CH 40

She could only hold his hand and raise him up, or share her warmth.

‘But I should at least do that.’

She hadn’t given up on anything yet, and that included her only ally, Richard.

How long has it been since they started hugging each other like this?

As Richard’s breathing slowly stabilized, Ophelia blinked slowly, relieved and relaxed for a moment.

The warmth that touched her trembling body, which was hit by icy rain, was so warm that she instinctively groaned.

The thought of ‘Is it okay to be like this?’ soon melted away in the comforting warmth that came from the spot where she came into contact with him.

Almost operating on the instinct to live, Ophelia burrowed into Richard’s arms.

Instead of pushing her or squirming away, he pulled her deeper into his arms.

For a long time like that, when the sounds of each other’s heartbeats were almost in sync.

The sound of rain hitting the ground from behind stopped and the sun shone on their backs.

Then Ophelia opened her mouth, exhaling her fully warmed breath, and said,

“It’s not cold anymore, so I think you can let go.”

As she said that, she squeezed his arm, but the rock-hard arm didn’t budge.

Ophelia raised her eyes and looked at him.

“Uh… I’m sorry to say this, but it’s very uncomfortable now that we’re both wet.”

The warmth, which had been so pleasant, had now become lukewarm, and it was not very nice.

Somehow, now, it made sense that the scene after the male and female protagonists hugged each other on a rainy day in dramas and movies was completely cut out.

‘It’s still fine for now, but since they’re wet, it’ll smell… No, it’s not the time to think like that.’

Shaking herself out of her daze, Ophelia looked up at the unresponsive, sharp jawline… and pointlessly opened and closed her mouth.

It was because she felt awkward, looking back on what she had done.

Rubbing against him because it was cold, then pushing him away saying it was uncomfortable.

It seemed like she just used him as she liked then threw him away? …No.

It would have been better if it hadn’t rained in the first place.

Or… if only he had pulled her when it started to rain! …That was not it either.

The act of keeping her out of rain was clearly a favor, not an obligation he owed.

Even if she thought about it like this and that, she could only conclude that it was a pointless complaint, even if there was a sense of regret.

‘Great. Let’s stop thinking.’

Ophelia no longer had the nerve to ask him to let go, so she twisted her body to slip away, but Richard did not let go of her.

“Richard?”

Trapped in his arms, Ophelia looked up at him with a puzzled expression, but her vision suddenly heightened dramatically.

“Wrap your arms around my neck.”

“What?”

“We’re going back.”

At his words, Ophelia’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s and she quickly obeyed his instruction.

And she buried her face in his neck.

The moment her ticklish breath flowed down his neckline, Richard kicked off the ground.

—

Two days after Ophelia returned to the Imperial Palace in Richard’s arms, with the conclusion that the strange rain was just rain.

As she expected, the heavy rain reached the center of the imperial palace, or to be exact, right above the royal palace.

But there was something she didn’t expect.

The strange downpour that soaked the Imperial Palace didn’t stop as fast as before.

Rather than stop, it rapidly expanded its range of influence and became a disaster that affected not only the entire Imperial Palace, but also the capital city– no, the empire.

The third morning after the start of the flood which no one expected.

—Bang!

The emperor violently struck the armrest of the throne.

“Tell me!”

It had only been a few days since the investigation team organized by the emperor departed upon the suggestion of the crown prince and the report that there was a strange heavy rain.

Even before what exactly the strange downpour was was revealed, it became a flood that swallowed the entire empire.

“The embankment is not enough to withstand it.”

“The manpower to rescue people from the already flooded territories…!”

“At this rate, it won’t be able to hold out tonight!”

“The damage has been reported! More countermeasures! Suggest countermeasures!”

Despite the emperor’s scolding, no one was willing to open their mouths.

Because there was virtually nothing they could do.

No, it would be true to say that there was nothing a person could do.

—Kwak!

—Geuureum.

The flash of lightning was followed by thunder.

“We did everything we could. But we couldn’t stop it no matter what, so… for now, we have no choice but to wait for the rain to stop.”

No one refuted the desperate sound that flowed from someone’s mouth, or insisted that it couldn’t be.

The emperor also gritted his teeth, but he couldn’t deny the reality.

Two-thirds of the empire was submerged in just three days.

The people of the empire were wiped out without any help, and the nobles were no exception.

Even Marchioness Neir could not hide her confusion and kept her mouth shut.

In the shadow behind the imperial court where despair had become desolate and dark.

Richard, leaning against the pillar and crossing his arms, watched the whole situation with eyes like glass beads.

In the midst of the quiet air that even reduced the sound of breathing, there was a clear sense of desperation and distress on everyone’s faces.

“Where is the crown prince!”

Despite hearing the emperor’s voice searching for him, Richard didn’t step forward. He just left the place.

Without deciding on his destination, his pace towards finding someone was neither fast nor slow.

“It’s a disaster beyond human control…”

A catastrophe that no one could prevent occurred not only this time but also the last time.

No, it should have been.

Such was the earthquake that was made to disappear after many tries. 

A great, irresistible disaster that only he and one other person remember.

“As expected, this rain had something to do with the earthquake.”

Like how the previous catastrophes came suddenly, so did this storm.

Natural disasters didn’t come with warnings or notices, but they wouldn’t happen out of nowhere.

This was not a natural phenomenon.

Richard felt a presence and hesitated.

“Your Highness.”

And without a doubt, she was right in front of him.

“Ophelia.”

Richard held out his hand to her, and Ophelia took his hand without saying a word.

Cold rain that hurt the skin and froze one to the bone.

A corner of the Imperial Palace where the tireless sound of rain hit his ears.

The two of them, holding hands that were colder than the falling rain, opened their mouths and spoke almost at the same time.

“I have to…”

“You should…”

“In the same way as last time?”

“In the same way as last time.”

This flood must end in the same way as the earthquake.

Ophelia looked down at his hand, which was no less chillier than hers, and an idea struck her.

“Richard. Have you ever thought about this?”

“What?”

“We die and regress.”

“Yes.”

“Then if everyone dies in this flood, will we just die? The end?”

Ophelia had never seen or imagined the world after they died in the infinite regression they were trapped in.

After all, whenever they regressed, they saw the same situation as before, that was, this same world.

If it hadn’t been for this freaking regression, it would have been easy to say that no matter who died, the world would still be spinning.

No, if Richard, the main character at the center of this world, died and disappeared, the world itself would disappear.

‘It’s real, but since it’s a fictional world, there’s a possibility.’

‘But if we’re in a beggar-like situation where we’re going through an infinite regression like now…’

A low voice rolled through her ears.

“Shall we try it?”

Richard’s eyes were sincere as he gazed at Ophelia.

“I didn’t mean that.”

Ophelia flatly refused.

It was just a thought, and she didn’t want an ending where all died and disappeared.

She didn’t want to die in pain and misery, she didn’t want to just die either. She wanted to end the infinite regression.

“I was just curious. I have no intention of drowning.”

Richard opened his mouth, then closed it without saying anything.

It was because the words ‘I wonder how long you’ll think you don’t want to die’ didn’t come out as if it was stuck in his throat.

He died and lived, then he met her.

His lack of desire to live was to such an extent that if his chance to die came, he would accept it without hesitation, and he would be very glad.

That was why, when they first met, he was cynical about her words. The words of not wanting to give up.

How long could she say that, he must have laughed at her foolishness.

But now…

“Richard, plums… you’re thinking about that, right?”

The answer came half a beat later.

“Yes.”

“When will the assassins come?”

Ophelia shook the hand that held his, and Richard smiled faintly as he looked down at the crown of her head.

“As they wish. They must come before this flood sweeps away everything.”

“I feel like the deadline is incredibly tight. Is it just me?”

As she perked her ears and listened to the pouring rain, the sound of water echoed from all directions along with the rumblings of thunder.

“Can it last an hour?”

“If we’re only talking about the Imperial Palace, it should be able to hold out for about an hour. If you’re anxious…”

After a brief pause, he pulled Ophelia’s hand towards himself.

“Shall we go to the highest place?”

If it was the highest place of the Imperial Palace, even if the whole world was submerged in water, there would be a place to step on until the end.

But Ophelia pulled her hand back, stopping him.

“No, I hate being struck by lightning.”

“Lightning?”

“Yes. The principle of a lightning rod is that lightning strikes the closest highest point… no.”