“W-well…”

It was frustrating to see her hesitating at the door, unable to enter. Where had the girl who said she’d give her life to save Ilion gone?

“You know, you should break that habit of blaming everything on yourself.”

“……”

Ravenne, still silent, seemed to lack confidence. What was she so worried and afraid of?

“I’m sorry, Miss Spinel. Because of me…”

Spinel looked at Ravenne and let out a small sigh. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand her feelings. She too had once blamed herself for not being able to save Ceras. However,

“Humans are truly unparalleled in their arrogance.”

They were so arrogant that they believed everything was their fault and imprisoned themselves on those thoughts.

“In the end, you can only know fragments of life. You didn’t wish for your grandmother’s death, so why do you try to bear all that burden?”

Ravenne quietly bowed her head at Spinel’s words.

“Your deceased family wouldn’t want you to do this either.”

Spinel wasn’t sure how much those words would reach Ravenne, but it was the best she could do, having never comforted anyone before. So, she’d leave the rest to Ilion. He should earn his keep after being saved, right?

“If you can’t believe my words, go ask that guy. That’s why I saved him.”

Saying that, Spinel pinched Ravenne’s cheek. Ravenne looked up at her with teary eyes, unable to even say it hurt.

***

After Spinel left the room, Ilion’s figure came into view through the wide-open door. Judging by the lingering ache in her cheeks from Spinel’s pinch, this wasn’t a dream.

Seeing Ilion asleep reminded her of her grandmother who had passed away in her sleep. The terribly quiet moment when a white cloth covered that face kept flashing in her mind, making it impossible to cross this threshold.

“Ravenne.”

When she still hesitated to enter, a soft voice called her.

“Come here.”

Strangely, her feet moved slowly, as if under a spell.

The lively eyes between those occasionally closing eyelids reminded her once again that he was alive.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright?”

She tried to meet his eyes casually, but it seemed she needed a bit more courage. Her eyes, failing to meet Ilion’s, wandered aimlessly.

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

She hadn’t come in just to ask about his well-being, but after those words, her lips wouldn’t move anymore. As she pondered what to say first, Ilion spoke,

“By the way, I really can’t let my guard down, can I?”

“……”

“I wondered what you were up to, but to think you really meant to give your life.”

“That’s not… it…”

She hastily shook her head and looked up at Ilion. The red eyes she inevitably met were gazing at her intently.

“Now you’re finally looking at me.”

Perhaps due to his changed appearance, his expression felt particularly gentle today.

“I heard from Spinel. Though her explanation was so poor I could hardly understand anything, I gathered that you were trying to do something reckless.”

“……”

“If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have told you about the curse. I’m sorry for making you feel responsible.”

She quickly shook her head at Ilion’s apology.

“You don’t need to apologize. Actually, I knew. About your secret, Duke.”

Her heart started racing erratically, even though she had just begun to speak. She took a moment to catch her breath and continued slowly.

“I knew but pretended not to. I thought it had nothing to do with me, and I only thought about running away from you.”

What if she noticed the truth about the curse earlier? What if she tried to break the curse instead of thinking about escaping from him?

Perhaps the story would have been more peaceful.

However, at every turning point of the story, she chose to turn away from him, and while she regretted the time she had let slip away, she was also afraid of the resentment she would receive from Ilion.

Surely he would be disappointed if he knew that I, knowing everything, had ignored his curse.

“So?”

As she silently waited for his response, Ilion asked back as if it wasn’t a problem at all.

“What do you mean, ‘so’? I knew about your curse but pretended not to.”

“Then why didn’t you keep pretending not to know until the end?”

“That’s…”

“Isn’t that why you came looking for me? And not just that, you even said something reckless about giving your life.”

For some reason, in this situation where she was being scolded, she could only fidget with her fingers.

“Don’t you… resent me?”

“Why would I?”

Did he really hear my story properly? Wondering if he might not have understood my story, I was about to ask again when Ilion spoke first.

“You asked me, didn’t you? Why I was throwing away my life like that.”

He looked at me with warm eyes and asked.

“I wasn’t exactly going to throw away my life. It was my own struggle to live.”

When I looked at him with an expression of incomprehension, he explained the reason in a pleasant low voice.

“I knew that if you learned the truth, you would blame yourself like this. The more you suffer alone, the more I would die in your memories.”

Ilion reached out and gently stroked my trembling cheek.

“Even if we didn’t have many happy memories, I wanted to be forgotten from your memory as late as possible.”

My chest felt heavy as I finally understood his true feelings.

“…Why?”

I asked the reason with a trembling voice.

“Because I love you.”

At his quiet confession, I tried to bite my lip to stop the tears from welling up, but it was useless.

Suddenly, a memory I had buried for a long time floated up.

A few days before my grandmother passed away. I was chattering about this and that as usual.

‘…Grandma, when you’re reborn, don’t be a grandmother, be my granddaughter. Then I’ll buy you delicious things, nice clothes… and lots of candy. You couldn’t eat candy because of me, right?’

‘No thanks. I won’t be your granddaughter.’

‘…Why? Don’t you like it?’

At my frivolous words, grandmother immediately shook her head, saying she wouldn’t. When I looked at her with a hurt expression, wondering how she could say that, grandmother smiled and patted my head.

‘Even if I’m reborn, I’ll be my little puppy’s grandmother.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I love our Jiha.’

Memories that I had buried because they were too painful to recall began to surface one by one, filling my chest.

Why had I forgotten? There were so many memories that I couldn’t embrace them all with both arms…

Ilion silently embraced me as I was drowning in the flood of overflowing memories. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat was gentle and warm, as if offering comfort.

***

“You’re looking at the sky again.”

Spinel was sitting on the terrace, looking up at the sky, regardless of the cold weather.

“Did you talk with Ilion?”

“Yes.”

“You came out earlier than I expected.”

“I thought there might be many others who want to see the Duke besides me.”

Sebastian and the other people in the mansion would also be curious about Ilion’s condition. I couldn’t monopolize him forever.

“…Did you cry?”

“A little.”

As I scratched my head in embarrassment, Spinel smiled faintly.

“Judging by your expression, it seems things were resolved well.”

On the day I was caught trying to use dark magic, she stopped me and said she would share her life force with Ilion.

For a dragon, sharing life was like when Ceras conceived life, giving up most of their power along with immortality.

It couldn’t have been an easy decision for Spinel either. Especially since she used to say she hated humans and wouldn’t care whether Ilion lived or died.

“Thank you. And, I’m sorry.”

Spinel, who had been listening to me silently, looked up at the sky again.

“I never knew the sky could be this beautiful before.”

Her red eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

“For me, time, whether a day or a year, made little difference. The sun sets, the moon rises, seasons change. It was just the same day repeating. But now, I understand a little.”

“Understand what?”

At my question, she looked at me with a somewhat relieved expression.

“The meaning of wanting to live in the same time as the person you love.”

After answering, Spinel looked up at the sky again.

“It might not be bad. Living in the same time as you.”

As she muttered that, there seemed to be a hint of longing in her eyes.

***

Although we confirmed that Ilion had woken up, there was still one unresolved issue. That was…

“Is it okay for me to stay here like this?”

It’s been a week since I’ve been staying at the ducal mansion without much thought.

I was staying at the mansion quite naturally, but come to think of it, I was an ex-fiancée. I even threw signed documents at Ilion.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have signed them.”

This must be why people say not to write your name just anywhere.

Wait a minute, what do I have to worry about? Ilion said it himself. That he loves me.

Remembering the confession I heard yesterday, my face heated up without realizing it.

“What shouldn’t you do?”

“D-Duke.”

I was startled to suddenly encounter Ilion in front of the dining room.

“Did you sleep well?”

He greeted me with a light smile. His silver hair still felt a bit unfamiliar and surreal.

“How are you feeling? Is it okay for you to be moving around?”

“Thanks for your concern.”

Ilion was staring at me intently as he said that. Once I became aware of it, it was almost burdensome to make eye contact.

I seemed to have chattered away just fine usually, but why couldn’t I say a word now?

In the end, unable to bear the stiff atmosphere, I blurted out whatever.

“The, the weather is nice today, isn’t it?”

“You’re right.”

“…Do you two wear eyes as decoration? How is this good weather?”

Spinel, who appeared just then, glanced out the window and joined the conversation. The sky was gloomy. It looks like it might rain at any moment.

“I can understand Ravenne, but you, did your condition worsen after coming back from death?”

Spinel looked back and forth between me and Ilion, then shook her head and opened the dining room door. Thoroughly embarrassed, I cleared my throat and quietly followed her.

Artia was already waiting in the dining room. Along with her greetings expressing relief that Ilion had woken up, she announced her plans to return to her homeland.

“Then when are you planning to leave?”

“I’d like to leave as soon as possible. My family must be waiting for my return.”

Artia seemed to be looking forward to meeting her family soon.

“Oh, Miss Ravenne. The weather is nice, so if you have time, would you like to go out with me for a bit?”

She glanced at the gloomy outside for a moment before suggesting an outing.

It seemed she had heard all the conversation between me and Ilion outside the dining room.