Ch.140Part 1 Complete) Like a Fairy Tale (Complete)

Irene sat on a small protruding rock, staring blankly at the lakeside. She smoothed her hair that fluttered slightly in the humid, hot summer breeze, and with her head bowed low, she simply closed her eyes as memories suddenly surfaced.

“This brings back old memories.”

Though she said this every time they came here, Irene loved this place more than anywhere else. Although the necklace she had received from Evan had broken with a snap, Irene’s lips curved gently as she held the new necklace he had given her afterward.

Even with her eyes closed, feeling Evan’s presence gave her a greater sense of security than anything else.

No matter where she was or what she was doing, just having Evan by her side gave Irene the courage to feel she could accomplish anything. As she carefully reached out her hand, Evan’s hand was there. The two of them, somehow managing to sit together on the small rock, stared blankly at the lake while feeling the warmth transmitted through their hands.

Ripples formed on the water. A pebble that had fallen from the soil dropped into the water, creating ripples that spread outward, reaching the edge of the lake where Evan and Irene sat. After staring at the lakeside for a long time, wondering why it was so captivating, Evan finally realized there was something strange about this place.

Seiren, a place that shows what humans desire most.

Though it had remained unchanged every time they visited, why hadn’t the appearance of Seiren changed yet? After a brief moment, Evan finally understood the reason and let out a hollow laugh.

Desire—ultimately, the desires people harbor are merely thoughts they hold to become happy. If one is happy now, if this moment is happier than any other moment in life, wouldn’t desire simply become the present?

“I must be a happy person.”

Irene merely shrugged at his words. She too vaguely understood why Seiren’s appearance hadn’t changed. Although her swollen belly felt a bit heavy, at this moment, Irene was happier than anyone else.

“If I hadn’t met Evan, what would have happened to me?”

“…Well, one thing’s for sure, I wouldn’t have lived an ordinary life.”

Even with his blood ability, if he had continued living alongside the Jeolmyeol, he would have eventually raised his sword against the Empire. And such a life, no matter how he thought about it, was quite far from what he considered ordinary.

It wasn’t as if his current life could be called ordinary either, but not meeting Irene… it was a thought he didn’t even want to entertain. Evan, who had been staring into space for a moment, slightly moved his lips.

“I don’t even want to think about it. Such a thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, it didn’t turn out that way in the end, did it? No matter how we first met, whether we disliked each other or liked each other, isn’t it enough that we’re together like this now?”

“That’s… true.”

When Irene turned her head at the cold sensation touching her finger, she noticed the ring Evan had given her sometime ago. The ring on Evan’s finger, with a sapphire that resembled her eyes, reminded her of Evan’s proposal to her.

…She had intended to propose first, but he beat her to it, which was quite vexing.

She wanted to express her displeasure, but she couldn’t for fear of hurting Evan’s feelings.

She had wanted to propose herself, and had even imported a diamond and spent months preparing a ring.

How could he propose in such a situation, right before going to war?

“Evan, you know, I have something to tell you.”

Irene carefully caressed the ring box in her pocket.

She wondered how Evan would react if she proposed with this ring.

Although she had already received a proposal from him, now that she was trying to do it herself, she couldn’t control her nervousness. When Evan had proposed to her, he seemed quite calm… Irene pressed her lips together, wondering if she was being overly sensitive.

Taking a deep breath with difficulty and slowly exhaling, Irene looked at Evan again. Looking directly into those green eyes that were watching her, she carefully opened her mouth, trying not to miss a single syllable.

“……”

“Didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”

“W-wait. I’ll do it.”

The words that had risen to her throat simply wouldn’t come out, and Irene clutched her chest, clenching her fist tightly. It should be easy, shouldn’t it? Just saying “let’s get married,” “let’s live together forever”… but it wasn’t easy at all. Irene could only stare at Evan with her mouth opening and closing.

Time passed.

The moon that had been hanging in the sky slowly moved, the bell signaling midnight rang, and the starlight gradually faded—until that time, Irene couldn’t open her mouth.

And Evan continued to wait.

Although he knew what Irene wanted to say, knew that those words were the same ones he had once spoken, he intended to wait until Irene said them herself.

“……”

“It doesn’t have to be today. Whenever you’re ready, I’m ready to listen.”

He didn’t need to hear those words. He had no intention of leaving her side now. The red thread was already connected. The red thread that one is said to be born with from the moment they enter the world had already formed knots too tight to untie. Evan smiled faintly, and Irene bowed her head for a moment before slowly moving her lips.

“…That’s what I like about you.”

Before the sun rose, Irene spoke while looking at the dawn gradually blooming in the sky. She didn’t want to speak after the sun had risen. She wanted to say these words before her blushing face was revealed in the light. Gripping the ring box more tightly, Irene met Evan’s gaze again.

“If it weren’t for Evan, I don’t think there would be anyone else who could understand me like this.”

If she were to face her five-year-old self directly, who could understand and embrace her? She had met many knights and many people. But she had never met anyone who tried to understand her sincerely like Evan. If Evan were to disappear from her world… Irene quietly smiled.

“I told you, I’m not as good a person as you think. I’ve been trying lately. I’ve been practicing cooking a bit, and I’ve been looking into how to raise a child. Even if you love the child more than me, I’m trying to accept it somehow.”

“Irene.”

“I might be worse than you thought. Selfish, and very jealous. But still… I can’t be without you.”

Click.

Inside the opened ring box was a ring with a small diamond embedded in it. Though the design was modest, the diamond, crafted with magic that would never change for eternity, sparkled as it held the faint starlight. A diamond said to come from only one place in this world, one that would not break even after a lifetime and would not be scratched by any substance.

Looking at the ring that sometimes reflected blue light and sometimes green as it absorbed various lights, Irene opened her mouth.

“Let’s get married.”

She couldn’t understand why the word “us” was so embarrassing. It was a word she would normally say without hesitation, but in this situation, her face turned red for no reason. In the gradually revealing dawn, where they could now clearly see each other’s faces, Evan burst into laughter when he saw Irene’s reddened face.

“Let’s get married.”

Irene was surprised by how quickly the answer came, and she raised her head to peek at Evan. Though it was a face she saw every day, Evan seemed to shine even more than usual in the light reflected from the lake. The same was true for Irene, and Evan, taking the ring Irene offered, added softly.

“Us.”

With the heat spreading across her face, Irene fidgeted with her lips. As she wiggled her fingers and flailed her hands in the air, Irene’s body began to tilt backward. Normally she would have maintained her balance, but not yet accustomed to her body made heavy by pregnancy, Irene was about to fall backward when Evan’s hand wrapped around her waist.

“You’re still like this, how could I ever leave you?”

“N-no… this is…”

As the distance suddenly closed between them, Irene pushed against Evan’s chest with her hands. Evan, frowning slightly, brought his face even closer. Close enough for their noses to touch, and as their foreheads lightly met, he looked at Irene’s tightly closed eyes with a smirk.

“It took too long. To get here.”

The rising sunlight began to envelop the two. The starlight disappeared, and faint white clouds appeared in the sky. The sky was still red and blue. They couldn’t stay in the starlit night forever. The story of the stars and moon had ended. Now it was time to move forward to dawn, to the morning where daybreak was blooming again.

As Irene’s eyes opened slightly and her pupils trembled, Evan quietly continued.

“Did you know? There’s a fairy tale book with our story in it.”

Irene’s expression reddened even more at the mention of a fairy tale book. She had heard that such a book had been published in the capital, but it was still embarrassing to hear about it. Why would they publish a mere love story as a fairy tale book? Irene had seriously considered protesting the idea that such a thing was published while the subjects were still alive and well.

But in the end, because it was her and Evan’s story, she couldn’t bring herself to stop it, if only to tell the story to Lobelia and Arthur someday. And after all, it was a fairy tale. As a book meant to be told to young children, its ending always concluded with the same words.

“You look embarrassed.”

“I-it’s because of you, Evan. Sticking so close like this, I’m uncomfortable because of my belly. You can’t even hold me comfortably.”

“I’m fine. There are only the two of us here anyway, what does it matter?”

“Don’t you know elves live around here? What if the elves see us—”

“That’s what makes it even better.”

Irene couldn’t avoid Evan’s lips as they suddenly approached. Their tongues naturally intertwined, and as always, Irene’s shoulders flinched momentarily as she was led by Evan again, but eventually she simply wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged his back tightly.

As their lips parted, Irene, who had been dazed for a moment, narrowed her eyes and glared at Evan.

“I told you not to do that.”

Knowing what answer would follow, Irene was secretly looking forward to the repetition of this now-familiar conversation. Seeing that expectation faintly lingering in her eyes despite her pretending to glare at him, Evan opened his mouth with an expressionless face, wearing that sly expression he always had when uttering these words.

“So, do you dislike it?”

As the gap between them closed a little more, Irene, who seemed to push him away but ultimately couldn’t, finally burst into laughter, unable to control the corners of her mouth twitching.

“I’m afraid of what the children will think of us if they see us.”

“They’ll find out eventually anyway, why be afraid so soon?”

“By the way, how long do you plan to speak formally to me?”

She felt a little sad. Evan not speaking informally to her seemed like he was keeping his distance. He was no longer her knight, but a proper nobleman in his own right. Although he said formal speech was more comfortable for him, honestly, she wanted to hear Evan speak to her informally.

Turning her head slightly, Irene glanced at Evan and moved her lips.

“We’re husband and wife now…”

Twirling an innocent strand of hair with her finger and looking at the leaves blowing in the wind, she spoke again.

“…honey.”

At those words, Evan’s body stiffened. Shivering at the ticklish sensation he hadn’t felt for quite a long time due to familiarity, he could only explore Irene’s lips as if entranced. And he thought to himself that he wished this moment would last forever, while also being curious about the future that lay ahead.

He had no worries about the future. Evan recalled the ending of the fairy tale book he had once seen in the capital and quietly smiled to himself. Aren’t all fairy tales the same? Dreamlike stories, with hardships and adversities in between. Although the details of the content itself might differ, they all ultimately converged to one conclusion.

A happy ending.

In the end, that’s how the story would end. No one knew what would happen next. Perhaps there would be sad times, and maybe they would fight someday due to disagreements. But they would laugh again, cry again, and move forward together under the name of family.

Therefore, one could close this final page without any worries.

The words that adorn the end of the story might seem empty. But what other phrase could be more satisfying? Like our story, which was humble but ultimately ended beautifully.

Like a fairy tale.

And so they lived happily ever after.