episode_0156

“Thank you.”

“……”

“Everything you did was salvation for me.”

Tears were already flowing.

Fine lines streamed across her white cheeks, wetting the pillowcase.

Similarly, the dew of the Rose touched the boy’s palm.

The girl bit her lip and spoke. “I’m happy… and that makes me anxious.”

The rose blooming in the night sky was precarious.

As if hoping for an answer, her wet eyes fully reflected the boy’s golden hair.

“What if all of this is a dream?”

“Your Highness…”

Elize was anxious.

Afraid that if she fell asleep tonight, nothing would remain.

Afraid that the sweet reality would scatter into dreams, and she would once again open her eyes in a dark room.

Afraid that Yuda wouldn’t be by her side.

“……”

Vivid loneliness.

The boy, after a brief pause, then whispered to the delicate flower petal. If what reflected in your eyes was merely a dream…

“…Then I will protect your dream.”

So that you don’t wake from your dream.

So that your paradise may continue forever, even if by such means.

“I will stay in your night.”

A calm voice.

Sentences that were, in some ways, even poignant.

The Rose’s heart was colored by such resonance.

The snake wiped her tear-filled cheeks and spoke. “Didn’t I tell you? That I would certainly make you happy.”

“Pff… Yes. You always were like that.”

Elize let out a small laugh.

The smile that blossomed through her tears resembled a forget-me-not at dawn.

Because dew was forming drop by drop.

-Of course.

-Because I want you to be happy.

-For you, certainly a happy ending.

The girl recalled the promise.

The savior who came into her life.

And at the same time, the person who reassured her that he wouldn’t leave.

Her lips suddenly uttered what she had realized.

“Thanks to you… I came to love the world.”

The world she had only hated.

Since he had overturned her perspective, which had been filled with resentment, he was everything that had gifted her life.

To the extent that she could no longer even imagine a world without the boy.

Elize’s heart sank deep.

She slowly raised her sprawling body.

“So.”

“Your Highness…?”

The distance narrowed.

Following him, his body temperature, the scent of his skin, his voice became clearer.

Although they had always had close contact during treatments, this was the first time she had directly approached him like this.

The Rose embraced the boy’s shoulders with a lighthearted sentiment.

Of course, she didn’t stop there.

“Peck…”

She kissed his nape.

Lips that lightly touched and then pulled away.

Nevertheless, the moment felt long enough to seem like an eternity.

The sensation that made her cheeks burn, the boy’s addictive warmth, and the scent of his body brushing against her nose bleached her mind white.

Her pounding heart was already on the verge of bursting.

As if mimicking her own red hair, Elize’s cheeks were crimson.

Plop-.

A tear that flowed down fell onto Yuda’s nape.

She didn’t want to let go of even that scene.

The Rose carefully pulled her lips away.

Their gazes intersected.

“Yuda.”

The girl now knew.

What the name of the emotion that made her so dizzy and happy was.

She had learned it from none other than the person before her eyes.

“There’s something I want to tell you someday.”

“What is it…?”

“It’s a secret for now.”

But.

She shouldn’t convey it rashly.

‘I don’t know you yet.’

Yuda had many secrets.

Because he wasn’t the type to reveal himself to others.

She couldn’t even tell what kind of story was hidden within him.

In such a situation, she had no intention of complicating things for him out of unnecessary greed.

She planned to approach him with time.

-Do you know about taming?

-It’s a word that completely weaves together relationships between people.

Yes.

Just as the boy had once told her.

Slowly taming, building a relationship.

‘That I… came to love you.’

The freshness of spring filled a corner of the flower petal.

The girl held a faint smile.

Swallowing her true feelings whole, she leaned her body against the boy’s shoulder once more.

Lips overlapped on his nape, as if repeating the previous moment.

Slightly, her lips parted.

“Mwah…”

This time, it lingered a little longer.

At most, it might have been about a minute.

Sticky saliva.

A sweet thrill spread to the tip of her tongue.

Tooth marks left on his skin, and a reddish mark as if implying something.

Subsequently, Elize, having pulled away from the boy, touched her own lips as if savoring the warmth.

And then she whispered in his ear.

“I’ll always be by your side.”

Just as you were for me.

Of course.

“My life… is yours.”

On the bed, where dawn had settled.

The boy and girl lay entwined in each other’s arms, waiting for the starlight outside the window to fade.

The Rose would never forget that beautiful night for the rest of her life.

The mark she had left on his neck.

***

The night just before dawn.

After confirming that Elize was fast asleep, I was finally able to leave the bedroom.

The cloudless sky was filled only with starlight.

Since the dawn air was cool, I headed to the nearby garden.

I intended to take a light stroll.

“……”

Thud thud-.

Blades of grass swayed with each step I took.

Just a few weeks ago, this garden would have been covered in snow, but now it was a cradle of life where sprouts were emerging.

Just by taking a deep breath, I could feel the rich scent of soil and the season.

Spring truly is coming.

I chuckled at the childish sentiment.

“Hmm.”

As I savored the brief moment of leisure, my hand suddenly went to my nape.

It was the spot where Elize had left a mark.

“I certainly didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

It was quite unexpected for the Rose to make the approach.

I had thought that if anyone left a mark, it would be me, not that she would be the first to bite my nape.

I traced the reddish mark with my fingertip and mumbled.

‘A lot did happen, though.’

Especially today, she must have been very emotionally shaken.

Even if it was her acting spoiled, it was within acceptable limits.

“It should be fine.”

Whoosh-.

I swept my bangs aside with the passing wind.

In the landscape where stars descended, I was alone.

At times like this, I had a habit of getting emotional and getting lost in various thoughts.

Today, I was reflecting on a particular scene.

The scene from a few hours ago.

-Charlotte. Elize.

-May I… embrace you two for a moment?

-Thank you for growing up so wonderfully… I’m sorry I couldn’t be by your side…

An ending that transcended tragedy.

It was also a beautiful moment because they never gave up.

It was sufficient to be the climax of the episode.

The only bitter point, however, was.

‘That tears didn’t flow, perhaps.’

Clearly.

My heart was pierced so deeply it ached.

Memories felt like they could overflow at any moment, and emotions created more foam than that.

Nevertheless, not even a trace of moisture gathered at the corner of my eyes.

Was it because of withered emotions?

Had I become dulled to sadness?

Or if not…

‘…No.’

I shook off the pointless thoughts.

Focusing on this sort of thing repeatedly brought no progress.

For now, the relief that things had gone smoothly and the admiration for the children who had deviated from the original story were enough.

I stopped against the backdrop of falling stars.

“Hoo…”

My stomach churned.

Was it the belated recoil from over-expending my vitality?

I had been fine while lying in bed, but after moving for a short while, the reaction seemed to come immediately.

I crouched down on wobbly legs.

And then, I coughed, holding my breath.

“Cough…!”

Bloodstains fell onto the grass.

It was light hemoptysis.

It appeared to be internal injuries sustained during the process of breaking the curse.

Normally, this amount of time would have been more than enough for recovery, but perhaps due to my precarious vitality, the recovery was slow.

It seemed I would have to make sure to drink some potions for a while.

Because I needed to regain my original physical condition within at least a week.

There were countless things yet to come.

“Pant, pant…”

Rough breathing after a long cough.

Only after completely spitting out the blood that had welled up, was I able to calm my stomach.

I lightly cleaned my soiled mouth and sleeve with a touch of magic.

‘It’s a relief no one saw.’

It was fortunate that there were no eyes watching.

If the other children had been here, they surely would have put me in a wheelchair and caused a huge fuss, just like last time.

I quietly felt relieved.

Thud-.

Just as I had finished cleaning up and was leisurely getting up.

As if mocking my complacency, a presence was heard behind me.

“Yuda.”

A familiar voice.

I involuntarily paused and replied to the call.

“Your Highness…?”

Charlotte.

Where I turned, the platinum-haired girl was looking my way.

It seemed she had approached during my moment of carelessness.

“Are you unwell again…?”

“Ah.”

Her azure eyes had a subtly sorrowful light.

Her gaze was fixed on the sleeve that had just been stained with blood from the hemoptysis.

“……”

I had no choice but to remain silent.

All while silently muttering my frustration through unparted lips.

No.

Why do you have to appear exactly at times like this?