CH 85

Dianel, who had transformed into the appearance of Dalton, was walking through the garden hand in hand with Siara. 

Dianel was pretending to be calm, but he couldn’t deceive Hierian, the genius of transformation magic. Hierian’s gaze focused on their tightly clasped hands. There was a longing in his eyes, a desire to separate the two of them right away.

‘Dianel, what are you up to?’

Hierian’s voice carried a distant chill. In the midst of that, Siara glanced at Dianel with a slightly pained expression, as their intertwined hands seemed uncomfortable.

Siara repeatedly scrutinized Dianel’s face, gently tracing their hand on Siara’s back. Unlike Siara, Dianel silently looked straight ahead. 

Perhaps because their gazes constantly clashed, Siara let out a faint sigh and stumbled over a stone, twisting their body.

“Ah.”

Before the faint exclamation could disperse, Dianel supported the staggering Siara.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you, Mr. Dalton.”

Naturally, Dianel’s hand reached Siara’s waist. At that moment, Hierian barely managed to prevent his body from jumping outwards.

What was even more disturbing was that Siara seemed to have fallen for Dianel’s trick without hesitation. She looked at Dianel and smiled, unaware of whose hand she was holding. 

Her faintly raised smile seemed somewhat shy. Unconsciously, Hierian stared at Siara for a moment before quickly looking away.

‘This is not the time.’

He needed to let Siara know how deceitful the man beside her was. Just as Hierian was about to take a step forward, Dianel, who had been supporting Siara, looked down at her and spoke.

“I heard that you haven’t found a debutante partner yet.”

Debutante. Hierian’s steps came to a halt again at the appearance of an unfamiliar word. Nonetheless, the conversation between the two continued.

“Yes, that’s right. Mr. Dalton, perhaps—”

“If it’s alright with you, may I stand next to the young lady?”

Dianel squeezed Siara’s right hand and lightly kissed the back of it. Their gazes, which had been constantly clashing, met. Siara met his gaze for a moment before nodding slowly.

“…Actually, I was waiting for you to say that.”

Laughter accompanied the honest reply. At that moment, not only Dianel but also Hierian couldn’t take his eyes off Siara. 

While everyone else remained stiff, only Siara casually spoke.

“I heard it would be very embarrassing to attend the debutante without a partner. I’m glad I found a partner.”

Even the corner of Dianel’s mouth subtly lifted.

“You’re being honest.”

“Well, I feel like you already know what kind of person I am. Actually, I felt uncomfortable the whole time, as if I were wearing clothes that didn’t suit me. Please act comfortably. I’m practicing in my way.”

“You’re already perfect enough.”

“Coming from you, that’s a nice thing to hear.”

The two of them held hands again and walked through the garden. Their footsteps around the lakeside seemed much more relaxed than before.

Hierian couldn’t get any closer to the two of them. He was left behind, lost in his thoughts.

‘Does Siara like Dalton? Siara doesn’t seem to know that Dianel is Dalton… What will happen when Siara finds out later?’

She could either get angry or act as if nothing happened. 

Siara wasn’t one to hold a grudge for long, so she might easily forgive and accept Dianel. It was a moment when her usually gentle demeanor didn’t sit well with Hierian. 

Perhaps that’s why Hierian inadvertently frowned.

“Ugh.”

The accumulated fatigue from past worries and research compounded, causing a throbbing headache. Knowing that even a single stroke through his hair from Siara would alleviate the pain, Hierian muttered despondently.

“I don’t know. I just want to see Siara.”

He looked at Dianel and Siara with gloomy eyes. The two of them were engaged in a gentle conversation, while Hierian hid in the background. This situation was very unpleasant for Hierian.

Being a child had its advantages at times. He could run forward without looking back. Hierian decisively stepped forward without hesitation. His light steps were as swift as a rabbit’s.

“Siara!”

“Huh? Hierian!”

At the sight of his face, Siara greeted him joyfully, calling out his name. In contrast, Dianel, disguised as Dalton, had a stiff expression.

Siara paid no attention to Dianel, approaching Hierian instead. Consequently, their hands that were held together also parted. 

Pleasantly, Hierian smiled and hugged Siara. Siara willingly embraced Hierian.

When Siara’s gentle touch swept through his hair, yellow energy flowed from Siara into Hierian’s body. In an instant, the throbbing pain subsided, and Hierian chuckled, feeling relieved. 

On the other hand, Siara noticed that Hierian’s health had deteriorated and scolded him.

“What’s wrong with you? You disappeared suddenly and told me not to look for you, and now you’re like this?”

“…It’s a mess.”

“A mess? You probably haven’t even had a proper sleep. Are you okay?”

“Well, the research is taking longer than I expected…”

“If it takes too long, you should take care of your health!”

“Yeah.”

With his head nestled in Siara’s arms, Hierian nodded apologetically.

“I made a mistake.”

Sighing deeply, Siara poured healing energy into Hierian, overflowing with kindness.

“You trust me enough to push yourself like this, right?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that.”

“You disappeared leaving only a single letter and now, when your health has deteriorated, you come to see me. It’s not the best topic to discuss, but well…”

Siara shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking.

“Speak up. You’re the type of person who gets completely absorbed in research day and night. Still, it was good that you came to see me before collapsing.”

In a tone filled with kindness, Hierian looked up at her. Without realizing it, one of his hands tightly gripped Siara’s sleeve.

“…Were you worried about me?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

In response to the somewhat demanding question, Hierian’s expression softened quickly. Siara let out a laugh, unable to contain herself.

“You’re like a child.”

As Siara laughed, Dianel, who had been observing them from behind, approached Siara. His nonchalant voice sounded calm as if he knew nothing.

“Lady Siara.”

Realizing her mistake, Siara hurriedly introduced Hierian to Dianel.

“Ah, this is Dalton. And this is Hierian. He’s young, but a skilled magician.”

“Nice to meet you, Hierian. I’m Dalton.”

Dianel approached Hierian as if he knew nothing, extending his hand. Hierian, who had been carefully looking at the short leather glove, awkwardly took Dianel’s hand, his expression becoming peculiar.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Hierian, sir?!”

Siara tried to explain, but Hierian stopped her and spoke.

“It seems like you’re also a magician, sir. You seem to be surrounded by magic all over your body. Seems like you have a lot to hide.”

Siara turned to Dianel with a surprised expression.

“Is that true?”

“…There are circumstances. I’ll tell you when the opportunity arises.”

Siara looked flustered but nodded her head.

“Alright. I hope I can hear the reasons someday.”

“Yeah, I’m curious too. But Siara, I’m hungry.”

Hierian complained to Siara. Siara held their hand tightly in response. Siara glanced down at Hierian, who was pulling her along, and let out a faint sigh before seeking permission from Dianel.

“Sorry. I’ll go back now.”

“Of course. I’ll accompany you.”

“No, it’s fine. This friend is more capable than you thought.”

Rejecting Dianel’s offer without hesitation, Siara said to Hierian, 

“Let’s go, Hierian.”

“Yeah!”

The two of them took brisk steps, leaving behind Dianel, who watched them go for a while. 

His expression, unreadable, darkened in the fading twilight.

* * *

After confirming that they had moved from Dalton far away enough, Hierian stopped in his tracks and pressed his temples as if he had experienced something tiring. 

Then, Hierian raised his head and asked Siara.

“Should I tell that person’s secret?”

“…No. He’ll tell me himself.”

“What’s the point of hiding something really bad?”

“If that were the case, you would have told me earlier.”

With a calm tone, Hierian nodded his head. It was a simple remark, but it made Hierian’s hands feel heavy.

‘If that were the case, you would have told me earlier.’

Perhaps it was because the words revealed her complete trust in Hierian. 

Hierian felt the internal turmoil he had felt when he saw Siara and Dianel getting along affectionately subside.

In his heart, he wanted to rush to Dianel and ask him directly, but even that desire had now disappeared.

‘It’s strange.’

Somehow, when he was talking with Siara, all his worries felt insignificant. Even if Siara were to say that the world would end in an hour, it felt like he could just nod his head in response.

At that moment, Siara was preoccupied with another concern. Siara, whose eyes were cast down as snowflakes fell, quietly murmured with red lips.

“…But still, I’m not feeling great.”

Hierian didn’t miss the opportunity and casually asked.

“Why?”

“Just a few hours ago, he asked me if I liked honesty. I thought he would show me his honest self when he said that. But all this time, he’s been deceiving me… Well, I guess you can’t reveal all your secrets just because you’ve seen someone a few times.”

“But still, a lie is a lie. Dalton is not good.”

In response to the straightforward answer, Siara burst into laughter.

“You’re right.”