Juliana tossed and turned in her bed, feeling a splitting headache.
But as soon as she felt a fluffy blanket, she felt relieved despite her headache.
âI canât believe I survived that fall. I guess Iâm destined to live a long life after all,â Juliana thought inwardly.Â
She wanted to feel the touch of a fluffy blanket once more, so she deliberately tossed and turned again.
A hard, coarse hand brushed Julianaâs cheek and touched a single strand of her tangled hair. It was a cautious touch as if someone was touching something of great value.
Eventually, Juliana ventured to open her eyes.
As expected, her husband was sitting in front of her.
While he was sitting near the bedside and staring at her without expression, Evanâs blue eyes seemed to be distant and cold.Â
She was scared of his insensitive eyes, in which there was no criticism or affection. His eyes were simply silent. Juliana opened her quivering mouth and called him.
Evan flicked his fingers as the hazy candle burned out.
At the same time, a small candle caught fire. The fire, which added firepower, burned the candle fiercely.
Juliana belatedly noticed Evanâs gaze as she watched the candle burn with her blurred vision. After making eye contact, he spoke harshly.
âWhy did you do that?â
ââŚI just didnât want you to get hurt.â
âI was supposed to be a plaything for the stupid Emperor, but it was all he could do. It would have been better if I got hurt a little as I promised.â
âWas that what you were up to? Wasnât it you who said you could have lost without getting hurt?â
âI didnât think youâd believe it. Actually, you didnât believe it. Am I wrong?â
Juliana shut her mouth and stayed quiet like a mute.
She intended to exercise her right to remain silent. Even though she took a fall, played a great game, and lost in a big style, all she got in return was an interrogation from her husband. This was a bit unfair.
Evan folded his arms as he gazed at Julianaâs pale face. It was a persistent gaze.
âBut your next move was really unexpected. Becauseâ.âÂ
âDid you think I wouldnât care if you got hurt or not?â
She didnât know what to say to Evan, who said such a thing more to himself than to her with a completely unharmed face.
âWhy, why did you think that? Did I seem so unfriendly?â Juliana said, stuttering.
âItâs my wife who asked me to divorce her as soon as I returned. What could I have expected,â Evan said sarcastically for the first time. And then he continued with a look of unbecoming meanness that did not suit his handsome face.
âI beg, but you have no intention of giving it to me. Unfortunately, this is our relationship. It doesnât hurt less, it still doesnât hurt less.â
Evan touched her lips as he looked at her tearful eyes as she was about to cry.
âDonât cry. Iâm not saying this to make you cry. I swear, believe me.â
Soon Evan, who had erased the mean spirit and spoke affectionately, reached out and stroked her trembling cheek.
Juliana did not avoid it. Evan said softly before Juliana, who was stained with resentment, anger, and embarrassment, was able to say something.
âYou said something while you were sleeping. In the language, Iâve never heard ofâŚâ
Yes, she had a dream. It felt like a very distant event⌠But in reality, it was her past life that was not so far away. And some parts of her present life were also strangely intertwined into that dream.
Juliana was frozen with fear, afraid sheâd spit a piece of nightmare out of her mouth. Then Evan, with his face shining with that unforgettable beauty, asked Juliana.
âJuliana. Are you, as far as I know, Juliana Auburn?â
With her eyes dropped in surprise, Juliana shivered.
She had a dream of something, nothing, something.
ââŚI had a dream about my mother.â
Juliana spat out a sentence that flashed through her mind. And she was so surprised that she couldnât keep her mouth close. At the same time, Evanâs eyes squinted. The hand touching her cheek grasped Julianaâs pale hand.
âIt was just a nightmare,â Juliana said as an excuse.
âIt sounded as if you were calling someone,â Evan said a little as if to soothe her.
This story about Julianaâs mother, Teresa, was well known to the public. A heartless woman who abandoned young Juliana Auburn.
However, Juliana wasnât talking about her present life mother now. She was now talking about her mother who had abandoned her in her past life.
Juliana was seized with a feeling of exhaustion.
âŚI know. Past and present, and I still have such a person as my mother.
She thought about this present life that didnât resemble her past life at all. However, it was still heartbreaking to think of a time in her both childhoods when she was abandoned.
Ah. Even if I were to be born againâŚ
âIâm sorry,â Evan whispered to Juliana, who looked exhausted, as he held their hands tightly together.
âEvery time you act sweet, I get confused that youâre not yourself.â
Juliana looked at him with confused eyes.
...I know. Why did I want to save you? Youâre just the man in the novel, and Iâm just the woman in the same novel. Iâm simply a person who wants to get away from the main story and be alone. But, Evan, you change that. Change me. Iâm scared of that.
Juliana raised her head and looked at Evanâs cold eyes.
âIf Iâm not Juliana Auburn, what would you do?â
Juliana wanted to ask him this question ever since she realized that she had changed after remembering her past life.
Neither she in her past life nor in her present life believed in love. To be exact, she didnât believe in love that would last forever. The one whom she loved the most left her at once in search of a better love. After something like this, the child cannot easily become an adult.
Nevertheless, in both of her lives she did so. Throughout her life, Juliana Auburn could not erase the memory of her mother packing her bags and leaving her empty closet behind. So love has always been a nuisance for her.
She didnât want to give him affection. Theyâre leaving. The people she lovesâŚ
Before she remembered her past life, Juliana had always tested Evan Hilchen.
Iâve been forcing you to prove your eternal love.
Juliana laughed clumsily as she felt pity and disgust with herself from the past. And by doing so, she hurriedly turned these words into a joke.
At the same time, Juliana moved away from him. Then Evan approached her as she moved even further away from him as if he were a predator chasing after his prey.
It was Juliana who caught his attention in the first place and now had to face his persistent gaze.
Letâs just laugh and say itâs a jokeâ.Â
Evan spoke to Juliana, who was trying to giggle as if she were telling the truth, in an unsympathetic tone of voice.
âI didnât know youâd do that to help me. So I kept thinking. What Iâm missing about you, what Iâm missing. Iâm so curious right now that Iâm going crazy.â
His sudden words kept her silent.
Evan showed himself, as usual, in the silence of Juliana. In his confusion, he lost his composure to the guilt and whispered in a low voice, âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to give you a hard time. Itâs just how powerless I was when I heard that you, you, were so unconscious and collapsed. Itâs so confusing. Thatâs why. Iâve never wanted you to do this for me. Why did you do this, I keep thinking about it.â
Juliana felt the latent confusion in his speech. She wanted to calm him down in his confusion.
So she reached out to the foolish knight who had promised to offer her a blue rose. Evan Hilchenâs hand, which was under her hand, was trembling thinly.
She only called his name once, but surprisingly, the tremors of Evan Hilchen have subsided.
After calling her name, Evan kissed the back of her hand around his hand.Â
Then he kissed her palm. His breaths and lips clinging to the palm of her hand were unfamiliar.
Juliana blushed at the sensation. Evan, whose lips were pressed against her palm, raised only his eyes, and looked at Juliana for a moment.
The straight gaze was as intense as if it was trying to devour Juliana. But as soon as he looked at her, he took his lips off her palm.
And said to Juliana, who was still pale, âGet some rest. I told you a useless story.â
Juliana grinned. The hand he had kissed was still hot. To be precise, the skin that came into contact with him felt hot.
With his gentle gaze, Juliana rolled herself under the blanket. At the same time, he blew out the candle.
However, Evan Hilchen, sitting in the chair next to her bed, didnât go anywhere. Juliana felt delighted by the fact.
The confusion did not go away, but a strange peace came.
Juliana fell into a restful sleep. A very deep sleep that wonât be disturbed by any bad dreams.