Chapter 197
“Terrence?”
He didn’t answer my call.
His gaze was clearly directed at me, yet for some reason I felt as if the thing Terrence was seeing wasn’t actually me.
Only after I called his name again did he come back to his senses.
“Terrence!”
“…Yes?”
“Is something wrong? Your face is so pale. Are you sick?”
“No. There’s no need to worry.”
“But suddenly…”
“I just felt a little dizzy. Perhaps the alcohol is getting to me.”
“Already? We’ve drunk together many times, but I’ve never seen you get drunk.”
“I know. Strangely, I’m getting drunk quickly today. It must be because the fatigue from traveling hasn’t gone away yet.”
“Ah, well, we did just arrive.”
“Shall we stop drinking then?”
“Sure. Oh dear, it got all over my clothes. That’s embarrassing—I should change later.”
After moving the wine bottle aside, he continued eating as if nothing had happened.
At the time, I didn’t suspect anything.
After all, we had traveled nonstop from Miloam, and Terrence had been injured during the battle with Shadow. It seemed reasonable.
That incident remained only as an embarrassing memory for me.
But there was a problem.
Since that day, Terrence’s behavior had subtly changed.
“Terrence, will you stay with me today—”
“I’m sorry, Idel. I still have matters to handle, so I must go.”
Even when the atmosphere was good, the moment I tried to take one step further, he would hurriedly excuse himself.
And when it came to alcohol, he strictly avoided even having a small drink with me during meals.
Still, I never once thought his love for me had cooled.
“Idel, are you going out?”
“Yes, I’m going to return this orb to the Cassius ducal house.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go later? Your complexion doesn’t look very good—you must still be tired.”
“Really? I feel perfectly fine.”
“To be honest, it’s because I want to spend time with you today. Would that be alright?”
“…Hmm. Now that you mention it, maybe I am a bit tired.”
Except for a few moments, he always wanted to stay by my side.
He constantly kept me within his sight, and if I tried to lift even the slightest heavy object, he rushed over to carry it instead.
Gradually, I realized something.
This was clearly overprotection.
At first, I thought it was because I had fought a life-and-death battle in the demon territory.
But when I thought about it again, we had also gone through the Siege of Miloam afterward, yet Terrence hadn’t treated me with such excessive care then.
I searched my memories further and suddenly recalled what happened at dinner a few days ago.
‘His attitude definitely became strange starting then.’
But why? All that happened was that I choked and spat out some wine.
At that moment, the pale face Terrence had shown flashed through my mind.
For some reason, I felt as though I had seen that exact expression before.
“Idel, Idel! Get a hold of yourself!”
“Idel, it’s okay. I heard everything, so stop talking now. A doctor will come soon. Once the doctor comes, you’ll live. Once the doctor comes… damn it, why isn’t he here yet?!”
A man’s face—his voice and expression overflowing with desperate urgency as he repeatedly called my name.
Yes.
It was Terrence, watching me die after drinking the poison meant for him in my second life.
A chilling sensation spread through my heart all at once, and I clenched my hands tightly.
Because I had choked on wine as red as blood, Terrence had been reminded of the previous life when I coughed up blood and died.
When I thought about it like that, his behavior—treating me like fragile glass—finally made sense.
My chest tightened painfully.
For me, that event had become a distant past—so distant that I only remembered it now, after the fact.
But for Terrence, it was still a vivid nightmare.
Imagining that every time he overprotected me, he was smiling gently on the outside while reliving that day inside made my heart ache.
Lying on my bed, I let out a deep sigh.
I wanted to immediately tell him that I was perfectly fine and that he should forget that painful memory.
But the words wouldn’t come easily.
Because if our positions were reversed, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it either.
‘If I had watched Terrence sacrifice his life for me… if I had to helplessly watch the warmth leave the body of the person I loved…’
It would have been unbearable.
Perhaps painful enough to make someone lose the courage or hope to live again.
“But we can’t just leave things like this.”
It didn’t seem like Terrence’s condition would simply resolve itself with time.
Even today, when I said I was going out, he had looked like a puppy caught in the rain.
He had tried to hide it, but his anxiety had been obvious to me.
And now that I thought about it, the way he appeared when I left Margaret’s mansion had probably been another form of his overprotection.
“But what should I even say…?”
I didn’t want my words to sound like I was blaming him or dismissing his trauma.
As I wrestled with my thoughts, Lucy entered my bedroom.
“Are you troubled about something?”
Because of our soul resonance, Lucy roughly knew what Terrence and I had gone through in our past lives.
In other words, she was the perfect person to consult.
“Well, you see…”
After hearing my entire story, Lucy gave a simple answer.
“Wouldn’t the best option be to face him honestly?”
“…Hmm. Maybe you’re right.”
“Considering what happened in the past life, it’s natural for the prince to become cautious. But the two of you I’ve watched until now always overcame hardships and trials together because you were honest with each other.”
“Hearing you say it like that makes me a little embarrassed.”
“You love the prince, and he loves you. If you simply convey your honest feelings, I’m sure the problem won’t be difficult to resolve.”
I quietly looked at Lucy.
“You know… you seem much more mature now.”
“Really?”
“When we first met, you didn’t even understand human emotions very well. You even called me greedy.”
“…Perhaps I’ve learned many things while living with you. Thank you.”
I gently stroked Lucy’s soft fur as she spoke like a proper adult.
“But you are greedy, aren’t you? I’ve seen you grin while looking at something called a bankbook.”
“Quiet. Everyone does that.”
Hugging the fluffy creature, I tried to sleep—resolving that tomorrow I would definitely talk openly with Terrence about the overprotection issue.
The next morning, I woke up, got ready quickly, and headed to Terrence’s palace.
“His Highness the Prince left the imperial palace early this morning due to business.”
The one waiting for me was Jack, delivering the news of Terrence’s absence.
It was disappointing—but more than that, something felt strange.
Terrence had never told me he had plans today.
Of course, there was no rule saying he had to report his schedule to me.
But recently, he had almost always told me his plans in advance—even when I didn’t ask.
If he didn’t say anything, it usually meant he had a free day.
And yesterday, Terrence hadn’t mentioned any schedule at all.
“May I ask what business he has?”
Just in case, I asked Jack.
“It’s related to the Siege of Miloam. The Capital Central Newspaper requested an official interview—”
“Huh? Didn’t that happen yesterday? That’s what Terrence told me.”
Jack’s expression stiffened.
“Ah—perhaps I was mistaken. Yes, that’s right! The Capital Central Newspaper was yesterday, and today he has an interview with foreign press—”
“That’s a lie. The place Terrence interviewed with yesterday wasn’t the Capital Central Newspaper.”
“Th-that is…”
“Jack, please tell me the truth. Where did he go?”
“I’m sorry! I cannot tell you that!”
He suddenly bowed his head deeply.
“But please don’t worry! It isn’t dangerous business, and His Highness said he would return today!”
“Then why didn’t he tell me?”
“It’s classified… I’m sorry.”
At that point, I withdrew quietly.
If it was classified, there wasn’t much I could do.
Still, if it wasn’t dangerous and Terrence had gone without even his aide Jack, then it must be something extremely personal.
‘Could he be avoiding me on purpose? Did he predict that I’d confront him honestly today?’
It sounded like an unreasonable assumption, but my mood sank anyway.
I started trudging back toward the annex palace—but then changed my mind.
Waiting quietly for him to return wasn’t my style.
Time passed, and night soon arrived.
I was waiting in a certain place inside Terrence’s palace when I heard footsteps.
“Idel, I’m here.”
It seemed Terrence had finally returned.
“Why are you in a place like this?”
He looked around in confusion.
It made sense.
This place was Terrence’s private training hall, where he usually trained.
I had left him a note telling him I’d be here and spent the entire day waiting in the training hall.
“I heard you even ate here. But why—”
“Wait. Stay right there.”
Wearing simple clothes suitable for training, I stopped the man who was approaching me with concern.
“Watch carefully.”
Then I suddenly placed both hands on the stone floor and began doing push-ups.
“Idel?”
Even when he called my name, I didn’t answer. After finishing the push-ups, I moved on to squats.
“Idel, what are you—”
Once I completed my target count, I finished exercising and strode straight toward Terrence.
Perhaps because my behavior made no sense to him, he stepped backward until his back hit the wall.
I placed both hands on the wall, trapping him between my arms, and shouted:
“Stop running away from me, Terrence!”
