Episode 81. What is Fate? (4)

However, this was still the Imperial Palace, and the garden had many prying eyes. Most importantly, the system wouldn’t allow me to express my feelings so freely.

‘Ugh, this is so frustrating.’

How on earth was I supposed to say, “I missed you too,” in a snarky way? As I was stewing over this, Percy suddenly let go of me. Instead of wrapping his arms around my waist, he grabbed my wrist firmly. He spun around and began walking with long strides, pulling me along.

“Let’s go back now.”

It was clear that the place he meant wasn’t the Imperial Knight Order. I called out loudly, trying to stop him.

“Wait! Where are you going in the middle of your duty?”

“I can’t work in peace unless I know you’re safely back at my estate.”

The Stewart mansion! I wanted to go there too—no work, just lazing around with everyone fawning over me. But I couldn’t follow Percy right now. I dug my heels in, refusing to move. Percy stopped as well, not forcing me along, and I met his gaze squarely.

“I need to help Julius. I’ll come back on my own once everything is done. Don’t worry and wait for me.”

“Sienna.”

Percy’s face twisted with emotion. He hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, and what came out of his mouth was so childish that I could hardly believe it was him saying it.

“Who’s more important to you, me or the Emperor?”

“What kind of childish question is that?”

“I’m serious.”

“Hmm.”

He’s serious, huh? Honestly, it was kind of cute that someone like Percy would ask such a question.

‘Maybe I’m just blinded by love.’

But is that so bad? A proud and haughty man acting like a child only around me—it was endearing.

But that was one thing, and this was another. It wasn’t that Julius was more important to me than Percy. It was just that Julius needed help right now, and that’s why I was staying by his side.

I conveyed those thoughts with a haughty smile, the kind a villainess would give.

“I’m the most important person to me.”

Percy blinked in surprise before giving me a faint smile. He gripped my shoulders with both hands and said,

“Please, don’t ever forget that.”

His red eyes swirled with a storm of emotions. So many words seemed to hover on the tip of his tongue, yet they remained unspoken, communicated only through his gaze. And out of all the things he could have said, he chose to tell me this:

“Whatever danger comes your way, always put yourself first. Don’t get hurt, and don’t let yourself suffer.”

It was a concern purely for my well-being.

“Percy…”

His words left me feeling both flustered and overwhelmed. I called his name softly, but Percy gently touched my face with his large hand.

“Do you know what I regretted the most after you were gone?”

I stared into his eyes, and they seemed to answer for him.

Not telling you that I love you.

Why hadn’t he said it? Why had we both tiptoed around the topic of love as if it were forbidden?

But before he could express these thoughts aloud, Percy lowered his hand and sighed.

“…The court attendant is here to escort you back inside.”

Just as he said, Julius’s advisor had come to fetch me, waiting quietly to take me back.

* * *

Before seeing Sienna, Percy’s mind had been a complete mess.

When he first learned that his life was nothing more than a story for someone else, it was a crushing realization. But he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. His thoughts spiraled in circles.

‘She said she’s a villainess. Sienna’s downfall is necessary for the story to end.’

Every story needs a villain to propel it toward its climax. And more often than not, the villain meets a tragic end, whether it’s by death or social ruin.

The thought of Sienna being dragged down like that made Percy feel cold inside. His mind raced, thinking only of her safety, until he came to a single conclusion.

‘What if I keep her locked away forever?’

A story without its protagonist would be left adrift, and if Sienna was hidden away, she wouldn’t be in danger.

But Percy quickly shook his head. That was too simple a solution.

‘But that would only make this situation repeat itself. I want this world to end completely. I want to choose my own life, be the protagonist of my own story. To do that, I have to end the story entirely.’

Ending the story—it was easier said than done. Percy knew this better than anyone. Hadn’t he witnessed it firsthand? Beth coming back to life, no matter how many times she was killed.

It felt as though the world itself was unwilling to accept anything less than the predetermined ending.

In the end, there was only one way to truly finish the story.

‘We just need to reach the happy ending she talks about. After that, there won’t be any more scripts, and true freedom will begin.’

No one had seen the end of the story. At this point, it seemed like the most logical thing to place his hopes on that ending. But to do so, Percy would eventually have to let go of Sienna.

‘Sienna’s downfall is a prerequisite for the ending.’

That realization left Percy standing frozen in place.

“…”

He couldn’t find the words to speak. Only then did he realize why he had never been able to fully embrace his feelings for Sienna, or accept her love with joy.

He was terrified that everything he felt was a lie, just like the rest of his life.

‘Freedom is what I’ve always wanted, and now that chance is right in front of me.’

He clenched his right hand tightly, feeling the evidence of this world treating him as nothing more than a character beneath the glove.

‘Now is the perfect opportunity to set the story back on its original path.’

If Sienna and Percy had married, they wouldn’t have been able to interfere with Daniel and Beth’s romance. But Sienna had returned to the Imperial Palace, right back into the role of the villainous princess that Beth had described.

All Percy needed to do now was make Daniel rescue Beth, and the story would proceed as planned.

‘Sienna…’

But he couldn’t bring himself to nod in agreement. He couldn’t order someone to inform Daniel of Beth’s location.

Without realizing it, Percy had wandered to the entrance of the Imperial Palace, searching for any trace of Sienna. But even standing there, he couldn’t announce his presence. He just stood there, frozen, his mind filled with images of Sienna.

Her vibrant red hair, eyes the color of pale green leaves, delicate shoulders, and slender frame—all framed by a mischievous smile or a prim expression that suited her perfectly.

When he thought about it, Sienna had never been fully honest with him, except when she was drunk or in a daze.

‘Does she know what she is? Maybe that’s why she always had that reluctant look when she spoke.’

When Beth had mentioned being unable to say anything but kind words, Percy had immediately thought of Sienna. Despite her snide remarks, she always seemed as if she had a thorn in her throat.

Maybe, like Beth, Sienna was also only able to speak in a way befitting a villainess.

That thought brought a chilling possibility to mind.

‘Does that mean she, too, could die and come back to life repeatedly?’

The means to test that theory was already in his hands. All he had to do was try killing her, just like Beth.

Deep down, Percy felt that the conclusion he had drawn was the correct one. But unlike before, he found himself unable to nod in agreement. For the first time, he wanted to cling to the slim chance that he might be wrong.

‘If she’s just another character like that, then what does that make me…’

He didn’t have the courage to face that truth. Just as he was about to turn away, unable to bring himself to go through with it, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

“Percy!”

Her clear, high-pitched voice rang out, and Percy spun around. The very woman who had filled his thoughts just moments ago came running towards him as if she had fallen from the sky, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Even though his mind had come to a halt, his body reacted on instinct. His arms automatically encircled Sienna’s waist and hips, pulling her securely against him. In that moment, he felt a deep sense of relief and contentment. Percy rested his forehead against Sienna’s shoulder.

‘I’ve been foolish.’

The sound of her laughter, light and carefree, banished all the troubling thoughts from his mind, leaving nothing but a blank slate. Percy finally admitted to himself what he had been trying to deny.

‘This is a feeling I can’t fight.’

As long as she was safe and happy, he would rather this world continue, even in its flawed state.

That was his love.

* * *

‘Damn it. How long are they planning to keep me locked up here?’

Beth was stuck in the underground cell, anxiously biting her nails. Her fingers were raw, her nails ragged and bleeding in some places, scabs forming over the wounds.

But she couldn’t stop. The anxiety had taken over her mind completely.

‘They wouldn’t just leave me here, would they? The story can’t progress if I’m stuck in this place.’

That thought made Beth shudder in fear. That insane man was certainly capable of such a thing.

‘No, I can’t wait for Daniel any longer. I have to get out of here.’

There were only 23 days left until the ending. She couldn’t afford to waste time in this cell.

‘But how?’

Beth frantically looked around before punching herself in the face. She slapped her cheeks hard.

“Ow…”

It was all to force herself to cry.