Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 165
“All I can give you is an opportunity. If you don’t have the skills, you won’t be able to seize it.”
To become an imperial guard, Harrison needed to be a citizen of the Green Windsor Empire, not the Brubewein Kingdom.
Harrison stayed behind at the lord’s manor, now populated only by those loyal to Keith, training his body. Keith was an elusive figure, appearing suddenly for a few days and then disappearing for months at a time.
When Harrison entered his early teens, Keith decided that he could leave him alone for a while and took him to the Brubewein Kingdom.
The Brubewein noble who had taken in and raised the twins had little interest in Keith, but his attention toward Kaitlyn was significant. Even though the favoritism was blatant, Keith didn’t seem to care.
“Why did you bring that traitor along, Keith?!”
“Harrison isn’t a traitor, Kaitlyn.”
“How can you say that?! You know whose son he is! It wouldn’t be enough to rip him apart…”
“He’s Betty’s son.”
“…”
“If it weren’t for Betty, we wouldn’t have known and wouldn’t have escaped that night. What could Harrison have done, being younger than us? Do you think a powerless child should be called a traitor just for surviving?”
“But…”
“If you’re that unhappy, I’ll arrange for Harrison to have separate lodgings. But I’ll leave too. Is that what you want?”
Kaitlyn, though stubborn and wild, had a soft spot when it came to her twin brother. She wouldn’t listen to anyone else, but she had a hard time resisting Keith’s will when he pushed back.
Keith was the same. He thought his twin sister was childish, but he was willing to do anything for her. For the twins, each other was their world, their treasure, their everything.
At least, that’s how it seemed to Harrison.
Living in the Brubewein Kingdom was easier for Harrison than living in the manor, which had become nothing more than a house full of living corpses.
Harrison trained under the mentor Keith had assigned to him, occasionally taking part in real missions to steadily build his skills. During this time, he had a brief romantic relationship with Kaitlyn. Keith knew, but never said anything.
Kaitlyn was charming, but Harrison had never imagined a future where he married her. It was a brief fling.
Though there had been physical intimacy, they had never gone all the way. Kaitlyn would have to marry properly one day.
And from the start, Harrison’s stay in the Brubewein Kingdom had been limited to two years. He had been building his skills there with the intent to leave for the Green Windsor Empire after those two years.
“If you don’t want to go, you can refuse, Harrison.”
“Why? It was decided from the beginning.”
“I thought Kaitlyn might cry.”
“She just played around with me for a while. She’ll forget about me soon.”
“So, you were just going along with it too?”
“I couldn’t turn her down—she’s your twin.”
“…”
“It’s no big deal.”
If anything, the fact that Keith was giving him a chance to refuse made Harrison feel even more disappointed and anxious.
Harrison informed Kaitlyn of their breakup and left for the Green Windsor Empire. Though Kaitlyn initially expressed her displeasure, Harrison’s firm attitude eventually made her lash out in anger, yelling at him to leave.
Keith had provided Harrison with the perfect environment and opportunity. He had manipulated events so masterfully that Harrison hadn’t even realized he was being planted there, and everything had been set up without a hitch.
No one could suspect anything unusual about Harrison’s journey to becoming an imperial guard. He had spent time working through all the proper channels and put in immense effort. To others, it would seem like a well-earned achievement.
This was the difference between Keith and Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn liked to flaunt her power and crush those beneath her with it. Keith, on the other hand, preferred to subtly manipulate events, blending the real with the fake without revealing his hand, while orchestrating everything according to his will.
Thanks to Keith’s assistance, Harrison smoothly joined the imperial guard.
