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Chapter 110: Spring Flower (3)

After offering my heartfelt apology to the two of them, I spent time with them, something I hadn’t done in a long time.

Thanks to the crying party that had gone on for quite a while, the three of us were sprawled out on the sofa, utterly exhausted.

Silence fell over the room, gentle as lapping waves.

The peaceful, dripping silence melted away the drowsiness.

“Haaam… Sleepy…”

Ariel let out a yawn.

Her red eyes fluttered open and closed repeatedly.

The accumulated fatigue was faintly tinged with sleepiness.

I offered my shoulder to the swaying girl.

“Get some shut-eye.”

“Hmm…?”

“I’ll be right here by your side until you open your eyes again.”

“Really…?”

“Of course.”

“You can’t run away… Okay…?”

Even as she drifted off to sleep, she was worried I would disappear.

I smiled softly at the adorable sight.

My hand moved on its own to stroke her flowing red hair.

“I told you, I’m staying by your side.”

Of course, it was only natural for them to be doubtful of my flimsy words, considering my past mistakes.

This was where I had to put in the effort.

So that they wouldn’t have to tremble in anxiety anymore.

So they wouldn’t have to be afraid that everything would disappear like a dream when they woke up the next morning.

“Rest easy.”

I stretched out my arms to either side, letting both girls rest their heads on my shoulders.

They hesitated for a moment before relaxing against me.

Their warmth enveloped me, a comforting weight against my sides.

A gentle warmth knocked on the door of my heart.

I responded to their warmth by gently taking their hands in mine.

“…..”

A peaceful silence settled over us.

We were all feeling our consciousness fade away, our eyelids growing heavy.

Just as we were all drifting off to sleep…

*Knock, knock…*

Someone knocked on the door.

Thinking it was Ariel’s maid, I tried to quietly send them away, but the person standing beyond the door was someone completely unexpected.

“Young Master, may I intrude for a moment?”

A deep, seasoned voice.

I recognized the owner of the voice immediately and muttered his name in a daze.

“Gilbert…?”

It was none other than Gilbert.

I tilted my head in question, but I signaled for him to come in.

*Click, creek…*

As soon as permission was granted, Gilbert immediately turned the doorknob.

With the sound of the hinges echoing behind him, the old gentleman with white hair came into view.

Our eyes met.

“Young Master.”

Gilbert walked straight towards the sofa where we were sitting.

His movements seemed somewhat hurried.

Had something happened?

I furrowed my brow as a sense of anxiety instinctively washed over me.

The two girls, who had been drowsing beside me, also straightened up and were now staring at Gilbert.

“I believe you need to step out for a moment, Young Master.”

“Yes…?”

His words were unexpectedly heavy.

I let out a blank sound, my mind filled with question marks.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Well, you see…”

Gilbert was sweating, a rare sight.

The old man took a moment to catch his breath before he finally spoke.

“…Her Highness, the First Princess, is currently at the main gate of the mansion.”

The content that popped out from between his tightly closed lips was shocking, to say the least.

***

A month had already passed since the Academy had gone on an early break.

During that time, which could be considered both short and long, Lucy had spent her days in utter darkness.

“Let go of this…! Let me die… Let me die!!”

“Please…! Please!!”

Perhaps it was because she had clearly witnessed the tragedy of the person she relied on the most, but Lucy was out of her mind.

When she sat still, the heartbreaking scene kept flashing back in her mind.

Every night when she closed her eyes, the image of him hanging by a crude noose flickered before her.

Tears flowed freely at any given moment.

She would throw up every meal she ate.

She couldn’t sleep for fear of the horrific nightmares.

The girl, who had lost her light, became noticeably haggard, and her appearance gradually transformed into that of a wreck with each passing day.

‘Raiden… Raiden…’

All she could do was burrow under the covers and repeat the name she yearned for.

She was terribly powerless.

It was as if the world she used to see with her blue eyes had turned completely black.

‘R-Raiden… I’ll untie you soon, j-just… hang in there…!!’

Lucy bit her nails.

The feeling of that day, when she had tried to untie the noose with her fingertips, was still vivid in her memory.

That was why Lucy bit her nails.

Because the horrifying memory that churned her stomach wouldn\'t go away.

The girl locked herself in a dark room.

Just like the boy had done, she roughly shoved herself into the deathly silence.

Silence makes you reflect on life.

Whether those were happy memories or unhappy memories, it didn\'t matter.

‘Just… disappear… all of it…’

‘Disappear from my sight, please… That’s my last request…’

The memories the girl reflected on were undeniably unhappy.

Tragedy is a dark curtain that conceals the stage of life.

Lucy was left there alone.

On the stage that no longer seemed to have any meaning because the curtain had fallen and only darkness remained.

‘Raiden…’

Every day was overflowing with sorrow.

That was how the girl lived for a month.

But in the end, even she got tired.

She had reached her mental limit.

It was a faint hope that held her together, forcing her out of the resignation that threatened to consume her.

‘It’s okay even if Raiden pushes me away… So, just once…’

Just once would be enough.

Even if it was just a fleeting ember of hope, fated to be extinguished quickly.

She wanted to see the boy.

She wanted to feel his dear face, his scent, his warmth once more.

Lucy left the despairing room.

With faltering steps, she moved to find her light.

“Please wait here for a moment, Your Highness. I will bring Duke Lishite right away.”

“…Yes.”

And so, the girl was here now.

The Lishite Dukedom.

Lucy stepped into the luxurious drawing room and stood there blankly.

Because she hadn\'t slept properly for days, her mind was completely out of it.

It was dark.

She couldn\'t see an inch ahead, as if all the light in the sky had been turned off.

Lucy continued to wait with the heart of a candle that flickered out every time the wind blew.

‘I\'m scared… And lonely…’

The girl swallowed the monologue inside her.

Only one person had distanced themselves from her, but why did she feel as if everything in the world had become opaque?

A terrible wave of nausea rose within her.

While she was groaning, pressing her hand to her forehead…

The closed door of the drawing room flew open, and several sets of footsteps rushed in.

“Your Highness…!!”

It was the sound of several people, but Lucy could clearly distinguish it.

The presence of the boy she longed for.

“Raiden…?”

The girl lifted her lowered head and looked ahead.

Her wavering gaze wandered for a moment before landing on the familiar shade of black hair that reminded her of the night sky.

“I apologize for the delay. It was such a sudden…”

“Raiden!!”

Before the boy could even finish his sentence, Lucy jumped to her feet.

The world spun around her.

It was difficult to keep her balance because she had no strength left, but she moved her legs.

She staggered like a drunkard.

As she continued her shabby movements, she finally reached Raiden and reached out to him.

“Raiden…!”

Just as she was about to reach him…

Her unsteady steps caused her weight to shift.

Her balance crumbled.

Her twisted ankle landed awkwardly on the ground.

The sharp pain was immediately followed by a terrifying sense of weightlessness.

‘…Ah.’

She was falling.

With a faint murmur, the girl squeezed her eyes shut.

Her body wasn’t in any condition to withstand a fall; she was bound to get hurt.

Lucy braced herself for the impact.

However, it wasn’t the cold, hard floor that greeted her.

It was the warm embrace of another.

“Are you alright?”

A familiar voice rang in her ears.

Lucy blinked her dazed eyes open and looked up.

“You could have been hurt.”

It was Raiden.

He had caught her in his arms as she fell.

The gentle resonance of his voice, filled with concern, gradually chipped away at the darkness that had enveloped her vision.

“You look exhausted… You’ve lost weight, and your complexion is pale.”

“…Raiden.”

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

The boy was looking down at her with a worried expression.

His short words were overflowing with genuine concern.

“Why do you wear such a sorrowful expression…?”

A warm palm caressed her cheek.

For a moment, Lucy wondered if this was all a dream.

The Raiden she had last parted ways with had been filled with sorrow and venom.

But the Raiden before her now wasn’t like that at all.

This was the Raiden she knew, the kind and caring friend she held dear.

She had been prepared to be coldly rejected, but the current situation was far beyond her expectations.

‘…Is this really a dream?’

A fleeting dream that had appeared because she had wished for it too deeply.

Lucy suddenly felt afraid.

If all of this was just a dream, she didn\'t think she could bear the despair of waking up.

“Your Highness… You’re crying…”

But as if to contradict the girl’s worries…

The gentle voice that reached her ears.

The familiar scent that brushed past the tip of her nose.

The warmth of his hand on her face.

They all made her realize that this moment was definitely real.

“Ah…”

Her tears flowed like a sudden downpour.

Lucy, who had been frozen for a moment, finally let out a sob, her voice trembling.

“Raiden…”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Is it really… you, Raiden…?”

“Yes.”

“Really, really… really… Raiden…?”

The girl mumbled the same question over and over again.

Raiden answered her soothingly, his voice even gentler than before.

“I am here, Your Highness.”

His words were like an echo of a childhood memory.

A voice that always quietly approached and comforted her whenever she was crying her eyes out over something trivial.

Only then did Lucy believe that the being in front of her wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

“Raiden…!!”

She threw her arms around him, wanting nothing more than to feel his warmth envelop her.

Of course, even a simple hug wasn’t easy for a girl who had no strength left.

As if sensing her heart…

Raiden quietly lifted his arms and hugged her back.

“Huu…! Sniff… Waaah…!”

At the gentle patting on her back, Lucy finally burst into tears.

The boy held her tight, saying nothing as he let her cry it out.

“It’s alright, Your Highness… Everything’s alright now…”

He whispered soothingly, trying to calm her trembling shoulders.

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