Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

She definitely hid well, and she was sure that no one would be able to find her. She was confident about this, but Frey appeared and broke her certainty.

But Bliss was alright that it was Frey.

Even so, it was like he looked no different from when he was younger.

Even if there was no answer, Bliss was really glad to see Frey after such a long time.

“You missed me a lot, right?”

“Sorry, but I didn’t think of you at all.”

He replied with a smile, but his eyes contained the truth.

Indeed, Bliss was never someone who occupied his mind.

Bliss’ body stiffened for a moment.

‘You didn’t think of me at all? That’s impossible.’

And apart from that…

As she stared at Frey’s chest over his heart, Bliss asked in a low voice.

“When you were younger, I heard that you were sick because of a sudden illness, but…”

There was no poison in his heart.

“I guess you’re all better?”

“All thanks to her.”

For the first time, Frey’s eyes curved with affection. Bliss’ gaze instantly became sharp.

With her chin on one hand, Bliss tapped her cheek and opened her lips.

“Perhaps, it’s the saint?”

“Bliss. Your mother?”

“My mother went to work.”

Changing the subject as though he didn’t feel the need to answer, Frey looked displeased, but this only made Bliss want to smile though she didn’t want to show it.

In the Pellun family, Bliss was the only daughter, and she and Mrs. Pellun went far away when Frey was only seven years old, and it was around summer.

Bliss, the only daughter of the Pellun family, and Mrs. Pellun went far away because the Madam was supposed to recuperate her health, and this happened during the summer of Frey’s seventh year.

After that, the two never appeared in high society again, as though they had completely disappeared.

At one time, the mother and daughter were rumored to have run away, but Count Pellun shut down and buried those rumors. And so, those talks were quenched.

Frey didn’t know the details. All he knew was that they went to their family’s villa to recuperate.

Less than a few days later however, the Countess and her daughter disappeared.

Even Frey didn’t know the reason. And he didn’t try to find out.

All Frey was curious about were his dreams about Yurenia.

So even if he came here to meet Bliss, who was living at a place that wasn’t her family’s villa, he didn’t ask her anything about it.

In other words, he wasn’t interested in her.

Bliss tried to shake off the anxiety that was flowing down her body.

“But why are you still wearing your hood?”

As she tried to reach out to Frey naturally just as she did when they were young, Frey slapped away Bliss’ hand.

“…Is our Frey angry because Noona didn’t contact you a lot?”

She wrapped her fingers over her throbbing hand. The corners of her lips twitched in frustration.

This was what she said.

But there was no response from him.

While they were younger and when Bliss talked to him like that, Frey hated it and would always say, ‘Stop treating me like a child.’

‘I definitely raised you properly when you were young.’

Frey didn’t answer back and placed a book on the table, and at this, Bliss bit the inside of her cheek.

Even so, she was confident no matter what because of their childhood memories.

Because he should have imprinted on her thoroughly.

It was to the degree that she wondered how a person could change 180 degrees. Frey, who was now quite different from what she imagined, was not budging.

“This is the book you gave me before you left.”

“Thank you for cherishing it all this time. I hope you didn’t come to return this to me.”

Bliss was terribly frustrated at the person sitting before her, this Frey she didn’t know, but Bliss didn’t do anything to express this on the outside.

Indeed, Bliss’ fingertips flinched as soon as she touched the book, [ Dawn of the Full Moon ], which she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She thought that there was something off, so she took off her hand then grabbed it again, but she didn’t feel anything this time.

Bliss couldn’t keep a straight face. Her expression was hardened.

“Frey. Have you shown this book to someone else?”

Bliss’ expression changed in an instant, and Frey stared back at her and opened his lips.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

As she hurriedly asked again with a nervous look on her face, Frey touched the teacup before him and asked.

“I don’t know why you’re so certain that I lent this to someone else.”

Smiling in a sly manner, Frey answered, and Bliss bit her lower lip while bowing her head. She held it in and pressed down the swear words that were bubbling at her tongue.

Frey had changed. It wasn’t totally, but he was now out of her grasp.

It was clear enough from just this short conversation alone.

And it was clear enough that he previously gave this book to someone else, but he was keeping his mouth shut.

‘No, no. Hey, he really couldn’t have given it.’

Frey didn’t know that there was a way to summon a devil in the [ Dawn of the Full Moon ].

‘Because this was what the angel gave me…’

So it’s highly likely that he lent it to someone else unknowingly.

After taking a deep breath, Bliss raised her head and schooled her facial expression.

The atmosphere from before disappeared. Unlike her outward appearance, she was inwardly full of distrust towards Frey.

‘Now you can lie in such a cute way. I’ve been away for too long. I should have returned sooner.’

Bliss gritted her teeth. She was in a situation where she couldn’t move when she wanted, even when she wished to return as soon as possible.

She wanted to follow him back and return their relationship to how it had been before, but that wasn’t possible right now.

She thought she hid the book well when she entrusted it to Frey, the person she could trust the most, but she didn’t know that this would happen.

“No reason in particular. There are marks on the book. Are you angry?”

“Of course not.”

He had a captivating smile, but his eyes were cold.

“Did you miss me a lot?”

It was a suspicious way to shift the conversation, but Frey didn’t visit Bliss to fight her.

In his dreams, Bliss died to save his life.

Nevertheless, the reason why his joy and gratitude towards her were overshadowed by discomfort was because of one thing—her last words the moment she breathed her last.

“Fr… ey. With my death… now, you’ve completely… imprinted.”

Then she smiled, placing a hand over his heart.

Even as she was dying on behalf of another person, Bliss smiled as though she were feeling ecstasy.

The more he thought about it, the stranger things became.

He felt that Bliss was a precious person to him, but he had the ridiculous suspicion that these emotions might have been manufactured by someone.

Still, she was a person who saved his life, and he had good memories with her as a child.

Frey wanted to be free of this burden, and so he came to Bliss.

To cut her off cleanly.

Bliss and Frey first met when she was eight and he was four years old.

It was at a tea party that Marquis Eckhart held, and they quickly got close because of Bliss’ good social skills.

She took care of the young Frey as if she was his real sister. It was always just the two of them, and there was no one who could come in between those two.

To be exact, Bliss wouldn’t stand for it if someone else got close.

But would the young Frey notice this?

He just liked being with Bliss. She sometimes said things that he couldn’t understand.

”Frey won’t be able to live without me. You can continue to exist in this tough world only when I’m also in it. I’m the only one who can protect you.”

At that time, he couldn’t understand what she meant. Even until now, it was still something he could fully comprehend.

What was she so confident about? There was no way for him to know.

Frey, who was still healthy at the time, just enjoyed playing swords and playing house with Bliss.

So when she asked him, ‘Even when we can’t be together forever, you’ll remember me, right?’ He just nodded at her question.

At that time, Frey liked Bliss very much.

Bliss was in charge of everything as though she wanted it to be that way, and so he couldn’t do anything without her.

And when Bliss went away and left only the book [ Dawn of the Full Moon ] behind with him, as if her words came true, Frey missed Bliss for a while.

It hadn’t been long since she left when his heart started hurting and poison started to form. He yearned for his childhood with Bliss when he could still run around healthily.

If he hadn’t met Yurenia, he would not have had a healthy childhood at all.

Frey wasn’t a fool.

At the same time he remembered his previous life, all the words and actions that Bliss said and did in front of him finally made sense.

The more he thought about it, the more it was apparent to Frey that Bliss was training him.

People might say that this was too much, but Frey didn’t let even a small detail pass by his notice as he had become sensitive.

Now, he did not want to be swayed by others.

Lisandro alone was enough already. And now, it was only Yurenia who could truly affect him.

Frey looked at Bliss.

Just by observing her expressions throughout this short conversation, it was clear that she was hiding something.

She was in a hurry to hide it, but Frey caught her expression just then, even though she thought he didn’t.

She was undoubtedly dissatisfied with the changes he had gone through.

“Not really,” Frey replied. “I just realized something thanks to you.”

How could he say that this was the least he could do because she had saved him in their previous life?

Honestly, he wanted to ignore her as though she was someone he didn’t know.

There were a lot of suspicious things that now came to mind when he recalled her, but he was still grateful for what she did at that time.

So in the end, this was all to ease the burden in his mind.

“I came here to express my gratitude.”

Somehow, he spoke in a tone full of thorns, and so Bliss gulped dryly and smiled.

“What did I do for that?”

He could see that she was pretending to stay calm, but Frey just shrugged as if he didn’t know.

“Tell me if there’s something you want.”

“…Frey. There’s nothing like that between us. It’s a bit disappointing to hear this from you.”

If she said what she wanted, she had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to meet Frey anymore after this.

And just as she thought, Frey truly didn’t have any plans to meet Bliss again.

In the end, she was a person who died for his sake.

But Bliss would think that it’s better for her to stick by his side.

‘I didn’t know that Bliss would think that, too.’

Frey was deeply sickened by the bizarre smile that was on her lips as she died, especially by the words that she left behind as though it was her final will.

It felt like he was looking at Lisandro before time was rewound.

“Then, I’ll just leave.”

If she didn’t need anything, then he would stop offering.

He wouldn’t insist if she didn’t want it.

But as Frey unhesitatingly stood up, Bliss hurriedly clung on Frey. The chair rattled as it was pushed back, and it soon fell back with a loud sound.

“F-Frey!”

“What is it.”

“I…”

She wanted to say something so they could meet again next time, but she couldn’t think of anything right now. Her lips were just hanging agape. Then, she hurriedly spoke.

“I-I want to stay friends with you, Frey!”

“That’s not something I can do. Wish for something tangible.”

He refused right away and roughly shook off her hand.

His expression was infinitely sweet, but his actions, the look in his eyes, and the atmosphere surrounding him seemed so heartless that it made Bliss tremble.

“…Frey. Really, what’s wrong? Why are you doing this when I’m trying to hold onto you? It’s not like we only had one or two days of history between us.”

Bliss smiled in vain, soon biting her lips.

“What did I do to you for you to act like this? Why did you find me all of a sudden?”

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“Yes. You did. I feel terrible. And I’m disappointed in you.”

She stared into his eyes, but she had to tilt her head up just to look at him. He was too tall.

Regardless, Frey took out a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and placed it on the table.

“It’s right to think that I’m a bad guy. I’m not a kind child either.”

“You know that you’re being rude to the other person right now.”

“……”

“You know that well, but why—”

“I have no intention of changing my attitude.”

He cut her off mid-sentence and snapped back. On Frey’s expression, even the remaining smile had been completely wiped off.

“If you think of something you want, contact the person written there.”

With that, Frey turned his back without any regrets.

In a daze as she looked at the closed door, Bliss collapsed onto the chair where Frey was seated.

Then, she opened the folded piece of paper on the table.

Written there was the name of the Eckhart family’s butler and how to reach him.

In other words, if there was something she wanted, she should go to the butler and not to Frey. Bliss gritted her teeth.

She wanted to follow him and change him back to the way he used to be right now…

“Did someone visit?”

But she couldn’t do that because of her goddamn mother.

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