Laila, observing the furious Count Donovan, was lost in thought.
What should she do?
Should she just shout for help and call out to someone?
Or, though it was quite drastic…
‘Should I grab him and pretend to accidentally fall?’
Laila turned her head to check below the railing. They were on the second floor.
If they both fell from the second floor, Count Donovan would be seriously injured, but Laila would be fine.
Because she was wearing the bracelet given by the priests of the Del Kingdom.
‘Yes, this could be a good opportunity to test the bracelet’s effectiveness…’
Laila withdrew her gaze from the railing and looked straight ahead. And she was startled.
She didn’t know when Count Donavan had gotten so close, but he was now reaching out to her.
When Laila’s wrist was grabbed, she froze immediately.
Count Donovan tightened his grip on her wrist and glared at her.
“Speak again. What did you say?”
Laila stared at Count Donovan without even blinking.
His face was uncomfortably close.
His reddened, wrinkled, sunken face was right in her line of sight. His harsh, ragged breathing seemed to pierce her ears.
It felt as though insects were crawling up her arm and spreading over her body. Laila opened her mouth.
Let go.
But only two words managed to escape her lips.
Count Donavan scowled, his eyebrows furrowed, and brought his face closer to Laila’s, his lips twitching.
“What? Speak louder…”
At that moment, Count Donovan’s face and body were suddenly thrown away from Laila.
“Ouch!”
Groaning, Count Donovan tumbled to the floor.
Laila blinked slowly.
Sion, with a stern expression, looked at Laila before turning away. He then stepped on Count Donovan’s right hand, which was sprawled on the floor.
“Wait! Ahhh!”
“I don’t remember sending you an invitation.”
“Duke Axid, wait, ahhh!”
“Why are you here? And next to my wife, no less.”
“W-wife, ugh, wife?”
Count Donovan’s eyes, bloodshot with rage, darted between Laila and Sion.
His mouth fell open in shock.
“T-That’s impossible… The Duchess of Axid was supposed to have pink hair.”
Laila stifled a laugh.
So he didn’t recognize her…
“Look, Duke, listen to me. I didn’t know, I swear. I had no idea that woman, no, the Duchess, was the Duchess of Axid—ahh!”
Count Donavan screamed in pain, then suddenly fainted.
Leaving Count Donovan collapsed on the floor, Sion approached Laila again.
Standing in front of her, Sion hesitated, unable to act immediately.
Seeing Sion’s hesitation, Laila suddenly realized.
Ah.
My complexion…
Laila was the first to speak.
“I want to rest in my bedroom. Take me there.”
Without her specifying how, Sion silently picked Laila up.
Laila relaxed her body and draped her arms around Sion’s neck.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“I’m sorry.”
As soon as Sion set Laila down on the bed in her bedroom, he offered his apology.
“What for?”
“For being late. I knew where you were, but I didn’t realize you’d encounter such a person.”
Such a person…
Laila looked into Sion’s eyes before speaking.
“What kind of person is he?”
“A person who treated you roughly.”
“When? Just now on the terrace?”
“…”
“Only then?”
Laila caught the flicker of unease in Sion’s eyes. She let out a short laugh.
“You knew everything, didn’t you?”
“…”
“You realized I’m not actually suffering from memory loss.”
“… Yes.”
Laila looked down, a single word flashing in her mind. As expected.
Her face must be as pale as someone who had seen a ghost.
…It’s rare for someone’s complexion to turn so white just from having their wrist grabbed by a stranger.
Laila resigned and spoke in a weakened voice.
“I did not regain my memory.”
“…”
“I never lost it. Did you know that?”
“…No.”
“So until you saw me on the terrace, you really thought I had lost my memory?”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you do that?”
“What?”
Laila stared again into Sion’s dark eyes, her voice tinged with resentment.
“If you thought I had lost my memories, why didn’t you make a move on me?”
“…”
“If I didn’t remember the past, I wouldn’t remember the wrongs you committed either.”
“… Memory and facts are separate things.”
“So, even if I didn’t remember, the wrongs you committed wouldn’t disappear?”
“Yeah.”
Laila bit her lip. Sion’s concerned gaze was now focused directly on her lower lip.
As soon as she noticed Sion’s eyes on her lips, Laila was at a loss.
Is this a joke?
“What’s wrong with you?”
She was genuinely getting angry.
If Sion hadn’t liked her, she would have given up long ago. But…
“Do you think you’re unworthy? Fine, I get it. Maybe you’re not.”
“…..”
“Do you think people only want things they’re always allowed to have?”
Sion’s eyes widened slightly. Laila glared directly at Sion as she spoke.
“Don’t you think you’re overestimating people? Or do you think you’re not human? Like, after sealing away the evil god, you’ve become something other than human?”
“Laila…”
“Look.”
Laila reached out and placed her hand on Sion’s chest. Sion allowed her to do so without resistance.
Laila pressed her palm firmly against Sion’s heart.
“Your heart is beating right now.”
“…”
“You’re human.”
“…”
“A person who wants to have things they shouldn’t.”
“I…”
“I’m telling you it’s okay. That it’s alright to be greedy. It doesn’t matter. Do you still think I’m deluded? That I don’t like you?”
Sion, who had been keeping his mouth shut, soon shook his head.
“…No.”
“…”
“I’m scared, Laila.”
Laila suddenly realized.
She could finally hear Sion’s true feelings.
“Scared of what? That my feelings will change?”
“No. I’m afraid that even if your feelings change, nothing will be different.”
“…What does that mean?”
“If you say you want to leave me…”
“…”
“I’m afraid that I won’t let you go.”
“…”
Laila averted her gaze, turning it slightly downward.
Finally, she had discovered Sion’s true feelings, which he had been hiding all this time.
“Don’t be mistaken.”
It was nonsense.
Laila lifted her head and pushed Sion onto the bed. Sion seemed surprised but obediently fell onto the bed. Laila climbed on top of him.
“…Laila?”
“As expected, there’s not a single old saying that’s wrong. People who don’t have money call others beggars, and people with bad personalities criticize others for being flawed.”
“What…”
“Who has been mistaken all this time?”
Laila smirked, clearly showing her disdain. She grabbed Sion’s firm shoulder beneath her.
“I’ll bet everything I have.”
“…”
“If I say I want to leave you, you’ll let me go even if it means killing yourself.”
“…”
“So don’t have any strange delusions…”
Laila leaned in, holding Sion’s shoulder.
She stopped moving when there was only a small gap between their faces.
“Do what you want.”
Sion’s eyes, which had been wavering dangerously, gradually calmed down.
Laila closed her eyes as she felt a hand wrapping around the back of her head.
Soon, Laila’s body was pulled toward Sion.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
“Have you all heard the rumors about Count Donovan?”
“Is there anyone who hasn’t heard about it?”
“It’s shocking! He strangled the Duchess of Axid at the Duchess’s birthday party!”
“What? From what I heard, he didn’t strangle her but tried to push her off the terrace on the fourth floor.”
“I heard something different. I was told that Count Donovan poisoned a drink and gave it to the Duchess of Axid.”
A moment of silence fell among the elegantly dressed women.
“…What’s the truth?”
