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Chapter 41: Radiant and Beautiful
“......”
My eyelids felt heavy, and I could only manage to open them halfway, but I could tell that I was in a hospital:
Because as my vision started to clear, I caught a faint whiff of the hospital’s distinctive antiseptic and medicinal scent.
Gradually, the sensation returned to my fingers, and I felt the ambiguous texture of the hospital bed, not knowing whether it was soft or hard.
“Phew.”
As the sensations slowly returned, like inserting batteries one by one, I propped myself up.
The IV needle that had been stuck in the back of my hand had already been roughly removed, and just as I stood up, the door to the hospital room opened, and-
“But, it’s true! Illuania was really his lover!”
“Stop telling lies! Even my family said Deus isn’t a bad person.”
“Well, I guess your family must have lied...”
-Finden Ai and Erica entered while chatting animatedly.
I raised my hand, signaling them to be quiet.
“This is a hospital room; keep your voices down.”
“I-I’ll go and call the doctor.”
Erica met my gaze, looking flustered as she hurriedly left the room, and Finden Ai approached with a sly smile.
“Can you tell me what just happened?”
“...I just saw him off, that’s all.”
“Saw him off? Who…? Ugh, I can’t make sense of what these necromancers say.”
Of course, besides myself, Finden Ai had never met any other necromancer, however, she still grumbled as she said that.
Though not minding her words, I began to prepare for my discharge from the hospital.
* * *
I was not in the hospital for a long time; in fact, it was just a brief moment for me, but stepping outside the hospital, I felt a sense of relief inhaling the fresh night air.
The stuffy feeling in my chest was instantly blown away, and I felt invigorated with each step.
“Are you going to discharge right away? I was using master’s room; where should I stay now?”
Finden Ai stretched and walked past me. I couldn’t hide my displeasure and asked, “Did you use my room?”
“Yeah, I can’t sleep outside, now can I?”
“Tell the dean to arrange a separate room for you.”
“I prefer high floors.”
While Finden Ai grumbled, Erica, who was behind her, made a strange expression.
She couldn’t have imagined that Finden Ai would treat even her master, me, so nonchalantly.
“Well then, Finden Ai. Go clean up my room. If even a single strand of your hair is left behind, you’ll be punished.”
“Are you serious?”
Pouting, Finden Ai looked incredulous, but she didn’t argue anymore.
“I’ll wait for about an hour before going in, now go.”
“Ah! If I had known, I wouldn’t have unpacked my things!”
With a determined stride, Finden Ai ran towards the academy at a transcendental speed.
The aftermath of her sprint was so powerful that Erica and I staggered in its wake.
Watching Finden Ai as she stepped on the roof and moved further away, Erica muttered, “She still listens though.”
Then, she and I turned our heads slightly, and I made a suggestion.
“How about having some coffee for a moment?”
“Huh? Me? ME?”
Surprised, Erica pointed to herself, and I nodded lightly. She hesitated before agreeing.
I had no intention of sitting in a coffee shop and hanging around; I just wanted to feel the outside air a little more, so we got our coffee and sat on a bench in the nearby park.
Maybe because it was night, there were many people taking walks in the park.
In the center of the park, there was a sculpture made up of blue stars, emitting a faint blue light from within, illuminating the entire park with a serene glow.
Sitting on the bench, I held the handle of my coffee cup and pulled away a little kid who was grabbing onto my sleeve.
After gently patting the kid’s head, I took another sip of my coffee.
“...What’s over there?”
“Nothing special.”
Erica looked as if she was trying to see what I was looking at, but since she couldn’t see the kid, she cleared her throat and leaned back against the backrest.
A moment of silence passed.
The natural sounds of the city were floating around us, but they didn’t bother us much.
In fact, they gave us a sense of comfort, allowing us to be at ease with each other.
After taking one more sip of coffee, I spoke up.
“Not all the evil spirits’ incidents in the academy have been resolved. However, those who had the power to cause such events or were dangerous are no longer here.”
“...I see.”
Perhaps Erica hadn’t expected me to bring this topic up; she seemed a little disappointed.
Our eyes were still directed towards the sculpture of the blue stars, but the conversation continued.
“Has the spirit that tried to kill you disappeared too?”
“Yeah, he’s gone as well.”
“...I see.”
Another silence.
Erica seemed to be feeling a bit frustrated and massaged her forehead as if something was bothering her.
“Everything I did was utterly useless.”
I didn’t bother to reply.
I had no intention of comforting her about that. It was her choice, after all.
“To be honest, I’m sorry. But... what I did was to save you.”
“I know.”
I answered calmly and took another sip of my coffee. Although I had taken a few sips already, for some reason, this sip tasted more bitter.
“But because of that, there won’t be any relation between us again. I did hurt you, after all.”
Erica’s grip on the paper cup tightened, causing it to crumple slightly. However, her expression remained unchanged.
“You’re probably better off without me, right? I heard there was someone else you truly loved. I suppose you were not fond of the engagement arranged by your family either.”
“...”
“Breaking off an engagement might be a blemish for a woman, but it’s not a big deal for a man. Besides...”
“Stop it.”
Suddenly, my gaze focused on her face.
Her voice and expression remained steady, but a single tear had already started to trickle down Erica’s cheek.
“Why did you end up like this, Erica Bright?”
“What?”
She met my eyes as if asking what I meant, but quickly diverted her gaze as if trying to escape.
“I’ll be honest with you; I don’t feel emotions as much as others do... It’s something I developed later in life.”
“...”
Erica pressed her lips together and waited for me to continue speaking.
“That’s why I don’t really understand love or any of those emotions that are vague and hard to define.”
But...
“However, I was able to sense that emotion somehow… Although it wasn’t mine, I experienced what genuine love truly feels like for a brief moment.”
As I recalled Deus, who truly loved Illuania, I continued speaking.
“That's why, I can tell you this.”
“...”
Her pupils trembled. She seemed to be praying that my words wouldn’t continue.
However, without hesitation, I uttered the truth.
“I did not love you, Erica Bright.”
“Ah...”
Her cup crumpled completely. If it had been filled with coffee, it would have spilled over, soaking her hand and the ground.
“Not even for a moment… I never felt any emotion called love for you.”
“That… … Yes, of course.”
The time I spent at the academy before getting expelled was three months.
The time I spent with Erica Bright amounted to around two months.
The remaining month was spent separately as she treated me with hostility.
But for two months, we were together quite diligently. She put in so much effort, and I didn’t avoid her either.
Memories of that time flashed through my mind, but unfortunately, there were no fluctuations in my emotions.
“I didn’t want to hide the truth from you.”
Erica lowered her head. Unnoticed, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Undeterred, I continued speaking.
“However, you are worth loving. You are a woman deserving of love.”
Erica’s body stiffened.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to look at me, but I returned my gaze to the star sculpture.
“That’s why I spent time with you and hoped to see you smile. I wanted to love you.”
“Ah...”
“But Erica, look at yourself now.”
Personally, I found her quite pitiful.
“Your current self is different from the Erica Bright I first met.”
She stared at me blankly, but I couldn't offer comfort.
“Blinded by the emotion of love, you couldn’t make a proper judgment. You thought your decision was right, but in the end, it didn’t lead to any positive outcome.”
“...”
“And now, you’ve given up on everything.”
Once again, I met Erica’s eyes. This time, she didn’t shy away and met my gaze, shedding tears.
I reached into my coat and took out a folded paper. It was the divorce letter I received from the Bright family’s servant whom I encountered on my way to Robern Academy.
“It’s the divorce letter. I haven’t signed it yet.”
“…!”
“Our divorce hasn’t been finalized yet, so no one can demand your hand in marriage, especially someone you do not love.”
Finden Ai had already told me the story about Gideon.
It was the only consideration I could give Erica.
“Stand up again, Erica Bright. Don’t bury yourself in failure and remember who you are. Don’t lose everything swayed by the emotion of love.”
Slowly standing up from my seat, I smiled gently as I held out the divorce letter to Erica.
It was my blessing for her future.
“Claim yourself. Become the incredibly beautiful woman you were when we first met.”
“Ah.”
“When you find your own certainty… When no one will be able to sway you anymore.”
Pat.
I placed my hand on her head.
“When you become the radiant and beautiful Erica Bright once again.”
Erica closed her eyes slightly, feeling my touch.
"Come to me, and we'll finalize our divorce."