Ch.390Side Story. Deia

What did Deia just say?

When I looked at her without thinking, Deia smiled brightly and nudged my side with her elbow.

That simple action seemed like she was pouting at me, asking what I was looking at.

Sorry, but this is something I need to intervene in before it gets serious.

“What are you talking about? Marriage?”

As I tried to firmly state that I had no such intentions, Darius’s eyebrows twitched.

“That’s what I wanted to say. Didn’t you two already finish discussing this?”

He cleared his throat in displeasure.

I remembered Deia once came to me saying Darius had given his permission, but it seems that was a lie too.

Darius’s current demeanor wasn’t his usual foolish self, but rather that of the Margrave of the Northern Border, the Giant of Norsweden, and lastly, the eldest son of the Verdi family.

Though I was a bit flustered, this was still a situation that could be resolved through conversation.

“I never said such a thing. Marriage with Deia in the first place…”

I thought it was absurd.

Even though Deia had been coming on a bit strong lately, I had rejected all of it.

I had no intention of being swayed by such unreasonable behavior.

“Deia? It seems you need to explain.”

Darius turned his gaze to Deia. She responded calmly, as if she had anticipated this situation.

“It’s exactly as it sounds.”

Her brazen attitude, suggesting she had nothing else to say, actually made me the flustered one.

“I like him. Not as a brother, but as a man. So I want to marry him. You’ve been nagging me to get married anyway.”

Deia’s shamelessness seemed like she was venting frustrations that had built up against Darius and me.

What she was doing now was more of a demonstration against us rather than genuine feelings.

“Haa!”

But Darius, failing to notice the truth, pressed his forehead as if he had a headache and glanced at me. As if asking how I was going to handle this.

“Why are you looking at me?”

I shrugged and tried to back away, but Darius earnestly exclaimed.

“Does this look like something we can just ignore?! Huh? My sister! Deia Verdi has feelings for Shinwoo Kim!”

“Hey, speak properly. He’s not my brother.”

Deia interjected from the side, and I wanted to give her a knock on the head.

One was playing a rather mischievous prank, while the other was taking it seriously.

This was confusion like no other.

“Deus Verdi is indeed a precious brother to me! But if you’re suggesting we repeat what he did, I cannot allow that!”

In the end, he acknowledged Deus as his brother and they apologized for not being considerate of each other.

But that didn’t mean he could accept what Deus had done.

The crazy idea of proposing a relationship with his sister.

Bang!

Darius slammed his fist on the office desk and walked toward me with large strides, seemingly a bit excited.

His flaring nostrils showed how serious he was.

“You are not blood-related to us.”

“Yes, I know.”

That’s right.

In the end, not being of the same bloodline made me wonder if there was some kind of hierarchy among us as a family.

And that felt a bit, no, very disappointing to me.

“Right! You didn’t share memories with us from birth! Even though it was a damn unpleasant past!”

“I didn’t want to share that kind of stuff.”

“Deia! Stay quiet! Adults are talking!”

His voice was so loud it could burst eardrums. Darius shouted with spit flying, unusually overexcited.

“It wasn’t exactly a good memory! But it’s because of those bad times that we can cherish each other now!”

Though a bit extreme, it wasn’t wrong.

Both Darius and Deia, and even myself, had various wounds from the past regarding family, which is why we know how precious family is.

“No blood relation, and short shared memories. Yes, someone might say we’re not family! But let me say this clearly! Shinwoo Kim! You are our family, understand?!”

Bang!

Heavy hands of a warrior landed on both my shoulders. The eyes of Darius facing me were filled with longing.

‘Ah.’

Just as I had worried about not being accepted by the Verdi family.

I could now see that Darius was worried that since I was no longer Deus, I might not consider myself a Verdi.

“Yes, I am a Verdi.”

A pleasant smile formed naturally.

In the end, we were family.

“Ahem! Trust me! The eldest son! Understand?!”

“I understand.”

“Good! Love Deia! Deia who will be your wife! Understand?!”

“I under… what?”

With a gentle smile, I almost nodded without realizing. The warm feeling of being within the family bubble that allowed anything suddenly froze.

“What did you say?”

As I stared at Darius, his expression awkwardly changed and he slightly turned his head to the side.

When I looked at Deia, she too lowered her eyes and looked at the ground.

“Ugh, idiot.”

Then she cursed softly and kicked Darius’s shin with her foot.

“Come to think of it, when I asked you to act before, I just told you to get angry.”

Back then, to deceive the bishops, we created a confrontation between Darius and me.

Since Darius was so bad at acting, I told him to just get fiercely angry and lead the conversation.

Just like now.

“This is.”

Thud.

I brushed aside Darius’s hand that was on my shoulder. Even though I wasn’t handling mana, perhaps it was because I was a spiritual body.

A chilly air began to spread from me, dominating Darius’s office.

“What’s going on here?”

The moment I uttered those words.

“Ugh, look at that fool! He forgot his lines and messed up in the middle of his last line! You’re not family, you ape!”

Deia immediately cut ties with Darius and ran out.

“I-I’m going out for exercise!”

Darius jumped out the window.

* * *

“Sigh.”

I sighed and rested my chin on my hand.

By the way, the two who had fled were caught by my magic and brought back to Darius’s office.

Sitting at the table and chairs set up for meetings and guests, I felt an unnecessary headache.

“Come on, cheer up.”

I thought about removing Deia’s hands as she sat next to me massaging my shoulders, but that seemed too cold, so I left her be.

“But honestly, I’m not wrong.”

Darius, who had fled, explained with a sense of injustice.

“At first, I was a bit uncomfortable too. After all, it’s about a brother and sister getting married. With what happened with Deus, I felt some resistance.”

“And then?”

“But when I thought about it, there’s no real problem if you and Deia love each other? You already have quite a few women, don’t you?”

“……”

I never thought there would be a point I couldn’t refute while talking with Darius.

This is why one’s previous attitudes and actions matter in debates or arguments.

Even if you say something right, your past actions can trip you up.

“Deia says there’s no problem. And it’s not like you’d get married to Deia and then ignore her for other women.”

But this was a bit of the opposite situation.

‘Darius trusts me too much.’

He trusted me so much that he was willing to entrust his sister to me without hesitation.

“Shinwoo Kim. I want all of my family to be happy. I wanted to bring you into the Verdi family, but there was no proper pretext, so it was awkward.”

While King Orpheus would have created Shinwoo Kim’s identity, suddenly inserting him into the Verdi family might seem strange.

In that sense, marriage with Deia was quite an appropriate means for me to enter the Verdi family.

I wanted to refute, but I had nothing to say.

The fact that I was living with and having relationships with several women meant I had no persuasive power regarding female relationships.

“Well, that’s all I have to say.”

Darius stood up abruptly.

Showing his teeth in a smile, he gave a thumbs up.

“In the end, it’s for you two to decide. I’ll support whatever decision you make, but I don’t think it’s right for one person to unilaterally define the relationship.”

Darius left, telling us to resolve it through conversation. He really seemed like an irresponsible eldest son.

Silence fell.

In the strange situation where Darius had been driven out of his own office, Deia spoke first.

“Honestly, earlier was just a joke. I know you wouldn’t really get swept up in that and marry me or anything.”

“……”

The hands that were massaging my shoulders naturally wrapped around me in an embrace.

I didn’t have the courage to push her away.

Because Deia’s actions were careful and subtle, but she was trembling just as much.

What if I rejected her?

She was afraid.

“I never knew liking a man felt like this. Haha, so I tried to make a bit of a scene.”

“……”

“I want to say things like that.”

Deia waved her other hand in the air, trying to explain something.

“That I’ll do whatever you want, that if you want a sister, I’ll just remain a sister, that I’ll step back for your sake after all you’ve been through.”

At those words, I glanced at Deia. With tears slightly welling in her eyes, she rested her head on my shoulder.

She was trying to hide her expression.

“But I can’t do that this time. Rationally, I want to tell you not to feel burdened for my sake. But my heart won’t allow it.”

“……”

“I won’t back down, that’s my current situation.”

Squeeze.

Deia’s embracing arms tightened. As if she wouldn’t let go.

“What about you?”

Her voice, tinged with moisture, seeped into my heart, which I had said was absolutely impossible.

“Am I… absolutely not possible?”

Unlike her usual confident self, there was a tremor and resonance in her voice.

That alone was enough for me to be certain.

This child is now experiencing her first love.

“Deia.”

That’s why I had to answer honestly.

“I haven’t thought of you that way until now. Of course, I can’t say I see you that way now either.”

This is reality.

First loves are usually tragic. That’s why they remain in people’s hearts, with a sense of longing.

But.

“I’ll try.”

Deia’s first love wasn’t over yet.

If she wishes.

“Give me time. I’ll try to see you differently too.”

I thought I should at least make an effort.

“Ah…”

“Well, I said that, but have confidence. You’re a very attractive woman.”

Since it probably wasn’t the answer she wanted, I offered some words of encouragement.

In reality, Deia was indeed a very attractive woman.

“So from now on, you’ll try to see me as a woman? Not as a sister?”

“Yes, but if it doesn’t work even after trying, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to give up. Honestly, it won’t be easy…”

Whoosh!

Being so close, I couldn’t react.

Suddenly, Deia lunged toward me, grabbed my head with both hands, and pressed her lips against mine.

It was a bit forceful and slightly painful, but that made it a memory perfectly suited for a first kiss.

“…Huh?”

After our lips parted, I was taken aback, not expecting such a sudden advance.

“Hmph.”

Deia wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with her finger, looking satisfied like a predator after a hunt, and grinned.

“Judging by your reaction.”

“……”

“This is going to be super easy.”