Chapter 11:
That laugh marked the moment when the sharp-edged conversation between them came to a halt.
Silence once again settled heavily between them.
By the time both had grown accustomed to that suffocating air, Diasi’s gaze wandered to Ella’s glass—still in the state it had been when first poured, unlike his own.
She doesn’t enjoy drinking?
Such an ill-fitting thought came to him, and he stared quietly into Ella’s eyes.
Under the man’s persistent gaze, Ella’s once lifeless, emotionless eyes quivered slightly.
Feeling as though her throat had suddenly gone dry, Ella reached for her glass with a faintly trembling hand.
It wasn’t because she wanted to drink, but simply to moisten her lips.
The sweet aroma of grapes filled her mouth as the wine flowed in.
She tasted nothing, but her purpose was achieved—her thirst was eased, if only slightly.
Once her throat felt a little less dry, Ella placed the glass back where it had been.
Clink. The sound of the glass meeting the table echoed in the quiet room.
Diasi, who had been watching her movements at a slow pace, finally spoke.
“Do you know something?”
The sudden question brushed past her ear, and Ella’s face briefly showed confusion. Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Diasi’s lips.
“I think you and I have more in common than you’d think.”
“…Is that supposed to be a compliment?”
At Ella’s frown, as if she didn’t understand him, Diasi gave a casual shrug.
“Decide that for yourself.”
Ella had thought that spending time with Diasi might yield something worthwhile.
But no matter how much time passed, there was nothing nourishing about their conversations.
Worse yet, her condition was deteriorating.
It wasn’t even worth forcing herself to face that hateful face.
Deciding there was no need to keep wasting time, she asked,
“…When do you plan to leave?”
Just as Diasi was about to refill his now-empty glass, he lazily turned his gaze to her.
“When the sun rises?”
Ella’s brow twitched. Had she heard correctly? That careless tone—as if wondering why she’d even ask—was enough to give her a headache.
“I’m not asking when you’ll return to your territory. I’m asking when you’ll leave my roo—”
“That’s what I mean. I’ll leave your room when the sun comes up.”
Cutting her off, Diasi answered. Ella let out a sigh, but before she could say more, he continued,
“I have to head back to the territory in the morning anyway. If I’m building an image as a good husband, I might as well make it perfect. Nothing says ‘devoted’ like spending the whole night in the bride-to-be’s room despite my busy schedule, right?”
“….”
“So even if you don’t like it, try to relax your expression and cooperate a little. I’m not enjoying this either.”
Ella kept her mouth shut. The man before her was so different from the one she had once known, she felt there was no point in speaking. No words were worth saying.
Fatigue washed over her suddenly, her eyelids growing heavy.
She was just about to say she’d end this meaningless time-wasting and retire to the bedroom when—
Tapping his glass idly with his fingers, Diasi spoke without looking at her.
“Marriage… it’s more of a nuisance than I imagined. Don’t you think?”
Ella, missing her chance to speak, met his gaze with a reluctant expression.
She had met his eyes countless times before, but never had they been so unreadable.
Or was this not the first time? Thinking back, perhaps she had felt it every time she’d locked eyes with him in this unfamiliar body.
There was a time when I could tell exactly what you were thinking just by looking into your eyes.
You, who I once thought the closest person to me, now feel farther than anyone—despite being right here.
They say distance between bodies leads to distance between hearts. Ella had always believed that.
But why had she never considered the opposite? That no matter how physically close two people are, hearts can grow endlessly apart.
His gaze clung to her persistently, even though she offered no answer.
“…You’re right,” she said at last.
“So much to worry about, so much to think over…”
“….”
“It’s… not great.”
“….”
“Don’t you think it’s awful? Marrying someone you don’t love. I almost feel sorry for you.”
His tone was light, completely mismatched with the weight of the words.
It was a sarcastic remark no one would expect from a man to his soon-to-be wife. Yet Ella’s expression remained utterly unbothered, as if she had lost the capacity for emotion.
“It is awful. To the point where I’d rather die.”
“…What?”
Her unexpected reply made Diasi’s face flicker with surprise before he quickly masked it.
Considering how much her parents doted on her as their only daughter, wouldn’t they have granted her this one request if she’d said she didn’t want to marry?
And yet she’s marrying…
That meant the Pope and Mayor must have had some conversation behind the scenes.
Was she being placed here to be watched? Even if not, there had to be another reason.
He gave a dry, incredulous laugh, but Ella’s face didn’t twitch. She had meant every word.
There was only one reason she hadn’t ended her life—because dying now would be too unfair.
Ella took a sip of wine.
“But what can I do? If they tell me to, I have to. I’m not the kind of person who’ll ever love anyone anyway—just like you, Your Grace.”
She looked at Diasi, her eyes crinkling gently. It was a beautiful smile, like a flower basking in spring sunlight.
“So it doesn’t matter who I marry. By your own logic, that makes us both pitiable people, doesn’t it?”
Diasi tilted his head, letting out a faint laugh. He had been the one to start mocking, yet the woman before him had a way of tossing it back lightly.
Truly, she was infuriating.
“….”
“….”
Silence descended between them again. At this point, it felt so natural one might think it belonged there.
Diasi and Ella were complete opposites—people who could never mix.
Their brief exchanges were full of thorns, and the quiet moments between them were filled only with a chilling stillness.
Yet neither of them felt uncomfortable in that silence.
If anything, it was the rare sharp-edged conversations that felt more unpleasant.
In the stillness, a droplet of condensation slid down the curve of Ella’s glass.
By the time it pooled beneath it, Diasi had taken notice. For some reason, the sight displeased him, and he idly smeared the droplets with his fingers.
His pale fingers stood out starkly against the brown table.
Even with the silence stretching on, Ella showed no sign of speaking first.
This isn’t some bet to see who breaks first, so what are we even doing?
Thinking about this odd dynamic, Diasi shook his head slightly.
If one sent out a sharp remark, the other would send one back instantly. That was their pattern now.
Neither cared to impress the other, and neither feared being disliked.
Unless something earth-shattering happened, their relationship would never change.
Running a hand through his hair irritably, Diasi muttered under his breath, too low for Ella to hear,
“…There really isn’t a single thing I like about her.”
“What?”
Ella raised her voice slightly, not having caught his words.
At her questioning look, Diasi smoothed his expression into his usual public facade.
“Nothing. You look tired—go ahead to bed.”
Ella hadn’t expected him to be the one to say it first, but she was more than happy to take the offer.
“…Then I’ll go ahead.”
He gave no reply.
Taking his silence as agreement, Ella inclined her head lightly before walking toward the bedroom.
She felt her body growing heavier with every step.
It had been a busy day, but she wasn’t so weak as to tire from just this.
No, the reason her condition was worsening was clear—it was because of the restraint collar Lillia had put on her.
Ella could feel the magic flowing through her body now.
She hadn’t noticed at first, but after using magic once, she had been able to clearly sense the strong energy within her.
But the moment she realized it, the collar had been clasped around her neck, suppressing it completely.
Her magic, which had once flowed smoothly, now seemed blocked as if by a wall, unable to escape anywhere.
It was like rotten blood pooling over an unhealed wound—magic that couldn’t circulate was collecting somewhere inside her.
She felt like she was carrying a time bomb that could go off at any moment.
Living through this firsthand was unbearable.
The word “frustrating” wasn’t enough—it felt as if something inside her was completely clogged.
Back in her room, Ella locked the door and irritably reached for the collar around her neck.
Zzzzt—
The instant she touched it, a stinging pain shot from her fingers through her entire body.
“Ah…!”
Biting back a cry, she quickly covered her mouth, remembering Diasi was still outside.
Keeping one hand over her mouth, she tried again with the other, this time intent on tearing it off.
Zzzzt—
But once again, the collar rejected everything about her magic.
Looking at her reddened fingertips, Ella let out a hollow laugh.
Truly, this was a day where nothing went her way.
