Chapter 33:
I Wish You Were Alive
The direction where the sound of water was coming from was a place within the academy with a small artificial lake.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Philip ran while holding Riche. In no time, they arrived in front of the artificial lake.
Quiet waters, waves gently flowing in the night breeze.
It was a scene that seemed unlikely to have anything happen.
“Was it the sound of fish?”
It could have been a similar sound if a large fish, like a child, had jumped out of the water and then gone back in.
Riche focused so much that she couldn’t even hear Philip’s voice as she observed the lake.
Then she found it.
Underneath the small arched bridge, a black energy moved as if it were alive beneath the surface of the water.
“Philip, there! Someone fell in over there!”
“What?!”
At Riche’s urgent voice, Philip took off his top and jumped into the water.
A person. At this time of night?
“It’s really there.”
Swimming to the legs, Philip grabbed the submerged boy.
The face with closed eyes as if sleeping was someone I knew.
“Prince Gerwer?!”
Why was Ian here? Why did Riche have to find Ian?
There were questions, but it wasn’t the time to ask them.
Philip wrapped Ian’s arm around his shoulder and floated to the surface. As he swam out of the water, Riche found a nearby flat surface and waved her hand.
“Over here! How’s Ian?”
“His heart’s not beating.”
“What?”
Philip quickly laid Ian on the ground and began pressing his chest with both hands repeatedly.
“Prince Gerwer! Wake up!”
But there was no sign of Ian’s breath returning, even though his face had turned pale. Riche shouted at Ian.
“Ian Dwayne!”
“…?”
“Don’t die!”
He couldn’t die like this.
“I wish you were alive.”
The words to the mirror were sincere. It wasn’t because of the conditions offered by Hikenka. He just wanted his voice to reach.
Ian was a lonely child.
In a mansion like a prison where no one reached out a hand, Ian Dwayne had lost hope and given up everything.
Like himself, trapped and collapsing in the basement of the Gerwer mansion in the past.
“You haven’t tried anything yet. You said you would see the wide world and meet important people. Don’t die, Ian…!”
Riche grabbed Ian’s hand.
“For heaven’s sake! Prince Gerwer!”
Philip continued to press Ian’s chest, getting angrier.
This wasn’t working.
When someone is drowning and their breathing stops for sure,
“With the mouth…!”
Breath had to be forced in.
It was the moment Philip brought his face to Ian’s face.
“Cough.”
“Milord!”
When Ian vomited water, Riche quickly turned his head to the side.
Seeing him breathe again, Riche sighed with relief and sank to the ground. Her fingers were torn, with small drops of blood forming.
“Thank goodness.”
She had briefly used the power of purification.
It was a fleeting thought that if her purification reached the heart, it might start beating again, as the energy of abilities accumulated from the heart. It was a gamble, but fortunately, it seemed to have succeeded. The pain after purification felt proud for the first time.
Ian briefly opened his eyes, then lost consciousness again.
“Is he okay now?”
“Yes. Since he’s breathing again, he should wake up as time passes.”
“Thank you, Philip. Thanks to you, Ian Dwayne is alive.”
Riche smiled brightly. Philip also sat on the ground, smiling contentedly.
“Don’t mention it. It’s all thanks to you for finding milord.”
Philip, relieved only now, vigorously brushed the water from his dripping hair with his hands and then put his shirt back on, asking Riche as he did so.
“Miss, did you anticipate that Prince Gerwer would have an accident?”
Riche shook her head.
Realizing that her acting was obvious in her tone over the years, Riche often used actions instead of words when lying.
Philip didn’t know about it, so he continued the conversation naturally.
“When we arrived, it seemed that someone had put milord, who was asleep, into the water.”
Even if he jumped in by himself, the water couldn’t have been so calm. Humans have survival instincts, so at least a few times, their bodies would have convulsed involuntarily. But there were no ripples, and apart from the sound of water heard for the first time, there were no other sounds.
“Who could the culprit be? Miss, you don’t know either, right?”
She shook her head.
“Well, we’ve only been here for a day. Wow, a day feels long.”
She said she didn’t know, but she guessed. Perhaps Duke Gerwer was up to something. Hikenka had made ominous remarks too.
“You know, Letiom. Ultimately, humans all end the same. Despite twisting their fates, abilities still kill them due to side effects, and Ian Dwayne… Ah, what about you?”
“Me?”
“Do you think your end will be the same?”
Riche shook her head. She didn’t want to think of Hikenka’s strange remarks right now.
“It’s better to report this to milord. You might be in danger being involved, miss.”
“…Yeah. That sounds good.”
If it were Blake, he might be able to help Ian. Ian needed help right now.
Riche stood up and brushed off the dirt from her clothes.
“Let’s go back for now. We might catch a cold from being wet. Both you, Philip, and Ian Dwayne.”
“Yes.”
Philip carried Ian, and the three arrived at Riche’s dormitory as she led them.
Philip wiped himself and Ian dry with a towel and then said to Riche, “Miss, you should go in and sleep first. I’ll take milord to his room and come back.”
“Yeah. Be careful, Philip.”
“Yes. Don’t worry and go to sleep.”
And so, they had bravely reached the men’s dormitory building to take Ian to his room—only to face a hurdle.
“…I don’t know milord’s room?”
Philip scratched his cheek.
So, he had to resort to plan B.
—
“…Why did you break into someone else’s room window in the middle of the night?”
In the middle of the night.
Rubenharf, awakened by the noise in the living room, looked at the intruder his subordinate was holding at swordpoint.
“Huh? Philip?”
“Ha-ha, milord Rubenharf. Hello?”
There was annoyance beneath Rubenharf’s smiling face.
Philip briefly and bluntly explained that he didn’t know Ian Dwayne’s room, so he had come to Rubenharf.
“So? If that’s the case, you should go to your milord, Dercadion.”
“Even you, Milord Rubenharf. I also consider my life precious.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I woke up Lord Deon just to cause trouble?”
“Am I that easy to handle?”
Rubenharf’s eyebrows twitched.
Ah, that’s right. It was Lord Hebertsman. Noble pride was something else.
“No, no. Honestly, Lord Deon wouldn’t know about this side’s lord’s room either. I came here because I thought Lord Rubenharf would know.”
Philip’s words sounded plausible. Deon probably told him to scram if he asked.
‘Hmm, Ian Dwayne Gerwer…’
Riche didn’t want to help much since it seemed to pique her interest.
But those thoroughly soaked clothes bothered her.
‘What should I do?’
Rubenharf made up his mind.
He wasn’t a self-sacrificing person to sacrifice his sleep time to help Ian Dwayne.
“I don’t know. Take him back. Philip.”
Rubenharf yawned and tried to return to his room connected to the living room.
But Philip’s words stopped him.
“…Do you know that I’m Miss Riche’s only steward?”
Erect.
“Stewards know Miss’s schedule, spend a lot of time serving her…”
“…?”
Splish, splash.
Rubenharf became interested in the bait of the fishing hook suddenly dangled in front of him.
Philip pretended not to notice and subtly addressed Rubenharf.
“I report to Lord once a week and leave…?”
“Leave Ian Dwayne. Philip.”
“But isn’t it rude to leave Lord at this hour…?”
“I’ll take care of it. Just take him to the room.”
Rubenharf looked pitifully at the drenched Philip.
He said to Philip. If there’s coming, there’s going.
“However.”
“Yes.”
“Be nice to Riche…for me…”
As if starting to say it’s not a big deal, his voice gradually faded.
Philip looked at Rubenharf’s blushing ear tips.
Rubenharf was a romantic too.
‘How far does our miss’s charm go…’
It was amusing to watch, even though Miss Riche herself didn’t know her charm.
Philip nodded with a face asking if he could do it.
“I’ll speak well.”
Rubenharf’s steward, who ended up taking on the task in the end, watched Philip leap out the window.
Then, Ian, still asleep, changed into Rubenharf’s spare nightclothes and was carried to his bed by the steward.
—
“Ian Dwayne!”
Ian listened to the voice ringing in his head.
‘Who is it?’
Who was calling him with such urgency?
“Don’t die!”
The voice echoed again.
Ian realized that the voice was something from his memory.
‘…Is it you?’
It was that kid. In the mirror.
Is she here now? He wanted to open his eyes and confirm.
He wanted to answer that he wouldn’t die.
But unfortunately, his body didn’t listen.
His eyelids didn’t rise like stones, and no strength entered his limp body. Father finally killed me.
“If you need help, contact me.”
Why did Lord Lodwick’s words come to mind now? He had no intention of asking him for help.
“Cough.”
With a cough, his senses awakened.
Under the slightly raised eyelids, the silver moonlight shone on the unfocused black pupils.
‘Is it really you?’
But the trembling lips couldn’t utter a word in the end.
‘Got it.’
Ian realized. The reason Lord Lodwick’s words came to mind.
Now, he felt regretful about life.
Because the girl’s voice started ringing in his head again.
Ian lost consciousness again.
When he woke up again, he was on his bed in his room.
“…”
Ian checked his condition as soon as he got up.
He wanted to confirm if what happened last night was true.
But there was no trace of wetness, unlike the memory of falling into the water. The bedding was also fluffy.
Everything was the same as when he went to bed the night before.
‘The clothes…are different.’
He realized that the clothes he was wearing now were different from the day before.
It wasn’t a dream. Nor was falling into the water at night.
Seeing that girl… ‘She’s at the academy.’
Ian clenched his chest with pounding heartbeats.
—
“Club?”
An empty classroom.
She suddenly ended up here instead of heading back to the dormitory after class.
Riche looked at Rubenharf, who was sitting in front of her, smiling brightly.
