Chapter : 13
From a distance, an unknown force suddenly seized Arisha’s mind.
A voice, faintly heard from somewhere. It was definitely a voice she remembered.
What followed was the sight of a massive galaxy. Countless stars gathered together, forming a galaxy that slowly drifted by.
Arisha was pulled into the galaxy.
After passing through several layers of space and time, she arrived at a huge library.
Books wandered around without any order, pages flipping endlessly. In one corner of the chaotic space, Arisha noticed something vague moving.
Someone was wandering between the books.
“Who is it?”
Arisha squinted her eyes, but it was still unclear. No matter how hard she tried, everything remained blurry.
Then, a pair of eyes locked with hers.
That was all Arisha saw before her vision went blank.
“Big sis?”
When she regained consciousness, what she saw was the dark golden eyes of Egaiel.
Arisha once again grabbed the locket.
[Hart Duke’s Locket (General)]
This locket contains a portrait of Duke Hart.
Notable Notes: The presence of the Duchess has become faint.
Previous Owners: Duchess / Duke / Arisha / Egaiel / Arisha
(!) Interference signal present / Source: Unknown / Tracking: Impossible
There was definitely a secret hidden within the locket.
“What kind of…?”
Arisha gripped the locket tightly, but the resonance from earlier had disappeared as if it had never been there.
A few days later, Egaiel cautiously opened Arisha’s door. He was holding a crown of flowers in one hand, meant for her.
When he entered the room, he found Arisha sleeping soundly as if she were dead.
This was the scene he had been witnessing for a week.
Egaiel carefully approached Arisha’s side.
Her face, which resembled his own, was peacefully asleep.
The most precious person to him, the one he had always admired, respected, and poured his affection on. The one he believed would never change, the most important relationship he had.
Arisha’s face looked quite similar to his own.
Egaiel was sure that both his and Arisha’s faces resembled the mother whose face he couldn’t remember.
Unlike their soft-spoken father, both their expressions were sharp.
It was his personal secret, but sometimes, when he looked at his sister’s face, he thought of the face of the mother he couldn’t recall.
Arisha’s face was still slightly flushed, as if her fever hadn’t fully subsided.
Egaiel squeezed his eyes shut.
No matter how much he tried not to think about it, memories of the past kept filling his mind.
The day when his body burned with fever, and his mind blurred. The hands of the disappeared sister, and the black hands that came toward him.
“Sis! Sis…!”
What followed was the cold face of his sister, who had barely survived.
Her empty eyes, as if her soul had disappeared, and her indifferent gaze, as if she were looking at a complete stranger, even when he approached her.
Egaiel squeezed his eyes shut again.
At that moment, Arisha stirred and woke up from her sleep.
“What’s that flower scent…?”
Her face was still dazed from sleep.
Egaiel forced a smile.
“Did you wake up, sis? How’s your body? Are you feeling very tired?”
“I’m fine.”
“She says she’s fine, but she’s been unable to get out of bed for a whole week…”
Arisha had been in bed all week, unable to rise. Every time she tried to get up, she quickly collapsed again due to a lack of strength.
Egaiel couldn’t help but feel gloomy.
He began to think that it might be his fault.
And it wasn’t just an unfounded thought.
There was some truth to it.
Arisha had become very weak after nearly dying protecting him 11 years ago. After that, she would faint or have seizures whenever she faced him.
“Maybe it’s because of those memories that she gets shocked when she sees me…”
Fortunately, Arisha had recovered recently, but seeing him was still difficult for her.
“Why did you bring this?”
While Egaiel was lost in thought, Arisha looked at the flower crown in his hand and asked. Egaiel couldn’t answer and awkwardly held it out.
Egaiel had been bringing various gifts under the pretense of visiting her. Of course, the types of gifts were random, as he didn’t know her preferences.
Earrings, strange masks, books…
Each time, Arisha was asleep, and Egaiel would quietly leave the gifts outside her door.
He secretly hoped she would notice he had visited.
“It seems like she doesn’t know.”
But perhaps it was only his own hope.
“…Sis.”
He had to leave quietly, just like always.
But then, Arisha’s hand reached out unexpectedly, gently catching his wrist.
Surprised, Egaiel widened his eyes.
Arisha, with her brow furrowed, pulled him toward her.
At her desk, Arisha pulled out a small key and opened a locked drawer.
Inside were things that Egaiel was very familiar with.
An odd-looking mask, a stack of books and cards, elegant earrings, and at the very back, the jasmine-scented oil he had playfully gifted her before.
Everything was something Egaiel had given her.
Arisha took them out one by one, placing them on his hand as she spoke.
“Did you bring the mask to show that you were going to perform a one-man play?”
“Don’t you think it’s time to stop obsessing over muscles? You have such a youthful face.”
“And the cards? You brought them to play with me, right?”
Egaiel, staring blankly, accepted them all.
“Lastly, the earrings.”
“…”
“You don’t even have your ears pierced. Why did you bring these?”
“Well…”
Egaiel swallowed his words.
‘Of course, I brought them for you, sis…’
It was strange that she didn’t think the earrings were for her.
But that wasn’t important right now.
What mattered to Egaiel was that everything he had given her was carefully kept in the drawer.
After thinking for a moment, Arisha continued.
“Did you plan to give them to someone else? To ask if they liked them?”
“…”
“I think they would suit you. I wanted to see it.”
“Right, I was going to do that.”
At her words, Egaiel took the earrings and pierced them into his own ears without hesitation.
“Do they look good?”
“Yes.”
He had chosen them thinking of Arisha’s face, so it made sense they would suit him as well.
“So…?”
Arisha, still with a furrowed brow, couldn’t continue her sentence. She seemed lost in thought, unsure of how to express herself.
Her world had always been fixed on one thing. Work, or not work.
Hunter, or not hunter.
Work relationships were simple and easy because the tasks were clear.
The goal was always the same: “strength.”
People wanted strength from her, and she too based her relationships on whether they helped her and her guild grow stronger.
She thought of people like Kang Suwon, who she believed could help her guild develop.
So this kind of relationship was unfamiliar, awkward, and she had no idea how to handle it.
Watching Arisha, Egaiel somehow felt like he knew what she wanted to say.
It was like back before the Demon Beast attack when they used to understand each other just by exchanging glances.
Back when they were each other’s most precious.
“You don’t have to say it. I understand.”
Egaiel smiled as he spoke. The earrings glittered in the sunlight.
“Give me the crown. I’ll put it on.”
“But I’ve been wondering… why do you keep trying to put things on me? Not on you?”
“Then should I wear it?”
Though he had brought these for his sister…
“Come on, bend down.”
“Bend down, huh? Let’s do it.”
Egaiel obediently lowered his head.
Arisha gently placed the flower crown on his head.
“Looks great on you.”
With a satisfied smile, she patted his head, making Egaiel’s heart ache.
The emotions of guilt and affection, when mixed together, were overwhelming.
Especially when they came from the sister he had once deeply admired and loved, but who had long turned her back on him.
He owed his life to her and had pushed her into despair.
So, no matter what Arisha gave him, whether it was a crown made of flowers or one made of thorns, he would accept it.
But still, the flower crown seemed much better.
“This is a secret, but I’ll tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m really strong, you know.”
Arisha whispered, and Egaiel chuckled softly.
“I know.”
“You don’t believe me.”
“I know, I believe you. You’re super strong, sis.”
“Even after I told you my secret, you still don’t believe me.”
Their eyes met, and they both smiled at the same time, as if they had planned it.
Their smiling faces looked strikingly similar.
“Shall we play a card game?”
“Sure.”
Arisha has no idea. In this empire, I’m the best at card games.
Even father has never beaten me once.
“Sis, I won’t go easy on you, even if you’re sick.”
“Same here.”
This time, I’ll show my sister how great I am.
With the flower crown on his head, Egaiel made a silent vow.
