Through slowly blinking eyelids, the tear-stained face of Evelia appeared. She was crying sadly, as if extremely worried that he might die soon. Fortunately, aside from being overwhelmed by worry to the point of excess, she seemed unharmed. Once he obtained that certainty, the tension in him that couldn’t be grasped in his hands was released.

He wanted to reassure Evelia, tell her that everything was okay, and that she didn’t need to worry. However, he still didn’t have the strength to do so.
Gradually, his eyelids became heavier. The narrowing field of view was filled with a deep blue sky. It was a color reminiscent of Felix.

Contemplating that thought, Caliph let his mind wander.

When he opened his eyes, it was a night filled with complete darkness. He had only blinked his eyelids a few times, yet his sharpened senses and lighter body were distinctly felt.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly raised his body. As he sat up and wiped his forehead, a faint rustling sound of breathing suddenly filled his ears.

Instinctively, he turned his head. There, by the side of his bed, Evelia was sleeping with her head resting. Her face, as if having a nightmare, looked pale. Feeling sorry for her, Caliph unconsciously gently wiped Evelia’s cheek.

He was extremely careful not to make any unnecessary physical contact. However, despite the precautions, Evelia’s eyelashes fluttered unnervingly.

As she was less awake, rubbing her eyes, she soon raised her head. And the moment their eyes met, her saucer-like pupils widened.

“Cal…?”

The shaky voice seemed to express disbelief at the situation she was witnessing. The eyes that didn’t seem to blink for a moment quickly filled with tears.

The sight imprinted in his eyes and heart, Caliph reached out without hesitation towards her. Then, he pulled her deeply into his arms.

“Ha, Cal. Are you really awake? Huh?”

Even while being embraced, she still couldn’t believe that he had woken up. Judging from her extreme reaction, it seemed he had slept quite a long time.

A dry feeling filled his uncomfortable mouth. Despite that, Caliph cleared his throat and spoke.

“Yeah. Sorry, I must have slept for too long.”

His unusually gentle voice echoed in the room that had been silent for a while. Only then did Evelia cry like a child, having finally relaxed.

“Are you okay? No injuries? Do you know who I am?”

Even amidst sobs that she couldn’t control, Evelia, seemingly very concerned about his well-being, couldn’t stop asking questions.

Seeing her cry so desperately, indicating how worried she must have been during his long slumber, Caliph answered her questions more firmly than ever.

“Yeah. Not hurt. I slept deeply and woke up feeling unusually refreshed. Did you see how, the moment I came to my senses, I pulled you into my arms? You don’t need to worry; I’m perfectly fine.”

“Ha, do you have any idea how worried I was? Even the Imperial doctors said there’s nothing wrong with you, but for days and days, you wouldn’t wake up… Felix couldn’t find out what happened, ha.”

Amidst Evelia’s choked lament, she tightly grasped his clothes. Just that alone revealed how deep her worry must have been and how her heart must have ached during his prolonged sleep.
So, you should comfort her soon. However, Caliph couldn’t readily speak any words.

The mention of Felix’s name in her voice made his heart heavy.

He let out a sigh. The last voice he heard echoed in his ears like a faint reverberation.

[Someday, if another miracle happens, and we meet again… Then, I want to be good friends with you for a long, long time.]

If another miracle happens and we meet again…

He must have said that, but if a miracle doesn’t happen, did he crawl away to a place where they can never meet again?

Without properly saying goodbye. If that was truly the last, he couldn’t even bid a proper farewell.

His throat constricted heavily. A throbbing pain was felt from the heart. An indescribable emotion spread throughout his body, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Suddenly, the moment they first met came to mind.

[“Wow, could it be that you released me from the seal? Just a little punk like you?”] [“But who are you to not be surprised when you see me?”]

He always appeared out of the blue, saying things one after another. Since then, he consistently intervened in his affairs, always being a nuisance.

He thought that way for sure. He considered him nothing more than an annoying presence…

Warm tears fell on his cheeks. An indescribable sadness surged like waves.

Caliph willingly embraced Evelia, deeply harboring that sadness in his heart.

“Perhaps he is watching over you and me from a distant place. He willingly made that choice for our happiness.”

“…”

“So, let’s be happy together until the day we die, Eve. To make sure you never face anything difficult again, I’ll make sure of that.”

He whispered with sincerity. Although he said that he would disappear along with the special energy, he didn’t want to think like that.

For some reason, if it were Felix, he seemed like he would be watching over himself and Evelia from a very distant place. Just like when they first met, in his arrogant and carefree manner.

So, even though Caliph’s heart still hurt terribly, he still wanted to stand up with all his might.

Following the advice he gave, he wanted to do his best to be happy with Evelia, without any worries.