I Will End My 10-Year Unrequited Love - Chapter 19
His gaze, as languid as the afternoon sun, lingered on Elia’s face for a long time.
“I’m preparing for a marriage with Count Damon’s family. The discussions have already been settled within the family. We just need the imperial seal from the palace, and then we can begin preparing for the ceremony…”
There was a slight tremor in Elia’s voice. As she spoke, Cyrone, who had been quietly listening, let out a short, dismissive laugh. It was a brief sound, but the arrogance behind it was clear. It was a laugh full of contempt.
Elia already felt like she was choking on her words.
“Elia.”
Cyrone, who had been looking down at the papers, set them aside as though he was throwing them away, then called her name in a tired voice. Leaning back deeply in his chair, he looked down at her. The veins in his hand while gripping the armrest, were visibly raised.
“Why do you keep doing useless things?”
Cyrone tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes for a moment. His voice sounded deep and calm, giving nothing away.
“It’s not useless.”
Elia said firmly, feeling that Cyrone saw her as a stubborn child throwing a tantrum. Otherwise, there was no way he could dismiss so easily what she was doing as useless.
“I’ll build a quiet life with someone I love, and live peacefully.”
At that moment, Cyrone’s eyes hardened slightly. The weariness in his gaze sharpened for just a brief second.
“Rias loves me. And I love Rias…”
Elia bit her lip, struggling to speak the words. It was hard to lie in front of Cyrone, of all people. She did feel grateful to Rias, but love? It wasn’t the same.
“Love?”
Cyrone chuckled lowly. Love… He found the word coming from Elia’s lips laughable. As he brushed his messy hair out of his face, he clenched his teeth. His emotionless eyes continued to stubbornly follow Elia.
For a long while, there was an oppressive silence between them.
“You think you could love someone other than me?”
Breaking the cold silence, Cyrone’s question came with a sense of ease.
For ten years, you were by my side, loving me, wanting only me, embracing my darkness. Do you truly think you can do that now? It was arrogance and confidence born from his instincts.
“Of course.”
It was a serious disregard, a contempt so cold. Elia’s usually gentle, pale green eyes turned cold as they met Cyrone’s.
“I…”
Elia couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence, her gaze falling to the floor. The emotions she had barely managed to suppress came crashing back in waves.
“I don’t love you anymore.”
Her words spilled coldly, and Cyrone’s lip curled into a twisted smirk.
“You don’t love me?”
Cyrone laughed, as though in disbelief, a low, short laugh that echoed sharply, cutting through the air like a blade.
“You’ve become quite the liar, Elia.”
Elia stared at him directly. Only then did their gazes become tangled, with nowhere to retreat. Cyrone seemed determined to ignore Elia’s change, either in disbelief or because he didn’t want to believe it.
A long silence followed. When it seemed like there was nothing more to say, Elia was about to turn away.
“…”
Just as Elia was about to move, Cyrone suddenly stood up, his eyes changing as though something he had been holding back had finally burst out.
The chair was violently pushed back and slid across the dry floor with a loud sound. Papers wrapped in red cloth scattered messily, crumpled at Cyrone’s feet.
“…Cyrone!”
The sudden noise caused Elia to halt. She began stepping back to avoid Cyrone, who was steadily moving closer.
But before she knew it, Cyrone had closed the distance, his hand firmly gripping Elia’s chin, forcing her to look up at him.
“Maybe it’d be better if I could just kill you.”
His voice was soft, but the words were cold. Cyrone’s eyes, which were perfectly curved, held Elia in place, refusing to let go. Their gazes tangled, each filled with different emotions but persistently entwined.
“Yeah. You know I won’t do that, don’t you? That’s why you’re acting this way.”
Cyrone’s eyes, clouded with pain, greed, fear, and lingering attachment, made Elia dizzy. Where had this fate gone wrong?
Cyrone clenched his teeth as though he was trying to swallow words he couldn’t say.
“Why do you have that expression?”
The words fell from his lips carelessly, as though they were meant to claw at Elia’s ears. She couldn’t tell if her eyes were trembling or if it was him standing in front of her shaking.
“Huh? You don’t know anything.”
It was an utterly meaningless statement. Don’t know anything? What exactly was he talking about? Elia was confused by Cyrone’s words. What was he hiding deep inside?
The moment their gazes locked, Cyrone’s face twisted as though a deep pain was surging inside him. His grip on her loosened slowly.
“You don’t even know how cruel you can be sometimes.”
Cyrone’s hand, which had settled on Elia’s cheek, slowly moved to caress her trembling lashes.
