Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 108

“……!”

I wanted to cry, but I was breathing too hard to even let out a sob.

How could I be this unlucky?

Just as I was lamenting that wanting to cry would be the last emotion I felt in this life, and was about to lose consciousness—

I began to feel a strange energy inside my body.

Although it felt unfamiliar, it wasn’t a feeling I had experienced for the first time. Something like this had happened before.

When I had been on the verge of death like this, the energy inside my body had once wrapped around me as if it were trying to protect me.

My breathing, which had almost faded away, began to return. I could also feel the sensation returning to my skin, which had been badly burned and was stinging and burning.

‘This is…’

It was divine power. The divine power inside my body.

The divine power that had always seemed to hit an invisible wall whenever I used it was breaking through that wall.

I looked at the broken pendant. Then I remembered when I had experienced something like this before, when the divine power had wrapped around me like this.

‘Renia!’

The name that had always been hidden away suddenly became clear. Forgotten memories came back to me.

That’s right. A very long time ago, I had fallen into Epheon’s Thornfield, where anyone who fell would lose their life.

The divine power had saved me there too, just as it was saving me now.

Of course, surviving didn’t mean everything could return to the way it was before, and because I had been so young, I couldn’t return home, but…

My head hurt. I could remember my name and fragments of my memories, but my family’s names still wouldn’t come to me.

‘I have to get out first.’

I remembered the figure in the robe that I had seen through the closing gap of the cargo wagon door. It had only been for a moment, but it was as clear as if I had taken a picture of it.

Could that person really have been the employer?

My body had recovered once, but that didn’t mean I had become some kind of phoenix.

Being inside the flames was unbearably painful, and my hands, striking the gap in the broken wood, were covered in blood.

My breathing began to grow labored again. Strength began to drain from my entire body.

I had to get out.

My eyes began to close. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay conscious, but it was difficult with so little air.

Then.

The cargo door suddenly flew open. Fresh, cold air rushed inside like a wave.

It was a man. The light from the flames filling the cargo area flickered across the man’s face.

“Ehit.”

My weak voice slipped out like a murmur.

Ehit’s arms lifted me up in an instant. I wrapped my trembling arms around his neck.

His face was angry, but he didn’t scold me for being here or impatiently ask if I was all right.

Ehit simply breathed heavily, like a man carrying a huge knot of emotion inside him, and held me even tighter.

But at that moment—

“……!”

I raised my head, and my eyes widened.

Before I could even shout Ehit’s name, a hand holding a dagger was heading toward Ehit’s back.

Ehit turned his body and dodged it. But the dagger still sank deeply into his arm. Because he had been holding me, he couldn’t roll away to avoid it.

I saw Ehit’s expression twist with pain for a moment. But soon, he spoke to me in a calm, unwavering voice.

“Please wait a moment, Daphlen.”

In an instant, but with controlled movements, he lowered me to the ground and turned around.

Then he suddenly grabbed the arm that was swinging the dagger at him again.

“It’s been a long time.”

Ehit struck the person’s wrist, making them drop the dagger, and pulled off their robe.

The figure hidden beneath the robe was revealed.

“Is this what you meant when you said that whatever is meant to happen must happen?”

Ehit spoke in a cold voice, making no attempt to hide his anger.

Daphlen leaned against his shoulder with a deep sigh.

Ehit pulled the blanket wrapped around her sleeping body more tightly around her.

Perhaps his hard shoulder was a little uncomfortable, because Daphlen burrowed deeper into him to find a more comfortable position. Because of that, her breath came closer to his neck.

Ehit turned his head and casually looked out the window, but the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

Only after cooling his ears a little did Ehit turn his head again and look at his former fiancée.

Fortunately, Daphlen’s face as she slept peacefully looked comfortable. At this moment, she didn’t seem to be wary of him or having a bad dream.

“Ehit……”

Ehit immediately listened to her voice.

She seemed to be talking in her sleep. Daphlen slowly murmured his name and gave a gentle smile.

Ehit carefully brushed her hair aside.

As he looked at Daphlen, who was peaceful as though the storm from earlier had never happened, Ehit remembered what had happened.

Not long after he had sent Daphlen away.

“Young Master!”

The driver of the carriage that had taken Daphlen away had returned.

At his attendant’s urgent message, Ehit immediately left the banquet hall.

“What happened?”

“M-Miss Daphlen has disappeared.”

The driver’s body trembled at Ehit’s expression, which had hardened in an instant.

“Where?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked where she disappeared.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but the coldness in it was unmistakable. It was also completely different from the calm, rational tone the young master usually had.

“Are you not going to answer?”

“……Yes! Near Heright Forest. She asked me to stop for a moment, so I stopped, but…”

“Did she go into the forest?”

“Yes. But she didn’t come back no matter how long I waited… I thought it was strange too, so I searched for her, but I couldn’t find her.”

Ehit quickly walked to the carriage and undid the strap connecting the horse to the carriage.

Even after removing the ring, the knot was tightly tied, so Ehit simply pulled it until it broke.

Even though it was a fairly thick leather strap, it tore like a sheet of paper. The driver could only suck in a sharp breath.

Ehit mounted the horse and took hold of the reins.

He didn’t know where in the forest she was. But the longer he waited, the harder it would be to find Daphlen.

And if something happened to her in the meantime…

‘No.’

Just then, a horse blocked Ehit’s path.

It was Mendel.

He didn’t seem to have come to make jokes and tell Ehit to enjoy the banquet a little longer.

“Ah, A-Alietta is the one you’re going to look for, right, Colonel?”

After taking a deep breath, Mendel spoke with a look that showed he had made some kind of decision.

“I think I know where Miss Alietta is.”

“How would the lieutenant know that?”

“We don’t have time. Let’s go first.”

“Answer me first.”

Mendel swallowed hard and spoke in a heavy voice.

“During last year’s train derailment, there was a listening device attached to your shoe, Colonel.”

Ehit’s eyes narrowed.

Mendel continued without even stopping to breathe.

“I was the one who put it there.”

“What?”

“So please follow me. I know where Miss Alietta is.”

Mendel immediately rode off. His usual cheerful and clumsy appearance was nowhere to be seen.

But he was still like a bear. He had tried to prove his claim by admitting that he had once tried to stab his commanding officer.

Remembering what had happened then, Ehit let out a long breath.

This was not something he could simply leave alone.

But for now, he would put it aside. Questioning his subordinate, and tracking down the person who had done this to Daphlen.

Ehit’s gaze returned to Daphlen, who was leaning against him.

For now, he wanted to focus only on this.

On the fact that Daphlen was alive, and that she was breathing like this while leaning against him.

Only that.

 

 

****

 

 

“Are you awake?”

It was a morning that made yesterday’s events seem like they had all been a dream. I had been deeply asleep for a long time before finally waking up, and I suddenly sat up.

Where am I?

The first things I saw were the soft, light-white blanket, the high ceiling, and Ehit…

“Ehit?!”

“Are you awake?”

Unlike me, who was completely flustered, Ehit calmly offered me some water, as though he had even expected my reaction.

“Uh, why am I… Where am I? Wait, just a moment.”

“Drink this first.”

I rambled on before automatically taking the water and gulping it down. Only then did I feel like my mind was beginning to clear.

I also realized where I was.

This was the Cloyden Mansion.

In other words, the Cloyden family’s capital residence.

“Please forgive me for bringing you here without your permission.”

“I didn’t have time to ask,” Ehit added, taking the glass back with the same hand that had given it to me.

His movement was strangely unnatural, so I looked more closely.

His other arm was wrapped in bandages and held in place.

When my gaze moved toward it, Ehit leaned his body toward me and redirected my eyes.

“It’s nothing, so don’t make that face. The bandages will be off in a day or two.”

“But…”

“You’re the one who needs to be worried about. Be more selfish, Daphlen. I’ll be selfish too.”

Ehit brought over a chair from the nearby table with one hand and sat down. Our eye levels weren’t completely even, but he was closer now.

I looked into the blue eyes watching me as though waiting for my answer, then replied.

“Okay.”

My voice came out quite firmly.

It seemed he hadn’t expected me to actually answer like that after telling me to be selfish.

The slight rise of his eyebrows made it seem as though Ehit had prepared something to say back if I argued with him.

“I really am going to be selfish.”

“How?”

I lowered my eyes for a moment, thinking about how I should answer.

After a brief silence, Ehit spoke first.

“Let me ask for your understanding in advance. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave. As I said, I’ll be selfish too.”

Even though he wasn’t saying anything particularly sweet, the tips of his ears were strangely red.

Ehit reached out and placed one hand on the bed, trapping me there. He looked both like a man and like a boy.

“First, we have to leave the capital.”

“Daphlen.”

“I only came here temporarily. My luggage and my house are somewhere else. I need to go back first.”

“I’ll order them to bring everything here immediately.”

Ehit answered without hesitation.