Even when he followed Aria out, Lloyd had composed himself.

He thought he would completely erase someone like Clea and focus on the one right beside him.

He thought he would completely erase such a woman from his life, but somehow his thoughts changed when he reached the imperial palace.

‘That wasn’t what I was trying to do.’

He originally intended to apologize to Clea.

Unlike before, when he always made her apologize even though he was the one who did wrong first, this time he wanted to apologize directly.

He didn’t know the reason.

Even though he disliked her that much, Lloyd was going to advise Clea to return.

But contrary to such feelings, his composure to treat her kindly completely disappeared as he faced Clea’s cold gaze.

Impatience gnawed at his heart, and the thought that he must take Clea away somehow dominated his emotions.

Even though he knew she disliked his fierce voice and coercive tone, he couldn’t stop.

Feeling like she would go to Admund again if he didn’t grab her now, he couldn’t help but grab her.

“Clea.”

He was lingering in place, unable to leave.

His mind was still blank.

Seeing the blood Clea had spilled on the floor, he felt like he would go crazy with confusion about what exactly had happened.

Lloyd closed his eyes and recalled, finding it hard to breathe.

“What on earth happened.”

He had never heard that she had a chronic illness.

He was worried about her, who had coughed up blood right before his eyes.

Not once had he ever considered her position. Only now did Lloyd begin to understand her.

But Lloyd didn’t know.

That he was already branded as a man she didn’t even want to associate with in Clea’s heart.

‘This is not where she should be. I need to send her home for recuperation as soon as possible.’

* * *

Clea felt very dizzy.

Her chest felt tight, and her body felt heavy.

She didn’t know it would be like this just from talking to someone she didn’t even want to face.

As soon as she arrived in the room, she collapsed onto the bed.

“When will this curse come to an end.”

Clea looked at the back of her hand while lifting the corners of her mouth.

The second hand that had been running fast returned to its original speed as she moved away from Lloyd.

Analyzing the strange aspect, Clea thought this:

‘Is this saying to run away to a place where no one knows if you want to live even one more day?’

That thought might be correct.

Considering that she coughed up blood right after encountering Oberon and Lloyd before.

This body, weakened as much as it could be, seemed to find it burdensome to even endure facing people she disliked.

But Clea had no intention of running away.

“I’d rather die here.”

Whether she escapes or not, the second hand flows.

She had no desire to leave the person she had just come to like because of people she disliked.

She imagined.

A man with dark black hair and red eyes, completely different from her.

Before meeting him, Clea was always ready to leave.

Because she hadn’t become attached to anything, she had no place to have lingering affection for.

She could run away to a place where others couldn’t find her at any time.

But now it was different.

‘Meeting you is the first time I felt happiness. How could I give up now?’

She hadn’t understood crying and laughing because of the single emotion of happiness.

Would a person have trouble living without such emotions?

Then why was she, who had never been happy since possessing this world, breathing and living so well?

Clea noticed that the emotion she had felt from meeting Admund until now was emptiness.

Only after noticing the emotion she had been trying to deny did she realize.

She belatedly looked back at her own heart, which had already been worn down as much as possible.

“I miss you.”

She missed Admund terribly.

She wished that he, and no one else, would appear by her side.

Only after spending countless times watching time flow by futilely. She now finally felt the emotion of loneliness.

“Clea!”

A familiar voice was heard in her ear.

Clea thought she might be hearing things because she missed him so much.

But in the direction the voice came from stood the person she had been wanting to see.

“Why are you here? You’re busy.”

Although she had wanted to see him, Clea knew well. How busy Admund usually was.

She had been grateful even for him sparing his already busy time for her.

She was about to get up, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily.

“Don’t get up.”

“Admund.”

“Oberon told me. The fact that you are very ill right now.”

Had he vaguely guessed from seeing the traces?

Recalling being caught by Oberon before, she let out a hollow laugh.

It was ridiculous how he, who had been so busy antagonizing her, was now constantly taking care of her.

‘Is this not hating even those facing death?’

Thinking that Oberon was doing this simply out of pity for her, she felt displeased.

She didn’t particularly want to receive pitying gazes. Feeling Admund’s gaze, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Fortunately, the blood stains had been completely erased.

“May I ask where it hurts?”

His gaze was full of worry.

Although she had been displeased at being pitied by Oberon just now, somehow she felt good about receiving concern from Admund.

Perhaps because she had just faced Lloyd.

It felt even more apparent how different he was from Lloyd. She reached out her hand towards Admund, who showed no forceful side at all.

“I’m sorry, but it’s difficult to say.”

“…I see.”

Admund showed only an infinitely gentle and soft appearance in front of her.

As if she might crack if he made even a small mistake.

Admund was curious about where Clea was hurting.

Her complexion looked bad even at a glance.

It seemed a little better than when he had silently watched her from the doorway, but she still looked ill.

Yet she didn’t exaggerate, nor did she tell him where it hurt. For some reason, Admund felt like he might cry.

“I wish you weren’t ill.”

“Admund.”

“I mean it sincerely. I wish you could always be happy by my side.”

He held Clea’s cold hand.

He momentarily gripped her hand, which felt as cold as a corpse with no warmth at all.

Hoping that if he held it tightly like this, his warmth might be transmitted to her.

But fearing he might hurt her, he loosened his grip after a while.

This time, however, Clea tightly grasped Admund’s hand.

“Me too.”

“Clea.”

“I also want to stay happily by Admund’s side for a long time.”

She looked at their clasped hands for a moment.

If she met Admund’s eyes now, she didn’t know what expression she would make out of joy. Her gaze kept turning to their hands.

The pain in her chest, which had been tight and stabbing, began to disappear.

As if this time spent side by side with him was such a welcome and happy time for Clea.

Perhaps because of the belated feeling of happiness, her inner desires kept growing vigorously.

‘If I’m with you, maybe I could even break this curse.’

Clea began to hope after seeing how Admund treated Aria.

Admund didn’t seem to have any affection for Aria.

Even if he had liked her before, his current attitude made it seem like he had sorted that out as well.

Unlike Lloyd, it seemed possible that he, feeling responsible, might have done so.

A small hope arose in Clea’s heart.

That if she was with him, she might be freed from this terrible curse.

The situation was gradually changing.

Although it wasn’t enough to be certain yet, she began to harbor hope in her heart that she might be able to paint a happy future with this man until the end.

‘The original story is definitely changing.’

The man who should soon be glaring at her as if he would kill her in the original story now showed no such signs, instead looking desperate to have her.

Along with hope came anxiety.

If this favorable trend didn’t bear fruit. If she ultimately couldn’t break the curse.

She imagined his figure, left alone then.

She looked at the back of her hand.

‘As long as the curse doesn’t disappear, eternal farewell with you is absolutely unavoidable.’

She imagined herself, unable to escape the curse in the end and falling into eternal sleep, and him left alone wandering, or perhaps forming a relationship with someone else.

The curse had created their meeting, but it still felt cruel.

But even so, unlike before, a small hope had arisen.

If she didn’t leave his side, and if she could break the curse.

For a long time, happily.

It was a big improvement just to dare to dream of living while only looking at each other. She smiled a pleasant smile.

Feeling her heart beating calmly, Clea raised her head and met Admund’s gaze.

She became curious about how he would react if she told him she felt ill after meeting Lloyd.

Although she had no intention of mentioning it.

She didn’t want to make him and the Duke’s family be at odds because of her.

“Admund, I’m fine now. So please go back and finish your work.”

“…Right, I should finish my work.”

Admund obediently followed Clea’s words.

He hesitated a little to let go of her hand, but seemed relieved to see her improved complexion.

“I’ll send the maids.”

“There’s no need to attend to me.”

“Do it for me, Clea.”

As Admund spoke as if it were a wish, Clea silently nodded.

She agreed out of guilt for worrying him too much.

* * *

Admund, finally relieved, left the room.

The hostility he hadn’t shown in front of Clea began to settle in his eyes.

“It seems I’ve been too merciful to the nobles lately. Is that why they disrespected me like this?”

Oberon, who appeared beside him, swallowed and asked Admund.

“What will you do?”

To Oberon’s question, Admund let out a hollow laugh.

“I should teach them what happens when they touch what’s mine.”

The smile drawn on his lips contained no emotions other than coldness and anger.