Chapter 83

She thought it would be a good opportunity to thank Jeff and discuss the new product.

Her sister left only after a lengthy chat.

“Kirin, where is Eched?”

Now that her sister was gone, it was time to find her missing husband.

“He’s in the study.”

“Really? Got it.”

“Miss, is it alright for you to get up already?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Ignoring Kirin’s protests, she got up and headed to the study to find Eched.

But Eched wasn’t in the study.

“What…?”

Grumbling, she began searching for places where Eched might be.

First, the dining hall. Then the training grounds. After that, the garden.

She didn’t have much stamina to begin with, so just checking four locations completely drained her energy.

“Where on earth did he go?”

Suppressing her rising frustration, she entered the dining hall and gulped down a glass of cold water.

Just then, Kirin entered th dining hall carrying a basket of laundry and asked her, 

“Miss, did you meet the Duke?”

“No. At this point, he must have left the ducal residence.”

Kirin tilted her head at her response.

“I just saw him in the study on my way down.”

“What?”

Slamming the cup down, she headed back to the study to find Eched.

But again, the study was completely empty, not even a strand of Eched’s hair in sight.

At this point, she knew. Eched was avoiding her.

“Is this man avoiding me right now?”

As she stood in the empty study, fuming, Kirin—who had followed her—suddenly began defending Eched.

“He must have something urgent to attend to.”

“If he’s busy, he should be in the study.”

“Maybe he just needs some time alone?”

Really…?

She looked at Kirin, who was consistently defending Eched, like she was seeing something bizarre.

“Why are you suddenly taking Eched’s side?”

You’re acting strange.

At her incredulous stare, Kirin shrugged nonchalantly.

“Stop wandering around and just lie down quietly.”

It seemed Kirin’s joy at her getting up had already faded, as she returned to her usual self and pushed her back toward her room.

Though she was slightly annoyed, she thought there must be a reason for Eched’s behavior. Deciding to let it slide just this once, she turned back.

But even as the night deepened, Eched didn’t return to their room.

“Let’s see how long you avoid me.”

Frustrated, she ground her teeth.

She intended to stay awake until Eched returned, but drowsiness soon overtook her. Feeling the emptiness of the space next to her, she fell asleep.

How long had she been asleep? She began to regain consciousness as she felt something tickling her face.

Shadows flickered behind her closed eyelids, moving back and forth.

When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw Eched through her blurry vision.

“Eched…?”

“Did I wake you? Go back to sleep.”

A large hand gently patted her chest.

When she closed and reopened her eyes, it was still the dark hours of dawn.

Fully awake now, her clear eyes caught sight of the slightly open terrace.

It seemed the owner of the empty spot next to her was out on the terrace.

She got up slowly and headed toward the terrace. As expected, Eched was there.

“What are you doing out here?”

She saw Eched sitting on the terrace, exuding a forlorn atmosphere.

Why wasn’t he sleeping at this hour?

“Eched.”

When she called out, Eched, who had been staring resolutely ahead, finally turned his head toward her.

Seeing Eched brought more sadness than anger.

“If you have a complaint, just say it. Why avoid me?”

Grumbling, she approached and sat down next to him.

The terrace overlooked the garden.

The already barren garden looked even more desolate under the bluish moonlight.

“I’m sorry.”

Eched’s sudden apology startled her.

It didn’t seem like an apology for avoiding her all day.

Because Eched looked deeply regretful.

“It’s fine. It’s not like you committed an act of terror…”

Who could have known the attackers had one last shot left?

Eched, who had been caught in the explosion while trying to save her, only seemed remarkable to her.

“A lot of people came to the ducal residence while you were unconscious.”

That made sense. Judging by his reaction and her family’s, they must have summoned every physician in the empire to examine her until she woke up.

“All the physicians said there was nothing seriously wrong with you, but they couldn’t figure out why you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Really?”

“They couldn’t find any reason, except for one physician. That one said something different.”

Eched paused briefly before looking straight into her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“They said the reason you weren’t waking up was because you didn’t want to.”

Eched’s gaze seemed to ask if that was true.

“……”

She couldn’t answer easily.

To put it simply, she had been in a state of unconsciousness and had no thoughts at all.

Yet she couldn’t answer because…

When she saw the wolf in that unconscious world, her mind had gone blank, and she had thought, ‘What if I stayed here?’

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to wake up; it was just that the longer she stayed there, the more her mind numbed.

“Shaterian.”

When she couldn’t answer, Eched looked at her with a strange expression.

As if asking whether she truly thought that way and that’s why she had only woken up now.

“Maybe… Maybe that’s true.”

In that unconscious world, she had been so lethargic.

Perhaps that was her true intention.

“Did you really… really not want to wake up?”

Eched’s face, asking her earnestly, looked like someone swept away by a torrent of emotions.

“I… I’m not sure…”

“Did you really… intend to leave me behind like that?”

“Why are you putting it like that?”

She told him not to jump to conclusions.

But Eched, already lost in his own thoughts, didn’t seem to hear her.

And then, she was utterly taken aback.

Because Eched began to shed tears.

“Eched…?”

Eched, crying?

She couldn’t find any part of their conversation that warranted tears.

Well, maybe one part…

The part where she might have left him behind forever.

His expressionless face, with thin tears streaming down, was striking.

“Your tears…”

She reached out to wipe them, but Eched leaned back slightly, avoiding her hand.

Her brows furrowed at his reaction.

But did he think she’d give up just because he avoided her?

She wasn’t the type to back down so easily.

If Eched retreated two steps, she advanced three.

There was no such thing as retreating to advance. She had decided there was only advancing toward Eched now.

She stood up and positioned herself right in front of him, leaving him no room to escape.

When Eched tried to flinch away again, she warned him in a low voice, 

“Stay still. I’ll really get angry.”

What was he so afraid of? Did he think my hand was some kind of contagion?

At her words, Eched stopped retreating. Finally, her palm touched his tear-streaked face.

She wiped away his tears with her thumb, and Eched relaxed, leaning his face against her hand.

He buried his nose in her palm and took a deep breath. He must have been deeply unsettled.

Could someone really become this unstable in just ten days?

It felt like looking at a puppy suffering from separation anxiety.

With such idle thoughts, she waited for Eched’s turbulent emotions to settle.

Soon, Eched’s tears began to subside.

“Shaterian, you told me to stop punishing myself.”

Eched’s voice, heavy from crying, asked her.

She recalled their conversation in the Astrea Empire’s territory.

She nodded slightly, saying, 

“I did.”

“If only I could stop being punished, I want to be human, not a Divine Beast. I want to stay this way.”

Not a Divine Beast, but a human?

She couldn’t hide her astonishment at Eched’s words.

It was surprising enough that he wanted to end his punishment, but now he wanted to remain human instead of returning to his original form as a Divine Beast.

“Humans have short lives. They die so easily.”

“I know.”

“And yet, you want to be human?”

“Yes. I want to be human.”

Eched was firm. He seemed determined to stay human.

“I don’t want to be left alone anymore.”

His words struck her heart with a deep emotion.

If Eched no longer intended to wait for her soul’s reincarnation, that was fine with her.

It meant she could let go of this lingering sense of guilt.

“You remember the wish you owe me.”

“Ha… You still remember that?”

It was the wish Eched had asked for when they established the Welfare Department.

How could he remember that after all this time?

But since she had already agreed to grant it, she couldn’t pretend otherwise.

She looked at Eched with a reluctant expression.

“What’s your wish?”

Eched looked straight at her.

“Don’t leave me behind and die.”