Chapter 55
The place Kaiden headed to was some tower.
At a glance, it was a dizzying height that would clearly take quite some time to reach the top.
“You’re not planning to climb that, are you?”
“Yes.”
Despite Reina’s flustered voice, Kaiden entered the entrance without hesitation.
Countless spiral stairs stretched on endlessly, but he ascended without even disrupting his breath once.
As he had said, with her pace, she wouldn’t have made it far before stopping.
Already, stragglers were scattered along the stairs, panting and resting.
Reina asked subtly.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He replied calmly, as if this were nothing at all.
Being a man who underwent intense training, climbing stairs like these must be easy for him.
‘What on earth is up there that he’s rushing like this?’
Beep beep beep.
Ritsi fluttered its wings with a whoosh and sang a cheer song.
“You’re distracting me.”
Kaiden waved his hand irritably, as if annoyed, and Ritsi cried out “Piu!” before landing on Reina’s head.
How far had they climbed? In the distance, light appeared above the long stretch of stairs.
“I see the exit up there.”
Reina gestured happily, and Kaiden moved even faster.
And the moment they ascended all the stairs.
Dong— Dong—
The bell tolled the hour, and a hymn rang out from the clock tower.
And the scene unfolding before their eyes was beyond imagination.
“Wow.”
Reina let out an exclamation.
Just then, the sky at sunset was dyed in pink hues.
From beneath the tall spire, the city of Letter spread out at a glance. It felt just like standing at the summit of a mountain.
And not far away, Crencia Castle boasted its majestic form.
The sun setting leisurely behind the castle was a wondrous sight.
“Put me down.”
Hearing Reina’s low murmur, Kaiden lowered his body.
As if waiting for it, she hopped down from his back and extended her hand.
“Let’s go closer and take a look.”
Her flushed cheeks looked incredibly excited.
Her sparkling eyes seemed to shine even brighter when beholding something beautiful.
That’s why he kept wanting to show her good things.
Kaiden, seeing her glow like that, took her hand. Reina led him forward.
He stared blankly at Reina’s back.
“They say couples who swear their love at the clock tower last forever. I don’t know about other places, but make sure to stop by there. Got it?”
“That’s just a superstition made up by merchants. If love lasted because of stuff like that, there wouldn’t be any divorced couples or broken-up pairs in the world.”
“No, who doesn’t know that? Love is about doing it even when you know it’s a superstition. Plus, the sunset from the clock tower is incredibly beautiful, right? They say it can even create love where there was none!”
He had come because he couldn’t resist Aiden’s nagging.
“It’s so beautiful.”
But seeing Reina enjoying it so much now, he thought it was good that he had listened to his younger brother.
And right at this moment, he wanted to believe in that superstition he had thought was foolish.
His lips impulsively called out to her.
“Reina.”
“Yes?”
Reina turned around, pausing from watching the fading sky.
In that instant, as if he had been waiting, Kaiden fastened a bracelet onto her hand.
Click.
With the sound of metal clinking, Reina’s gaze turned downward.
“This is….”
“It’s a birthday present.”
“…….”
“It’s late, but will you accept it?”
Reina gazed intently at the gold bracelet fastened on her wrist.
The bracelet was embedded with a purple gem.
A beautiful shade resembling the color of Kaiden’s eyes.
That’s why it appealed to her even more.
Was it because she had received a gift she hadn’t expected?
Her heart seemed to beat a little faster.
“Thank you.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. Especially this gem—it’s just like you, so I love it.”
“It’s a magic tool specially crafted with a magic stone, so always keep it on you. In an emergency, press the gem, and it’s designed to warp you right to where I am.”
“Is that possible?”
“I infused it with aura as well.”
Kaiden revealed that he had a bracelet of the same design on his own arm.
His bracelet bore a blue hue, mirroring the color of her eyes.
It seemed the bracelets were a matching pair.
“They’re the same.”
“Yes. Having a medium makes activation easier.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
It was a couple’s bracelet, created purely out of Kaiden’s own desires.
Reina fiddled with the bracelet as she murmured.
“It feels so reassuring. …It also feels like you’re always with me.”
“Together…….”
“There probably isn’t anyone who’s received a better gift than this.”
Reina expressed her gratitude with all her heart.
As Aiden had said, gifts were always the right choice.
Kaiden, as if he’d been waiting, gently pressed his lips to the back of her hand.
“!”
At the sudden contact, the back of Reina’s hand trembled faintly.
Holding it steady, he gazed at her.
“I will be your faithful husband. Wherever you go, I’ll be there with you.”
“…….”
“I’ll do everything I can so you won’t regret coming here.”
Lips that lightly touched and then parted.
Even more intensely clinging purple eyes.
Followed by a solemn vow.
All of it captured her gaze so completely.
It felt as if the scenery she had been lost in just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
Only Kaiden stood out in sharp clarity.
“……Regret?”
With him, her world always became bright, warm, and certain.
After days that felt like wandering through darkness, she had finally met her sun.
Reina could declare it without hesitation.
Meeting him was one of the rare fortunes in her life.
“I’ve never once regretted coming here, Kaiden.”
Reina’s voice quivered softly.
It was because a whirlwind of complex emotions had choked her throat.
Swallowing back her tears, Reina smiled.
“On the contrary, I’m only grateful to you. Look at this even now. You’re always giving me only the good things.”
“What’s the big deal about this.”
“These little things are like miracles to me.”
Yes. There was no other way to describe this situation but as a miracle.
The butterfly effect sparked by her small actions was gradually freeing her from hell.
“Kaiden, you are a miraculous gift to me.”
Did he know?
What each day here meant to her.
And thus, how desperate this confession truly was.
He would never know.
Before long, the sun had fully dipped below the horizon.
Just as darkness seemed to swallow the surroundings, torches ignited around the tower.
The spot where that fleeting darkness had passed was now filled with a soft glow.
In the midst of it, what Kaiden held in his eyes was Reina alone.
She didn’t know.
The feelings with which he had made such a confession.
What her words just now meant to him.
“That’s the same for me, Reina.”
Even if she never knew, he would remember this moment forever.
* * *
The external merchant groups that began visiting the north on a regular basis were not limited to the Hook Merchant Group alone.
The north served as the empire’s frontline defensive barrier.
Once, to subdue the endlessly appearing monsters and protect the good people of the north, there had been no choice but to restrict the entry of outsiders.
The problem was that the north was a barren land, ill-suited for self-sufficient production of necessary supplies.
Thus, using the provision of goods as a pretext, the imperial family had relentlessly kept the north in check.
Three years ago, during the famine, they had sent far less aid than to other regions—all for that very reason.
There was nothing as petty as toying with people’s food.
After that, Kaiden had felt the need to overhaul the existing system.
The north was barren for farming, yet it was rich in rare resources.
This was incredibly appealing to merchants, and Kaiden had targeted that very point.
If bartering could proceed smoothly, there would be no need to depend on the imperial family’s assistance.
Afterward, Kaiden established safe overland routes.
It was around that time that he began procuring grains by forging direct ties with select merchant groups through rigorous vetting.
Among them, the Hook Merchant Group’s proactive involvement had been an unexpected stroke of good fortune.
