Chapter : 72
I thought the original story had ended.
I stared blankly at that guy’s face for a moment. Had I grabbed the wrong person? Or was I mistaking him for someone else?
Whoooosh—
A cold wind blew from somewhere, lightly shaking my body precariously hanging from the cliff.
Then, suddenly, Asad put some effort into pulling my arm up. Even as my body was being lifted, I was too stunned to feel real.
“Huff… huff…”
Looking around, I realized that the knights of the royal capital had already arrived and were cleaning up the aftermath. The assassin who attacked me earlier had already been captured.
I spaced out for a moment before suddenly remembering someone I had completely forgotten.
“Ah! Eveline!”
As soon as I thought of Eveline, I sprang to my feet. I crawled toward the edge of the cliff and looked down.
“Eveline, are you okay?!”
“Uh… yeah…”
Fortunately, the cliff wasn’t a high mountain—more like a back hill. Eveline hadn’t fallen all the way to the ground; she had landed on a tree.
It was a huge relief. I would have to check her carefully, but at a glance, Eveline seemed fine except for some scratches.
“Stay right there! I’ll get you out in a moment!”
“Uh… okay.”
After warning her several times to stay put, I stood up and informed a passing knight of Eveline’s location. Seeing the knight leave immediately to rescue her, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
I then turned to look at Asad, who was standing blankly behind me. I walked over to him, grabbed his shoulder, and said.
“You idiot! We need to save Eveline!”
“……”
I had told him multiple times to prioritize guarding Eveline, and he had agreed.
Asad had been dispatched with the knights of the royal capital to protect Eveline. So why was he protecting me instead? Had he lost his mind?
If anything had happened to Eveline, not even the noble family could have protected him from responsibility. And he knew this all too well.
“No, I… I just… I didn’t realize…”
“……”
For some reason, he answered in a dazed, distracted manner. Even he seemed confused by his own response.
“It’s not something that can be brushed off as ‘I didn’t realize.’” Asad would be absolved later, but…
Still… I let go of his shoulder, which I had been gripping tightly, and whispered softly.
“…Thank you.”
It was probably the first time I had ever said that to him, not just in this life, but in my previous one as well.
Whether he got scolded by his superiors or not, he had saved me. He had even chosen me over Eveline.
I had already assumed the same outcome as in my previous life and had resigned myself, but he saved me. Whether by coincidence or whim, I didn’t know.
But above all, I was grateful that he had saved me.
While I was thinking this, Asad, for some reason, spoke with a slightly dazed expression.
“…You smiled in front of me for the first time.”
“Me?”
I had been smiling? Reflexively, I brought my hand to my face. My expression had already returned to normal.
Smiling… in front of him? I couldn’t believe it.
But judging from his reaction, it didn’t seem like a lie. The faintly proud expression made me want to punch him for being so irritatingly smug.
“You’re always so serious.”
“Don’t be stupid. I… normally smile a lot…”
I was about to say I usually smiled a lot when I suddenly felt something was off with my body. I stopped mid-sentence.
For some reason, my vision blurred, and then I tasted a faint metallic flavor deep in my throat. Feeling something rising from inside, I reflexively brought my hand to my mouth.
Cough.
“…!!!”
And with that, I spat out a glob of blood.
Reflexively, I looked at the assassin who had attacked me earlier. He had already freed himself and escaped. The knights lay silently around him.
It wasn’t just a dagger he carried—he had hidden poison.
“Damn…”
I pulled out a poisoned needle from somewhere in my waist, then my strength left me, and I collapsed forward.
Someone caught my falling body. A cold, inhuman touch. It must have been Russell.
“……”
I looked up at Russell, whose expression was blurry. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but it seemed twisted.
I was truly relieved that he wasn’t the one poisoned. I closed my eyes, feeling genuine relief.
I was dreaming. Just like in my previous life, Eveline had come to the mansion, and I tried to use my memories to prevent Russell’s death.
But… things didn’t go as planned. Helpless, I had caused Russell to die again. Not only that, but Eveline was injured, and Asad was seriously hurt.
I held Russell’s body and let out a hollow laugh. Was it inevitable? The future was already set.
Then, someone approached from behind. A cold blade reflected in the moonlight.
The next moment, I screamed as an intense sensation pierced my body. Feeling paralyzed, I closed my eyes.
When I opened them again, I saw a familiar ceiling. It was dark—probably the middle of the night. A round moon shone outside the window.
I blinked while touching the spot where I had been pierced. My lower back ached a little, but that was it. There were no signs of any wound.
“…Was it a dream?”
It had felt incredibly vivid, like it had happened yesterday. Ah, right—I had collapsed from the poisoned needle. Since I had dreamed it, I must not have died…
Russell? Eveline? Asad? I needed to see with my own eyes that they were safe.
I tried to get up, but my body wouldn’t move.
For a moment, I panicked, thinking it might be a side effect of the poison, but then I realized something heavy was pressing down on me.
“…Huh?”
I heard soft breathing above me. Realizing it was a person, I tensed.
I slowly moved my stiff body to check who it was. The silver hair glinted in the moonlight, even whiter than usual.
Among those I knew, only one person had silver hair. But he shouldn’t have been here.
I pinched my cheeks to check if I was still dreaming. It hurt.
“….”
I reached up and brushed his silver hair away from his face like a curtain. A perfectly handsome face was revealed. Leopold. Of course, it was him.
But he looked different than usual—tired, maybe thinner.
What was he doing here? The royal capital wouldn’t let Leopold nap in a place like this.
As I wondered, he suddenly opened his eyes without warning.
“!”
Startled, I pulled my hand back from his head. I realized I had been absentmindedly stroking his soft silver hair.
Leopold just stared at me. I couldn’t handle the awkwardness, so I spoke first.
“G-Good morning, Leo…”
“….”
He didn’t say anything, nor did his expression change. Ah, did I make a mistake? It was way too early to call it morning.
“Haha…”
“….”
I awkwardly smiled, and Leopold let out a small sigh before slowly getting up. His movement seemed in slow motion.
I suddenly remembered Russell’s face just before I had passed out. I quickly asked as Leopold stood.
“How long was I asleep?”
“About three days.”
Three days… not too long, considering the poison. Other than me, how was everyone else? I was about to ask.
Reading my thoughts, Leopold spoke first.
“Fortunately, everyone’s fine, so don’t worry.”
“R-Really… okay?”
Leopold’s words sounded a little sharp, but… I was relieved everyone was safe.
I hesitated to ask again, thinking people sometimes misspeak.
“But… you look a bit tired.”
“……”
I looked at Leopold’s face silently, asking without words.
