Even Death Was Taken Away by That Obsession - Chapter 33
Feiden hurried towards the Grand Duke’s tent, forgetting his dignity as High Priest.
And just as he was about to hastily open the door, he heard Dantea’s sobbing voice.
“My Lady, what on earth happened!”
“It only looks bad, I don’t have a single scratch. Please calm down, you’re making me more upset by crying like that.”
“Duke Viente, thank you so much. Thank you for saving my lady!”
“I’ve received sufficient thanks, so it’s fine. My Lady, regrettably, we must part here for today.”
Dekiel must have been right next to Haine, as his voice came quite close.
Dekiel’s voice, which should have been low like a large stringed instrument, was unusually excited.
Feiden bit his lip and quietly hid himself.
He didn’t particularly want to face Dekiel right now.
Feiden’s green eyes were once again filled with dismay as he watched for when Dekiel would leave the tent.
What he discovered was, unexpectedly, Ian, whose face had turned serious while talking with Hubert in the distance.
The situation quickly became clear.
For whatever reason, Haine must have briefly left Dantea and Hubert’s sight.
Hubert, who had been secretly searching but unable to find her, seemed to have reported the situation to Ian.
Meanwhile, Dekiel had found Haine and personally escorted her to the tent.
‘It would be better if those two didn’t meet in this atmosphere.’
Feiden’s eyes darted between Ian and the tent entrance.
He felt like appealing to the god he didn’t believe in, praying the two men wouldn’t notice each other.
As if to punish Feiden, Ian, who had just finished talking with Hubert, turned toward the tent.
His blue eyes, which had been twisted with worry, finally caught sight of Dekiel calmly walking out of the tent.
‘Damn it.’
The High Priest, having observed the entire situation, bit his lip and swallowed his curse alone.
The timing of everything – Dekiel returning with Haine just now, Ian arriving at the tent just now.
It was all timing that made him want to blame god.
***
“Dantea, I’m really fine, I tell you.”
How long would I have to comfort this crying child?
I sighed away my irritation. Then I patted Dantea’s back as if soothing a baby chick.
“I, I was just so shocked… Lady Canabeil said you had headed toward the tent quite a while ago, so I was worried something terrible might have happened…!”
To this child who talked so much even while crying, I made a cautious request.
“Could you keep this a secret from Ian?”
“What?”
Dantea, who had been wiping her eyes with both hands, suddenly stopped crying and stared at me.
I wondered why her chatty mouth was silent now, but her eyes told me Ian probably already knew.
Sure enough.
Ian stood in front of the tent door, which had been opened by Hubert’s hand.
“Haine.”
Behind that melancholy-tinged call appeared a thoroughly disheveled Hubert.
Thanks to that, I could easily imagine how urgently he had searched for Ian.
‘Even so, how did they manage to bring someone participating in the hunting festival here?’
Ian had said he was aiming for victory this year too.
How did Hubert manage to bring here a man who should have gone deep into the forest to hunt beasts?
‘No, maybe Ian didn’t go deep into the forest in the first place.’
If he actually wasn’t very interested in the hunting festival.
If he had no intention of going far from me from the start… that might be thinking too much.
‘It’s not good to be too attached to me.’
Though his love was welcome, I hoped Ian wouldn’t lose himself.
With something of a guilty conscience, I lowered my eyes as Dantea brushed past me.
She was leaving the tent at Ian’s signal.
Only he and I remained in the spacious Grand Duke’s tent.
A cold silence unsuited to spring briefly divided us.
Ian was the first to break the silence.
“You asked them to keep it secret from me.”
My heart crumbled along with his voice full of painful sorrow.
I just didn’t want to cause worry.
I wanted to be perfect in front of you.
I just wanted to be a lovely and elegant fiancée, and furthermore, faithfully play the role of the future mistress of the Grand Duke’s household.
That’s how I felt even when I fell into the pit.
I happily imagined future plans, confident in winning the bet.
After recovering my memories with Feiden’s medicine, I planned to first take control of the social circle here.
Playing around with Lady Canabeil, who had cunningly planned to kill me, would be a bonus.
After dominating the social circle, I intended to secure my place by your side where no one could challenge us.
That way, even if ‘he’ appeared, he wouldn’t be able to penetrate my firm resolve.
If only you, Ian, would love the perfectly human version of me that I’d carefully crafted.
I had drawn a solitary happy ending where we would spend love-filled days until closing our eyes.
‘But how did I end up making Ian sad?’
I gazed at him, feeling like I might cry myself.
Meeting Ian’s blue eyes brimming with tears, my mistakes reflected back at me like a mirror.
I, who kept many secrets from him.
Yet I tried to create another secret.
‘I said I’d be a real fiancée, but I only made him anxious.’
Though I wanted to hide today’s incident to avoid worrying him, this man must have felt like all of today’s peace had been stolen from him.
‘I understand it all.’
While I understood everything, I had no intention of reassuring this pitiful man.
Because just as I must love Ian, Ian must love me equally.
The more I tugged at his heart using anxiety as a leash, the more Ian would become unable to break free from me.
I made a sorrowful expression, matching the innocent image of me that Ian probably knew.
“I didn’t want to worry you. Since I’m not hurt, I didn’t want to make it into a big deal.”
“The very fact that something happened to you is already a big deal.”
“Nothing happened.”
“In this state…”
Ian let out a heavy sigh at my disheveled appearance.
Then he hurriedly looked for a blanket. It was to cover my exposed skin here and there.
That’s when Ian, spotting an unfamiliar jacket, stopped his hand that was reaching for the thick blanket.
He would have easily guessed whose it was.
“Lady Canabeil guided me properly.”
I hastily raised my voice.
“I stumbled on the way to the tent and received Lord Dekiel’s help to return, and that time took a bit long, which is why Dantea was surprised. That’s all.”
Before I knew it, I was reproaching Ian for his concern, saying it was nothing.
Ian avoided my gaze with a somewhat sad expression. It seemed as if he couldn’t bear to do otherwise.
Come to think of it, I had been naturally hurting Ian.
Without even considering how these wounds would change him.
And such days inevitably coincided with moments when I crossed paths with Dekiel Viente.
‘Ah, right. What’s important now isn’t this cute lovers’ quarrel with Ian.’
If I win the bet, I can beautifully package today’s events as just a small memory.
‘I need to find Feiden.’
I must be careful.
I need to hurry and recover my remaining memories to confirm who ‘he’ is.
Ian wrapped the blanket around me again, even as I was busy calculating in this moment.
“Haine.”
“Yes, Ian.”
“You know what? You’re… too indifferent about yourself.”
Ian’s blue eyes, which had somehow drawn closer to me, painfully pierced through my truth.
“Like someone who wouldn’t care if they died at any moment. That really troubles me…”
He softly groaned and buried his breath in my nape, hiding his sad eyes.
Ian, whose slightly trembling breath made my heart flutter.
I raised my hand, wanting to stroke his dark hair.
But Ian caught my hand as if rejecting the gesture.
Then he properly opened his mouth to call Dantea, who must have been waiting outside the tent.
Perhaps finding it strange that the conversation ended faster than expected, Dantea appeared, slightly tilting her head.
“Return to the mansion with Haine.”
“What?”
“Check if she’s hurt anywhere again, and take good care of her.”
“Ah, yes!”
Dantea, who prioritized Ian’s orders over me, immediately became busy.
“I’ll be very late today. Please wait at the mansion until I return.”
Though I grabbed Ian’s lapel, not wanting to return to the mansion like this, he whispered in my ear with utmost tenderness.
“I hope you won’t get involved in dangerous situations outside my sight again.”
Those eyes slid dangerously across my skin.
“If you do, I might want to lock you up.”
With that final whisper, Ian turned his back on me.
His tall figure left the tent without hesitation and quickly disappeared.
Not knowing how much those last words filled me with despair.
