Chapter 74: THE WEIGHT OF SECRETS
"What kind of person is she, huh?" Logan whispered to himself.
Then he spoke in a clear, audible tone, his gaze distant. "She’s strong. Very strong. No doubt about that. But... she’s too proud. More than she needs to be. And that pride.." he paused "it blinds her. Not just sometimes... maybe most of the time. That makes it hard for her to see that someone else might actually be stronger."
Rowan smiled faintly. "You didn’t disappoint me. That’s why I forced her to surrender. Because she wouldn’t stop—not until she was seriously hurt. Her pride wouldn’t let her back down."
He paused, a flicker of emotion briefly flashed through his eyes.
"I didn’t join this tournament to hurt people. I only entered because I had to."
Logan blinked, startled. "I see..."
He felt a bit ashamed of himself. After everything, after living an entire lifetime as a war veteran, he still couldn’t read through the layers of this boy. A boy not even twenty had seen farther ahead than him. He pushed the self-blame aside and asked again, his tone more careful this time.
"What do you mean... you had to?"
Rowan chuckled softly. "Logan, don’t you think you’re asking too many questions for someone who’s so secretive about himself?"
"Fair point," Logan muttered, scratching the back of his head. He was clearly caught off guard, and he didn’t know how to respond.
Noticing his unease, Rowan’s tone softened. "Don’t worry. I’ll tell you. But when the time comes, I hope you’ll choose wisely about whether to share your own truth. Secrets can’t be one-sided forever."