TNKHC 71

Chapter 71 ….

(NewToKiJiNaGaDeonHaengIn)

“…What?”

For a moment, she wondered if she had heard him wrong and asked again.

He said he wanted to become emperor—what kind of absurd nonsense was that supposed to be?

“Emperor.”

Elena stared at him without saying a word.

Becoming emperor wasn’t some childish game you could just decide to play because you felt like it.

“You… what are you even saying—”

“I’ve grown greedy.”

Aiden gazed at the endlessly distant sea with sorrowful eyes.

“Greedy enough to want to protect what’s precious to me.”

“…….”

“I used to think it was enough just to stay by your side. But it wasn’t.”

“…….”

“To protect something precious, you need power.”

His profile looked lonely.

Like the last survivor left alone on some distant planet in the universe.

“I don’t care what price I have to pay.”

At some point, his gaze met hers.

His eyes were deep, as if sunken into an abyss.

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about—”

“You’ll find out soon. I’ll put everything back the way it was.”

What was it that he valued so dearly?

Why did he harbor such a grand dream—becoming emperor—just to protect it?

She couldn’t ask any more questions.

Right now, Aiden felt unfamiliar, as if he were wearing a mask.

“Let’s go.”

Aiden smiled lightly and gently tugged her hand.

As they walked down the hill, countless thoughts crossed her mind.

Because of that, her mood sank a little.

Why hadn’t he told her even once, despite carrying such heavy worries?

They were friends, at least in name—she could’ve listened to something like that.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? Ah, no, nothing really—ah!”

Startled, her feet tangled.

She fell backward onto the stone path in a clumsy heap.

“Ow….”

Elena groaned, her face scrunched up.

Her backside throbbed, and she’d scraped her leg a little.

“Are you okay?”

Aiden’s eyes widened in alarm as he hurried to check on her.

“Yeah. Aside from my butt hurting, I’m fine.”

“What do you mean fine? Come here. Get on my back.”

“No, it’s okay. There’s no need to carry me—”

“If I tell you to get on, then get on. Hurry.”

With a short sigh, Elena reluctantly climbed onto his back.

At some point, his back had grown broad—solid and reliable.

“You’re a man now, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tsk. You’ve really grown.”

Smiling contentedly, Elena started smacking his back playfully.

He flinched and shook his shoulders, annoyed and clearly in pain.

“Hey, that hurts! Stop it!”

“You’ve got a very satisfying back to hit.”

“You’re such a pervert….”

“What? What did you just say—pervert?”

When the enraged Elena jabbed his shoulder blade with her knuckles, Aiden screamed like he was about to die.

“O-Okay! I’m sorry! Sorry! I’m sorry!”

He struggled indignantly, brows furrowed.

Honestly, being together like this was always fun.

Just as they reached the villa at the bottom of the hill—

“But what’s that?”

Something that looked like a statue came into view in the distance.

Elena shaped her hands like binoculars and squinted through them.

It was emitting a dreadful black aura—like a demon incarnate.

“Are there demons in this world too?”

“What are you talking about… hyung?”

“…What?”

She was screwed.

Completely screwed.

She’d forgotten he was here with them.

How had she even survived this long with a brain this stupid?

“Aiden… put me down. Now.”

“Why? Ele—!”

Getting down now felt like her survival chances were higher than staying on his back.

She knew better than to provoke that man for no reason.

Her heart pounded wildly.

Her mouth went dry, her head spun—it felt like she was hearing things.

The closer they got, the more her legs trembled until she could barely walk.

“What do I do… what do I do….”

“What’s wrong? You said your legs hurt, that’s why I’m carrying you.”

Aiden, please, stop saying clueless things.

That kind of excuse wouldn’t work on him.

Ten more steps until contact. At this pace—about seven seconds.

She forced the corners of her mouth up into a smile.

But his expression was stiff, like someone chewing on something unpleasant.

“Haha… hi? Karus, long time no see?”

At this point, it was all or nothing.

Elena plastered on a shameless smile and greeted him brightly.

“You look like you’re in a good mood.”

A sinister aura radiated from him.

Like a witch living alone in an abandoned mountain villa.

“Not at all. I feel terrible. Let’s go inside.”

Elena tightly grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the front door.

But the arm draped over her shoulder was so heavy—

She couldn’t tell if she was dragging him or being dragged.

“You go in first.”

He stopped Aiden from entering with them.

Then he nodded toward the door at Elena.

“No, let’s go in togeth—”

“Go. Inside. Now.”

His voice was icy enough to kill someone.

Aiden sighed deeply and spoke up.

“Hyung, there are people here. If you want to talk, do it inside.”

“Stay out of this. Elena, go in.”

“…Okay.”

Bang—

Elena glanced back at them uneasily before stepping inside.

The gray iron door slammed shut, as rough as the emotions it reflected.

“What are you trying to pull?”

“What?”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Decarus’s fist, clenched so tightly his nails dug in, trembled faintly.

Hot breaths leaked from between his tightly pressed lips, as if suppressing rage.

“She fell, so I carried her. I couldn’t just leave someone who was hurt.”

“Even so!”

Decarus shouted, exhaling forcefully from deep in his abdomen.

The air that had been calm rippled violently between them.

“Noah. No matter how much you’re my brother, there are lines you don’t cross.”

He ground his teeth hard enough to make a sound.

His rapidly blinking eyes and trembling voice laid bare his fury.

Noah lowered his head, staring at the ground, visibly deflated.

He didn’t want to treat his beloved brother like this.

But this time, he had truly crossed the line.

“…Ha.”

Decarus roughly ran a large hand through his hair.

The strong sea wind swept through it like dark waves.

“Let’s go. We’ll eat dinner and—”

Tap—

The moment he grabbed Noah’s shoulder, his hand was flung aside by a powerful recoil.

Decarus stared quietly at his rejected hand.

“A line?”

Noah looked straight at him, smiling coldly.

“You crossed it first, hyung.”

“…What?”

Decarus stood there with an expression he’d never worn before.

It was strange—eerily reminiscent of the Empress.

“You took her from me.”

Noah’s trembling lips twisted into a grotesque smile.

“You stole Elena from me. Isn’t that right?”

“…….”

“The one who started this wasn’t me. It was you.”

The chilling sea wind sliced across their skin like blades.

In his ears echoed the screeching sound of a street musician’s broken violin.

“You already have everything. So why do you covet what’s mine too?”

“…….”

“Why are you trying to take even the last thing I have left?”

His face was distorted like patchwork clay.

Unstable, as if it might collapse at any moment.

“What are you even—”

“I like you, hyung. So why do I keep hating you more and more?”

“…….”

“The brother I admired more than anyone—I hate him now. He’s disgusting. I wish he’d disappear.”

“Noah….”

His eyes, shot through with red veins, were filled only with resentment and hatred.

His trembling lips were tinged bluish rather than red.

“I want to kill you with these hands.”

“…….”

Decarus simply stared at him, silent.

His eyes didn’t tremble at all—like glass eyes set into a doll.

“You can stop pretending to be kind. It’s nauseating.”

Bathed in the sunset, he looked like a fallen angel.

His pale skin stained red resembled a murderous demon drenched in blood.

The smile on his lips was like a black rose in bloom—bristling with thorns.

“What, are you shocked?”

“…….”

“Because your cute, gentle little brother turned out like this?”

Noah tilted his head and laughed like a clown.

The misty voice whispering by his ear felt like it belonged to someone else.

“I want you to suffer more. To hurt more.”

His expression shifted freely, like a broken doll.

“I want to take everything from you. Push you into the depths of hell and destroy you.”

“…Who are you?”

Noah’s body trembled as he barely restrained the laughter bubbling up.

“You already know, hyung. Why do you keep looking away?”

The hand covering his mouth dropped to Decarus’s shoulder.

He clenched his fist, wrinkling the stiff white shirt.

Scoffing at Decarus’s unchanging expression, Noah sneered.

“I didn’t know you treasured me that much.”

“Say it yourself—”

Decarus clenched his fist until his nails bit into his palm.

The surrounding noise faded.

His mind went pitch black, like an old nightmare resurfacing.

The street musician’s violin rang painfully in his ears.

“Where should I start? I have so many names. Noah. Crown Prince. Murderer. And…”

“…….”

“Aiden.”

The ominous feeling was right, as always.

It had been the same when his parents died.

But he hoped—just this once—that it wouldn’t be.

That all of this was nothing more than a cruel joke by the gods.

“Heh… you’re not even surprised? How much did you already know?”

Noah crossed his arms, smiling leisurely.

“You’re incredible, hyung. I’d probably want to kill myself if I were you.”

“…….”

“Now I understand how much you love me. I’m almost touched.”

He leaned in mockingly.

That playful smile, like a child’s, made him look just like the innocent Noah of old.

“Hyung?”

He felt hollow, like all emotion had drained away.

Anger, sadness, despair—he couldn’t feel any of it.

“Say something. Are you so shocked you can’t even speak?”

“Who put you up to this?”

“Ha….”

Noah clutched his stomach and laughed incredulously.

His body shook as if he’d lost his mind.

“What, is that your way of pardoning me till the very end? Am I really that precious to you?”

“…….”

“You still like me even after I stabbed you in the back?”

He mimed plunging a knife into his chest, smiling eerily.

The curse-doll grin burned itself into his mind.

“Wow. Such tear-jerking brotherly love.”

“…….”

“Would things change if we talked about Elena?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Decarus ground his teeth and glared at him.

His expression looked ready to kill.

Noah recoiled slightly in shock.

“What, now you finally want to kill me? Because of El—”

Shing—

In an instant.

Decarus drew the long sword from his waist and pressed it to Noah’s neck.

The cold sea wind swept between them.

“Yes. This is more like it. Don’t you think?”

Even now, Noah spoke calmly.

“I’ll do anything for Elena. Even if it costs me my life.”

“…….”

“I’m not just going to sit back and watch anymore.”

“Ah… what do I do….”

She couldn’t stop worrying about the two men she’d left outside.

She couldn’t even imagine what they were talking about.

She should’ve stayed alert from the start.

Of course he’d be here—it was obvious.

Her careless mistake only put Aiden in a difficult position.

“Haah… I’m such an idiot.”

Elena rolled around, clutching her head.

The fact that she nearly fell off the bed was a secret.

“He’s not going to hit Aiden or anything, right?”

Yeah. That man had a brain, too.

There was no way he’d just start hitting people.

A rational, intelligent adult wouldn’t do something like that.

“Yeah. No way he would—”

Creeeak—

The door sound shattered the silence.

“Karus….”

Speak of the devil.

You really are no gentleman.

Elena greeted him with an overly bright smile, her eyes and mouth nearly touching.

“You’re back?”

“Come out.”

“What?”

In an instant, he scooped her up from the bed.

She wrapped her arms around his neck to avoid falling.

“What—what are you doing?!”

“We’re going back.”

“What? Going back?”

Going back?

Where?

Don’t tell me… home?

“Back where?! We’ve barely just arrived—!”

Without a word, he grabbed the luggage with one hand and headed outside.

His expression was grim, as if something serious had happened.

“Did you… fight with His Highness?”

He stayed silent, descending the stairs.

“Say something! Did you fight him? Why are you acting like this? What about the Crown Prince?!”

“…….”

“What happened? You have to tell me so I know!”

“From now on, Noah is a forbidden topic.”

“What?! Hey!!!”

She pounded his solid chest, but he didn’t budge.

If anything, he seemed to grow even more rigid.

“What is wrong with you?!”