I froze in place along with him, blinking rapidly.
“…What?”
“The meaning of what you just said.”
Ian’s voice came low as he responded.
My gaze quietly shifted to the side.
“…W-What did I say?”
Feigning ignorance wasn’t easy. I was really no good at lying.
Meanwhile, Ian’s piercing gaze felt like it was poking holes in my cheeks. He didn’t say anything, but I instinctively knew that if I gave the wrong answer now, things could go sideways.
“Well, um… I might be busy at that time and not able to go to Jeseth with you…?”
“…….”
“And since it’ll be spring here, Jeseth—being in the southern hemisphere—will be cold then, right? I don’t really like the winter sea anyway…?”
Even to me, the excuse sounded desperate.
Sneaking another glance at Ian, I caught his narrowed eyes meeting mine.
“A-Anyway, what I meant was, don’t tailor things too much around me. We won’t know the situation until the time comes.”
I scratched my cheek and laughed awkwardly.
Did that sound natural enough?
Ian, however, quietly stared at me with an unreadable expression. Then, tightening his arms around me, he swiftly turned me around and seated me on the desk.
My perspective suddenly shifted upward, and I widened my eyes in surprise.
“I-Ian?”
He leaned forward, his hands planted on the desk on either side of me. With the sunlight streaming through the window behind him, his gaze felt intense.
“If you don’t wish to go, it’s fine for you not to accompany me to Jeseth…”
Trailing off, Ian removed the documents from my hands, set them aside, and leaned in closer.
Now, the distance between us was so small I could hear his breathing.
…I can’t breathe!
Staring at his impossibly handsome face up close, I felt like I was suffocating. Unable to look away, I could only widen my eyes in shock.
Then, Ian’s lips curled into a soft smile as he squinted his eyes.
“But it’s a little difficult for me not to tailor things to you, my lady.”
“…Why?”
My voice came out as a timid whisper, and Ian gave me a look that seemed to ask why I’d even bother asking such a thing.
“Because I’ve been thoroughly educated by someone who taught me too well.”
Chuu.
He pressed a light kiss to my lips.
“…Ian?”
Chuu.
This time, he kissed me again, as if to keep me from saying more.
Leaning back slightly, he casually raised an eyebrow.
“Thanks to that, thinking with you at the center has become quite natural for me.”
His deep, azure eyes fixed on me shimmered with an enigmatic light.
…Is this some kind of charm offensive?
As absurd as it was to be rendered helpless by my own husband’s good looks, Ian’s words made it clear he was blaming me for this.
Caught in his gaze, I darted my eyes around nervously. Ian, noticing this, let out a soft chuckle, his breath brushing against my face.
“Whatever it is, it seems like you’re overthinking things again.”
What, can he read minds now too?
Ever since the meal where he brought up Diana, it had felt like Ian could see straight through me.
But I didn’t have the skill to bluff or counter him effectively, so I simply shut my mouth in resignation.
Ian must’ve taken my silence as agreement, as he leaned back, removing his hands from the desk and putting some space between us.
“In any case, we’ll put the Jeseth trip on hold for now. If you don’t want to go, I won’t insist on bringing you along.”
“No, Ian, it’s not that I don’t want to go. I just… don’t know yet…”
I trailed off without finishing the sentence properly.
Because who knows what we’ll be like by then.
Diana’s looming presence, the five months left, and everything still unresolved weighed heavily on my mind.
On top of that…
‘Once this time has passed, there will be no turning back.’
The words written in the cursed book haunted me, making it impossible to relax.
Unconsciously, I bit down on my lips.
“Eloise.”
I snapped back to reality at the feel of Ian’s fingers gently pressing against my lips, smoothing over them. I looked up at him.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh.”
“Your lips might get hurt.”
“I’m fine. I was just… lost in thought.”
“It doesn’t seem like you’re willing to share those thoughts with me.”
Exactly, you sharp-witted man.
I stared at him blankly for a moment before letting a deliberate smile spread across my face and shrugging.
“…I’ll tell you if I change my mind.”
❖ ❖ ❖
After being showered with a few more kisses by Ian, I returned to the office and found myself lost in deep thought.
I can’t just sit here and do nothing.
Talking to Ian had made one thing clear.
I need to act.
There was no way I could stop time by fretting over it. And right now, I was in a situation where I didn’t even know what would happen to me in five months.
Eloise, escape, the cursed book, the outsider…
The fragments of information I had gathered so far weren’t nearly enough to understand the situation completely.
Whether Diana returns and things follow the original story or not, the key to resolving this situation is in my hands.
Piecing together all the possibilities in my head, I eventually got up from my seat with determination.
“Vivi?”
“Yes, madam?”
“I need to go out. Get ready.”
“…Right now?”
Looking puzzled, Vivi followed me as I headed toward the alley I’d visited before. As we moved further from the bustling streets, Vivi’s expression grew increasingly uneasy. By the time we reached the alley, her face showed outright nervousness.
“Madam, why are we here again…?”
“I have some business to attend to. Vivi, can you stand guard here until I get back?”
“What? You’re going alone?”
I couldn’t very well take her to see the old woman who mentioned the outsider, could I?
I held back the words I couldn’t say out loud and smiled.
“I won’t be long.”
“Madam, I really don’t think this is a good idea…”
“Vivi.”
When I gave her a firm look, Vivi, who had been fretting anxiously, let out a deep sigh.
“…Just come back quickly, okay? I’ve had a bad feeling about this place since the last time.”
“Got it. Trust me, alright?”
Vivi pressed her lips together tightly like a clam.
So, you don’t trust me. Figures.
But what could I do? I was going in alone regardless.
“I’ll be back soon.”
After giving her tense shoulder a reassuring pat, I stepped into the alley.
The last time the old woman had forcibly driven me out, the path had disappeared when I tried to return. So, I wasn’t entirely sure it would work this time.
But to my surprise, the moment I stepped into the alley, the path appeared before me, as if inviting me in.
So, it didn’t work before, but now it does?
I let out a disbelieving laugh and followed the way forward, guided by Eloise’s instincts.
After about five minutes of walking, I arrived at the familiar wooden door. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it open. The old, creaking latch made an unpleasant noise as it gave way.
Beyond the door, as before, was the silhouette of the old woman in her black robe, seated amidst the dim light of flickering candles.
She smiled as she looked at me.
“You’ve come.”
“…Seems like you expected me to.”
“I thought you might return at least once.”
Her soft laughter carried through the room.
“By now, let me see… you’ve figured out how much time you have left, haven’t you?”
I nodded as I pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.
“Yes, I know that once time passes, there’s no turning back.”
“Oh-ho.”
A faint sound of intrigue escaped her lips, visible beneath the hood of her robe.
Still so unsettling.
Eloise must’ve had a knack for finding people like this.
“Anyway, I came to ask about that. What does ‘no turning back’ mean? You know, don’t you? What do I need to do?”
Though I fired off my questions like rapid bullets, the old woman didn’t react, keeping her amused smile as she rested her chin on her hand.
Is she just here to watch me squirm?
“As I said before, there’s not much I can tell you.”
“Hey.”
“But watching you is quite entertaining, so I’ll give you a few hints.”
She snapped her fingers in the air, and a circular board studded with blue gemstones appeared on the table where nothing had been before.
“What is this?”
The old woman smirked and replied,
“This is the world itself.”
• • •
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