Chapter 21
How did things end up like this?
I calmly replayed the situation in my mind.
The original story had ended before it even properly began.
The protagonists had abandoned the storyline and exited.
Because of that, Eched was on the verge of actually dying… and I ended up kissing him while trying to save him.
‘This is ridiculous!’
Snapping back to my senses, I struck Eched hard in the chest and pushed myself up.
Thud!
It was a fairly loud hit, yet Eched showed no sign of pain as he straightened up.
“Y-you… you’re insane! Have you lost your mind…?!”
I covered my mouth and stared at him like he was some kind of shameless criminal.
A kiss—out of nowhere…!
Even impulsiveness has its limits.
“That day… the first time we kissed, I felt divine power from you.”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“The reason I kissed you again was to confirm that divine power. But this time… I couldn’t feel it.”
At his words, I slowly lowered the arm that had been covering my mouth.
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered him asking if I had ever undergone a divine power measurement again.
“Shaterian.”
A large hand brushed across my face.
It passed over my cheek, tickled my earlobe, and then gently held my face.
His breath was too close. His silver eyes, fixed on me, carried a strange heat.
Eched traced the curve of my ear as he leaned closer.
The atmosphere turned dangerous in an instant.
“N-no… don’t…”
“After everything you’ve already done, what do you mean ‘don’t’?”
Heat rushed to my face.
In a soft voice that sounded like he might confess love at any moment, Eched whispered,
“I want to touch you. Let me.”
This is cheating.
With that face, that voice—how could anyone resist?
Just as my already fragile self-control was about to snap, the orchestra announcing the start of the outdoor ball rang out.
The fast-paced, grand symphony snapped me back to my senses.
‘You shameless—!’
I jumped to my feet—but the world spun.
“Huh…?”
My body tilted. I collapsed again, falling into Eched’s arms.
“You suddenly lost your divine power. Of course you’ll feel weak. Sleep for a bit.”
‘What? You—…!’
You should’ve said that earlier…
After that, everything went dark.
* * *
“You!”
I shot upright—
But the “you” in question, Eched, wasn’t in front of me.
It seemed I had collapsed in the garden and been moved to a bedroom in the Crown Prince’s palace.
I flopped back onto the bed, fuming.
‘More importantly… I have divine power?’
I raised my arm, clenching and unclenching my fist—but I couldn’t feel anything special.
At the academy entrance ceremony, the test showed nothing.
If not that…
‘The only difference since then is that I regained memories of my past life…’
Did I gain divine power along with those memories?
But how does that make sense?
Divine power and mana are supposed to be innate.
“Well… remembering a past life doesn’t make sense either.”
Just as I came to terms with it, the door opened and Eched walked in.
I shot up, glaring.
“You!”
“Don’t get up so suddenly. You’ll collapse again.”
Eched walked over calmly and brushed my messy hair back.
I smacked his hand away.
“Don’t touch me without permission. It’s extremely unpleasant.”
“Cold, considering we’ve already kissed.”
He replied in a flat tone, sitting in a chair beside the bed.
I glared even harder.
“Don’t act like you care.”
“Did I?”
He tilted his head as if he truly didn’t know.
“Even your voice is different.”
“Hmm… emotions can be expressed differently depending on the person—and perceived differently depending on the listener. Perhaps you’re the one interpreting it that way, Shaterian.”
“Ugh…!”
Frustrated, I pounded my chest.
Eched grabbed my hand to stop me.
“Don’t.”
“T-that’s exactly it! Stop doing things like this!”
“If this counts as kindness, then I suppose I am being kind.”
He gently rubbed the hand he was holding.
“Shaterian. You’ll probably have to get used to this version of me. I’ll often—perhaps always—treat you kindly.”
‘Again… calling my name.’
As I grew more confused, Eched gave a faint smile.
For some reason, he looked… relieved.
“But you already knew, didn’t you? You told me to go to the Saintess. You knew I was a divine beast… and that I was being punished.”
“…You heard all that?”
“How did you know?”
A chill ran down my spine.
I tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“L-let go of my hand. What if I collapse again?”
“Don’t worry. That only happened because I couldn’t control it earlier. Now… tell me. How do you know these things?”
His narrowed eyes felt like an interrogation.
“Did you receive a revelation from the goddess?”
“Huh…?”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“No?”
“…I see. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you are that person.”
“What?”
“That person.”
I couldn’t hear it properly—like the sound itself had been erased from the world.
But somehow, I knew.
He meant the woman he had been waiting for all along.
“No, that’s not me. If it were, why would I try to take you to the Saintess?”
In the original story, that person was Anella.
Eched thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“It’s you.”
“No, it’s not.”
“It is.”
“I said it’s not!”
“Shaterian. It’s you.”
“…Ugh.”
‘Wait… was he always this persistent when he found Anella?’
No.
If he had been this forward, Anella would never have ended up with Orgon.
Then why me?
“Why do you think that?”
“Because this divine power tells me it’s you.”
He squeezed my hand again.
It was starting to get annoying.
He was completely mistaken—but where do I even begin correcting him?
“Don’t touch me without permission.”
Overwhelmed by sudden exhaustion, I pulled away and buried myself under the blanket.
Eched withdrew his hand and sat back upright.
“So, how long was I out?”
“Two and a half days.”
“What?!”
Then today must already be the last day of the Founding Festival?
Unbelievable.
Unacceptable.
My precious holiday… gone just like that…
Oblivious to my despair, Eched added,
“At least the Saintess at the palace shared her divine power, so you woke up early.”
‘The one she should’ve saved is you, not me.’
How did everything get so messed up?
“Is Anella okay? I heard she fell from the terrace.”
“She seemed fine.”
‘He really doesn’t care.’
I could tell just by looking at his face.
But more importantly… what am I supposed to do about the original story being completely derailed?
I wanted things to change—but not like this.
Just then, noise grew outside the room. The door opened—
“What if our Terry never wakes up…?”
My sister entered, sniffling, while Sir Rehelrn comforted her.
“Don’t worry. Shaterian is strong. She’ll recover soon.”
What a perfect match those two are.
I didn’t want to get dragged into that gloomy atmosphere, so I spoke brightly.
“I’m already awake.”
They both froze and stared at me.
Sir Rehelrn spoke first.
“Shaterian, are you alright?”
“Yes. I feel refreshed after resting.”
“Terry!”
My sister rushed over, clinging to me while crying.
“Ugh! What are you doing?! Get off!”
I pushed her away in disgust.
“How can you be so cold when your sister is worried?!”
“It’s not like I came back from the dead.”
“When you were carried in by Duke Astrea, do you know how shocked I was?!”
So Eched brought me here.
“You’re easily surprised.”
She clung to me again, and I finally gave up resisting, patting her back.
“Alright, alright. I’m fine.”
‘Well… family is family.’
Sir Rehelrn watched us with a warm smile—but then his gaze shifted to Eched.
His expression turned sharp.
“…Duke Astrea.”
His lowered voice was unexpectedly cold.
“Let’s talk.”
Eched glanced between him and me, then stood.
“Very well.”
“Outside.”
It felt like watching someone issue a duel challenge.
I watched as the serious Rehelrn and calm Eched left together.
“What’s that about?”
“Something important. Maybe someone new will be joining the family.”
Servants come and go, and knights are recruited through tests—I had no idea what she meant.
More importantly—
The snot she had smeared all over my clothes was far more concerning.
Disgusting.
