Crackle—The sound of sparks filled the moment, expanding briefly before quietly subsiding. Diana curled up on her side and had her face lit by the flickering crimson glow. Her fingers, which had been limp, trembled slightly.
“…”
Eventually, her eyelashes fluttered, and as her eyelids lifted, a pair of bright blue-violet eyes were revealed. Diana was still not fully conscious, blinking slowly with a dazed expression.
I… What was I doing?
As that thought crossed her mind, memories before she lost consciousness came flooding back all at once.
“So, Your Highness, simply enjoy what I place in your hands.”
Late at night, Hillasa and Muf, who had been following Kayden out of concern, rushed back to report that Duke Findlay’s movements were suspicious.
As soon as Diana heard their report, she quickly led Mizel and the members of the Wings Guild to the location of the subjugation squad to prepare for any unforeseen events. There was a risk of being spotted by Rebecca or Duke Findlay, but a deep sense of unease drove her relentlessly forward. And when she reached the northern forest, where the 4th order was stationed—
“Use every bit of remaining mana and inform the imperial palace and each order commander of the situation! Then, get out of here!”
“Your Highness!”
“No! Please, don’t!”
Diana realized exactly what it felt like to have your heart plummet.
A strange, mutated monster, unlike anything she had seen before her regression. There was no doubt that it was the work of Duke Findlay. A surge of murderous intent toward the Duke flared within her. But for now, her priority was stopping Kayden from plummeting off the cliff along with the monster.
“Mizel, take care of the cleanup.”
“…Understood. But please return safely.”
Mizel nodded.
As soon as Diana heard her response, she hesitated no longer, cutting down the monsters as she advanced.
“Aim for the wounds!”
“If you attack the wounds, they don’t regenerate!”
“What are you waiting for? Get up and fight!”
Even with the mutated monsters that had appeared this time, Diana sensed a similar dark energy as the dark element spirits, and as she expected, the monsters, who ignored all other attacks, were wounded by the power of the dark spirits. It was a small blessing amidst the chaos. At least Kayden wasn’t going to throw his life away trying to get others to safety…
“What are you doing here…! Get out of here, Diana!”
“..!”
It was then that the last piece of memory fell into place. Diana, who had turned rigid at Kayden’s shout, suddenly recalled how the cliff had shattered and how she had quickly summoned Hillasa to cushion her fall just before losing consciousness.
Where’s Kayden? Diana’s eyes darted around in confusion. She looked around frantically, searching for Kayden and trying to understand where she was.
The place where she had collapsed seemed to be a wooden cabin. Not far away, flames crackled in the fireplace. As she shifted her gaze slightly to the side, she noticed some old furniture and a few scattered boxes, suggesting that someone had stayed there recently.
“You’re awake?”
It was then that she heard a voice so familiar and tender that it nearly brought tears to her eyes. Diana flinched and turned her head instinctively toward the source of the voice, only to be shocked by what she saw.
“Oh my god.”
Kayden was sitting against the wall on one side of the cabin beside a window illuminated by the bright moonlight. Diana gasped and hurried over to him when she saw his torso was covered in bandages, soaked with blood in several places.
“Your wounds…”
Without even thinking, she reached out toward the bandages but then stopped when she felt his breath on her cheek.
“…”
“…”
Diana froze, her gaze fixed on the wounds. More precisely, she couldn’t bring herself to look up.
The breath on her face, near her ear, told her that Kayden was watching her. But she was terrified, unable to imagine what expression he might be wearing. It felt like something was lodged in her throat.
As Diana unconsciously bit her lip, a large, calloused hand reached out toward her face.
“What if you end up bleeding?”
The hand pressed lightly against her lower lip, and the soft flesh that had been trapped under her teeth slipped free with surprising ease.
The large hand gently cradled Diana’s face. She couldn’t refuse the touch and allowed herself to be guided to meet Kayden’s eyes. It felt like all her senses were captured by him.
Kayden’s face, bathed in the slanted moonlight, was calm. His dark eyes were the same, leaving Diana unable to discern what he was thinking. Then, Kayden’s lips moved.
Fearing the words to come, Diana instinctively squeezed her eyes shut. But the words that came out of his mouth were something she never expected, even in her dreams.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…What?”
Her mind went blank for a moment. Half in a daze, Diana stared at Kayden, wondering if she had heard wrong. But she hadn’t. Even at that moment, Kayden’s eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her.
With his hands still cradling her face gently, he continued speaking. “Is your body okay? You must’ve felt stinging pain from all those scrapes.”
“…”
“Still, I’m glad you don’t have any serious wounds.”
Kayden finished speaking with a clear smile. That smile was more shocking than any reprimand or anger.
Something welled up from deep inside her throat. Before she could stop it, tears welled up and fell down her cheeks.
Diana raised her trembling hands and placed them over Kayden’s. With a twisted face, she stuttered through her tears. “Why…”
“…”
“Why don’t you ask me anything?”
“…”
“Why… do you…”
Why do you keep looking at me with such kind eyes? She wanted to say it calmly, but her voice trembled so badly that she couldn’t finish her sentence. Diana bit the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the tears.
It didn’t really matter when Kayden had noticed the things she had been hiding. What mattered was that she had deceived him. A secret that could have endangered even Kayden’s faction if it got out, disguised as ‘help.’
Diana wasn’t someone who could feel no guilt after such a secret was exposed. She had many excuses that came to mind.
Who would easily believe in regression? How could she reveal her powers without proof of the dark element spirits? But none of that could excuse her for deceiving Kayden.
The reason Diana couldn’t tell him the truth was ultimately because she was too afraid to confess that she had driven him to his death in the previous timeline.
Of course, from the beginning, Diana and Kayden’s relationship had been one of a contract. Neither was obligated to reveal everything to the other. If she had gone back to the moment just before her regression, Diana would have acted the same way. But…
“…I like you.”
“I like you, Diana.”
She liked his eyes, his voice, and his heart.
As she could see Kayden becoming more sincere with her, the more she felt she should confess the truth. But in the end, it was her own greed for the affection he gave that kept her mouth shut.
That’s why this situation, where Kayden wasn’t asking anything, was so painful for her. If he had said he felt betrayed, she would have understood. But he just smiled. The same as always, maybe even a little kinder than yesterday. That kindness made Diana unbearably sad.
At that moment, Kayden moved his hand to wipe away the tears on Diana’s cheek. With an expression as serene as moonlight, he spoke. “You’ve always acted like you’ve wronged me somehow, Diana. Even now.”
“…”
“But, Diana. I…” For the first time, Kayden’s usually calm face twisted slightly. He looked directly into her eyes and spoke clearly. “I wish what you felt for me wasn’t guilt but love.”
“Ah…”
Diana gasped, her fingers tightening around his hand. Even as her nails dug into his skin, Kayden didn’t flinch and smiled faintly.
“So, please tell me. I’ll listen.”
“…”
“I want to know why you had to do this. Let me understand.”
“…”
“Please, let me know more about you, Diana.”
For a while after, there was only silence. But Kayden didn’t say anything more. He simply caressed her cheek with his thumb as if comforting her.
That warmth finally broke the chains that had bound someone’s heart. At last, Diana’s lips, which had been trembling for so long, slowly opened.
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