IBDFSML Chapter 03

 

 

What does it feel like to meet your favorite character from a novel?

 

If someone were to ask me that, I’d answer without hesitation.

 

‘It feels freaking amazing.’

 

“Sion…!”

 

I dashed straight toward Sion.

 

He was leaning against the wall, eyes closed in silence.

 

Frost had formed across his body, proof of the bitter cold.

 

The sight… wasn’t exactly like a beautiful painting—it was more like a corpse.

 

“Sion! I’m here! Your devoted fangirl fairy has arrived!”

 

I frantically circled around him, shouting at the top of my lungs.

 

My commotion got Garen, who was standing guard outside, all flustered too.

 

“Fairy!? What’s the matter? Is the Young Lord alright!?”

 

“I don’t know! He looks like he’s already dead!”

 

To wake Sion, who hadn’t moved a muscle, I smacked his cheeks lightly with both hands.

 

His face was far too precious to hit, but I had no choice.

 

“Sion, snap out of it! Open your eyes! You can’t die here!”

 

Just then—his eyelids twitched.

 

“……!”

 

Through his long, silver-gray lashes, his pale blue-gray eyes slowly came into view.

 

And then—our eyes met.

 

“Sion…!!!”

 

I wrapped my hands around his cheeks. His gaze, fixed on me, was full of confusion.

 

“…What is this…”

 

“Aaaaah! I finally met my favorite character!”

 

“…Fairy?”

 

Sion muttered in disbelief. I nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Yup, yup! My name’s Lin! I came to see you!”

 

“….…”

 

Sion looked at a complete loss for words.

 

“Oh no, look at your poor face! Don’t worry about a thing now, Sion! I’ll protect you!”

 

From now on, just trust your devoted fangirl fairy!

 

I’ll spoon-feed you everything!

 

“.……”

 

Sion silently looked down at me, visibly stunned. I waited patiently for him to process everything.

 

After a while, he finally spoke again, his voice a sweet, low rumble.

 

“Why… is a fairy in a place like this?”

 

“Because I came to see you, of course. He brought me here.”

 

I pointed to Garen, who was peeking through the tiny barred window.

 

“…Garen.”

 

“Young Lord! You’re awake!”

 

Sion let out a long sigh, looking dumbfounded.

 

“What in the world is all this commotion?”

 

“Are you alright? It’s been three days since you were locked in here. I tried to appeal to Advisor Luman to reconsider your punishment, but… it was no use. Then…”

 

Garen glanced at me, still visibly confused.

 

“Then I met this fairy over here, and… I brought her along.”

 

“….…”

 

“Do you… know her?”

 

“Of course not.”

 

“Then who on earth…?”

 

Silence fell, and both of them turned their eyes toward me.

 

When I smiled brightly at Sion, their expressions became even more bewildered.

 

A moment later, Sion rubbed his temples, clearly getting a headache.

 

“…Both of you, just go away.”

 

“Huh?”

 

I blinked in surprise.

 

“I don’t know why a fairy is here of all places, but I’m not interested in getting caught up in some silly prank.”

 

“It’s not a prank though.”

 

He completely ignored my protest and turned to Garen with a cold voice.

 

“Garen, I’ll leave when the time comes. Don’t do anything that could give this woman an excuse.”

 

“But, Young Lord—”

 

“I said leave. You’re disturbing my rest.”

 

And with that, Sion closed his eyes as if the conversation was over.

 

The prison fell into a cold, heavy silence.

 

“….…”

 

I stared blankly at him.

 

I didn’t expect him to instantly welcome a mysterious fairy who appeared out of nowhere.

 

Still… this was far colder and more indifferent than I’d imagined.

 

And yet… I liked it.

 

“Yep, this is exactly Sion’s charm.”

 

I couldn’t help but smirk.

 

You see, I’m a certified fangirl who won (probably) a spot against overwhelming odds to become his official devoted fangirl fairy.

 

To others, that icy, aloof attitude might seem rude or unbearable, but to me, he just looked cool… and heartbreakingly lonely.

 

He lost his only mother at a young age.

 

He was brought to the Grand Duke’s castle, and because he was born out of wedlock, he was constantly rejected by everyone.

 

That lonely and desolate childhood shaped him into the cold, cynical person he is now.

 

But I knew—better than anyone—that deep down, he was warm-hearted, sincere, and steadfast.

 

I gazed at him with deep affection, recalling a line from the original novel.

 

 

‘When I was younger… I used to get locked in the underground prison wing sometimes.’

 

 

It was a scene where Sion, after opening up to the female lead, briefly mentioned his past.

 

 

‘I could endure the cold and hunger. But the silence and complete darkness… that was the hardest part.’

 

 

I grinned with confidence.

 

It was time to fulfill my sacred duty as a devoted fangirl fairy—to fangirl.

 

“Sion. Get up.”

 

I gave his chin a little pinch. His brow twitched slightly in response.

 

“We’re getting out of here.”

 

“……?”

 

Once I confirmed he opened his eyes, I whooshed up into the air.

 

With a serious expression, I stared straight at the prison’s iron door.

 

“You think I’ll just let my favorite rot in this dingy old cell?”

 

Judging by how things worked earlier, this ‘fangirl skill’ seemed to be some sort of extra-worldly power born from the fusion of my love and sheer willpower.

 

“Alright. If my theory’s correct, then I should be getting a new skill that can open this prison door too.”

 

I thrust my arms out in front of me.

 

“Hyaaah! Open, sesame!”*

 

But—

 

Nothing happened. Not a sound. Not a twitch.

 

“…Did I get it wrong?”

 

I felt Sion’s skeptical gaze burning into the back of my head, and cold sweat trickled down my neck.

 

Ding—!

 

 

[You’ve acquired the fangirl skill <Unstoppable Devotion>!]

 

[<Unstoppable Devotion>: True fangirl energy charges forward no matter the obstacle! Nothing can stand in the way of your love for your fave. Smash through any and all obstacles with your undying fangirl spirit!]

 

 

“……!!!”

 

Apparently, this skill wasn’t for unlocking the door—it was for blasting it open.

 

‘Whatever! That works too!’

 

Excited at the chance to leave a strong impression on Sion, I struck a dramatic pose and shouted with all my might.

 

“Hyaaah! Take this—<Unstoppable Devotion>!”

 

Fwaaah—!

 

As I unleashed the skill, a sparkling pink heart materialized at my fingertips.

 

The heart-shaped projectile, which looked rather unimpressive, flew toward the prison door with a weak sound effect.

 

Pew—!

 

And the moment it collided with the prison door—

 

BOOM—!!!

 

With a thunderous crash, the iron door was blown several meters back.

 

I was left stunned, letting out an absent-minded murmur of awe at the unexpectedly dramatic result.

 

“…Oh.”

 

Moments later—

 

Crack…

 

A massive fracture ran through the inner wall that had been supporting the now-missing door, and soon the entire wall crumbled down with a deafening crash.

 

RUMBLE—!

 

“Wha— Cough, cough, cough!!”

 

Choking on the swirling dust storm, I started coughing violently.

 

“Hack, hack… Gah.”

 

Once the dense dust began to settle, my vision slowly returned.

 

I quickly flew over to check on Sion and see if he was okay.

 

“Sion, are you alright? You didn’t get hurt or anything, did you?!”

 

“…….”

 

Half-risen from the ground, Sion stared at the blown-off door and the collapsed wall in the distance.

 

His normally cold expression now looked completely dumbfounded—as if he were thinking, ‘What in the world just happened?’

 

Under his chilly gray-blue gaze, I sheepishly added a hasty excuse.

 

“Haha… oops. I was just trying to open the door, but I ended up blowing up the wall instead. Looks like I misjudged my strength. Sorry about that.”

 

“…….”

 

At that moment, Garen, who had been outside, stepped over the rubble and spoke up.

 

“Cough, cough. Yes, well… just as the fairy said, the wall has been completely destroyed. Thanks to that, this place can’t really be called a prison anymore.”

 

Looking around in disbelief, Garen continued.

 

“It seems pointless for the young lord to stay here any longer.”

 

“Exactly, exactly.”

 

I chimed in, agreeing with him.

 

“Plus, judging by the state of the remaining walls, there’s a risk of further collapse. It would be best to leave here quickly.”

 

“Right, right.”

 

I nodded eagerly.

 

Garen, you sly devil. You’re just a minor background knight, but you’re proving to be surprisingly useful, huh?

 

With his backup, I reached out to Sion with a gentle gesture.

 

“Come on, Sion. Let’s get out of here.”

 

“……”

 

Sion gave me a complicated look—some mix of disbelief, exasperation, and resignation. Then, with a sigh deep enough to collapse the ground beneath us, he muttered,

 

“…Haah. What even is this…”

 

Then suddenly, he grabbed me.

 

“Wah—!”

 

Without warning, he tucked me into the folds of his cloak. As I squirmed, his cold voice dropped down from above.

 

“We’re heading out, so stay hidden and don’t make a scene.”

 

His voice was filled with annoyance and clear irritation. I froze, then replied meekly.

 

“…Yes, sir.”

 

I then quietly adjusted myself, leaning back against his chest for support.

 

My first time in my favorite character’s embrace… was surprisingly comfortable.

 

 

🍓; *’Open, sesame!’ is a famous magic phrase from the old story Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (from One Thousand and One Nights). In the story, saying ‘Open, sesame!’ makes a secret cave door open.