CHAPTER 94………………………………………………….
It wasn’t that I had asked that question just for the sake of a playful friendship.
“Partly, I’m curious whether Adrina will be on my side…”
Even if she wasn’t, showing that I trusted her wouldn’t hurt.
I deliberately put on an innocuous smile.
After all, no one lets their guard down as easily as someone who trusts you.
“Either way, it’s a win for me.”
Adrina looked a little surprised at my words, but soon her eyes softened.
“Yes. I consider you a friend.”
Wow… Sister, you really are beautiful.
I thought I was used to that face, but for a brief moment, my heart skipped a beat.
Of course, I had no idea what she might be hiding behind that smile.
I spoke in an exaggerated tone.
“It’s an honor. I also consider you a friend, my lady.”
Strictly speaking, I meant I wanted to be in that kind of relationship.
“I’m glad we feel the same way.”
I wondered if I could truly maintain a good relationship with Adrina.
“I, too, have always wanted to be friends with you, my lady. I think today I’ve finally achieved that goal.”
The more she spoke, the more my curiosity grew.
Why on earth did she want to get close to me?
Someone who had shown no interest in Lilia in the novel…
Did she even know of her existence?
Whatever the case.
I tilted my head slightly and asked.
“My lady, would you perhaps tell me about that medicine as a sort of celebration for becoming friends?”
“…It seems you’ve always had an interest in medicines.”
Well, it’s a medicine that Kalak searches for with fiery eyes.
It wasn’t in the original story, but it had a big impact on him, so curiosity was natural.
“If she won’t tell me, maybe I’ll just sneak a taste…”
Just as that thought crossed my mind:
“It’s nothing grand to explain. It’s simply a medicine that changes fate.”
Fate…
That sounds awfully dramatic for a first explanation.
I was staring at the medicine bottle when she spoke.
“The sun is starting to set.”
At her words, I turned my head and saw the sky darkening beyond the window.
“How has time passed so quickly since I got here?!”
I remembered Herden telling me to return before Siderion came.
I jumped to my feet.
“I’m sorry, but I think I should be going soon.”
She gave a small smile and nodded.
“I’ve enjoyed today. Please understand that my condition prevents me from escorting you, which is quite rude of me.”
After Lilia left, the composed smile on Adrina’s face faded.
Perhaps because smiling didn’t come naturally to her, her mouth felt stiff.
“‘Friend,’ huh.”
I had asked about that, after all.
It was an odd question, but not strange.
She had said from the start that she wanted to be friends.
Recalling that innocent face made me chuckle.
“Is she foolish, or just naive?”
From the very beginning, our meeting was disguised as chance. The same went for our relationship afterward.
A chance, yes, but looking back, it was suspicious in every way.
If it were me, I would have been cautious until the end, but she let her guard down easily after a few smiles.
Of course, that’s fortunate for me.
Lost in thought, Adrina noticed a scarlet head reflected beyond the window and moved closer to the glass.
Watching her climb into a carriage and gradually fade into the distance, I was reminded of something he had said long ago.
“Something’s different. How can she behave so differently?”
It was shortly after we had traveled back in time.
For the first time, someone who usually seemed bored showed genuine interest.
At the time, Adrina didn’t care much; she was overwhelmed just by her own situation.
So she barely listened as he talked excitedly.
Still, he continued talking about her without regard.
Did he have no friends? Considering his personality, it would have been strange if he did.
Listening to him, she learned about Lilia Ashitria, even though she had no interest.
Of course, it was only superficial knowledge.
Yet the more she heard, the less she understood why he was so excited.
Two rounds of reversed time made events that had happened, un-happen.
And events that hadn’t happened, did.
A person’s life changes even with the smallest things.
Someone who understood this even better than herself—why were they so fascinated by the obvious?
Years later, she learned the reason.
“I finally understood why she was strange. She must be like us, a person without attributes.”
Hearing him speak with such excitement, Adrina felt a churn in her stomach.
She wasn’t the type to show emotion on her face, but at that moment, she couldn’t suppress it.
He had even said:
“Why that expression? You found a person without attributes, the one you’ve been searching for.”
Yes, that was it.
After failing twice in her life, Adrina realized one thing:
She couldn’t make anyone happy.
Even if someone like him were given countless chances, it wouldn’t change—that was an immutable law.
So she sought someone to succeed where she could not.
And finally, she found them.
Yet why did it feel so uneasy?
Why?
Adrina discovered the answer through a dream she had by chance.
A dream from her previous life.
Nothing extraordinary—simple daily life, moments of joy and happiness.
Kalak appeared in the dream. Days when even the smallest things brought her joy and a smile that never faded.
Ah, yes. In retrospect, she had been quite a cheerful person back then. Not a radiant smile, but a smile nonetheless.
Awaking from the dream, she wept bitterly, thinking of times she could never return to.
She thought she had no more tears left, that her lingering attachment had been left behind with her last chance…
Yet she realized that the attachment she thought she had abandoned remained fully in her heart.
And at the same time, she knew she would never face a similar situation again.
Because she…
“Ugh!”
Pain surged from her chest, and she curled up, reaching for the medicine bottle.
She had told Lilia it was a “medicine that changes fate,” and indeed, it was true.
It was a medicine made by cutting away her own vitality, so naturally.
Half of it had been given to Kalak.
If he continued taking it, his illness would gradually improve. Of course, by that time, she would die.
Adrina quickly chewed and swallowed the medicine. The chest pain that felt like her heart was being squeezed eased.
Feeling frustrated with herself for thinking of no other way, she let out a soft laugh and collapsed to the floor.
“Haha…”
It was funny, yet her chest ached unbearably.
Since the medicine was made by sacrificing her vitality, taking it allowed her to temporarily extend her lifespan.
Of course, not for long.
It didn’t matter when she died. She had been living a life that should have long since ended, erasing time as she went.
Looking back, she thought it was right that she had been executed at the very beginning.
So…
“Death… I’ve already accepted it.”
Yet, if there was one reason she couldn’t die just yet:
“I haven’t seen it yet.”
His happiness.
She had not yet seen the happiness of someone whose life had been torn apart because of her.
With her strength alone, she could never make him happy.
But it didn’t have to be her—it could be someone else who made him happy.
And so, the sole goal of her renewed life became one thing.
She wished for his happiness.
Nothing more.
“It’s not such a big wish.”
It wasn’t her own happiness she sought, only the life of one person, risking her life for it.
That was a wish she was entitled to.
“The reason I don’t want a divorce is simple. I love my husband. I want this relationship to continue.”
When Lilia said that, she looked genuinely happy—jealously so.
You are happy.
Yes, that’s a relief.
Since you are that happy, any misfortune afterward will be easy to overcome.
You are different from me.
So it will be alright.
Adrina immediately activated her earring to send a message. Upon hearing the reply, she spoke.
“I have one last request.”
[A request? Just like that?]
“Siderion Parden Ashitria. Kill him.”
Lilia Ashitria.
A stranger in this world.
And also, like me, a person without attributes.
As long as Siderion lived, she would never love Kalak.
I could tell.
Because her eyes resembled the ones she cast on Kalak.
For a moment, I had sincerely wanted to be friends with her.
Someone with a power similar to mine, who could do what I could not.
I felt both apologetic and grateful for that.
She, too, recognized that her choice was selfish.
Sacrificing others for her own wish.
So, she could hate me if she wanted. Resent me if she wished. I only know how to love like this anyway.
Because that’s just who I am,
