorry, Carl.”

Still, she had to organize things first. She sincerely repented of her earlier actions. However, Carl blinked at those words.  

“…Then is it okay to say it in advance?”

“Yes?”

“If you allow me… I want to do it one more time.”

Fanora stood blankly, unable to understand his question for a moment.

“Can I kiss you?”

But there was no way she couldn’t understand, even after hearing such a straightforward sentence.