Chapter 65

Chapter 65

As I gasped for air, the past and present timeline flashed before my eyes. In retrospect, it wasn’t all that terrible. Every moment I had with Bleon was a blessing beyond measure. In particular, this life was very happy because of him. Although my life wasn’t long enough to allow us to fully enjoy that happiness, nevertheless, because of him…

“Wife! Don’t close your eyes! Open your eyes and breathe! You can’t die! You must never die! Please…! I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything you want, so don’t die… just please… Please…!”

“The doctor is here! Madam!”

“Madam!”

“Madam!”

Behind Bleon’s bellows, the butler, the doctor, and Philia’s voices were heard one after another.

“Madam! Don’t close your eyes! Breathe! Yes. Breathe like that! Philia!”

“Everyone, turn around and don’t look. I will start the treatment now.”

Philia unbuttoned my dress and pulled the clothes down. And I saw the magic that I also saw the other day, and she brought her hand over to the area where my heart was. After a while, breathing became easier.

“Huk… Huuk… Haa…”

And with the relief that I was barely able to breathe, I lost consciousness.

* * *

When I woke up the next day, the first thing I saw was Bleon’s face. He was kneeling on the floor and looking at me quietly, with his hands wrapped around one of mine. It’s only been one day, but his face had become greatly emaciated. It’s clear just how worried he was that I didn’t wake up all night.

“Bleon…”

My voice was hoarse as I rasped out the words. But even though I called him, Bleon didn’t budge and just stared into my eyes. Now looking at him, his eyes were so full of anxiety and fear.

“Bleon.”

When I called his name again, he flinched slightly. Then, suddenly, tears started dripping down.

“Hiic… Sniff…”

“Why are you crying…”

It always broke my heart to see him cry. Whenever I saw tears falling from his pretty blue eyes that held such depth to them, all I wished for was to see him smile without any worries. I just wanted him to be happy. I laid aside his upright body, raised my other hand Bleon wasn’t holding, and gently stroked his hair.

“Don’t cry… I told you that I like your smile.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… Wife…”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry… For everything…”

I sat up slightly and gently held his head in my arms. Then, with an urgent gesture, Bleon hugged my waist tightly.

What should I do with you… You can’t go on without me, so what should I do?

While holding him for a long time and touching his hair, Bleon’s crying slowly stopped. So I tried to get away from him, but Bleon wouldn’t let him go.

“…Do you hate me? Do you not like me…?”

“…Why?”

“Do you hate me for calling you back and interfering with your life…?”

Bleon held me tighter. Perhaps he found it difficult to look into my eyes while talking. We ended up hugging each other and continuing the conversation.

“Do you want me to hate you? Do you want me to not like you?”

In an instant, the arm that was holding my waist tensed more.

“…No.”

“Then why are you saying that?”

“…Then, you won’t leave me?”

I shut my mouth for a moment. It was a difficult question that couldn’t be answered right away, so I stayed silent. However, as he didn’t get an answer right away, he was worried, so Bleon dug further into my embrace.

“Please don’t leave me… I’ll listen to you, Wife. I will do anything you ask me to do. I will never do what you tell me not to. So please let me stay with me. Please, please… hiic, hiic…”

Bleon was begging me desperately, crying again when he had just stopped.

“I am very sick right now. I can’t live long… You know that.”

“It doesn’t matter. Wherever it is, I want to be with only you…”

“Bleon, you already witnessed my death once. It ended up ruining your life—it can’t happen again. It might be better for us to separate now. At least you don’t have to watch me die anymore.”

I finally admitted it. Everything I did for him eventually pushed him to the brink. The fact that the actions when I tried to make him forget me by being mean and hurting him ruined him even more, contrary to my intentions.

I overlooked the magnitude of his feelings. As with any love, I thought that over time, Bleon’s heart would wear out, too. But he loved me a lot more than I thought. It was only now that I knew that it was so powerful that no one could erase it from my mind.

And that’s how I thought, too.

“I know how much you love me. Now I know. I also cherish and love you. That’s why I made so many wrong choices.”

I made a bad decision with the cowardly excuse that it was an inevitable choice because I loved him.

“But I died. I don’t want to die in front of you like last time again.”

Now, when he remembers me, I hope he remembers the happy smiles of the days when I wasn’t sick rather than the way I died and was in pain. Rather than lying on the bed and gasping for breath, I wish he could remember how we held hands and walked in the garden on a sunny day.

“Then I… How can I? How can I live without you, Wife… hiic.”

“That’s why I didn’t run away and we’re talking properly this time. I want you to live well without me. My life has only come this far, but not you. You still have a lot of time left.”

“I don’t want it… I will be by your side until the end. I’ll find a way to save you. I will definitely find a way, so just stay by my side.”

“Even if you find a way, what else are you going to give up this time?”

“Anything. I can give anything.”

His voice was hoarse. Without being able to convince him, the conversation went nowhere and a deep sigh came out.

“I remember where the mage is. If we just find that mage, you’ll be fine. So don’t ever think of leaving me. Okay?”

But it was strange. For some reason, I wanted to trust and follow Bleon’s words. I even thought that a mage with the skills to turn back time and summon me might really be able to cure my illness.

‘If he asks for a price, wouldn’t it be okay if I give my soul in the same way?’

In fact, I wanted to be by Bleon’s side to the point where I could think of such an absurd idea. I really wanted to enjoy ordinary and small happiness with him just once.

“…How far away from here?”

At my question, Bleon, who had been buried in my arms the whole time, raised his head and looked at me in surprise.

“Wife…?”

He couldn’t believe what I was saying, and his voice calling me even trembled.

“You said you know where the mage is. I think it might be worth seeing.”

“Are you serious…?”

“Yes.”

“…Wife!”

Bleon suddenly stood up and hugged me tightly.

“Thank you… Thank you very much… Wife, I really… Haa…”

Seeing Bleon constantly thanking me in an emotionally touched voice, I felt the frustration and fear that had been holding me back since some day.

‘Yes. Let’s try it. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll think about it again.’

Because there’s Bleon. Because I have Bleon, even if the outcome is not good, if the two of us were together, we will be able to overcome any kind of sadness this time. So I decided to follow him.

* * *

The next day we got ready to leave and immediately set out on a long road in search of the mage. Because mages tend to live completely cut off from the rest of the world, it was very difficult to find them. But since Bleon already knew where the mage we needed to see was, we arrived at the mage’s place about a week later.

“Here we are. It was very difficult for you, Wife…”

“No. I’m okay. What about you, Bleon?”

“I’m okay.”

We worried about each other’s condition and thought about how to get in at the door. But suddenly the door opened as the mage noticed that we were coming. As I entered the door carefully, there was a very tall woman surrounded by a black cloak.

“Why did you come to see me? Ah! It’s that person from that time.”

The woman at first asked our purpose of coming to her, and then looked at Bleon.

“Then this person…! I see.”

Then she pointed at me and said so, she seemed to notice who I was. She really was a mage.

“You seem to have accomplished your purpose, but why did you come to me again?”

“Because I want something different this time.”

Bleon replied.

“Hmm… You are ill. A disease that hardens the heart is an incurable disease.”

The mage hit the nail on the head.

“It’s impossible to cure.”