Chapter 92
The night of my fake birthday grew deeper.
I tapped my glass repeatedly, flicking it lightly with my finger.
Gilda’s singing was excellent. Her clear voice soared effortlessly. Perhaps thanks to her gentle melody, the gang members drank more quietly than before.
Giselle asked if Grace was my lover.
I hesitated before answering. Of course, it wasn’t because Grace was actually my lover.
But calling Grace my lover… it seemed like it would help me keep some distance from Giselle.
"Grace is my..."
I spoke while watching Giselle. She was running her fingertip along the rim of her glass. Her fingers looked strangely sorrowful.
"...one of my business partners."
In that brief moment, I changed my mind. If Giselle was determined to ask, she would see right through a lie. It could unnecessarily complicate things.
"For just a business partner, you seem pretty close, don’t you?"
"She was an Imperial Guard cadet, so we think alike. She doesn’t get on my nerves like you do. She doesn’t interrogate me, either."
Giselle frowned at my words. She emptied her glass and then, insistently, poured more into mine.
I didn’t touch my glass.
"It’s your birthday drink from me. Drink it. Or are you saying you don’t want something I give you?"
Giselle looked like she might cry if I didn’t drink. For a moment, I was tempted to see her break down, but I forced that dark desire back into its cage.
I tilted my glass and emptied it.
"Now it’s my turn to ask. Why throw a fake birthday party all of a sudden? You even lied—was there a reason for all this?"
"I wanted to see you struggle. But it wasn’t as fun as I thought. You’re surprisingly social."
"Then it’s a half-success. I was struggling a lot at first. That’s all? You lied just for that and dragged me out here?"
I voiced my frustration, and Giselle snapped, grabbing my collar roughly.
"You lie to me all the time! So I can’t lie to you? Fine, you used me as bait—I’ll let that go. But later, you didn’t even bother to explain the situation properly. It felt like… like I was just a tool to you."
Still gripping me, Giselle lowered her head. Her shoulders trembled.
'We let Barbara go.'
Barbara was the root of Giselle’s anxiety. The witch’s obsession with her was chilling, even to me.
But Barbara had to be set free—for the Empire’s sake.
I couldn’t tell Giselle everything. That meant she wouldn’t understand why we let Barbara go.
"In the end, we’re all someone’s tool. You, me—everyone. If you hate being used… then gain the strength to get even. Stop being the one who gets used and start being the one who uses others. That’s what I intend to do."
"That’s not what I meant."
"It’s not all that different."
I grabbed Giselle’s hand and pried it off my collar.
"There’s another reason you let Barbara go, isn’t there? Something I’m not supposed to know."
"I already told you the reason back then. The deal was the best option. Cornering Barbara would’ve put us in danger, too. If she felt everything was falling apart, she might have just blown herself up."
I kept my stance until the end. It was the best way to keep Giselle safe.
"Yeah, you’re so damn brilliant, aren’t you?"
"It’s not like I’m wrong. Anyway, what were you talking about with Gilda for so long? You two just met."
I tried to change the subject. I was genuinely curious, too.
Giselle turned her gaze toward Gilda. Noticing our eyes on her, Gilda, who was still singing, gave us a playful wink.
"We just clicked while talking. Gilda has an incredible understanding of machines and cybernetics. She even knows about engineering. Honestly, it’s surprising she’s stuck in the lower districts with skills like that."
I already knew Gilda was skilled.
"She’s here because she was born here. There are plenty of mechanics as good as her in the upper districts. Being a little talented isn’t enough to climb up. You have to be exceptional."
I doused her excitement like cold water. But it was the truth.
"Either way, I’m going to work with Gilda."
This time, I frowned.
"Work with her? A noble like you, with someone from the lower districts?"
"If I want to start an official business in the upper districts, I need to graduate from the Academy and become an adult first. But the lower districts don’t care about that kind of red tape. If I ever need legal authorization, I’ll just use Gilda as my proxy…"
Giselle calmly laid out her plans. As I listened, it reminded me of myself and Gabriel. Thinking about it, this was just a smaller version of the relationship between the upper and lower districts.
"The lower districts are dangerous, no matter what you do. I can’t always be there to protect you."
I warned her.
"I never asked you to protect me."
How irritating. Whether Giselle asked or not, I had to protect her. For now, she was family.
"What’s your angle? Trying to annoy me?"
Even to my own ears, my words came out harsh.
"You’re the one who said it. That waiting until adulthood is just an excuse. So I did what you told me—I looked for something I can do right now."
Giselle responded logically. Thinking back, I did recall saying something like that to her before.
I traced my memories.
‘I can’t do anything until you officially become an adult. I need that to receive a vocation and establish a business.’
‘That just sounds like an excuse to me, Giselle.’
Yeah, we definitely had that conversation.
"I want to go back in time and sew my mouth shut."
I lifted my glass and drank. As soon as it was empty, Giselle refilled it. Looked like she was intent on getting me drunk.
"I was looking for a business partner anyway. Even if I hadn’t met Gilda, I would’ve found someone else suitable."
"What exactly are you planning to do in the lower districts?"
"I’m going to apply my theoretical designs and technologies to people’s cybernetic implants here."
"Planning to run human experiments?"
"I’m installing high-performance parts and modules that people here could never get their hands on. I’ll be covering all the credit losses myself. Problems I never even anticipated will pop up everywhere, I’m sure. I’ll gather that data in advance here."
"So it is human experimentation."
I smirked, curling my lips.
"In my view, it’s a fair deal. Everyone in the lower districts is already operating cybernetic implants with one risk or another. Or did you think I was going to do charity work?"
Giselle pressed the point.
I had nothing to say to that. Be the one who uses, not the one who gets used—I was the one who said that. Not being able to start a business until adulthood is just an excuse—I was the one who said that, too.
This was the seed I had sown. I had to deal with it.
"Fine. If you need anything, talk to Gabriel. He can help with errands or security. As useless as he looks, he’s actually pretty capable in this world."
I listened to more of Giselle’s business plans. Most of it was complicated and far removed from my field, so I just nodded along, pretending to understand.
"…By the way, Luka, when’s your actual birthday? I want to get you a proper gift later."
Giselle’s face was flushed, likely from the alcohol. I scratched my chin and shook my head.
"I don’t really have a birthday. I don’t even know when I was actually born. Today’s the first time it has ever been celebrated."
"This is your first time?"
Giselle’s eyes widened.
"It’s nothing surprising. It’s common around here."
I felt no particular emotion. Birthdays held no meaning for me. In a world where surviving tomorrow was uncertain, what did the day I was born matter? Celebrations were a luxury for those with the time to spare.
Giselle seemed to be thinking about something. After a pause, she spoke.
"Then why not make today your birthday?"
"That’s not a bad idea."
I replied calmly, and Giselle smiled.
Before I knew it, the party was coming to an end. Gabriel and the gang members were sprawled out, drunk. Gilda, after roughly tidying up the area, headed up to the second floor. She probably planned to sleep there. A wise decision, given the late hour.
Gilda always knew how to take care of herself. Then again, there wasn’t a single person in the lower districts who didn’t.
"You should head back, too. It’s late."
I grabbed Giselle’s arm as I spoke. She staggered, clearly quite drunk.
"I know. Just take me to the nearest airfield."
Giselle clung to my arm, leaning against me. It seemed she could barely walk on her own.
I headed toward the nearest public airfield. The Custoria family’s aerial vehicle I had called should be departing from the estate right about now.
Tired.
But rather than irritation, a pleasant kind of exhaustion settled in. When I got back, I felt like I could sleep peacefully. For a brief moment, I could even forget the worries that constantly surrounded me.
To be honest, tonight had been enjoyable. Unexpected, but a good time nonetheless.
Whatever her intentions, I was grateful to Giselle for putting this together.
Step, step.
The streets were quiet. Giselle and I walked in silence. I could feel the warmth of her body against my arm.
The lights of the public airfield came into view. There were people coming and going—mostly wealthy individuals who had come to the lower districts for entertainment.
"Giselle, we’re here."
I watched as the Custoria family’s aerial vehicle descended.
"…Are you going back to the Imperial Guard dorms? Why not stay at your family’s estate tonight?"
Giselle’s words were slurred.
It wasn’t a bad suggestion. But if I went to the estate, I would have to be alone with Giselle in the aerial vehicle. That would be troublesome.
"I have Imperial Guard duties tomorrow."
I spoke in a businesslike tone.
"Hmm, so I called a busy person out. My bad."
"No, I had fun too."
I pushed Giselle away from my arm. She flinched and stepped aside.
"If that’s how you feel, then that’s good."
The Custoria family’s aerial vehicle landed in the public airfield. The door opened upward, waiting for Giselle.
I watched as she walked toward the vehicle. Her steps were a little unsteady, but I didn’t bother to support her. I simply stood still and waited for her to make it on her own.
Suddenly—
Giselle stopped in front of the aerial vehicle and turned to look at me.
"So, that’s the end of tonight, Luka."
"It’s the end."
I answered shortly.
"Alright then, I’ll be going."
Without replying, I gave her a nod. She looked at me for a moment longer, then stepped into the vehicle. The sound of the door closing followed.
Woooom.
The aerial vehicle lifted off and disappeared over the city.
"Haa."
I let out the breath I had been holding.
I already had enough problems weighing me down. I had no intention of adding more. I wasn’t an idiot.
But today, I almost became one.
Tonight, spending time with Giselle, Gilda, Gabriel… and well, the others. It had been nice. But that wasn’t the world I belonged in.
Remember how you got here, Luka.
Sharpen your mind and body like a blade. Dullness means death.
As I walked down the airfield stairs, I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again. The haze of alcohol was gone.
…A short break had ended.