107
Dante stared relentlessly at Elze’s sleeping face.
It felt as if, even if he looked away for a single moment, she might stop breathing.
His gaze was persistent.
‘It’s alright.’
Dante desperately reassured himself.
‘She’s alive.’
He watched, his eyes wide open, as Elze’s chest rose and fell ever so slightly.
The doctor had not said her life was in danger, so she should be fine.
She had to be fine.
She *had* to be…
“Damn it.”
The events from earlier replayed in his mind over and over again.
Elze, standing in front of the blue lake.
Her red hair swaying in the wind, and those hollow eyes that never once turned toward him.
Her back resembled a frozen rose petal, brittle and dry, as if it would crumble and disappear at any moment…
‘Elze.’
In truth, he had wanted to call out to her, over and over again.
He had wanted to run to her side and support her, but he knew she would recoil, so he held himself back.
Should he not have done that?
If he hadn’t, could he have stopped her from walking into the lake?
Impulsively, Dante rose to his feet.
He reached out and gently grasped Elze’s unconscious ankle.
Her ankle, so thin it seemed like it was only bone, was pitifully fragile.
‘If I just break it like this…’
His crimson eyes darkened to black.
Then she wouldn’t think of running away from him for a while.
With such a slender ankle, just a bit more force and it would snap easily.
But the moment passed as he clenched his teeth.
“Damn it.”
Cursing under his breath, Dante released her ankle.
His fingertips trembled uncontrollably.
Staring blankly at his own hands, Dante buried his face in them.
‘Why?’
If there really was a god in this world…
He wanted to grab them by the collar and demand answers.
‘Why do all the people I love… always try to leave me?’
In an attempt to fill the gaping hole in his chest, he had clawed his way to the top of the world.
He believed that if he could seize all the precious and valuable things in the world…
Something would change.
He even dared to believe that he could buy someone’s love.
But look—he was still the same, abandoned by the world.
No one loved him.
Not Elze.
Not his mother.
…Everyone he loved would curse him for the rest of his life.
They would never show him even a shred of affection.
At this point, perhaps he was simply broken from the start…
“…Hah.”
Dante exhaled sharply and lowered his hands.
At the end of his gaze, Elze’s foot poked out from under the blanket.
It was covered in scars.
…She had become like this while trying to escape him.
“…”
Quietly, Dante picked up the ointment that had been left on the table.
It was meant to reduce the appearance of scars.
As he carefully applied the ointment to her scarred foot, Dante bit his lip.
“Damn it…”
Tears fell, one after another, onto her pale foot smeared with ointment.
And so, Dante stayed by Elze’s side.
Through the waning moon, through the pale light of dawn, and until the first rays of morning broke through.
* * *
Since falling into the lake, I had been bedridden for several days.
Perhaps it was because the cold water touched my weakened body.
I had a fever.
My mouth was painfully dry, my lips were cracked and bleeding.
My swollen throat felt like it was being pierced by needles.
And then, at that moment…
A cold cloth wiped my forehead.
That cool sensation made me struggle to open my eyelids.
‘…Dante?’
Through my blurry vision, I saw Dante’s face.
It was deeply contorted.
Now that I think about it, every time I’ve opened my eyes recently, I always seem to see Dante.
‘Not that I care.’
I closed my eyes again.
After that…
I drifted back into a hazy sleep, only to suddenly wake up.
It was because of the sound of hushed conversation.
“My lord, how long do you plan to stay by Lady Elze’s side?”
Liam was speaking in a low voice, trying to persuade Dante.
“You have many matters that require your attention. You know this.”
“You handle them.”
Dante replied sharply.
“That’s why I keep you by my side, isn’t it?”
“You know very well that there’s only so much I can do on my own,”
Liam’s voice was filled with frustration.
“Perhaps other things can wait, but the conflict with the Latrang Merchant Guild is something you must address personally.”
“…”
“Do you really plan to stay here in the estate forever?”
“…”
Liam sounded so desperate that, even though I had no particular feelings toward him, I found myself feeling sorry for him.
But Dante remained silent.
Well, Liam did owe me a favor related to the boarding school, after all.
“My lord.”
Unable to listen any longer, I quietly called out to Dante.
I didn’t have the strength to open my eyes, so I spoke with them closed.
Dante immediately rushed to my side and asked,
“What is it? Is something uncomfortable? Do you need anything?”
I shook my head slightly and whispered,
“…You should go.”
“…”
For a moment, I could feel Dante freeze.
A heavy silence filled the air.
And then.
“So… you can’t even stand to look at me?”
His voice was thick with pain.
“You want me gone that much?”
…That’s not what I meant.
But I didn’t even have the energy to explain myself.
So I just kept my mouth shut.
Moments later.
I sank back into a sleep that felt almost like death.
—
When I next awoke, it was dawn, and a faint bluish darkness still covered the world.
The surroundings were utterly silent.
Not even the sound of insects or rustling leaves could be heard.
“…”
Why did I wake up?
I was a bit confused.
Something was nagging at me.
But I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Then suddenly.
Click.
The door opened.
Soft footsteps echoed in the room.
‘Who is it?’
Judging by how light the steps were, it wasn’t a grown man.
More like a woman…
‘A maid? But it’s the middle of the night. Shouldn’t everyone be asleep?’
Curiosity got the better of me, and I opened my eyes.
My eyes widened slightly.
Standing in the middle of the room was a small figure, cloaked from head to toe in a white robe.
Sensing my gaze, the figure glanced back at me.
“Oh?”
A clear voice, as crisp as pearls rolling on a silver tray, sounded.
The person removed their hood.
Silky silver hair cascaded down.
It was so brilliant that it seemed to shine, even in the darkness.
And her features—delicate like those of a beauty crafted by a master painter—were breathtaking.
Her green eyes sparkled like fresh spring leaves.
Yet, for some reason, I felt uneasy about this overwhelming beauty.
Why?
‘Silver hair and green eyes… those are the traits of the original heroine.’
Silver hair was extremely rare in the empire.
Among the main characters of the original story, only two possessed silver hair.
The first was Dante’s deceased mother.
And the second was the original heroine.
It was that silver hair that made the heroine stand out…
“You’re awake?”
The lovely woman, who looked like a sugar sculpture, approached me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“…”
This was my first time meeting her, yet she was acting strangely familiar.
“Still, it’s odd.”
The woman tilted her head, genuinely curious.
“How did you sense my presence?”
“…”
“There’s no way you should have been able to.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact, as though it was only natural that no one should notice her presence.
It wasn’t arrogance—it was more like my noticing her was an anomaly.
“Who are you?”
“Hmm…”
The woman’s eyes rolled playfully before she flashed a radiant smile.
“I’m Marguerite. You can call me Margaret if you like.”
I froze on the spot.
Marguerite.
How could I not recognize that name?
She was the beloved heroine of this world.
And now, she was standing right in front of me.
‘How did the heroine… end up here?’
This estate had been sealed so tightly that no one should have been able to enter.
Or had Dante and Marguerite finally met?
Had she been allowed to come here because of that?
My mind was a whirl of confusion.
Then, as she stared at me quietly, Marguerite suddenly asked,
“Let me ask you bluntly. Do you want to leave this place?”
Tl/N: SO og fl name is “Marguerite” in Korean is 마르그리트 (Mareugriteu) i wasnt sure if I should leave it or change it to Margaret. But every name is weird in this novel so I left it.
