Chapter 27
“Think about it again.”
I made one last attempt to persuade Nocturne, but there was nothing more to add.
“I’ve heard the details of the request. Whether I accept it or not is my decision, isn’t it?”
Nocturne folded his arms and leaned back comfortably against the sofa with a faint smile. His tone was gentle, but the atmosphere was not. A sense of unease crept slowly up my spine.
Left with no other choice, I stood up from my seat, snatching the contract and the pouch of money from the table.
“Fine. I’ll entrust it to another guild member.”
“That’s fine too. But I can guarantee you that no one in the guild knows Torkan. Someone commissioned a similar request before, you see. It’ll take some time to find someone who can decipher it.”
Without answering, I turned to leave the room. My hand was already on the doorknob, yet for some reason my feet wouldn’t move.
Standing before the door, I hesitated.
‘Whatever… I don’t care anymore.’
The thread of patience inside me snapped with a dull thud. It must have been the very last line barely holding my self-control together.
I turned back and sat down again on the sofa opposite Nocturne, sinking deeper into it than before, my posture far more relaxed.
“Weren’t you leaving?”
Nocturne asked sarcastically.
“I changed my mind.”
“You suddenly switched to informal speech. What kind of change of heart is this?”
He smiled, even the corners of his eyes softening.
“You were never going to give up that easily. Even if you left, you’d just keep watching me anyway—until you were satisfied.”
“You know me well. So, are you ready to talk about that person now?”
“Yes.”
I took a short breath.
“It’s all a lie.”
“What is?”
“The person who said they introduced you to me. I made it all up.”
The smile vanished from Nocturne’s face. In its place, I felt a cold current slice through the air.
“That’s not the answer I was hoping for. Where did everything I said earlier go, customer?”
I looked straight at Nocturne. There was no reason left to avoid it.
“What do you even think about while living like this?”
“What are you suddenly talking ab—”
“You’re not some abandoned dog. How long are you going to live just waiting for a master who will never come back?”
I figured Nocturne wouldn’t hold back much longer. His pitch-black eyes, now very close, glared at me, meeting my gaze hidden beneath the robe.
A chill brushed my neck. I looked down carelessly at the blade pressed there. It was a familiar dagger—one I had seen many times in his hand.
“What are you?”
I slowly reached up and pulled down the hood of my robe.
Long hair spilled down along the fabric. Even under the lifeless lighting, its vivid red color was unmistakable. I saw Nocturne’s gaze unconsciously follow the falling strands.
I could feel him holding his breath, as if his throat had closed up.
I had lived while acting as Yunette without revealing my true identity so that I wouldn’t be exposed by the temple or the imperial family and branded a demon.
But thinking about it, there was no real need to hide myself in front of Nocturne.
He was a loyal subordinate who knew the choice I made when I was Ignis, and he wasn’t the kind of person who would sell me out just because I had left first. That much was certain.
Even so, the reason I came wearing a robe today was because I felt sorry for dragging Nocturne back into my complicated affairs. No—more precisely, because I didn’t want to face the guilt I felt.
My final goal was to meet complete death and leave him behind once again.
But if I continued like this, my plan to achieve that goal as quickly as possible would be disrupted. So, just as I had decided last night, I resolved to use any means necessary.
“You’re still using that. It’s been ages since I gave it to you.”
“Speak clearly.”
“Isn’t it time to throw it away and get a new one? The blade’s so worn it might disappear.”
Only then did Nocturne seem to realize that the dagger pointed at me belonged to me. After finally saying everything I wanted to say, I felt oddly relieved.
“…Master?”
Nocturne’s eyes wavered as he spoke that single word.
“Yes. I said I wouldn’t come back, yet here I am. I guess you were right—though I’m not a ghost.”
“……”
“You said you’d work under the name ‘Nocturne,’ that you’d use the name I gave you for the rest of your life. Who would’ve thought you could lie so easily without batting an eye?”
His trembling gaze kept circling my face.
“How… how can this be…?”
“I don’t know either. Don’t ask.”
I wished someone would clearly explain how things had ended up like this.
“I drank poison, died, and then came back to life—like this.”
“That’s impossible. Is that even possible?”
Nocturne’s reply came out surprisingly clear.
“Apparently it is. I don’t have much time today, so if you’re not going to treat me like a madwoman, could you accept it quickly?”
The reception room fell silent. I didn’t say anything more and simply waited. It had taken me a long time to accept this absurd reality myself.
The blade glinting at my neck slid away. Nocturne swiftly tucked the dagger back into his clothes and turned around.
“What are you doing?”
“This isn’t a dream, right?”
“I wish it were. Me too.”
Nocturne’s shoulders trembled. Watching him suspiciously, I asked, half in disbelief,
“…Are you crying?”
“Yes.”
“Bold of you…”
“What else am I supposed to do? I’m happy.”
“This isn’t something to be happy about.”
Nocturne paced restlessly around the room. He looked at me, then away at the wall, then back again, fidgeting with the curtains for no reason. His eyes were red, though I couldn’t tell if he had really cried.
I frowned.
“You’re distracting. Sit down.”
“Yes.”
Nocturne sat immediately and asked,
“What is this body? What should I call you?”
“The name is Yunette Diaz. This body should’ve died in a carriage accident, but I guess it lived because of me.”
I gave him a brief, concise explanation of Yunette. Nocturne listened with interest and said it was a name he’d never heard before. I hadn’t expected anything else.
He quietly studied my face, shock and joy mingling in his eyes.
“So… it really is you, Master.”
I nodded.
“…Do you still remember everything?”
“Judging by the fact that I haven’t forgotten your name, probably.”
Nocturne’s expression twisted for a moment. I wondered if he was about to cry again.
“Does anyone else know about this? Anyone besides me?”
“No one. You’re the first person I’ve told.”
“I like that.”
Nocturne lifted the corner of his lips in satisfaction.
I absentmindedly checked the clock on the wall and startled slightly. A lot of time had already passed.
“Anyway, do you still know that apothecary who can read Torkan? Like I said, I urgently need a book deciphered.”
“Of course. I even know where they are right now. But what’s really in that book?”
“A clue to why I ended up like this. It wasn’t easy to obtain.”
“I see.”
“Hurry and accept the request. Or sign the contract.”
“No need for a contract. It’s an order from my master.”
“…You’re not even taking the money?”
“Of course not.”
“Strictly speaking, I’m not your master anymore.”
“You’ll always be my master.”
Receiving my displeased look, Nocturne smiled brightly, then lowered his brows slightly.
“If I hadn’t refused the request, you were planning to hide your identity until the very end, weren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“That’s really disappointing. How could you do that as my master?”
“Enough. Just tell me the rest about the request.”
At my urging, Nocturne paused thoughtfully before answering. The apothecary was in a small city about a day’s journey from the capital. If given two days, he could bring them back.
“We haven’t even fully enjoyed our reunion yet. Do you really have to leave so soon?”
“I told you, I’m busy.”
“I’m afraid that if you leave my sight, this won’t feel real anymore.”
“I’ll be staying in the capital for the time being.”
I gave him the address of Mrs. Mason’s townhouse where I was currently staying. Nocturne remembered it after hearing it just once.
“Let’s meet again in two days. Make sure you bring that apothecary.”
“I’ll come to you. So you won’t need to come all the way here.”
It was finally time to leave. As I pulled my robe back on and headed for the door, Nocturne asked quietly,
“Can I touch you, just once?”
“Go ahead.”
It was a slightly awkward request, since this wasn’t really my body, but I allowed it casually.
Nocturne’s hand touched my fingertips. Gently tracing just the tips, he murmured, still unable to believe it.
“…You’re really alive.”
