Chapter 157

There was only darkness. Carlothian was floating alone in that darkness. He felt nothing. No temperature, no sensation.

But his mind was filled with thoughts of her.

Ah, in the end, he was able to protect her. He would cry a lot, but still.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Even when he opened them, it felt like he hadn’t. All he could see was darkness.

Soon, from within the thick darkness, something began to rise before his eyes. Was it like seeing a mirage?

But what appeared before him was not the path he had walked.

It was Ariadeline.

Ariadeline, who was looking at him, her entire face drenched in tears as she screamed.

Her face, smiling as she grabbed his hesitant hand that couldn’t quite reach her.

The image of her collapsing, screaming in a seizure as soon as she touched him.

Time flowed backward, showing countless images of Ariadeline.

Carlothian realized.

Ah, this is the lingering attachment I left behind. That’s why it appears before my eyes even just before I close them.

He wished Ariadelin had made a better choice, even though he couldn’t do it on the day she died.

He didn’t want her to forget him. But living as if she would die while holding onto only him was even more unbearable.

Carlothian gazed at the unfolding memories of Ariadeline, savoring them as if to engrave them in his heart and soul.

The last memory that reached him showed a younger Ariadeline than now.

“Nice to meet you, Duke Denaves.”

Ariadeline, with sparkling eyes full of hope directed at him. Seeing that face, a dull pain surged in a corner of his heart.

What would have happened if, back then, he had fallen in love with those pretty eyes looking at him?

Then she could have lived happily without experiencing any tragedy, pain, or suffering.

Carlothian thought he had no regrets since he was able to save her in the end, but seeing that face brought forth a faint regret.

It would have been better if he could feel no pain, hatred, or sorrow. He realized this lingering attachment and regret.

“Ariadeline.”

He called her once with his unmoving lips. Yet, despite his desire to reach out to her, he couldn’t even move a finger. Carlothian had no will to cling to his fading consciousness.

He thought it was all going to end like this.

However, what appeared before his eyes did not stop; it brought forth another image of Ariadeline.

“You make me miserable.”

An expression born from a mix of despair, sadness, and depression. Standing by the lakeside, facing each other. Carlothian thought it was a scene of their reunion.

But.

His sword cleaved through her body. She collapsed, and Dorothea did not come.

That was the first scene where Carlothian had killed her before Ariadeline died and was reborn.

It was a scene he could not comprehend.

Seeing it, he felt his soul freeze. After all, he was the one who inflicted the very first wound on her.

He was the one who regarded her life as worthless, who coldly took it away without realizing its value.

Carlothian felt a pain as if his soul were being split apart. And he came to understand how generous she had been, crying for him and forgiving him.

“How could you forgive me?”

How could you love me? How could it be so? Carlothian could not understand. It was beyond his comprehension. To realize just before disappearing how noble her love for him was.

He felt regret. He had protected her, yet there was longing, regret, and disappointment. He thought he could disappear without feeling anything, but countless emotions began to pile up inside him.

But everything was already over. She had to live a life without him, and he would vanish like this.

Damn it.

It was then that something intruded into his fading soul, which was settling like still water. The voice was loud, sharp, and irritable.

Is this all there is after taking that girl?

Every time Carlothian heard that voice, he felt pain. In his dimming consciousness, he became aware of that pain.

Foolish bastard, stupid idiot.

A mocking voice stabbed at his mind.

To think you would try to possess her with such a trivial desire. Infuriating.

In the darkness, they continuously whispered.

You wanted everything about her. Pain, despair, sadness. And ultimately, you wanted that death as well.

The voice gradually lowered, soon turning cold and sharp like an icy needle.

If you want to have her alive, that kind of determination isn’t enough.

The voice felt like a hand forcing Carlothian to wake up.

Are you really going to leave her like this? Is that truly your satisfaction?

Carlothian looked at Ariadeline’s pale face as she lay dying from the wound of his sword. Was this really his best? His satisfaction?

He thought. In fact, the thoughts he had been trying hard to avoid began to move.

‘I don’t want to part with her.’

Things he had thought were unavoidable began to pour out.

‘I want to ask for her forgiveness more and more.’

Slowly, sensations began to return to his body, which had felt nothing. The center of his chest was hot.

Something began to rise in his chest, which had felt hollow. Carlothian felt that burning sensation as he recalled Ariadeline.

‘I want to see you.’

At that simple desire, an unknown voice laughed, ha ha.

Then get lost.

It coldly retorted, and he felt as if someone were pushing his soul away.

This is my place.

Somewhere, he heard the sound of a door closing.

His vision flickered white.

Ah, it’s blinding.

In the corners of his whitened sight, something pink fluttered and then disappeared.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

His vision was blurred. Carlothian felt a moment of awkwardness at the fact that his eyes were open.

Waking up in a body he had already discarded was a sensation he could never get used to.

Creak.

He rose from his seat and stared blankly ahead for a moment. Ariadeline, he could see her back.

Her long blonde hair looked somewhat disheveled, unkempt.

The visible ankles were definitely much drier than the last time he had seen them. Those ankles trembled slightly after struggling a few times.

And he saw the long ivory string that extended above.

Ah, that’s definitely the same color as the curtains hanging on the terrace. It was hanging down long. So it’s Ariadeline’s…

Crash!

Carlothian jumped up from his seat in a hurry. His whole body creaked and didn’t move well, but he forced himself to act.

The chair that Ariadeline had kicked was lying on the floor. Carlothian immediately lifted her thighs.

“Ugh, aaah-!”

“Ariadeline…!”

As Carlothian’s voice burst out, the body he was holding flinched and stopped moving. Ariadeline fumbled with her hands and finally managed to remove the loop around her neck.

“No, no. Why are you alive here right now!”

“That’s the problem!”

“Are you Jesus or something?”

“Who the hell is Jesus!”

“Ahhh!”

Ariadeline let out a sharp scream.

“You, it’s really you, right?”

She then asked in a voice trying to hold back tears.

“I’m not seeing things because I’m dead, am I?”

And then she started to cry loudly. Tears fell drop by drop. The face looking down at him was twisted in anguish.

Ariadeline’s tears dripped onto Carlothian’s cheek. The temperature of those tears was lukewarm.

Carlothian stared up at her blankly and said.

“Yeah.”

He thought she shouldn’t be crying.

“I came back because I missed you.”

“…Does that even make sense right now? Hic.”

She began to rub her face with both hands. Carlothian carefully set her down, still holding her thighs.

Then he slowly rubbed her white, pale cheek with one hand. He felt moisture. Ariadeline couldn’t stop sniffling and crying.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Not that, something else.”

As Carlothian kept wiping her tears, he said,

“I missed you.”

“…I missed you too.”

She began to cry out loudly.

“I missed you so, so much.”

The maids waiting outside were startled by her loud cries and opened the door without knocking.

“Y-Your Grace!?”

They exclaimed with wide eyes, shocked. Ariadeline was crying loudly, and Carlothian was flustered trying to comfort her.

The servants looked at the Duke, who had come back from the dead, as if he were a ghost.

It was a mess.

Carlothian ran a hand through his hair. Then he embraced the crying Ariadeline.

“I came back to live for you.”

“…Okay.”

Ariadeline replied in a voice thick with tears.

“Live.”

“Yeah.”

“For me.”

Ariadeline finally stopped crying. Carlothian, with a perplexed expression, rubbed her red, swollen eyes while looking at his servants.

“This is how it turned out.”

“No, what does this even mean?!”

They shouted loudly. Watching them, Ariadeline seemed so amused that she burst into laughter and collapsed.

Carlothian hurriedly caught the collapsing Ariadeline.

“Ah… I’m going to die.”

Ariadeline said, hanging limply.

“Don’t die.”

“I’m not going to die. Why would I die?”

Ariadeline extended her hand.

“Come on, we should greet the one who returned from death.”

Carlothian’s lips twitched. Then he pulled her closer and kissed her lips. Her arms wrapped around Carlothian’s neck.

The murmuring servants seemed to think it wasn’t their place to interrupt and hurriedly closed the door behind them.

It wasn’t the fact that the master had died and come back that was the problem. What mattered was that they shouldn’t be in the way right now.

Lightly.

As their lips parted, Carlothian said.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome home, my love.”

“…I love you.”

As if he didn’t mind if his whole body shattered.

Carlothian buried his face in the nape of Ariadeline’s neck. She embraced his head.

He felt her body heat.

The warmth of a living person.

Warm and gradually getting warmer. The murmurs of the servants outside could be heard.

Ah, everything was alive.

You and I.

We had somehow survived.

We are alive like this.

A miracle was by their side. So from now on, everything will be okay. Everything. All of it.

In each other’s arms.