Cecilia slowly opened her eyes, repeating my question. It seemed she was looking into the distance, not at me.

“Of course… I’m angry. Because I really, really, really hate Edrish.”

“You hate me enough to say ‘really’ three times?”

There was no answer. I shook Cecilia, who had closed her eyes again.

“Now’s not the time to sleep. Why do you hate me?”

“Because you’re bad, Edrish. So, I have no choice but to hate you. Because you’re bad… I can’t help it.”

“What did I do?”

“You used me….”

“I never did.”

“You think I’m some sort of antidote.”

“Antidote?”

What is she talking about?

I briefly considered letting Cecilia, who was drunk, fall back to sleep. During that brief moment, Cecilia sluggishly spoke again.

“Even antidotes have feelings. Why… just go ahead and take my lips, you’re a complete jerk. Are you trying to free me? You’re using me….”

Cecilia abruptly punched me in the chest. Her punch felt a little weak, perhaps because she was drunk.

“You don’t even like me, Edrish… And it’s funny to you that I like Edrish? Whenever I see Edrish, my heart flutters. So, is that funny? I’m telling you that I like you….”

Her voice gradually grew quieter.

I stared intently at Cecilia’s face, her eyes closed.

She likes me?

My eyes narrowed.

Cecilia likes me?

What kind of emotion is that?

I was plunged into chaos.

In truth, I hadn’t thought deeply about kissing Cecilia.

I realized at some point that there was a connection between the curse and Cecilia’s feelings.

When I touched Cecilia’s hand, her face, the weight of the pain changed. It was exactly as much as her reddened, plump earlobes.

So, I had thought that someday I’d have to try a deeper form of physical contact. It was worth trying to lift the curse.

But that day… obviously, I had no plans to have any kind of physical contact with Cecilia.
The image of Cecilia, spinning around under the moonlight with a dazzling smile, still lingered in his eyes.

It wasn’t a dance worthy of the name, yet he couldn’t look away.

Strangely, Cecilia always had that pull on him.

From the moment he first saw her in the moonlight, to the time their eyes met as she ran away from the train station, to when she reached out for him underwater.

At first, he thought it was just a peculiar feeling and dismissed it. However, those moments seemed to become increasingly frequent.

Now, even locking eyes with Cecilia felt like being sucked in.

In those times, he wanted to touch her without a second thought.

Just a little closer, he yearned to be. A foreign desire bubbled up within him.

It was the same that day.

He simply wanted to be closer to her, to hold her.

Was this what Cecilia called the emotion of ‘liking’?

No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t know.

Baekho was fundamentally numb to emotions.

He had never felt this ‘liking’ emotion in his life, nor had he ever thought he would.

Even the thought that someone might like him was inconceivable.

Therefore, he never imagined that Cecilia would be so deeply hurt by all this.

He gently stroked Cecilia’s soft cheek.

Even now, he wanted to press his lips against her forehead and the tip of her nose.

Was this ‘liking’?

Impossible. He dared not think he could feel the same emotions as Cecilia.

Even if he did, nothing would change.

Cecilia was not a match for him.

“Idrish, look at this. It’s a snail. So cute!”

“Idrun! Look at that sunset. It’s just like egg yolk, so fluffy and pretty. Just looking at it warms my heart.”

“Is there no way to help those poor children?”

She found beauty everywhere she looked.

In contrast, Idrish never felt any inspiration, even when seeing the many things she admired.

Idrish was such a person. His world was black and white.

Everything in the world was divided into things that were helpful and those that were not.

Beauty or loveliness had no value to him.

“Sila. Don’t think of entering my world.”

It was a world too harsh, too boring, and too sad. Cecilia didn’t belong there.

Moreover, the path he had to walk was dangerous in itself.

The preparations to fight the world and become a king again.

Even those by his side could die.
So, he didn’t want to deeply involve Cecilia.

They were together now only due to the curse, but afterward, he would have to go far away.

He hoped that even if he died, it would have nothing to do with Cecilia.

Idrish lay down, facing the ceiling.

However, if he could reclaim the throne and thus do better things for Cecilia.

If that were the case, a small regret filled him that it wouldn’t be so bad to be with her.

But Idrish soon lay back down.

Still, there was no answer he could give to Cecilia at the moment.

He shouldn’t have kissed her.

The memory that had been lighting up a corner of his heart turned cold as if doused with cold water.

For the first time, Idrish regretted that day.