My Sister Picked up the Male Lead - Chapter 26

“Knox!”

I pulled Knox towards me on reflex. I looked up to see the sun setting just beyond the man’s shoulder. Unfortunately, it looked like it was still a long way till sunset.

Why is it slowly setting right at such a crucial time?!1

I covered Knox’s face and grabbed his hand.

“… Amy, you can’t!”

Like a pot lid, the scabbard flew as Knox grabbed on to the hilt of the sword tightly.

Tulsseok. (sfx for the sound of a sword being removed from it scabbard)

There was a limit to the amount of strength a small child could exert. So, Knox collapsed.

“Knox!”

T/N: If anyone’s confused, Knox pulled the sword out of its scabbard because he wanted to protect Amy (AWWW) but he was too smol so he fell backwards lol.2

Fortunately, he received no injuries from the fall. Exhausted, I looked up at the man wielding the dark blue sword.

“Captain, they’re here!”

“… They were easier to find than I thought.”

Our backyard was already filled with people. A huge man looked down at me. I could feel his two eyes mocking me as one of my hands held onto my sister’s sword tightly.

“That almost spoiled the fun.”

It was clear that the one man who was not wearing a cloak was the captain. I could tell from the large medal swinging on his chest as he was escorted by his men.

“Is this the woman the merchant was referring to? The one that lives in this house?”

“I think so.”

“How’s the situation in the forest?”

“We have begun engaging since we have the advantage in numbers. There’s no way the Grand Duke’s knights will come this way.”

“Excellent.”

Colour left my face. There was a fight in the forest? With Gray and his knights? …Then what about my sister?

A snake-like gaze looked at the exhausted me coldly. Then someone next to him spoke.

“Then what do we do with this woman? The merchant asked for a favour.”

“That’s a stupid question.”1

I could see the face of the man who was smiling coldly clearly.

“Kill them all.”1

As soon as the order was given, a sword pointed towards us. It was obviously aiming at the small child but I could not feel any mercy.

“Knox!”

I heard the small child behind me groan. I shuffled backwards as I grabbed the boy’s hand. Just then, the back of my hand stung.

As I glanced towards it, I noticed a white light being emitted from my hand.2

‘Anything’s fine so please just help.’

When I opened my eyes again, the little boy I had been grabbing so tightly was nowhere to be found. All I saw was a broad back as firm as a rock. I looked at Knox in his Grand Duke form with tears in my eyes.2

My tears fell from their own weight as he looked at me with an expression I had never seen before on him. He slowly raised his hands and brushed my cheeks.1

“… I don’t know what’s going on but.”

“…”

“Don’t cry, Amy.”

He glanced at our tightly interwoven hands for a split second before raising his head. He was probably looking at the bright sun.

“…It’s daytime.”

Just by looking at his face that had been doused in scarlet, I could not tell what he was thinking. At some point, Knox had taken the sword from me and slowly raised his head again. The men holding up their swords flinched.1

He held me in his arms before whispering to me the ‘reason’.

“I’ll listen to it later.”

T/N: I have no idea what these 2 are referring to.6

After squeezing his hand that was clasped in mine, I placed my arms around his neck. This was to help Knox who had been supporting me with only one hand. If I hadn’t done this, I felt like I could slip off because of his sweat. Tears continued to roll down my chin.1

T/N: I love how while all this was happening, the men were just standing there.6

“Even if he’s the Grand Duke, he’s still only one enemy. Do not be afraid!”1

The man who appeared to be the captain shouted. If I wasn’t wrong, he should be the leader of the Crown Prince’s knights.

“…The Grand Duke?”

Knox muttered so softly only I could hear it. I flinched.

“Everyone stop.”

I was pretty sure he hadn’t found his memories… As he aimed his sword at them, he seemed different from his battle with the mercenaries. If I wasn’t mistaken, he looked more brutal and terrifying. His low voice had the charisma to overwhelm the enemies.1

“You’d better not take even a step forward.”

He looked silently to the front with his sword at hand. The men couldn’t move beyond their lines.1

Even I, who knew nothing about swordsmanship, could feel the unusual pressure. Since they were more experienced, they must have been feeling way more pressure than me.

Quickly, I looked around and I noticed an area in their formation that had fewer people. Knox seemed to have noticed it as well.

“What are you all doing? Quickly charge!”1

“Knox!”

As our voices overlapped, Knox swung his sword. One of the knights collapsed by the sword, unable to overcome its strength. The formation then collapsed and a gap was created in the lines.

Without missing the gap, Knox quickly escaped with light steps. He held me in one hand, just like how he did in the Night Forest.

“Knox, Knox! The garden. There’s men in the garden as well.”

“I assumed so.”

As we circled our house clockwise, I could see our small garden being filled with knights. How many of them were there!

All of them were donning black cloaks with red medals pinned to their chests. I gulped nervously as I stared at them. Still holding hands, Knox wrapped his arms around me.

The sun may be setting in the sky but it hasn’t completely set yet. There was no guarantee that Knox was not going to turn back to a child. If I fall off him, they would not hesitate to attack.

‘…I can’t fall.’

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Knox tightened his grip on my hand.

“We’ll break through their front.”

“But is that even possible?”

Trying not to show my nervousness, I asked if he was alright but he didn’t answer. I could tell he was determined.

He was planning on fighting like crazy while holding me.1

Maybe if he let go of me, he would be able to fight those people more freely. I was used to seeing blue blood because my sister hunts monsters. But I wasn’t used to seeing men collapsing.

Looking at the men clothed in black, I could barely hold back my fear. But I didn’t know if my fear would affect Knox.

But where do we go from this bloody* place?

T/N: not literal

Chang.

I heard the sound of swords clashing against each other in front of my closed eyes. Where can we go? I opened my eyes slightly to search for a place to escape to before opening my mouth.

Among the things scattered on the floor, I quickly grabbed his jacket.

“Knox, Knox! Fire!”

“Fire?”

I quickly told him to stop fighting and retreat a few steps back.

“Uhm, grass! Feyren grass easily catches on fire. If you could pour oil over there…!”

“We could start a fire.”

I could hear people running from the backyard. It was probably the men we took care of earlier running over. Now, to make matters worse, Knox is stuck in a situation where he was trapped from both sides.

Suddenly just when a sword was about to hit him, he quickly turned his body, dodged the sword before kicking the ground.

Crash.

In the end, he decided to break the fence. Knox ran speedily towards an area where the vegetation was thickest. The speed at which he was running was too fast for the numerous knights who were unfamiliar with the forest to catch up to.

“…Is there anywhere in the forest we can avoid the fire from?”

“Ah…”

I stared blankly at him in astonishment at the superiority of his physical abilities. He was like a beast as he sped through the forest. I looked behind us to check if anyone was chasing. After coming to my senses, I said.

“We have to look for a Chakov tree. That tree… does not burn.”

“Which way do I have to go? Do you know the general direction?”

“It’s west from the house. I’ve been there with my sister before!”

She was extremely cautious when it comes to taking me out of the house. But on very rare occasions, she would bring me out.

At that time, we went to a relatively safe place with a few low-level monsters. A bunch of Chakov trees were there.

Knox heard me and changed direction in the nick of time. Just like that we ran through the forest. After running for a long time, I pulled at his clothes.

I asked him to stop here.

“Are these crevices natural?”

“Yes. Within the Chakov trees, there are large openings. If you go inside one of them, you’ll find yourself in a damp humid space. Since the trees are full of water, they won’t burn.”1

“… Which means that it’s safe.”

Only then did Knox put me down, letting out a short breath. Sweat was dripping from his face, but he looked no different from his usual self. I could tell he was tired. He not only carried me but also wielded his sword and ran for a long time.

Looking around the tranquil forest, I covered my mouth with the back of my hand.

‘…What about Diana?’

In the novel, the knights who came and ambushed Knox at home were amongst the most elite Knights of the Crown Prince’s Order.

‘What if my sister meets them in the forest? No. That can’t happen!’

They even tried to kill me a little while ago. When I thought of my sister who was caught in the middle of the battle against the Grand Duke’s Knights including Gray, I grabbed his clothes.

T/N: KNOX IS WEARING CLOTHES?!?!?!8

“What will happen to Diana? My sister…”

“…”

“My sister can’t die. She can’t… S-she can’t…”

While all this is going on, where were you? Where are you!

I bit my lips and clenched my fist. But there was nothing I could do.

“Amy.”

He grabbed me. With my head on his shoulder, I could feel his hand on my head. I forced my mouth shut.

“Your sister will be fine. She’s not weak.”

“…”

“I believe in her.”

The trembling of my hands that in turn seemed to shake my entire body stopped when I looked into his unshakable eyes in this still forest.

…That’s right. I can’t do anything here if I am this nervous. Looking into his usual cold and heartless eyes, I gradually recalled the moment my sister died in the novel.

‘How did my sister die?’

The novel did not go into details about how the male lead interacted with his first love but the moment his first love died was described in great detail.

Soon, I remembered that my sister did not die in the middle of the forest.1

My sister died in the garden in front of my house at around dawn.

“I don’t think anyone followed us… at least not yet.”

“Wait, where are you going?”

As he was about to leave, I grabbed his hand.

“… It’s dangerous outside.”2

“Amy. It’s not safe yet.”

Before I knew it, it was already evening. Night comes early in the Night Forest. Because once light disappears from this place, it quickly becomes dark.

I knew that the sun was already setting while we were running. So, Knox will be able to remain in his Grand Duke form. But I still couldn’t let go of his hand easily.

“Where are you going?”

I might still be scared.

“This place is not far from your house. I haven’t cleared our tracks yet so I’ll be right back.”

“No. The Night Forest is difficult to navigate especially for those who do not know it well. Besides, there’s a lot of holes in this area. You can see them right? If we go into one of these trees’ holes and hide in the holes, they will pass us by without even noticing us in the holes. W-where are you going?”

Knox, seeing me repeating the same words over and over again, reached his hand out and wiped the tears rolling down my cheeks.

“… Don’t cry.”

I didn’t even realise I was crying.

“I’m not. I wasn’t crying. It’s all because we were running… Don’t change the subject.”

My hands did not let go of his clothes.

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll only be gone for a short while. Soon, the pursuers will catch up to us.”

“Is Knox trying to lure them away? With that body?”

“That’s right.”

How could he come up with such an idea? It had been difficult for him to break through their siege by himself, without any memories while carrying a woman.

I bit my lips when I saw that he had injured his leg. I was wondering if a miracle could happen like last time and I could cure Reynok’s body but I calmed down.

I was nervous. I grabbed on to his hand tightly, not wanting to let it go. I told him firmly.

“Don’t do it. Knox, you need to rest. You can wait here till it’s dawn. Yes?”

Knox stared at me before his gaze lowered and fell on our intertwined hands.

“…What about your sister?”

I froze. I needed to find my sister who was god knows where now. But soon, I thought of the numerous men waiting at our house.

The moon was still high in the sky and Knox had already transformed. I tried to smile casually.

“… My sister will be fine.”1

“Then why do you look like you’re going to cry?”

…Actually, was it alright to send Knox to the place filled with those men in black hoods? I don’t know whether I should believe that going to the house is dangerous just like how it was depicted in the book or not. I don’t know what was right anymore.

I shook my head, thinking that not going to the house was the right answer. But I had a feeling that my sister had headed for the house.

He pried his hand out of my hold and bent down towards me.

“Will you stop crying if I protect your sister?”

The forest was shrouded in darkness. At this close distance that forced me to hold my breath, only his gaze seemed to be bright and coloured.

“You cherish your sister.”

With my head lowered, I swallowed my breath.

“Yes. My sister is very precious to me. She’s as important as my life! But, how will I find her in the forest at night? I might be able to find her. But the strength to deal with those men,…I don’t have it.”

The hand I had been using to grab Reynok’s slowly loosened. There was nothing I could do to help at this moment so I couldn’t resent myself either.

“Amy.”

Then I jerked back when I felt something on my cheek.

It felt like we’ve held hands many times before but why did it feel strange when he touched my cheeks?

“… Don’t tremble anymore.”

His hand, which had held a sword almost his entire life, felt rough. Whenever I exhaled, my skin would brush against his coarse one sending trillions of tingles down my spine. Naturally shortening his breath, his face came close to mine.

I subconsciously closed my eyes.

“I’m strong enough to protect you.”

“…”

“I can protect your sister.”

But even as time passed his face did not get closer. When I opened my eyes again, he was already a distance away.

“Am I right to say that your sister is more important than anything else for you?”

When I realised that he was going to leave me here, I instinctively grabbed his wrist. Suddenly, I felt that I shouldn’t just let him go like this.

“You’re right. My sister is important to me. But… that doesn’t mean that Knox isn’t important to me.”2

“…What?”

Unable to see his expression, I covered my face.

In this dark—in this forest, what will happen to him? As I imagined of torment-filled things, I closed my eyes tightly and swallowed my breath.

“So, I hope that you won’t get hurt! Nobody likes pain anyways…”

I could hear him walking over before the back of my neck was pushed forward with a big hand. I opened my eyes wide. Immediately, I saw his face inches away from mine.

…I thought he was going to kiss me.10

When he rested his head on my shoulders, I blinked.

“…Everyday, I think of you. I think of you as often as I breathe. Sometimes I feel like it would be nice to convey how I feel even if I didn’t use words.”

With his head buried in my shoulder, he hugged me tightly and whispered.

“I also doubted myself whether I was thinking straight. I wanted to erase all those thoughts but… It was finished. I couldn’t erase them.”

I tried to think about anything else. To ignore the hot breaths grazing my nape. Was there a scene like this in the novel? I tried to think about it but my attention was fixed on the top of this black head.

“…”

“I hate it when you cry.”

Like an excited beast, whenever his lips brushed against my skin, he would tighten his grip on my waist. The sturdy arms wrapped around my waist were now holding me even closer.

“Amy. I am strong enough to protect you.”

Still hugging me, he raised his head. After wiping away the tears he hadn’t managed to before, he tilted his head before saying.

“I’ll go save your sister.”

The moment I saw my reflection in his purple eyes, I got goosebumps.

“So, when I come back, can I ask you why you called me Reynok?”

What?