CH 182

A pang filled my chest. “A…a month?”

I’d suspected I’d been unconscious for quite some time, but a whole month? Suddenly, I tried to get up, and pain filled my body. I curled up like a cat.

“Ah!” I groaned.

“Iona!”

I felt a little bad, but I was somewhat happy to see him so restless. I tried to soften my voice to calm him down.

“It’s just muscle pain,” I said. “I’m really okay.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I put my hand on his. The sight of those golden eyes made it impossible to play around.

“I’m here. I’m really okay. You can rest, Rian.”

“Iona.” He brought my hand to his forehead. “Thank you for waking up. Thank you for not disappearing.”

“I told you I’d be by your side. I’m good at keeping promises,” I replied cheerfully. Then I leaned my forehead against his. “Thank you for surviving. Thank you for being okay until you met me.”

“What are you…?”

He looked up, his eyes narrowing with his unfinished question.

“I had a really bizarre dream,” I said. “You were there…”

And then I told him everything about the dream I’d had. Ridrian sat patiently by my side until I was done narrating the story. The story took longer than I thought I would. By the time I was done, it had already gotten darker outside.

“Then I woke up when you found the holy water,” I finished.

Ridrian was quiet for a while. The twilight cast a dark shadow over his uneasy face.

Theres had already proved that it wasn’t a simple dream. Unless meeting Theres had also been part of the dream.

“Honestly…” Ridrian began. He stopped himself, ran his fingers through his hair, and gave a sigh.

“I don’t remember much of that,” he admitted. “I remember feeling miserable as I hid in the basement and finding the room underneath it. But then I woke up after and my body had been transformed. Whenever I tried to remember what happened, my mind turned hazy, like there was a sudden fog. So, I stopped trying.”

“I see.”

I thought it was weird to begin with. If he’d even slightly noticed who I was, there should’ve been signs.

[Because he also has to know now.] That was what Theres had said.

Before I could stop myself, I spilled some divine power onto him.

“Iona?”

His eyes widened in surprise. He couldn’t push my hand away, but a troubled look crossed his face. His eyes narrowed slightly in a frown, like he was trying to hold back. Instinctively, I took my hand off his forehead. I wasn’t sure what I’d just done. I’d merely figured I could share my power a little.

“Ridrian?” I called softly, gazing intently at him.

“Ah.” He lowered his head, his face covered from view. I thought I saw his shoulders tremble.

Does my power hurt now? Does it not work anymore? But…Theres said Rian could take in my power.

I was confused, but before I could figure out what to do, he hugged my waist. Just like the first time we met, I didn’t know what to do as he held me, like he was looking for warmth.

“Rian, are you okay?”

You…”

“Pardon?”

“It was you.”

When he lifted his head, he was smiling, looking like he might cry at any moment. For a moment, I saw my reflection in those golden eyes. And then he hugged me tighter.

“I don’t know what this is. I remember exactly what happened then.”

“Rian?”

“I felt like my body would rip apart after I swallowed that heart, and I saw a lady’s form in my hazy mind. It was me in pain, but she looked like she was feeling it. My first thought was that it was Lilianna. It hadn’t been long since she went missing, so I thought she’d come back to save me.”

I kept listening.

“I realized it wasn’t Lilianna, but I didn’t know who the lady was or what she’d been doing. I just felt truly supported, having someone who was with me until the end since I didn’t have anyone at the time.”

He stared into my face. His soft eyes were filled with all the love in the world.

“That was you, Iona.”

Did the divine power I gave him help him get his memory back? I didn’t know what it was, but I was happy that he saw me then and remembered me.

“If you don’t hate me,” he whispered in my ear, looking a bit coy, “then please stay by my side.”

Hate him? I would yank him away from Eris if he decided to go to her now. I realized what I’d forgotten.

“I never told you yet, right?”

“Iona?”

I kissed him lightly on the lips. Smiling brightly at him, I spoke from the bottom of my heart.

“I love you, Rian. I’ll be by your side.”

He looked happy. He hugged me intensely. “I also love…”

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Sorry for the interruption!”

Just before Ridrian could finish his reply, Kraman burst in. At the same time, I felt something whiz past me.

Thump!

“Ugh!”

Kraman froze, his gaze swiveling to his left. Lotuburu was stuck in the wall next to him. Ridrian had thrown it so hard, only the handle was visible.

“Is it important?” the Emperor demanded.

Kamran cleared his throat. “You…you can punish me later. The Lucretian army started to move.”

I was still in horror at what Ridrian has just done, but he seemed more horrified by Kraman’s report.

“Lucretian army?”

“Ah, congratulations on waking up, Viscount Lesprey,” Kamran said. “I can finally sleep well.”

“Thank you. W-wait. What do you mean…Lucretian army?”

“You didn’t know?”

I felt like something was up when Kraman casually replied, “You’re at war with Lucretia. This is the Baros Estate’s Lord’s castle.”

Baros Estate was the name of the town on the border of Ivant and Lucretia. On Lucretia’s side!

Ah, I thought the room looked unfamiliar, I thought.

Then I fainted.