CH 8.17

“Are you sick?”

I frowned and looked at Geisha’s face. It was to check for any signs of illness.

“No, but will I get your attention if I get sick?”

“… Don’t think such terrifying and absurd things.”

“Then getting hurt is pointless as well.”

Oh, this is driving me insane.

Geisha kept prodding people’s consciences.

I reached out, hesitantly, and wiped Geisha’s eyes.

I heard Cat snort, but I ignored it and kept talking.

“You know what? It’s pointless whining and asking me to meet you when I have no memory of you.”

I draw the line once more.

“I have no idea what you’re saying right now.”

“… … .”

“I may come across as cold, but I am no longer your Shay.”

I want him to understand that.

I explained softly, pointing to the opera house.

“The Ram clan is in there; it may not be what you want to hear, but as far as I know, the Ram clan and your clan don’t get along?”

“… … .”

“Do you think you shouldn’t meet?”

“… Perhaps.”

“But you still came here? Also, you always appear unexpectedly whenever I’m at a party, which is actually really rude.” 

Geisha just listened to me like a depressed puppy.

I scolded Geisha with my hand on my waist.

“I’ll say it again: this is the end of us.”

“Shay, I—.”

“I don’t need you.”

Geisha appeared speechless in the face of my declaration. I felt bad looking at his perplexed expression, which reminded me of a child who had lost her mother in some kind of war. However, I have to say it

“Return to where you came from, Geisha.”

“Shay, please.”

“Don’t call me that. I want you to go back.”

To be honest, there isn’t anywhere else for him to go.

He should go back to the desert because he is a desert man. It’s nonsense to say that a Lakurum of the Kun clan has nowhere to go.

I thought he’d given up and left, but what will the Kun clan do if he’s still in Terran?

“I despise irresponsible men.”

Without looking Geisha in the eyes, I forcibly squeezed out words after words.

“Even if we truly dated, even if you were once my lover, the point is that we are not anymore. We broke up.”

Water gathers around Geisha’s red eyes in an instant.

Then tears streamed down his cheeks.

It was so pitiful that I just wanted to hug him and apologize.

If it weren’t for his pretty lips spewing obsessive words.

“If I broke your delicate ankles and locked you up in our paradise, you’d only see me.” 

It’s an eerie tone. Dangerous energy flooded the red eyes that were staring at me.

He even started putting strength into his arms as if he wanted to do it right away, but I’m not an idiot.

I’ll never forget how Geisha left me in danger.

Pak.

“Ah!”

“Does that hurt? Would you like to know how painful it is to have your ankles broken?”

I slapped Geisha on the forehead, frowned, and stabbed him in the chest with my elbow without hesitation.

Cat, who had been quietly watching, came over and stood between me and Geisha.

Naturally, a rift developed between the two.

I stroked Cat’s neck and spoke in a cold tone once more.

“So don’t even try; did it ever occur to you that I might have run away from you before I lost my memory?”

“… No, it didn’t.”

“Think about it now and reflect on it, but first return to your country; otherwise, I’ll contact your clan.”

This is my final warning. Although it was a threat, it was only half-hearted.

However, Geisha did not budge.

“It would be better not to.”

“What?”

“I exist, but I do not actually exist, and you know it, Shay. You are the one who will be in danger if you contact them.”

It is a repetition of a mysterious story every time we meet. The problem is that I can’t believe it. Geisha is the only one who knows what happened to Shay in the past. I frowned silently and looked over at Geisha. 

“That’s a lie; why would I be in danger?”

“I was your means of finding paradise. Remember who was responsible for my imperfection.”

Is it inappropriate to want to punch him in the solar plexus once?

I clenched my fist as I reflected on the violence within me.

Instead, I stroked Cat on the scruff of his neck to express my desire to return.

“Then just don’t tell me where paradise is.”

“The paradise is real, and even if I find its location, you told me not to tell anyone.”

“But I lost my memory. I’m sorry.”

He never responded properly to anything I asked him, so I gave up on talking to him.

I gave up on investigating my connection with Geisha.

Having read my intention, Cat jumped up powerfully.

Geisha was left staring at me like that.

“I was planning on looking for you if you had arrived later, but you returned.”

I found Lacius standing by the door after leaving the shadowy ground and climbing the white marble steps bathed in sunlight.

Light and darkness.

They are two men who are diametrically opposed.

Needless to say, Lacius was far superior to Geisha, who is constantly whining and yearning for affection.

* * *

A few days after the fashion show.

When I awoke, I was the new rising star in the business world, as well as an idol to the young ladies. 

11 a.m. It marks the transition from morning to afternoon.

With a load of mail, Theobalt approached me, who was enjoying a leisurely tea time after a long time.

“This is a present for my lady.”

“Huh? A gift? To me?”

I expected something like a party invitation, but it turned out to be a gift.

Surprised, I asked three times.

I made it clear that I would not accept any bribes.

Theobalt smiled softly and nodded.

“Yes, it says the sender is the Sokapi Academy of Arts, so it doesn’t appear to be a bribe or something dangerous.”

“Uh, okay. Then that’s fantastic; I’ll open it.”

What if it’s a homemade bomb? Or perhaps a knife?

Nah, there’s no way.

On the outside, it was a fairly attractive box, which made me even more suspicious.

What if it’s a cursed jewel?

“No, it doesn’t appear to be so.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, I’m talking to myself.”