Chapter 90: Three of Us [Erik]
[Erik''s Perspective of the Past Life]
When I was young, I met a boy who looked almost identically to me except for his ck hair and deep
scowl. I tried fixing his scowling eyebrows with my fingers. He attacked me like a rabid animal right
afterwards. Needless to say, our first impressions were downright awful.
I still feltpelled to meet this child often. I found outter that he was my cousin named Garett from
my mother''s side. He was different to me despite us sharing one face, so I audaciously suggested that
we trade ces once in a while. I thought he would refuse, but he epted right away against all of my
expectations.
Twice a week, we exchanged clothes and began living in each other''s home. He was incredibly smart
and offered to take some of my tests in politics and world history, while I took the physical sses and
yed music with various instruments as awful as I sounded. He said that he wanted to expand his
knowledge by exploring the Royal Castle''s Library like a true study-bug.
At Garett''s house, his room was surrounded by books like a Library. He was also allowed to eat high
ss meals with loads of meat and desserts. It was arge step-up from my meals that mostly
consisted of hard bread and warm soup to mimic Commoner food. I enjoyed the refined cuisine.
There were plenty of servants around like my home, but I noticed that his parents were never around
much. When I asked Garett about it, he just vaguely answered that they were out often, but I knew that
there was a restricted wing of Garett''s manor that I was not allowed to explore. That area obviously
belonged to someone, but I did not dare ask who it was for.
asionally, I would see Garett''s father Marquis Alvine home. He would sometimes lift me in the
air as if to check my weight and put me down on the ground after a few seconds ofplete silence. I
asked what that was about with Garett and he said that it was part of some weird ritual every time he
Even though he was a man of few words, he one day said to me while holding me up in the air, "You
have gotten fat..."
I traded ces with Garett the next day and quickly worked especially hard on exercising.
That was our life for the next several years.
When I told him about my fiancée, he suddenly said that he wanted to stop switching ces. I agreed
because we were no longer at the age to continue our antics as boys anymore, but once in a while, I
still requested that he exchange ces when I needed him to. He agreed since these exchanges would
happen less frequently.
All in all, I thought he was a decent guy. Despite having good grades and looks simr to mine that
were hidden behind his sses, I thought it was a bit strange for him to not have any girls interested
him.
It was until I saw him interacting with one, namely my fiancée Arielle, that I understood why. He was
terribly sharp and mean and would re at all girls who came close to him. It was the same with Arielle
who had known him the longest. Arielle was no pushover and would often stand her ground against
him. I would constantly worry if there was going to be a bloodbath between them one of these days.
When I asked him what kind of girl he liked, he answered that he liked a mean girl. I assumed that it
meant he was the type of man who liked being abused and never asked about his preferences again.
Garett never looked at another woman. During our school days, he often stared at my fiancée. I
thought that it was his way of watching out for her and never thought more about it since they would
argue every time, they met eyes with each other.
Arielle was a sweet girl and was respectful whenever she would talk to me but would turn lively the
moment she argued with Garett. Some people had warned me that my fiancée seemed a bit close to
Garett. I told those people all off saying that no one had the right to butt in our rtionship if they did
not know one thing about us. The rumors only got worse when Arielle entered the Royal Castle as my
Crown Princess in training.
The two were extremely busy and had almost no time to ever meet. It was I who would forcibly bring
those two together to meet whether it be for Arielle''s dance lessons or for lunch. I enjoyed seeing my
favorite two people interact. I was oblivious to the fact that my actions only hurt Garett who was already
receiving scrutiny for being close to me.
"Garett, there are rumors that you are involved with my fiancée Arielle," I said to him one day.
Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
I was not confronting him but brought it up anyways because I was curious about where the rumors
originated from.
"That is ridiculous! I would never dare touch your fiancée," Garett denied vehemently.
Curious as I was, I probably should have stopped there...
"Do you have feelings for Arielle?" I asked.
The one person I considered more than a friend and almost like a brother showed me an honest face
that could not hide his feelings.
This person betrayed me by having feelings for my fiancée...
"I have never once touched your fiancée...However, I have been irrefutably in love with her ever since
we were children," he admitted.
"You do realize that I am on the verge of getting married. In less than a few days, Arielle will be my wife
and one day Queen!" I shouted at him.
Did he intend to hold such feelings towards her until we were married and had children together?
"...I never wanted either of you two to know my feelings, but if I am causing both of you pain, I would
rather leave now," he said.
"...If Arielle feels the same way, I won''t stop either of you because both of you are important to me too,"
I said.
Right before my wedding, Garett threw away his position and left without saying one word to either
Arielle or me.
I think I felt sorer about how he chose to live in pain silently all these years. I felt guilty that I had been
showing off my love for Arielle in front of him without knowing that he had an unrequited love for her.
He even chose to live a lonely life and abandoned his position for the both of us.
I had to watch Arielle feel sad about Garett not attending our wedding without telling her that it was me
who sent him away.
Just like that, I got married withplicated and bitter feelings.
My marriage with Arielle was like a dream. I loved her and she returned my feelings. She dutifully took
over what I could not do by myself and handled everything perfectly. There were sometimes that I
would see Garett in her. The two were more simr than I thought in the way they approached things to
their thoughts and actions. I felt as though Garett probably understood Arielle more than I ever could
and that made me lonely.
Half a yearter, all the three of us reunited at the garrison Garett retreated to.
Not long after our reunion, Arielle was kidnapped by traitors of the kingdom. I could not go after her
because of my position. The one who offered to go save her at the possible cost of his own life was
Garett. In the end, only one person returned, and that person was Arielle.
I was given a list of hostages The Balik Empire procured with one of the names belonging to Garett. I
met with the hostages personally and truly saw that Garett had fallen in the hands of the enemy
kingdom. The ransom they requested in return was a document that detailed how to make ancient
weapons that could be used for mass killing.
Garett understood that I could not give that document to a hostile kingdom and smiled as he mouthed
the words "Take care of her" before being dragged away.
I wanted to save him. All I could hope was that I could find a way to save him, but there was a chance
that I would fail.
Iter told Arielle about my decision of abandoning Garett as he would have wanted it. She understood
my intentions but could not ept it in her heart, so she painfully told me that she hated me.
I became a viin in her heart that day...