Chapter 79: The complications in a relationship
*clack* *clack*
Sharp wooden impacts echoed across the training ground as Klein and Evelyne moved against each other at a steady pace, their weapons colliding again and again with controlled force.
Klein stepped forward with a short thrust, his wooden spear cutting cleanly toward her midsection.
But Evelyne reacted instantly, shifting her stance as her wooden sword angled downward, deflecting the strike with precise timing before she pivoted to the side and countered with a swift horizontal slash aimed at his ribs.
Clack!
Klein intercepted it with the shaft of his spear, the impact sliding off as he redirected the force and adjusting his left feet subtly against the ground as he maintained balance and control.
"You’ve become quite the center of attention," Evelyne said as she pressed forward again.
Klein stepped in and parried her attacks.
"Every major power in the Human Domain has taken notice of you after yesterday."
Clack-!
Their weapons collided once more and the distance between them shrank as they entered a tighter exchange.
"The military is already gathering information," she added, shifting her grip slightly as she twisted her blade to slide along his spear and attempted to break his guard.
Klein countered by rotating the shaft, locking her movement for a second before pushing her weapon away and stepping to her flank.
"The Duke Houses won’t stay quiet either," Evelyne continued, turning sharply to keep him in front of her.
Clack! Clack!
Klein stepped in and their weapons locked briefly as he angled his spear downward, stopping her follow-up before it could fully form.
She pushed back against him with their faces only a short distance apart.
For a moment, they paused.
But then Klein twisted his body and his spear slipped past her guard in a smooth motion, stopping just short of her neck.
The wind passed lightly between them.
Evelyne exhaled softly and her grip loosened as she looked at the wooden spear resting near her throat, then back at him.
"Yesterday my father called me."
Klein pulled back his spear with a faint smile "To ask about me?"
Evelyne nodded, "He asked me to talk to you... and do anything necessary to bring you into our house."
"He was even willing to give Julia into your hand for marriage."
The faint smile on his lips slowly disappeared "If I could, I’d beat your father to a pulp for using his daughters as political tools."
Evelyne let out a soft breath, her eyes lowering slightly "...I figured you’d say that,"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the hilt of her wooden sword as she looked away for a moment, the faint breeze brushing past her hair before she spoke again.
"But that’s just how things are for families like mine, alliances aren’t built on feelings... they’re built on value."
Klein frowned slightly at that, and his gaze narrowed as a thought crossed his mind.
"...Does Julia even know about this?"
Evelyne paused for a brief moment before shaking her head, "I don’t know. Father didn’t mention telling her... so I doubt it."
A thoughtful look appeared on his face as his eyes drifted slightly, thinking about the best way to deal with them without letting things spiral into something more troublesome.
’...Annoying.’
Before he could think further, Evelyne stepped forward and gently took his hand.
Klein blinked once, caught slightly off guard by the unexpected contact as his attention snapped back to her.
"You’re not planning on marrying my sister Julia, right?" She asked, and her voice was no longer as composed as before, a faint hesitation slipping into her words as her eyes met his directly.
"I know she’s younger than me who is around your age..." she muttered as a faint blush began to color her cheeks.
For a second, she hesitated.
Then, as if gathering her courage, she tightened her hold on his hand just a little.
"... but I proposed first."
Klein looked at her for a moment and couldn’t help but smile "I’m not going to marry your sister like that."
Evelyne’s shoulders relaxed slightly at that "...I see."
He sighed in his heart ’As long as I stay neutral and don’t pick a side, they all will keep annoying me.’
His gaze flickered back to Evelyne ’The Langford family...’
Powerful, influential, and one of the Duke Houses.
Not a bad option.
And Evelyne herself isn’t someone he disliked.
’...It might be better to accept her proposal.’
’And if I am going to be serious about her, I should tell her everything.’
Klein remained silent for a moment after that, "...I forgot to mention something,"
Evelyne glanced up at him "What?"
"...I already have two girlfriends."
For a second, she didn’t react as it took a second for her to process it.
"...What?"
Her eyes widened slightly and her grip tightened around his hand without her realizing it as she stared at him, trying to figure out if she had misheard him.
"You have... what?"
The silence between them stretched for a moment as the meaning fully sank in, and the faint blush on her cheeks disappeared, replaced by pure shock.
"...Two?" she repeated in disbelief as her brows furrowed.
But then she remembered something.
"...Wait," Her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Are you talking about the two women who were with you during the awakening ceremony?"
Klein gave a faint nod.
Evelyne’s eyes widened again, "I thought they were your sisters since they looked older than you and were protective."
"...They weren’t?"
With a shake of his head, he replied "No, they are my girlfriends. So... I thought, since you proposed, you should know what you’re getting into."
"I am sorry if you think I was intentionally hiding it from you till now."
Evelyne exhaled slowly, lifting her free hand to her temple for a moment as if steadying herself.
Her eyes lowered slightly for a moment before lifting again, "...Then that means, if I were to stand beside you..."
"...I wouldn’t be the only one."
Seeing her reaction, Klein sighed in his heart.
It is expected since no woman would just casually share her man with others.
Arwen accepted Cynthia only because the three of them grew up together and their bond formed long before their feelings became complicated.
And even then, it wasn’t something simple; it took time and understanding.
As for Elfaria...
Klein’s eyes softened slightly for a brief moment.
She was different.
She loves him in a way that defied reason, in a way that ignored everything else, caring only about being by his side, even if it meant sharing him.
Elfaria just loves him to death... quite literally.
But Evelyne-
She isn’t like them.
She has only known him for a few weeks.
What she felt wasn’t love.
Not yet.
Maybe not even close.
So why would she accept something like this?
Why would she willingly step into something so complicated, so unfair, for someone she barely knew?
The answer was obvious.
Klein exhaled slowly and looked at her with a warm smile "You don’t have to force yourself, Evelyne."
"This isn’t something you should accept just because it’s convenient.
"And it’s definitely not something you should accept because of your family."
A brief silence passed between them.
"If you choose this, it should be because you want it."
"Not because of political pressure or any other factors... just because you want it."
Evelyne stood there quietly, his words settling in as her gaze lowered once again, weighing everything far more carefully now than before.
The earlier boldness in her proposal faded.
Replaced by something deeper and real.
"You’re right," she said softly after a while.
"...I need to think too."
*creek*
At that moment, the door to the training ground creaked open, drawing both Klein and Evelyne’s attention as they instinctively turned toward the entrance.
Liora walked in slowly, but something was off.
Her usual energetic presence was gone as she walked in sluggishly with messy hair and bags under her eyes.
Klein tilted his head in confusion "Liora... what happened? You look like you barely slept."
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she kept walking forward at that same slow, unsteady pace until she stopped right in front of them.
She slowly raised her gaze to look at Klein.
The moment her eyes met his, her body stiffened.
*flash*
That cursed image from last night suddenly flashed in her mind with perfect clarity as she imagined Klein standing in front of her naked.
Her face turned completely red in an instant as her brain short-circuited under the sheer embarrassment.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
A loud scream tore out of her throat as she turned around immediately, not even giving them a second glance before sprinting out of the training ground at full speed like she was running for her life.
*thud* The door slammed shut behind her.
Silence filled the entire area.
Klein: -_-
"...What?"
A brief pause passed as he processed what just happened.
Then his expression flattened even more.
"...Did she just scream after looking at me?"
Evelyne blinked once, clearly just as confused as she looked between the door and Klein.
"...I’m not sure if I should be concerned,"
Klein let out a quiet breath as he shook his head faintly.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
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