It’s Sunny But I’m Depressed Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Rain, Tears, and Desert (3)

 

“Ah!”

 

As her lips touched his finger, the Black King let out a rather peculiar sound. A sound that seemed to scratch at her insides. Ilena felt embarrassed and grumbled inwardly.

 

‘Why is he making that sound? It’s unsettling.’

 

In truth, sucking out poison was a very dangerous act. There was a risk that the poison could spread to her through her mouth. Seeing him make strange noises, the situation seemed serious enough to take the risk and help him.

 

‘And he’s making those sounds.’

 

Ignoring the moans piercing her ears, Ilena sucked on his finger with all her might.

 

“Please, stop…”

 

“Ptooey!”

 

She spat the poison onto the floor. But something was off.

 

“Huh?”

 

What she spat out was red blood. If it were poison, the blood should have coagulated and turned a murky black.

 

“It’s just… red?”

 

Ilena, unusually flustered, muttered blankly.

 

“I told you, it’s not poison.”

 

The Black King, face flushed, breathed heavily. Tears welled up in one of his eyes. Ilena found herself staring blankly at his face, captivated.

 

‘Beautiful. Like dew on an amethyst.’

 

Even in such an absurd situation, she found herself thinking that. Then, with a gasp, Ilena snapped back to reality.

 

‘If it wasn’t poisoned, then this situation is…’

 

Ilena awkwardly withdrew her hand from the wall and slowly backed away. As soon as the Black King left her embrace, he quickly turned aside to straighten his disheveled clothes.

 

‘What is this situation?’

 

It felt as if she had seduced an innocent young man.

 

“Well… you know? I was just worried there might be poison on the tack…”

 

Ilena awkwardly mumbled an excuse to the Black King, whose face was as red as hers. Just then—

 

“Ilena! Did you enjoy your dinner? I came to check your bed before you sleep… Oh my!”

 

A lively voice echoed down the hallway.

 

‘Timing in life is always like this, isn’t it?’

 

Ilena thought, feeling strangely resigned. Just as she turned the corner to her room, she locked eyes with Andre. Andre’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of the Black King, disheveled and panting, and Ilena, looking unusually flustered.

 

Ilena’s clothes were also in disarray from her scuffle with the Black King. Andre’s eyes narrowed mischievously. Ilena, seeing his obvious expression, waved her hands in a panic.

 

“No, no! Andre. This, this isn’t what you think. Listen to me?”

 

“Oh my! Hoho! …I forgot my laundry!”

 

Laundry at this hour?

 

“It’s not like that, Andre. Just listen. First, could you call a doctor?”

 

“A doctor? Hoho. Why, is your heart racing too much?”

 

“I said no!”

 

Ilena shouted. At that moment, a voice as cold as ice filled the space.

 

“I’ve caused a disturbance at night. I shall take my leave.”

 

Ilena turned her head sharply at the icy voice. The Black King, who had been trembling like a frightened rabbit, now looked shockingly cold. Ilena stared at his face with wide eyes.

 

‘What’s going on? Was I imagining things? Was I the one infected with poison?’

 

She even wondered that for a moment. The Black King adjusted his clothes over his shoulder and began to walk away. Ilena urgently grabbed him and said, “The doctor!”

 

“No need. It’s just a prick from a tack, nothing to fuss over.”

 

The Black King, with an air of authority, left with his clothes fluttering behind him.

 

***

 

“This is strange…”

 

Ilena mumbled, resting her chin on her hand. She was dressed in comfortable pajamas and a pointed nightcap that Andre had helped her put on.

 

“What is, Ilena?”

 

Andre asked, humming as he fluffed the pillows. Until now, she hadn’t noticed because of his impactful face and physique, combined with the original portrayal of him as a ruthless villain.

 

“Hmmm… it’s strange no matter how I think about it…”

 

For someone supposedly a villain, his actions to make her cry were too cute. Especially the way he looked earlier, more like a small black rabbit than a black panther, if it wasn’t because of the poison…

 

‘Could that be his true self?’

 

Ilena’s eyes sparkled. That rabbit-patterned handkerchief. He said a woman gave it to him, but Andre mentioned there were no women around him. Not only that. The rabbit-shaped crystal bottle. The neatly presented strawberry jam cookies.

 

The carefully deboned fish. Now, all the oddities seemed to fit together like a puzzle. Normally, she would have seen through it much faster, but her judgment was clouded by depression.

 

‘Come to think of it, my mind is clear now. I feel sharper than before. Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating and sleeping well lately?’

 

Ilena suddenly looked up at the window. A pleasantly cool desert breeze blew in.

 

“Oh my. The clouds have cleared a bit today.”

 

Andre said, looking up at the sky with her. The moon peeked through the clouds that usually obscured it.

 

‘What? The moon?’

 

The moon was visible?

 

“No way…”

 

Ilena muttered in despair.

 

“What?”

 

Her depression was improving. If the clouds cleared and the sun rose, that would be a problem too. In the desert, they wouldn’t welcome the sun, so they’d try to make her cry. Most importantly, she still didn’t remember how to cry.

 

If they found out, she might be chased away from here too. Or they might try even harsher methods, tired of the abnormal weather. She knew well how cruel people could become in the face of profit.

 

‘I kind of like it here. Andre is nice too. What if I get chased out before three months?’

 

Ilena clutched her creaking head, trying to make a decision. Her depression was like a parasite secretly sapping her energy. She felt like collapsing into bed immediately, but today she couldn’t.

 

‘Think. Make a decision, you stupid brain…’

 

Ilena scratched her head, which felt like a rusty machine without oil. Meanwhile, Andre had another thought as he watched Ilena pulling her hair.

 

‘Our Ilena seems to have a lot of romantic worries.’

 

As far as he knew, His Highness was never cruel to women, only cold in battle and work. But he couldn’t pry too deeply into personal privacy.

 

“Ilena.”

 

Andre spoke seriously after some thought.

 

“Yes?”

 

“I have a wealth of experience in various matters. Especially regarding men, feel free to consult me anytime. Okay?”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Ilena knew what misunderstanding Andre was under, but she couldn’t bring herself to share her current worries with him. She just kept silent and held her head again. Under the faint moonlight through the thinning clouds, Ilena wasn’t the only one deep in thought.

 

Regulus, too, was tearing at his hair in his lavishly decorated room.

 

“Ugh… I never imagined the Priestess would have such tastes… I’ve never even considered it… But if she desires, I…”

 

Though they hadn’t known each other long, he felt emotions he’d never experienced before. He seemed to have fallen for the pure and beautiful Priestess at first sight. And since she would soon return to her homeland, he wanted to form a connection before then.

 

The problem was that he had a rather conventional and upright view of romance.

 

“But if the Priestess desires, I…? Ahhhh!”

 

Thus, each with their own thoughts and misconceptions, a peculiar night was passing.

 

***

 

The next morning.

 

“I’ve decided.”

 

“I’ve decided.”

 

Two people in different places spoke the same words. First, Regulus, who had stayed up all night, looked at the rising morning sun with a determined expression. Perhaps due to the slight shadows under his eyes from lack of sleep, a decadent aura surrounded the man known for his neat appearance.

 

He pulled a cord by his bedside to summon his attendant.

 

“I will go to the palace. Bring me my finest clothes.”

 

His face bore the solemnity of a soldier heading to battle. Meanwhile, Ilena, who had slept well, also wore a determined expression.

 

“I need to find out the Black King’s true identity.”

 

It was clear that his true nature was entirely different from the original story or the rumors here. The Black King was likely neither cruel nor cold.

 

‘Then why spread such rumors?’

 

That wasn’t the only question.

 

‘Why is the original story so full of errors?’

 

In the original, the kind male lead suddenly resorted to electric torture, and now the villainous Black King might actually be a black rabbit. It even made her question if she was in the same novel she had been transported into.

 

Until now, she had been too lazy to think due to her depression, but as her energy returned, so did her sense of reality. She didn’t want to return to the North. The crazy crown prince and the people who gave her an eerie feeling.

 

As they say, eeriness is a science for survival. But could she stay in the South? Or should she seize an opportunity to escape?

 

‘To decide that, I need to know the Black King’s true nature.’

 

If he really was soft like a black rabbit, she could stay here longer. Andre was kind too. Otherwise, she’d have to run.

 

‘Then let’s make a plan.’

 

If their plan was to make the Priestess cry, hers was to catch the Black Rabbit’s tail. As Ilena was finally making plans with a clear mind to catch the tail of the man who might be a black panther or a black rabbit, there was a cautious knock on the door.