IWSC CHAPTER 15, EPI 74

Ares greeted me with a gentle smile, just like the day we returned from our journey together.
“Bianca. I missed you.”
“Hehe. I missed you too, Ares.”
After exchanging a warm embrace, we sat across from each other at a table set up in the garden. Despite it being summer evening, the air wasn’t too chilly. Softly glowing magical lights illuminated the area around us.
I observed Ares calmly. He showed no signs of haste, sipping the tea I had brewed and smiling with satisfaction.
“I missed your tea. Those few days without seeing you felt endlessly long.”
“I missed you too, but I held back, knowing how busy you must be.”
“Haha, you could’ve visited the trading company’s office in the city. I could’ve made some time for you.”
“I should’ve done that. Haha…”
Ares and I kept skirting around the main topic, unable to get to the point.
This wasn’t my style. I carefully placed the teacup down, steadied my breathing, and spoke calmly.
“Ares, you said there was something you wanted to ask me.”
Ares’s expression darkened instantly. It seemed he wasn’t planning to ask about anything trivial.
“…It’s something that might make you uncomfortable, so I’ve been hesitant about how to bring it up…”
He finally managed to speak after a moment of struggle. I gave him a faint smile and waited silently.
“…Bianca. There’s something I’ve wanted to ask for a while. It’s something you’ve always refused to tell me. I think you know what it is.”
The faint smile I had barely managed to maintain vanished entirely. My heart sank.
Ares was asking about the author and the truth of this world!
The atmosphere grew icy in an instant. Ares hesitated for a long moment, then, as if summoning his resolve, raised his head with determination.
“I want to know. The secret that keeps you from fully focusing on me. The look in your eyes that sometimes drives me insane with unease. And… that black-haired woman.”
The moment Ares pressed me with his questions, I stopped breathing. My heart pounded as if it would burst out of my chest. I hadn’t expected him to bring this up so suddenly!
In a voice that sounded unnaturally stiff even to myself, I asked him in return.
“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? You’ve never asked about this in this way before.”
“…You’re right. I told myself I would wait until you were ready to answer.”
“Then can you tell me why, after all this time, you couldn’t wait any longer and decided to probe like this now?”
“……”
I questioned Ares sharply without even realizing it. My pointed tone continued.
“We shared such a joyful time together at the villa just a few days ago. During that time, our happiness wasn’t diminished by the issue you’re so curious about now. I thought you knew how much I loved you, Ares.”
“……”
“What could have shaken you so much in just a few days? There must be a reason why you suddenly feel the need to ask me about this now.”
I was sure beyond expectation.
Even without discussing the author, Ares and I loved each other completely, and neither of us doubted that love. So, what on earth had happened in the mere three days since then to make Ares so shaken that he could no longer bear not knowing?
I looked at Ares coldly. Was your love so fragile that your trust in me could waver entirely in just a few days?
Between Ares and me, a massive wall had appeared. A chasm as wide as an unbridgeable river opened up. A vast, unyielding rift exposed the shadowy presence of that truth that loomed between us.
Ares’s gaze wavered fiercely. It bordered on something akin to anger.
“Bianca. Do you truly trust me?”
“What?”
“You always struggle alone, shouldering everything on your own. You say you love me, but it seems you don’t trust me.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“If that’s not the case, then why are you trying to hide it from me? Is your secret more important to you than me, Ares Stanley, the man you claim to love?”
For a moment, I was rendered speechless.
More important than Ares—was keeping the truth of this world hidden from him?
No, that wasn’t it. The order of things was wrong. I treasured Ares, prioritized him above all else, and that was why I hid the truth of this world from him!
Because he must never doubt his free will. He must never discover that his love for Leia was predetermined by the author, that it was simply the fate of a male protagonist, decided without regard for his own desires.
He must never know that the happiness he would build in his life was not the fruit of his own choices but something forcibly bestowed upon him, a meaningless construct.
And, above all, I didn’t want Ares to know that my love was not my own either, but merely a dramatic device written into the story—an inevitable plot point where the villainess falls for the male lead.
Ares’s love for me was purely the result of his noble, free will. I would never let my love’s wretched reality be exposed to him.
For Ares to live without falling into bitter disillusionment with his own life, for him to find true happiness, he had to remain ignorant of the truth about this world.
Unlike Ares, whose emotions were surging with passion, my heart felt as cold as ice. I didn’t even feel anger rising. It was as if all emotions had vanished, as if everything that made me human had been stripped away.
Was this what resignation felt like?
For a fleeting moment, I considered lying to deflect Ares’s interrogation.
But would Ares, who knew me better than I knew myself, really fall for such a shallow deception? That sharp, perceptive Ares?
No, this was a matter of choice: to tell the truth or not.
Having decided to conceal the truth, I had already steeled myself to accept the possibility of ending my relationship with Ares here. For now, I had to find a way to turn the tables on this interrogation.
What puzzled me most was why Ares, who once promised to wait patiently for me to share my secrets, suddenly broke that promise.
With an expressionless face, I spoke to Ares.
“Even without me sharing my secrets, we’ve already confirmed our love for each other countless times. Do you really need to know this? Don’t you realize that insisting on uncovering it now might actually break the trust between us?”
“You think my question breaks our trust?”
“I don’t need to know every little thing about you to believe you love me. But why can’t you do the same for me? Why can’t you trust me without knowing everything? Does love have to mean revealing every secret?”
“If you ask me, I’ll answer anything.”
“That’s not how I am. Even if you ask, if I think it’s unnecessary for our love, I won’t say anything.”
“Whether it’s necessary or not is something we should decide together.”
“No, it’s my matter, so I’ll decide. There are things I don’t want to share with you. Sometimes, ignorance is better.”
“If you love someone, there shouldn’t be any secrets.”
“Oh, that’s your opinion.”
Our philosophies clashed head-on. Neither of us was willing to back down, resulting in a tense standoff.
If we had more time, perhaps we could have gradually bridged this gap in our way of thinking. I could have slowly shared my secrets, and Ares could have patiently waited. Eventually, we could have built a love rooted in unwavering trust, where neither of us needed to hide anything.
But we didn’t have that kind of time. Until now, Ares had maintained peace by compromising and not insisting on his ideals. However, it seemed he was no longer willing to yield.
What had driven him to this point? What had stripped him of his usual composure and compelled him to press me for my secrets?
In that moment, the name “Leia Saturnos” escaped my lips almost instinctively.
“You met Leia Saturnos, didn’t you?”
“!”
Ares’s face turned as pale as a sheet.
“She’s the one who’s shaken you like this, isn’t she?”
“That’s not true…!”
“Did she hint that I must have known about the hunting competition attack in advance and used it to my advantage? Did she sow doubts about me hiding something? And you just believed her?”
“Bianca. I don’t believe baseless accusations like that! Do you really think so little of me?”
In truth, I did know in advance that something significant would happen to Princess Ariel. After all, it was tied directly to one of the novel’s key pillars.
But I had resolved to pretend otherwise until the very end. No matter what, I was determined to maintain my stance. After all, wasn’t it true that Ares had wavered under Leia’s provocation?
Faced with the looming threat of separation, even a hollow laugh wouldn’t come. Maintaining my composure, I addressed Ares with an unchanging, expressionless face.
“They say some ridiculous rumors emerged from Princess Ariel’s tea party. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you’d be swayed by such nonsense.”
“Bianca, don’t change the subject. This isn’t about Leia; it’s about trust between you and me.”
“I thought our love was strong. But here you are, pressuring me over something your so-called friend whispered. And you’re still insisting it has nothing to do with Leia?”
“Do you think I’d prioritize Leia over you? Have I not proven time and again how much I value you? I’ve shown you endlessly that you’re the most precious thing to me!”
“Maybe you did before. But now, it doesn’t feel that way.”
“Bianca!”
Ares nearly screamed my name, his voice trembling with desperation. But I had already locked my heart away.
“Fine. Shall I tell you the secret you’ve been so eager to hear? Your destiny isn’t with me. You’ll find eternal happiness with Leia Saturnos.”
“What nonsense are you spouting, Bianca?!”
“See? Even when I tell you the truth, you don’t believe me. But the moment Leia spews baseless rumors, you’re shaken. What am I supposed to make of that?”
“How can you say something like that? Do you really think so little of my feelings? Do they seem that… that shallow to you?”
Ares glared at me, his eyes brimming with fury and despair. The warmth that always radiated toward me was completely gone.
Deep within, the part of me that loved Ares—etched into my very being—told me softly that he was deeply hurt.
I’m sorry, Ares. But I’m hurt, too.
I steadied my wavering emotions, forcing myself to remain calm. After a moment of silence, I spoke in a composed voice.
“I don’t doubt the sincerity of your feelings. In fact, I know them all too well—so much so that they’re overflowing.”
“Then why—?”
“Love is a strange thing, isn’t it? Sometimes, no matter how much we think we understand it, it just doesn’t feel right.”
“Are you saying it feels like I don’t love you anymore?”
“Yes. You’re trying to force me to reveal something I don’t want to share. And yet, you claim I’m still your priority?”
“What…?”
“Not anymore. From this point on, I doubt I’ll be your top priority. Given the state we’re in now, I don’t think there’s any way to fix this.”
There was nothing more to say. With the poise and elegance that had become second nature as a noblewoman, I slowly rose from my seat.
“Ares Stanley, thank you for the happiness and joy you’ve brought me. I wish you a safe journey back.”