CH 53

“The wounds have healed and her stamina is almost restored. There will be no disruption to her daily life.”

“All right. I will report to the lord, so everyone, just go away.”

“Thank you. She hasn’t eaten in a week, so for the time being, it’s better to eat soft, non-irritating foods.”

As the wizards rushed out, the room that seemed full was empty. Only then could Canaren properly look into the spacious room.

It was a very pretty and colorful room. All of the furniture, including the bed on which she was lying, was white with gold trim. The floor was covered with high-quality carpets, and paintings in warm colors hung on the walls.

What caught Canaren’s attention above all else was the wall on one side of the room with a ceiling-to-ceiling window. Through the large, clean window, a panoramic view of Pionia could be seen at a glance.

As she looked around the room, her exhilaration subsided as if she had never been so.

The quick-witted Roana could more than guess why Canaren was disappointed. She cautiously spoke to Canaren.

“How do you find your room? Do you like it?”

“…Yes. Pretty.”

“The lord has personally chosen each item. He’s so picky and tormented the people so much that they almost resigned. Ah. As you know, this is Pionia. It is the lord’s castle.”

“Yes…”

Even after being told that Yulif had chosen it himself, Canaren smiled for a moment, but she was still gloomy.

She thought of course she would be with Yulif. Even after Roana escorted her, he was always by her side. Moreover, her last memory was in his arms, so his absence came even more critical.

“…Is Yulif very busy?”

At this moment, the question Roana hated to hear the most came out. She took a firm hold of her giddy mind.

She must not disappoint Canaren. Unleash the power called Hell’s Tongue!

“Ah… Hahaha. Yes, what… The lord had never vacated his territory for such a long time, so work was delayed a bit. Yes.”

“Does he work in the evening?”

Actually, Yulif wasn’t busy. While Canaren was asleep, he did nothing. He didn’t eat or sleep properly, he didn’t just throw his work away. Still, he didn’t even look into Canaren’s room.

In Roana’s opinion, he was acting incomprehensibly. No, if he was not going to work, he should take care of Canaren.

She didn’t know why, but his intention was clear. He was avoiding Canaren.

‘If I tell the truth, she will be hurt…’

The lack of Yulif was enough for her to show her disappointment. But if she lied, she would be even more disappointed later. What to do…

‘Ah, I don’t know. The handsome lord will take care of it.’

‘I don’t want to be a bad person.’ And so Roana exclaimed in her brightest voice.

“He will come in the evening. He was waiting for Miss Canaren to wake up!”

*******

The sweet pumpkin soup that came out for dinner was really good. It was so delicious that she ate two bowls.

Canaren waited until late at night for Yulif.

Roana forced her to lay on the bed, unable to watch her repeatedly nodding off while sitting on the sofa and waking up. Even so, after holding on for a while, it was past midnight when she was eventually exhausted and fell asleep.

“…Ren.”

A low voice pierced her ears.

“Canaren.”

It was the voice of Yulif who she had been waiting for the whole time. Canaren opened her eyes, but she could hardly move her eyelids. They were stuck like glue.

“I came because I missed you. I can’t stand it.”

Yulif’s fingers gently brushed away her flowing hair. It was difficult to tell if the gentle touch was a dream or reality.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The fingers that were caressing her forehead slowly moved down and down. Rubbing her brow, gliding over the bridge of her nose, and staying on her lips.

Canaren held her breath.

Yulif carefully, but without hesitation, stroked her plump lips. Her lips seemed to open at any moment at the sensation of his fleeting touch.

‘Then… What will happen next?’

Her thoughts did not last long. It was because of the whispers of Yulif that she heard next.

“I love you.”

It’s love.

Yulif loves her. She couldn’t believe it.

Canaren squeezed the hand under the blanket tightly. The sensation of her fingernails digging into her soft palms was vivid. Still, Canaren believed that she was dreaming. No, she was sure. This… This. It’s a dream created by her subconscious. It’s a fantasy. It’s not real.

Yulif has someone he loves. He said she was a very kind person, a Hwira like her.

Now, for some reason, he broke up with that person, but when talking about that person, Yulif had a very gentle and deep look. There was a much more affectionate feeling than when he was dealing with Canaren. Yulif seemed to love that person to the extent that the emotions he couldn’t contain flowed out.

Her heart throbbed at the thought of those eyes. Her closed eyelids heated up. She felt like crying.

‘Ah. I get it. Why am I dreaming like this?’

It’s not that Yulif loves me. Yulif… She liked him. So Canaren hoped he would like her too. She wanted to be the one that he loved.

In fact, she actually knew. That her heart had been inclined towards Yulif for a long time. She might have known him vaguely from the day she first met him.

“Are you okay?”

He was the only one who said hello to her, whom no one paid any attention to. She couldn’t help but love him.

“I know I am greedy.”

Every word of Yulif was painful and sweet. Is this what it feels like to be cut with a knife made of agglomerated sugar, honey, and petals?

The reason why Yulif poured out words that seem to represent her heart was probably because it was a dream that she had made up.

Even in a dream, it was good, and Canaren wanted to see him with her eyes open. As he put love in his mouth, she wondered what kind of expression he would make. It would be a face she could never see even after in a lifetime.

But she couldn’t even lift a finger, as it was something she was not allowed to do even in her dream.

“But when I see you, I get greedy. Every time I see you smiling at me… Every time I touch you, I want more.”

The low-pitched voice made her spine tingle. The feeling she was experiencing for the first time in her life was unfamiliar and frightening. But she didn’t hate it.

Yulif in her dream took her hand. Dry, cracked skin touched the tip of her finger.

Canaren later realized that it was Yulif’s lips. It was thanks to the hot, humid breath that spread through her skin.

Why were his lips so damaged? Even though it was a dream, she was upset. She wanted to ask, but her voice did not come out, so Canaren only asked inwardly.

Yulif kissed each one of her fingers slowly. Even then, as if regret remained, he pressed his lips down on the back of her hand, the palm of her hand, and even the inside of her wrist. Her toes curled up in a strange feeling.

She wondered how this dream could be so clear, even if she wanted it to be so. The kisses were filled with emotion, something that Yulif in the real world would never do, drawing a strange line, so Canaren was convinced.  She remembered that she had picked up somewhere that the stronger the unconscious, the clearer the dream.

“Love me.”

Again, he said what she wanted to hear. A hot feeling soared and then subsided.

The usually cold Yulif continued to whisper, not knowing her thoughts.

“Don’t run away from me. Don’t push me away. Live happily with me.”

The quiet, low voice was more like a sob. Canaren was worried that he might be crying.

Huu. There was a long sigh that seemed to clear up his messy emotions, and then Yuliff grabbed her hand once tightly and then released it. And he put her hand under the blanket.

“A man like me is still a coward.”

The hem of his coat rustled. ‘No. Don’t go! Don’t go, Yulif. Stay by my side.’ No matter how earnestly she shouted, the silent scream could not reach Yulif and lingered only within her.

The body scent of Yulif, which had been gently mixed in the air, had completely disappeared. The gentle words that were sweetly pouring out and the calming warmth that wrapped around her hands dispersed like mist.

“…It was really a dream.”

Canaren woke up from her dream and muttered blankly. As she blinked, tears flowed from her eyes.

Canaren curled her body in the darkness and wept quietly.