Hiding My Identity From My Husband — Chapter 18

NGH...!!

I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE... I'M GOING TO GET EATEN ALIVE...!

AAH!!

A GUN? COULD LOU VANSEL HAVE COME TO RESCUE ME...?

UGH... DID ALL THAT TENSION FINALLY CATCH UP WITH ME? I CAN BARELY MOVE...

CHARLES!!

CHARLES! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

WAKE UP!

THEO, ARE YOU OKAY?! ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE?

HEY! THERE'S SOMEONE BLEEDING OUT RIGHT HERE,

AND YOU'RE CHECKING THE WRONG END!

B-BUT... I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO...!

THEN GO GET SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP!

AUNTIE, SHE HELPED ME...

I ALMOST GOT EATEN BY A CROCODILE...

MISS CHARLES ENDED UP SAVING THEO FROM THOSE CROCODILES...?

AND I JUST STOOD THERE, SHAKING LIKE A COWARD...!

HOLD ON JUST A LITTLE LONGER!

I'LL GET THEO BACK, THEN FETCH A DOCTOR!

NGH...

CHARLES...! ARE YOU AWAKE?

IS THE CHILD... SAFE...?

HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO THINK OF YOURSELF FIRST?

You're both exactly the same!

BUT... IF I HADN'T STEPPED IN, SOMETHING AWFUL MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED...

THERE WAS BLOOD ON THE SNACK THE CHILD WAS CARRYING.

NO ONE WOULD SELL SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN A PARK...

THIS MAY HAVE BEEN ANOTHER ATTACK BY SOMEONE TARGETING THE NOBLE FAMILY

...ENOUGH.

I UNDERSTAND. NOW STOP TALKING ABOUT WORK AND GET SOME REST.

THE CHILD IS SAFE. THE NANNIES SHOULD'VE TAKEN THE CHILD BACK BY NOW.

YEAH... THAT'S A RELIEF...

I'M SORRY TO TROUBLE YOU AGAIN, BUT...

I'M EXHAUSTED. I'M GOING TO CLOSE MY EYES FOR A BIT...

PLEASE HANDLE THINGS FROM HERE.

...HAAAH.

CHARLES, YOU...

WHY CAN'T SHE EVER TURN AWAY WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS IN DANGER...?

I FIRST MET CHARLES AT THE GUARDIAN INITIATION CEREMONY.

AS THE TOP-RANKED ENTRANT, I WAS PREPARING MY SPEECH,

AND THE PRESSURE WAS GETTING TO ME.

MY ADOPTIVE FATHER WAS THE HIGH PRIEST OF THE HOLY KINGDOM.

HE HAD FOUND ME ABANDONED IN THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS WHEN I WAS A CHILD, THEN RAISED ME AS HIS OWN,

BUT HE NEVER GAVE ME A FATHER'S LOVE.

YOU'RE THE TOP-RANKED ENTRANT... NOW PROVE IT TO EVERYONE.

PROVE THAT YOU WERE RAISED BY ME AND THAT YOU NEVER MAKE MISTAKES.

ALL HE WANTED WAS A PERFECT CHILD WHO WOULD NEVER TARNISH HIS REPUTATION.

I WAS TRYING TO STEADY MY INCREASINGLY RAGGED BREATHING WHEN€"

EXCUSE ME... ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?

CHARLES OR RATHER, SHARIN CAME OVER TO ME.

YOU LOOK NERVOUS. HERE, USE THIS.

BREATHE INTO IT. IT'LL HELP YOU CALM DOWN.

THANK YOU...

SLOW BREATHS. IN... AND OUT.

I KNOW THE FEELING. I GET LIKE THAT ALL THE TIME.

BY THE WAY, YOU'RE THIS YEAR'S TOP-RANKED ENTRANT, AREN'T YOU, VANSEL?

SO YOU MUST BE THE MOST TALENTED PERSON HERE, RIGHT?

IF IT'S THE SPEECH YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT, DON'T BE.

SAY WHATEVER YOU WANT. THEY'LL LISTEN.

SHE WAS SO KIND.

KIND ENOUGH TO SHOW EXTRAORDINARY WARMTH TO A COMPLETE STRANGER.

I...

YOUR NAME IS...

THE GUARDIAN INITIATION CEREMONY WILL BEGIN SHORTLY. EVERYONE, PLEASE GATHER IN THE AUDITORIUM.

OH, I SHOULD GET BACK TO MY SEAT.

I'LL SEE YOU AROUND! TAKE CARE, AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR INTERVIEW!

AT THE TIME, THIS WAS WHAT I THOUGHT OF HER.

UNLIKE ME, SHE HAD LIVED A LIFE FILLED WITH LIGHT,

AND HAD LEARNED HOW TO SHARE THAT LIGHT WITH OTHERS.

BUT

I DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE PARENTS.

WHEN I WAS LITTLE, I LIVED IN ONE OF THE EMPIRE'S SLUMS.

I came to the Holy Kingdom just to survive.

THE PAST I HAPPENED TO LEARN ABOUT WASN'T NEARLY AS BRIGHT AS I'D IMAGINED.

SHARAN HAD GROWN UP IN CIRCUMSTANCES EVEN WORSE THAN MINE, YET SHE HAD LEARNED TO CARE ABOUT OTHERS.

YES, SHARAN WASA€"

THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ME.

IT DIDN'T TAKE ME LONG TO REALIZE...

THAT ALL HER KINDNESS WAS MEANT FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

MY BODY STILL HURTS...

Ah.. Lou.

WAS I OUT FOR LONG THIS TIME?

..ONLY A DAY.

YOU WERE BADLY HURT. OF COURSE YOU'RE IN PAIN.

AT LEAST I'M STILL ALIVE.

SHARAN, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, JUMPING IN LIKE THAT?

Hmm. I can move my hand just fine, too.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

I WAS SAVING THE CHILD. THAT'S ALL.

YOU NEARLY DIED FOR A CHILD YOU'D NEVER EVEN MET.

DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU ANGRY?

WHY WOULD IT?

I AM CURIOUS HOW THE CHILD ENDED UP WANDERING ONTO OUR GROUNDS ALONE, THOUGH...

SHARAN.

SHARAN ALWAYS...

EVER SINCE THE DAY I FIRST MET HER,

SHE HAS A WAY OF MAKING ME FEEL STRANGE ONE.

WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT...?

SHE HAS NO SENSE OF SELF-PRESERVATION,

AND KEEPS GETTING HURT TRYING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE.

SHE COMPLETELY CONTRADICTS EVERYTHING I WAS TAUGHT

THAT SURVIVAL MEANT STEPPING ON OTHERS.

AND YET, WHY CAN'T I STOP

WORRYING ABOUT THIS FOOLISH WOMAN?

SHARAN...

I.. I TRULY HATE YOU WHEN YOU'RE LIKE THIS, SHARAN.

I TRULY HATE THAT