Chapter 40
At Ethan’s casually delivered words, I reflexively turned my head to look at him.
‘What did Ethan just say?’
It didn’t feel like he was expressing his own emotions—rather, it seemed as if he was giving me the answer I wanted to hear.
I couldn’t understand what he was saying, so I kept my lips tightly shut.
No, to be precise… it was more accurate to say that I didn’t want to know the meaning behind his words.
Something faintly surfaced in my mind, but I was desperately keeping it from solidifying into certainty.
I was familiar with Ethan’s indifferent and cold nature, yet for some reason, this felt unusually foreign.
Whether or not he noticed my conflicted feelings, Ethan still didn’t meet my gaze.
However, the way he stared into the distance seemed to carry a certain heaviness, as if his heart was burdened.
“He was a friend I knew for quite a long time.”
“…….”
“I suppose I was a little sad.”
Ethan gave an unexpectedly straightforward answer.
It sounded plausible, yet somehow, it left a lingering unease.
‘Friend, friend…’
Before I could fully realize the strange feeling that had overtaken me after his words, I found myself staring at him.
Ethan seemed to be deliberately avoiding my gaze, but then, at last, he turned his head toward me.
Meeting his eyes, I froze in place.
‘…Why are you looking at me like that?’
When Ethan turned to me, his eyes were flat and cold.
It wasn’t the gaze of someone remembering the death of a loved one and mourning it.
Even though I told myself that couldn’t be, I couldn’t shake the sense of unease.
Perhaps noticing my unease, Ethan added casually,
“But that was all there was to it.”
“……Huh?”
The words that followed were something I could never have anticipated.
“Rose Licetta was just a friend—nothing more, nothing less.”
Ethan’s voice was as indifferent and cold as ever.
If I had looked away for even a moment, I might not have realized he was referring to his cherished heroine.
I couldn’t empathize with his feelings, nor could I understand them; I deliberately looked away from him.
‘What is Ethan even saying right now?’
Even though it would have made sense for him to be grieving or heartbroken at the news of Rose Licetta’s death… what was he saying?
Wasn’t it Ethan Clovis who risked death just to have her?
Wasn’t it Rose Licetta who broke through even his cold and cynical nature?
And yet, now, even speaking of her death, Ethan seemed more indifferent than usual.
Was he deliberately hiding his feelings from me, pretending to be indifferent… or…?
I pondered this alone but couldn’t come to any conclusion, letting out a helpless groan.
‘How on earth is this world supposed to work?’
The heroine who had died before starting the original story, the male lead clashing with the secondary male lead without her, and… a secondary male lead who openly says he doesn’t love the heroine.
Nothing was following the original story.
Even though I had hoped it wouldn’t go according to the original because it predicted my death…
‘This doesn’t mean it should go in a way where I can’t foresee even a step ahead!’
Right now, I wanted to grab Ethan by the collar in all seriousness and demand the truth.
…Of course, I might be the one whose collar gets grabbed before I could do so.
I pressed my palm to my forehead, glaring at the root cause of this mess.
When I looked at Ethan again, the trace of emotion toward Rose that had been on his face was completely gone.
All that remained in him was…
“Why are you making that expression? Wasn’t that the answer you wanted from me?”
There was only his sharp, intense gaze, as if he could pierce right through my shallow intentions.
Ethan seemed to realize immediately that I was struggling, trying to think through a problem that wouldn’t come together in my mind.
He gave a mischievous smile, further unsettling me.
“You look troubled. Shall I tell you more?”
Without another word, he took a step closer.
The strange sense of distance that had given me some comfort vanished in an instant.
Yet… he felt slightly different from usual, and I almost instinctively stepped back.
But Ethan’s intense gaze held me in place, making it impossible to retreat.
He stepped forward, trapping me in his shadow.
He brought his face close, ensuring I couldn’t look away.
It was a bad habit he often displayed when cornering me.
“Rose’s death was shocking for me too. I suppose I was quite sad for a while.”
“…….”
“Just as you wanted to hear.”
“……Ah.”
“So? Does that satisfy you? Isn’t that the answer you were expecting?”
“…….”
“Hm. Not satisfied, are you? Then, was it not friendship you wanted, but a sticky, heavy feeling between a man and a woman?”
Ethan struck mercilessly, leaving me no room to breathe.
The assumption I had been desperately denying became undeniable truth in an instant.
As if to provoke me further, every word he chose unsettled me.
‘Sticky and heavy feelings…’
Could Ethan really describe his love for Rose in such a way?
Ethan himself?
I furrowed my brows, frowning without even realizing it, unable to respond.
At that moment, he gave a cynical smile, as if he had been waiting.
The way he lifted the corner of his lips, as red as his eyes, was terrifying.
“You’re truly interesting, Yunice Servita.”
“……Huh?”
I tilted my head slightly, puzzled by the oddly misplaced comment.
But Ethan didn’t answer me and continued to look down at me with his cold gaze.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, I lowered my eyes—but he seized the opportunity, lightly gripping my chin.
Not stopping there, he brought his face closer, so I couldn’t avoid his gaze.
The way he pressed forward gave me an inexplicable sense of dread.
‘…What is he going to say?’
And that uneasy premonition, as always, proved correct.
“You went around pretending to know well about Rose and me, something others wouldn’t understand.”
“……!”
“But you don’t care how the relationship actually works. As if the answer was already set.”
…Something was very wrong.
Completely wrong.
I didn’t even know where it had started to go wrong.
‘Why is Ethan saying this to me?’
I couldn’t process the sudden turn of events.
But Ethan seemed unwilling to let me go, pressing me relentlessly.
“Why is that usually talkative mouth of yours so quiet today? Answer me, Yunice.”
“…….”
“I gave you the answer you wanted. Then I should get something back, right?”
I knew I had to remain calm and indifferent.
If I showed panic, his sharp suspicion would only deepen.
Yet despite my intentions, my gaze, held by him, trembled violently.
“Why? Are you frustrated because I don’t move according to your wishes? Huh?”
Ethan teased me, his voice annoyingly sharp, as if to mock my flustered state.
Only then did I realize that all the moments I had taken lightly were actually extremely dangerous, a hair-trigger situation.
‘Ethan… knew everything?’
That I had unwittingly assumed the closeness between him and Rose.
That I was flustered now because of his words.
‘…This is bad.’
Thinking that, I felt afraid of Ethan in a slightly different sense.
Looking into his red eyes, it felt as if even the thoughts I wanted to hide were being exposed.
I desperately wanted to escape from under his sharp gaze right now.
“I always say this, but I see everything that goes on in your head.”
“A-Ah!”
Yet again, as if reading my thoughts, he grabbed my waist and pulled me into his embrace, leaving me no chance to escape.
Enclosed in Ethan’s arms, I almost collapsed from surprise.
“You look quite startled. Is being caught off guard this much of a shock?”
“N-No… it’s not that…”
All I could do was stand there, trembling, my hands barely resting on his chest.
Noticing my unsteady state, Ethan didn’t waste the opportunity, pressing in even more fiercely.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking in that little head of yours, but don’t try anything reckless.”
“…….”
“No matter what you’re thinking, I have no intention of moving according to your wishes.”
