Regardless, after the worst first encounter, Zion had treated Ibi quite foolishly. In the grand hall where all of Tionda’s nobility gathered, no one would consider the woman who claimed to be clever and berated the great noble as anything but foolish.

However, Ibi, feeling unjust, argued her case again.

“So what I want to say is, why did you believe me at face value? If you knew me, you should have known that I’m also smart. So even if I said something like that, you should have thought, ‘Oh, she’s not a child who can’t distinguish right from wrong. I wonder what circumstances she’s in.’ Right?”

There was a reason that Ibi didn’t know, but because Ibi didn’t know, Zion couldn’t say. Then Ibi, in an uncomfortable tone, retorted.

“Viscount, we weren’t really close, were we?”
In response to the question about the future, Zion remained silent once again. Ibi, on the other hand, seemed to find amusement in her own expectations, not particularly anticipating an answer.

Ibi seemed oblivious to the fact that she had touched upon his most painful spot, and thanks to that, Zion’s long-standing heart quietly split open once again.

“If you can’t answer, then the next thing I’m curious about is this.”

Unaware of Zion bleeding internally, Ibi asked again.

“Why did you treat me so badly?”

At those words, Zion suppressed a laugh.

Did I treat you badly?

It wasn’t particularly kindly, but even so, it was only towards you.

The cursed Viscount, once again, swallowed a thousand words, burying them in the tomb of his silence. And Ibi innocently stepped on top of it.

“I may not be able to speak, but I could have been happy to see you. In that case, I might have recognized you sooner.”

Ibi’s voice saying that was surprisingly light.

However, with a little attention, one could sense the fullness of regret in Ibi’s eyes despite her deliberately cheerful words.

And Zion was always someone who paid attention to Ibi.

“You can’t be happy to meet someone for the first time.”

Zion spoke in a low voice. Ibi’s eyes widened, but Zion pretended not to notice.

“That man you know being Zion Laurel and me having his memories are correct. However, I am not that man, nor do I intend to become him.”

Zion’s tone was calm but clear.

It was a refusal, a declaration that he had no intention of becoming that person.

Ibi, seemingly surprised by this clear rejection, blinked her eyes and asked softly.

“So, did you come to find me just to repay a debt?”

“Yes.”

Zion nodded without hesitation, and Ibi, unconsciously, bit her lips.

Unaware of Zion’s feelings, Ibi asked again.

“Then, was the only reason you came to me just to settle a debt?”

Zion didn’t know if he could answer. In the face of Ibi’s clear rejection, Zion couldn’t say more. Then Ibi, with a slightly lowered voice, asked.

“Tomorrow is a week before the saint selection ceremony.”

It was a faint voice, tinged with complaint or plea.

“We decided back then. To persuade the other party by a week before the ceremony.”

Ibi and Zion realized that they needed each other. They formed an alliance, entwined with unresolved issues.

But even that ceasefire was until today. Tomorrow, the two would once again engage in a showdown over the saint’s position.

“If I’m just a debt to the Viscount, I won’t be persuaded. I don’t know who this settlement is for.”

So Ibi needed assurance.

“Am I just a debt?”

Zion’s conviction that he was on my side, that he wouldn’t abandon or leave me.

No, this was an excuse, and Ibi just wanted it. To meet again with the person who opened up her world.

So she asked, enduring the Viscount’s coldness, but Zion remained silent. He had already given his answer.

His silence darkened Ibi’s complexion. Disappointment spread on her delicate face, and the traces of wounds appeared fragilely.

But Ibi endured. Instead, with a slightly tired voice, she said.

“I’ll give you time to think again.”
Ibi Ariathe does not trust people. Therefore, she doesn’t rely on people and, naturally, doesn’t cling to them.

There is only one exception. For that sole exception, she could become somewhat humble.

“At least until today, we have time.”

With these final words, Ibi stood up.

Zion didn’t stop her, and Ibi turned around and left the room.

Left alone, Zion leaned against the backrest and swallowed curses.

He clearly understood what Ibi wanted.

Since a while ago, no, from the moment they met again in the arena, Ibi had been tearing down the walls and demanding something from him. Everything he received from that man at that time.

“No.”

Zion mumbled, swallowing bitter water.

He still refused. He didn’t want to become that man. It was better to swallow everything and bury it alone.

It was when Zion was quietly struggling. The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the rain.

Casually glancing at the window, Zion sighed again.

“Where are you going when it’s raining like this?”

Ibi, wearing a cloak, was seen crossing through the rain.

Zion looked at her disapprovingly and shook his head.

It was contradictory to draw a line and worry like this, just calling it a debt. So, Zion just watched Ibi walking away in the rain without stopping her. Eventually, he averted his gaze.

It’s Ibi Ariathe. Assertive, clever, adept at hiding intentions. Even if she were a crazy fortune-teller, Zion Laurel wouldn’t need her.

Zion muttered to himself and buried his back into the chair again. Then he tried not to pay attention to what was happening outside the window.

He managed to endure it for a considerable time.

Eventually, irritated, Zion stood up, and just like he did in the starlit mansion, he went out to find Ibi.

The rain poured fiercely. However, Zion searched for Ibi, oblivious to the raindrops hitting his body.

But no matter how much he roamed around the village, Ibi was nowhere to be seen. He even climbed up the hill where young Ibi used to run away occasionally, but it was the same.

Until now, he was reluctantly searching, but when Ibi didn’t appear, he became anxious. The creeping anxiety emerged, making him uneasy.

As his steps quickened, a certain place came to mind.

It was a day like this when it was raining. That man had found the young Ibi who was secretly trying to leave on the trail.

Zion didn’t hesitate and changed his pace. No, he ran through the mud puddles.

And finally, he found her.

Leaning against a big tree, Ibi was looking at the falling raindrops through the leaves.

“What are you doing here?”

Whether she heard Zion’s footsteps again or not, Ibi turned to him without showing any surprise.

“If it’s just a debt, there’s no need to search so desperately.”

Zion found Ibi’s nonchalant way of speaking about other people’s affairs irritating.

Nevertheless, in one part of his heart, there was also a sense of relief in her slow, unhurried manner.