Chapter 14
A chill ran through Rubelia along her hand, and she shivered.
It might have been just from waking up. Yet, she felt a strange unease and an odd sense of wrongness.
It seemed like the person in front of her wasn’t the Zerden she knew.
“Zerden?”
Rubelia cautiously called his name again.
At that moment, the tight grip Zerden had on her wrist loosened, and the blurry focus in his eyes slowly returned.
“Rubelia?”
“…Are you okay?”
“Ah.”
Zerden gave a look as if nothing had happened. But a fleeting headache made him frown slightly.
It felt as though something had forcibly pulled him away from somewhere.
‘That must be it.’
In the depths of a terrible nightmare, he had finally seen light. That light had freed him from the darkness trying to consume him endlessly.
And at that exact moment, it had been Rubelia standing right in front of him. Could that really be a coincidence?
“Wow, look at all this sweat.”
Rubelia, now free-handed, pulled a handkerchief from her clothes and gently wiped Zerden’s face.
At that moment, Zerden felt his heart thumping wildly.
He didn’t know why. Was it the aftereffect of the nightmare, or something else?
But as Rubelia’s touch lingered, his heartbeat slowly calmed. His tense body, strained from the nightmare, began to relax.
Her touch on his face was so comforting that he wanted to hold her hand.
When Rubelia finally let go, Zerden felt a deep sense of loss.
“Thanks to you, I was able to get out of it.”
Rubelia had woken him, saving him from wandering in that nightmare for who knows how long.
Zerden looked at her with genuine gratitude. He often felt she helped him whenever he faced danger or trouble.
“Do you have nightmares often?”
“Not really.”
Zerden’s answer was vague, neither yes nor no.
“Hmm.”
Rubelia studied him, frowning thoughtfully. Seeing his nonchalant reaction, it seemed he hadn’t had just one or two nightmares like this.
“Then today, you must rest! No excuses!”
Rubelia declared firmly.
“…I have a lot of work.”
“You said you have nightmares often, right? That’s because you never rest and just work. So today, rest, with me!”
Work was important, but health was more important. Stress could harm the body.
Zerden watched quietly as Rubelia spoke, then reluctantly got up. He knew she meant well, making it hard to refuse.
‘I didn’t know I could meet someone so thoughtful.’
Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t reject her words as he would others.
“Let’s go.”
“Good! I’ll make sure you have fun.”
Rubelia said confidently.
Once in the city, Zerden looked at her and smiled faintly, amused.
Rubelia’s small, quick steps looked like a squirrel scurrying to gather acorns for winter.
Even though she had taken him out to play, she was the one fully enjoying herself.
But just watching her was enough for Zerden to feel happy.
“Zerden!”
Rubelia called, turning briskly after buying snacks from a street vendor.
Zerden looked at her, puzzled.
“Come here quickly. What if you get lost?”
“I don’t think I’m someone who gets lost easily.”
Zerden’s expression showed mild disbelief, yet he quietly stepped closer to her.
“Friends always do this.”
Rubelia said proudly.
‘We haven’t officially agreed to be friends yet,’ Zerden thought, smirking.
But whether as friends or not, being this close to her made his heart flutter.
“It’s nice being out together like this, right?”
Rubelia unconsciously held his hand tightly to avoid losing him.
Zerden looked at her small, pale hand. It was tiny, yet it seemed to carry so much meaning.
“Not bad at all.”
“Eh, don’t say that. I know you’re secretly happy.”
“Maybe.”
“You’re so cold.”
Rubelia teased, seeing his faint, small smile despite his indifferent face.
Though Zerden’s face was usually stern and cold, Rubelia could read his expressions easily. Every tiny movement, every micro-expression told her how he felt.
“You’re really fascinating.”
“Me?”
Rubelia couldn’t understand it. She felt completely ordinary.
“None of the others can be this comfortable around me.”
Zerden said casually.
“Different people, different ways,” Rubelia shrugged.
She remembered how nervous she had been the first time she met Zerden. Over time, it became easier because their fates had intertwined.
And his personality helped. He wasn’t the type to dwell long on discomfort and adapted quickly to new situations.
“Did you have fun today?”
“Hey, you played too, Zerden.”
Rubelia chuckled, feeling guilty for enjoying herself more than him.
“Watching you was fun, though.”
Rubelia expressed her emotions openly, something Zerden had never seen before.
“Yes, there’s a lot to watch,” Zerden replied, not realizing she meant herself.
“Zerden, isn’t there something you want to do?”
“Not really.”
Most of his time went to work. He didn’t even have time to want something for himself.
“Hmm.”
Rubelia looked at him seriously.
“Were you lonely?”
“….”
Zerden blinked, confused.
“Since you didn’t have friends, you had nothing to play, and so nothing to do, right?”
Rubelia comforted him, lightly patting his arm.
Zerden looked slightly dumbfounded. He had never really needed friends, so this warmth was new.
“From now on, I’ll be here! So find what you want to do, and do it all.”
Rubelia spoke boldly, like a small but brave animal ready to protect. Zerden just smiled quietly.
“If you want to do that.”
“Ehhei. And I’ll do what you want too. Friends can’t just do what one wants alone.”
“Alright, then.”
Zerden nodded casually, though inside he felt a small stir of emotion.
“But since today you don’t have anything you want to do, let’s do what I want!”
“Okay.”
Zerden nodded, indifferent.
“Then let’s play that!”
Rubelia pointed at the darts game.
Seeing a familiar game from Korea, she felt excited to try it.
Zerden followed quietly, without complaint.
“I’ll throw first.”
Since she had brought him here, she insisted on taking the first turn and confidently paid for the game. She looked like a proud knight returning from a victorious battle.
“Shall we play together?”
“Sure.”
There were multiple dart boards, so two could play simultaneously.
“Let’s make it interesting. Loser fulfills the winner’s wish, but something reasonable.”
“I don’t really have a wish.”
“A bet makes it fun.”
Rubelia stated firmly, almost like preaching a vital truth.
Zerden didn’t comment and just nodded.
Rubelia’s throws, however, were chaotic. She hit random spots, sometimes even on the wrong board.
Zerden took the game seriously, while Rubelia struggled.
Then, suddenly, a sharp dagger grazed Rubelia’s
