Chapter 20

The hand that was about to accept the necklace paused.

“Of course not. How could something like that be possible between us?”

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

Eched’s unfathomable eyes carried pure curiosity.

What kind of relationship, indeed.

Rivals, adversaries, enemies, nemeses. Or perhaps… the perpetrator and the victim.

‘Though in truth, you’re just someone I unilaterally dislike.’

She shrugged, as if to say what kind of relationship could there possibly be between them.

“A superior and a subordinate. People who briefly attended the academy together and are somewhat acquainted.”

She drew a clear line.

“In any case, thank you for the gift, Commander.”

She reached out to take the necklace.

But Eched suddenly shook his head, grasped the necklace in his hand, and opened his arms.

Eched’s hands brushed past her ears. Trapped in his embrace, she was overwhelmed by the faint scent of sunlight radiating from him.

‘What… what is this…?’

The posture, as if she were being held, was one thing, but the tenderness with which he fastened the necklace was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.

And such premonitions were never wrong.

“So this is where the noise was coming from…”

Startled, she turned around to see her older sister standing there.

She quickly pushed Eched away in shock.

As if he had just finished fastening the necklace, Eched stepped back without resistance.

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Sure. Got it.”

Her sister smiled meaningfully as she walked past Eched and her.

“No, you don’t get it at all.”

She followed her sister, repeatedly insisting it wasn’t what it looked like, but her sister didn’t seem to believe her.

It was unfair, so unfair.

But there was no one to understand her frustration.

***

A Byzantine-style domed building surrounded by a dazzling garden of flowers.

The Crystal Hall, where the ball was being held, was renowned for its beauty.

Another name for the Founding Festival Ball was the Spring Flower Ball.

True to its name, nobles dressed in clothing as colorful as flower petals had already gathered, creating a lively atmosphere.

“Do you think Duke Astrea will attend today?”

“How handsome will he look this time?”

Young ladies gathered in small groups, their faces flushed.

As they lingered near the entrance, eagerly awaiting his arrival—

‘Oh…’

The hall fell into a stunned silence, as if cold water had been poured over it.

A pink bob swayed naturally, and her green dress perfectly complemented her unusually pale skin.

While the change in Lady Melis’s appearance was surprising, what truly shocked the nobles was the man standing beside her—Duke Astrea.

“Why are Duke Astrea and Lady Shaterian together…?”

“Was that rumor really true…?”

“More importantly, look at the Duke’s outfit.”

“Why are they wearing matching outfits…?”

“Oh, heavens! Goddess, please let it all be a lie!”

Strictly speaking, they weren’t matching outfits. They were simply wearing clothes in similar shades of green.

“Look at the necklace Lady Shaterian is wearing and the Duke’s brooch.”

Murmurs grew louder. Those with sharp eyes gasped audibly.

There was no doubt. The accessories were crafted by the same artisan!

“They even matched couple accessories. They’re pros.”

“And look at the hairpin Lady Shaterian is wearing! That silver pin! Doesn’t it seem like it was made to match the Duke’s hair color?”

“Huh…! That sounds plausible…!”

While everyone was engrossed in the scandal—

‘This can’t be…’

One young lady’s hand trembled as she stared at the two figures dressed as if they had coordinated their outfits.

It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be…

My… my lord…!

Overwhelmed, the young lady fled the scene.

* * *

What nonsense.

‘They’re writing a novel in their heads.’

The uproar among the nobles was enough to make her feel like she was about to lose her mind.

First verse, second verse, third verse, fourth verse.

‘If gossiping is your only joy in life, then gossip all you want.’

In a way, she felt pity for their pitiful lives.

But still…

She looked up at Eched. His complexion was darker than before.

“Are you… okay?”

At her question, Eched raised his neatly arched eyebrows, as if he had just heard nonsense.

‘Do you think I’d ask if I didn’t have a reason?’

Eched’s complexion was growing worse by the moment.

Yet this oblivious man seemed unaware of his own condition.

No, it felt like she was the only one who noticed.

‘Maybe because I know he’s about to collapse.’

She wanted to ignore it, but it kept bothering her.

In the original story, it was said that the pain Eched endured was incomparable to any other suffering.

Not even burning, being slashed by a sword, or being crushed could compare to it.

‘Just hold on a little longer.’

The only way to alleviate that pain was through divine power, and it was said that receiving divine power from the woman tied to his past life had an even greater effect.

‘It was such a typical male lead backstory that I naturally thought Eched was the male lead.’

But he turned out to be the secondary male lead.

The author had completely fooled her.

In the original story, Anella should have hurried into the hall by now.

But since Eched had met her earlier in the Blue Plains and arrived at the palace ahead of schedule, they had already entered the hall.

‘Orgon and Anella are over there. And Eched is here with me.’

She had confirmed the positions of all the main characters.

Her role today was to remain a thorough bystander. She had no intention of interfering with the original story and planned to simply observe.

As she stood against the wall, watching the main characters, her sister approached her.

“Terry. What are you doing against the wall?”

“Keeping watch.”

“…How about going out and dancing?”

“I don’t have time for such indulgences.”

Her sister shook her head, as if she couldn’t understand her.

She waved her sister off, signaling her to leave. It was then—

“Lady Shaterian.”

The Countess of LePell, whom she had met on the streets a few days ago, approached her.

“It’s been a while, Duchess Melis.”

“It has indeed, Countess of LePell. But do you know my sister, Terry—no, Lady Shaterian?”

“She helped me greatly not long ago.”

At those words, her sister turned to her with a look of surprise.

“Shaterian helped you?”

Was it really that surprising?

Her sister still thought of her as the Shaterian from their academy days.

“Hehe. Yes. I owe her a great debt. Oh, Lady Shaterian, this is a secret… but I plan to settle things today.”

The Countess whispered just loud enough for only her to hear, then stepped back with a playful wink.

She whispered back just as discreetly.

“If you’re going to step on them, do it so thoroughly that they can’t even squirm.”

There’s nothing more annoying than leaving loose ends.

As she stepped back and smiled brightly, the Countess exclaimed in admiration, 

“As expected of you, Lady Shaterian…”

Feeling a bit proud, she thought to herself that having this level of sophistication was basic for a villainess, and she began teaching her a few things.

How to insult someone while smiling, how to twist their words and play the victim, and how to turn compliments into veiled insults.

The Countess looked confused at one point.

“But even if you turn a compliment into an insult, isn’t it still a compliment?”

“The point is to leave the other person confused. They’ll laugh it off since it sounds like a compliment, but it’ll still leave them feeling oddly offended.”

“This will be very useful for my future social activities.”

After expressing her gratitude, the Countess excused herself, saying she had taken up too much of her time.

Naturally, her eyes fell on the clock hanging in the ballroom. It was only 7 o’clock.

She glanced at the clock, then at Eched.

As his face grew paler and paler, she felt her patience wearing thin.

How far was I supposed to remain a bystander?

‘As long as it doesn’t disrupt the original story, it should be fine, right? He’s practically dying… Can’t I just let them meet an hour earlier?’

But her dilemma soon became irrelevant.

A scream rang out, followed by murmurs among the nobles. Then came the shocking news.

“Saintess Anella fell from the terrace.”

“They say she slipped while trying to catch a flying handkerchief. His Highness the Crown Prince turned deathly pale…”

‘What?’

“Cough, cough.”

She was so shocked she choked on her own breath.

The heroine and hero had just exited the original story.

And they’d left behind the dying secondary male lead.

‘W-what do I do…?’

Her mind went into full red-alert mode. She whipped her head toward Eched.

‘Hey… Are you going to die too…?’

“What’s wrong?”

Completely oblivious to his fate, Eched asked nonchalantly. She couldn’t believe it.

“This is not the time for you to be so calm.”

She grabbed Eched’s hand as he looked at her, puzzled. He followed her lead without resistance.

“Where are we going?”

“To the Saintess.”

She cut through the crowd of nobles who had gathered to gossip about Orgon and Anella.

Though their attention shifted to her and Eched as they passed, she had no time to care about their stares.

‘Even if I hate him, I have to save his life first.’

At that moment, her ears and eyes registered nothing else.

The only thought dominating her mind was that she had to save Eched.

‘All of this happened because the original story went off track.’

She bit her lip.

If Eched were to die… it would all be my fault. 

That was an undeniable truth.

Still, with a shred of rationality left, she decided to take the back route of the hall to reach the infirmary where Anella had been taken.

The garden, cloaked in darkness.

She hurried under the full moon that illuminated the world.

“…Lady Shaterian.”

The voice that called her was rough with labored breathing. Startled, she turned around to see Eched staggering.

“Why…? There should still be time left.”

In the end, he collapsed into her arms. Unable to support his large frame, she fell to the ground with him.

“Eched! Get a hold of yourself!”

No matter how much she shook him, Eched didn’t open his eyes. He had completely lost consciousness.

“Hey… You’re really going to die!”

There wasn’t a single person in sight.

There was only one way to save Eched—divine power.

The method of transferring divine power was simple: physical contact.

“But I don’t have divine power…”

Still, don’t I have just a tiny bit? Perhaps so little that it couldn’t even be measured with an instrument?

She hastily threw off her gloves and pulled off Eched’s gloves as well.

His hands were ice cold.

“And then…”

What was I supposed to do?

She clasped his hands tightly, interlocked their fingers, wiggled them, and even twisted his wrists.

But there was no response.

Frustration and despair welled up inside her.

She lashed out at Eched for no reason.

“See? If you’re being punished, you should’ve just tried to escape it instead of stubbornly enduring it like an idiot!”

The more she thought about it, the more annoying he was. A man she couldn’t understand.

“You’re so irritating. Why did the divine being have to fall in love with a human…? If you die like this, how am I supposed to live with the guilt?”

Drip.

A tear fell onto their clasped hands.

That’s when it happened. Eched’s hand twitched.

“Eched? Are you awake?”

“….”

His half-lidded eyes looked dazed.

When his eyes fully opened, they were entirely focused on her.

She was pulled closer.

There was no time to react to the proximity of his face.

A large hand cradled the back of her neck.

“Don’t cry.”

“What…”

His low voice whispered.

The next moment, his lips pressed against hers.