‘I’ll give you back your life too.’
Tia Bluea was standing with an unfamiliar girl.
A man who looked like a large dog was smiling at her. The girl next to him was trembling in fear.
What does it mean to give back one’s life? Suddenly, Mary Conler passed through Tia Bluea’s mind.
But the man seemed to have read Tia’s thoughts and immediately raised his head.
‘You have your own life too.’
The man stroked Tia’s and the girl’s hair one by one. His touch felt very warm.
And then, Tia Bluea felt like she was going to cry. Finally, she realized that she might have been very tired.
‘You were someone’s precious daughter too.’
Be happy, it’s okay.
The man left those words and snapped his thumb and forefinger together, making a sharp sound.
“Seulbi, Seulbi!”
Tia Bluea opened her eyes slightly.
She felt like she had a very long dream, but she didn’t know what kind of dream it was. An unfamiliar middle-aged woman was crying beside her.
‘Who is she?’
Although Tia just blinked without saying anything, the middle-aged woman was moved to tears and started to pray to all kinds of gods.
Tia lifted her head with difficulty.
God.
Was that man who said he would give back her life back a god?
“Mom…”
She tried to call her mom, but her voice didn’t come out loud due to her weakness.
Even though she just murmured, her mom immediately realized that Seulbi had called her.
“Are you okay? Huh? Are you feeling any pain?”
“Yes…”
“Oh, Seulbi.”
Her mom finally buried her face in the bed and burst into tears. It was the first time Seulbi had seen her mom cry like a child.
Seulbi also felt like she was going to cry, so she turned her head and looked up at the ceiling.
She felt like she had a very long dream.
“Mom… I had a dream.”
“Huh? What kind of dream?”
Seulbi finally told her mom about her dream, who was now calm.
She wanted to tell her mom about the dream while she was carefully stroking her hair, but she couldn’t remember anything except that she was a very precious daughter of a wealthy family.
“You are my most precious daughter above all else.”
Seulbi smiled at her mom’s words. Yes, I’m your precious daughter.
She was told that they had a car accident while going back home late at night after playing with friends and her father came to pick them up.
His father died immediately on the spot, and only Seulbi survived. She remembered arguing with her father loudly just before the accident. She also remembered that her father smelled slightly of alcohol.
Although her father had died, she didn’t feel very sad. Her mom didn’t say anything more about the accident.
“Mom, didn’t I have an older sister?”
“Older sister? What are you talking about?”
“Maybe a cousin or something…”
“Your mom and dad are both only children. What do you mean?”
“Are you hurt? Shall we go to the doctor?” Seulbi smiled and shook her head to reassure her scared mom.
“No, maybe I confused it with a dream.”
With her mom’s help, she lay back down, but she kept feeling strange.
The words “precious daughter” and “be happy too.”
Is it okay to be happy? I hope they’re all happy, too.
***
“Mary, let’s go out and play.”
I was sitting on a sofa, leisurely reading a book. I looked at Demimore next to me when I heard words I had never heard before even as a child.
Demimore, who was leaning against the back of the sofa and looking at me, finally smiled when I looked away from the book.
His eyes gradually narrowed.
Like a full moon turning into a crescent moon.
It became awkward to look at his smile that seemed like the moon was changing phases.
I tried to shake off the awkward atmosphere and said in a nonchalant tone, “I’m reading a book right now, you know.”
That should be enough for Demimore to give up. As I expected, Demimore’s lower lip came out.
However, his eyes were full of stubbornness.
“Brother Theodore took Rex out and you’re just going to read books like this.”
“Yeah, Theodore did something really pointless.”
I was planning to take Rex with me somehow because it was awkward to be alone with Demimore after his confession.
However, Theodore, who was quick-witted, took Rex outside.
‘Me, too, I’m going.’
‘The prince is here. Are you going to leave him alone in the castle?’
‘Then the four of us can go together!’
‘I want to go with Rex alone.’
‘Since when did you two go around like that?’
‘From today. No, why do you keep picking a fight? Is it because you feel awkward and uncomfortable being alone with your fiancé?’
‘No!’
Sigh, I should have just admitted that it was awkward and uncomfortable…
I fell for Theodore’s provocation and ended up being alone with Demimore.
I thought it would be okay because we could concentrate separately if we read books, but Demimore wasn’t reading the book I told him to read and was just looking at me.
“By the way, what are you reading?”
“Black are the words, white is the paper.”
I was pretending to flip through the book, but Demimore suddenly leaned his head forward. I was so surprised that I froze.
I’ve felt this before. Why is he so familiar with teasing me?
“You recommended it to me before… you know.”
“Oh… You know what book it was.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“You were holding it upside down.”
At Demimore’s words, I checked the cover by flipping the book around. Just as he said, the title of the book was at the bottom.
I put the book down on the table and stood up abruptly, changing my position.
“Mary, where are you going?”
Somewhere without you.
“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Are you mad?”
I’m not mad, so please stop following me.
“Oh, are you ashamed?”
In his words, I stopped my wandering steps and stood still.
When I turned around, Demimore was smiling brightly. His smile was so annoying and irritating…
But it’s kind of cute.
“Stopped.”
I felt Demimore grab my wrist, but I still couldn’t take my eyes off hia pretty smile.
His smile was so fascinating. Suddenly, I remembered that the God of Death had tried to imitate his smile.
The God of Death was quite handsome, with a pale face.
But every time I saw that smile, I felt a persistent displeasure.
Why did he imitate Demimore’s smile? Just because Demimore was my fiance?
Or…
Did he instinctively feel that Demimore was his enemy?
“Mary?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“The sun is nice, let’s go for a walk outside. You’re not even paying attention to the book.”
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?…”
“You’ve been wanting to go out since earlier.”
I guess I was embarrassed to be alone with him, so I kept thinking that I would follow Theodore.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, I was just embarrassed. Feeling guilty for no reason, I couldn’t say anything, and Demimore hurriedly added,
“Oh, should we go out with Carol?”
This makes me feel even more sorry…
I shook my head at the words. Let’s just go out alone.
Although the sun was warm, I wore the wide-brimmed hat that Carol had given me because it was quite strong.
Carol told us to have a good time together, but she seemed more excited than anyone else.
As I listened to her farewell message that they would prepare drinks for us when we return, I headed to the garden with Demimore.
Oh yes. It was strange how everyone reacted as if it was a big deal that Demimore and I were just walking in the garden together. Bonita was even dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
It was as if their grown-up daughter was getting married… Moreover, the knights who saw us walking together were forcing themselves to turn their heads and pretend not to notice.
It was probably an attempt to not burden me, but it made me feel even more burdened.
Just kill me now…
“Oh, my mother wants to see you again.”
Thinking that I had put on the hat well and covered my eyes, I heard Demimore’s voice.
When I visited the palace with my father last time, we only met Demimore’s mother because His Majesty was unavailable.
“I want to see her too! She was really beautiful.”
Demimore’s mother suited the name Freezia more than anyone else. She was very beautiful and emitted a fragrance when you got close.
And we had a pretty good time. Maybe it was because we had a common topic of conversation, which was “the village.”
Well, when she said I looked like the saint in the amulet, I couldn’t help but awkwardly smile…
“It was really weird to see you and my mother together.”
“Why?”
“Because the two people I wanted to protect were together.”
“…….”
“You’re making a weird face again.”
I couldn’t say anything and just bit my lips. Demimore awkwardly poked my nose with his index finger as if trying to break the awkward atmosphere. It made it even more awkward.
“……thank you.”
“Huh? For what?”
“Just you… anyway, thank you for everything. It must have been hard because of me.”
“No, it was an honor.”
Demimore slowly hugged me. It was weird. It was awkward. It was definitely awkward… but even though it’s been long since we hugged, this embrace was quite comfortable.
“Thank you for making me capable of protecting someone.”
“Demimore…”
“You made me realize I’m different from my father and other people.”
“I thought of a wish!”
“Huh?”
As I listened to Demimore’s words slowly, the wish I really wanted to ask His Majesty suddenly came to mind.
Demimore looked at me with a puzzled expression as I slipped out of his embrace and said my wish.
“What is it?”
“I want to invite Lady Freezia to the Grand Duchy!”
