Chapter 98
“Fine. I admit it.”
The man who had just been looking at Chanellica stood motionless in that same posture. His face remained expressionless—unchanged from usual.
Only one thing was different.
His eyes.
“You’re right. The human Derwin isn’t just some midday memory.”
His tone was still that of the Lord, but in those eyes—Chanellica saw the same warmth that she had once known so well, the warmth that had lived and breathed there months ago.
As their eyes met, Chanellica’s heart trembled violently. She couldn’t calm down. It felt as if time itself had turned backward, returning her to the blissful days they’d shared.
“Then answer me… Who are you?”
No sooner had she spoken the words than she doubted she’d even said them properly. Her heart was too full, too overwhelmed—it didn’t even feel real.
“I am Dershevionerf. And… Derwin.”
Every word that fell from his lips carried sincerity.
“I’ve always been the same being—never anything else.”
Hearing the words she had longed for, tears welled up and overflowed.
“Then… you remember? The things we said to each other, what we did together—all of it?”
Her eyes glistened as she asked, and Derwin silently nodded.
“And the feelings you had for me back then… do you remember those too?”
“…They’re not memories. They never changed. They’re still exactly the same.”
Even without his answer, Chanellica could see it in his eyes. She had only wanted to hear it aloud—to reassure herself this miracle was real.
“Haa…”
Her legs gave way, and she sank to the floor. Derwin bent down, reaching out a hand to help her up—but she pushed it away.
Tok.
A teardrop hit the floor.
“Liar. You horrible man.”
The calm she’d tried to maintain crumbled completely, and tears began to stream down her face.
“You said that even if you regained your memories, you’d never leave me! That whether the Game continued or not, you’d stay by my side!”
Those were the words Derwin had said when he’d confessed to her so earnestly that day.
“If you hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t have suffered this much! You said that and then pretended nothing happened—do you have any idea how much that hurt?!”
Once the dam broke, there was no stopping it. All the pain she had bottled up poured out like a flood.
“…It was my fault.”
Derwin—who never apologized—spoke words of regret as Chanellica choked back sobs, unable to speak.
He was infuriating… and yet she had missed him so desperately. Trembling, she stretched out her arms toward him, as if asking for an embrace.
“Ashanerbekirael.”
But instead of moving closer, Derwin quietly spoke her dragon’s true name.
“You still have the right to choose your future. Acknowledge that even though I’ve accepted who I was during the Game, this choice must still be yours.”
At those words, Chanellica’s outstretched arms slowly fell.
What… does he mean?
“If you come into my arms now, you’ll never be able to escape me again.”
“……”
“I’m your mate, and your Lord. There is no such thing as ‘moderate’ with me. For the rest of your life, I’ll bind you—completely. I won’t even allow a single moment of fleeting pleasure with another.”
Chanellica quietly studied his face as he spoke each word with calm precision. In his dark eyes, she sensed something achingly familiar—a dense, unyielding weight of emotion she recognized instantly.
“The freedom to leave me won’t exist for you. You, who cherish freedom most of all—this could be a mistake you regret for the rest of your life.”
Derwin had revealed what he had always kept hidden: the frightening depth of his emotions. But Chanellica, having already felt the weight of them in her heart, did not flinch.
“You should’ve said that before asking me to be your mate.”
“That’s a different matter.”
“I know. It’s not about our dragon hearts being bound—it’s about your will.”
Whatever that will was, it clearly wasn’t something light. That must be why he’d avoided it, concealed it all this time.
The Lord’s sudden entry into the Game, Derwin’s loss of memory as a human, Ashan becoming his mate right after her birth… maybe it was all connected somehow.
What was entangled inside that terrifying knot of emotion—she couldn’t even guess. And uncovering it wouldn’t be easy.
Even so… she wanted to hold him.
“It’s fine. As long as you’re by my side, I don’t need any games.”
“…You know what kind of dragon I am. As a human, I deceived you, pretended to have lost my memories, and put you in danger.”
He repeated the very words she’d once said to him when she had first recovered—word for word, as though to convince her that he was that kind of man.
“You didn’t.”
Her answer was firm. She wouldn’t let him hide behind false guilt anymore.
“How can you be so sure?”
For once, he spoke honestly—without masks or pretenses. Chanellica was relieved. If he’d tried to withdraw again, she might not have been able to forgive him.
“Because your heart told me.”
She smiled faintly.
“No matter the situation, you could never hurt me. My dragon heart felt it—all of your emotions.”
“…You felt my heart?”
His black eyes trembled—the first time Chanellica had ever seen her Lord truly shaken.
“Yes. From the moment I woke up. For a brief time, I could feel emotions that weren’t mine flooding into me. That’s the emotional sharing between mates, isn’t it?”
“……”
“So now… hold me.”
She stretched her arms out again, her expression softer, brighter.
Derwin hesitated, looking as though he’d been caught in a secret he could never reveal.
“…I might change my mind later.”
“Sure. Dragons are fickle. I haven’t lived long, but I’ve learned that much.”
“Then maybe you should think ag—”
“But strong emotions—strong enough to bind dragon hearts—don’t change, right?”
Before he could finish, Chanellica moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t like how he kept his distance, as if ready to run. Even now, he looked more trapped than free. So she decided—she’d move first.
“…Asha.”
“Lord, from the very first moment I saw you in the lair, I liked you.”
“……”
“No matter how young or thoughtless a hatchling is, they wouldn’t bind their lifespan to someone they didn’t love.”
“……”
“You feel the same, don’t you?”
When he didn’t answer, Chanellica smiled gently.
“So stop resisting and hug me already. My heart’s about to explode—I’ve exhausted every emotion I have.”
She whined playfully, as if she’d forgotten all the earlier tension.
Soon, she felt warmth at her waist. Derwin’s strong arms wrapped around her slender frame—his silent answer.
“Good.”
Burying her face against his solid shoulder, Chanellica exhaled deeply. The tension melted from her body—a sigh of relief that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“…It’s too late for regrets now.”
“You should be the one worrying. I already know all your secrets.”
“Asha. Chanellica.”
When he spoke her two names together, his voice carried the weight of the entire world. His arms tightened around her.
“Stay with me. Forever.”
It was a sentence that felt like magic—impossible to refuse.
“Yes. I will.”
Chanellica closed her eyes. Tears she thought she’d already shed began to fall again—but these were different.
Happiness.
The happiness she had sought during 199 years on Speecher Island, and through months among humans—now it filled her completely. It wasn’t the happiness of dragon or human, but something from deep within her true self.
Lord… There’s still so much I don’t know about you. But as long as I’m with you, I think I can handle anything.
In his broad chest, she felt as though she possessed the whole world. Even dying now, she thought, she would have no regrets.
***
Hhhrrrk
Derwin gazed down at Chanellica, who had fallen asleep clutching the hem of his robe. His eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
So… this is how it ends.
His hand clenched into a fist. In those dark eyes, as he looked at the woman sleeping so peacefully before him, resignation flickered.
I made a mistake.
During their telepathic exchange, Chanellica had suddenly collapsed. Shocked by the powerful jolt that had nearly stopped her dragon heart, he had instinctively poured too much energy into it. That must have caused her to temporarily share his emotions—something a hatchling should never be able to do with a full-grown dragon mate.
No… that’s not the only reason.
Derwin decided to admit it plainly. He had never truly been able to control his feelings for Chanellica. Even if she hadn’t sensed them through their hearts, this outcome had been inevitable.
Not new, really. We’ve always been like this.
His long fingers brushed her soft pink bangs aside, tucking them gently behind her ear.
I’ve always known… I could never escape you.
Derwin lowered his head. His lips pressed softly against her pale forehead—lingering there for a long, long time.
