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Aina, who loosened her grip on Cassis and stood up rough enough to shake the chair, hurried towards us.
Both eyes were full of hostility. It was so cold, that it made sense for Dillian to tell me not to get too close to her.
“Ria-nim. Why is someone like you with someone like that?”
“What?”
“It is dangerous to be around such a ruined person. He might even eat Ria-nim one day. I will take you from now on. Come with me right now…!”
Is that what you’re going to say to a person’s face now ? Ruined, might eat me, you say?
‘Why is Dillian only still listening to it?’
The person in charge was still, but I felt uncomfortable and choked up for no reason.
‘Why am I so angry? It’s not like I’m being cursed.’
Unable to bear it any longer, I left and got up before Aina finished speaking.
Her eyes trembled greatly, as if bewildered by my harsh actions.
“Saintess. Watch your language.”
“What? But, that person is cursed…!”
“Your Majesty the Crown Prince, we will leave. Nathan, let’s go.”
“Ri, Ria-nim.”
I ignored the outstretched hand and turned my back.
Although it is not necessary to deal with this excessively, emotions were not the subject.
“Ria-nim is my guardian angel!”
Aina exclaimed in a harsh, unhappy voice. I’ve been dragged around by that plea until now, but that’s now over.
“Saintess. I am not anyone’s guardian angel.”
If there’s anything I have to protect, it’s Nathan and Dillian.
There is no such thing as an obligation for me to protect and uphold the female lead.
I came out of the cafe reluctantly, looked at Aina reflected in the window and swallowed a sigh.
I felt uncomfortable when I saw her shed tears in Cassis’s arms, as if the wounds were big.
“Miss Ria.”
Dillian wrapped my cheeks and held them to him. Then he put the hood over my head and tightened it tightly.
“Are you going home?”
“Yes, I will go and sleep. I’m tired. But how do you find May?”
“We decided to meet at the clock tower.”
“That’s fortunate. Come on.”
I took Dillian’s hand. Dillian flinched as if he didn’t know that I would hold his hand first.
Startled, I tried to pull my hand out, but at that moment a strong force grabbed my hand.
“How can you hold and then release it?”
Just in case I would run away, Dillian dug between his fingers and intertwined my hands.
I slowly looked into Dillian’s face. It was a languid face, no different from usual.
“Sir Dillian, are you not angry…?”
“I am angry.”
I knew it. Who wouldn’t feel bad after hearing that in front of their face?
“Please don’t say no, if I ask to escort you next time. Do you know how surprised I was?”
“… Was it that way?”
“Then, is there anything else to be angry about?”
He had a face that didn’t really know why.
“The Saintess said something bad.”
“Ah, it happened.”
As if he had just remembered it, the way he shook his head was indifferent.
It was clear that he wasn’t interested until I spoke up.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not like I hear such a thing once or twice, and if I pay attention to every single thing, I will only get tired.”
As if this was normal, Dillian laughed, saying that it was not a big deal.
Why does it make me so angry? I groaned and grabbed Dillian’s arm and shook it violently.
“You have to be angry at times like this!”
“Miss Ria, are you angry?”
“Of course!”
I let out a harsh breath, throwing out my anger on his behalf.
Once again, I thought I had given Dillian a lot of affection.
When I first met him, I didn’t know we would be like this.
Actually, Aina’s words are not wrong. I didn’t show it, but I thought like her, and I was nervous.
How many times have I actually tried to push him away?
A sensitive person like Aina will feel Dillian’s even stronger.
‘Still, she’s talking too much!’
I was even more upset and feeling unfair for no reason.
“Miss Ria, are you angry because of me? Because I got insulted?”
Can’t you tell? I rolled my eyes and glared at Dillian.
I’m so angry and frustrated, I don’t know what’s so good for him, but his lips twitched.
“Is this funny now?”
“No.”
Dillian shook his head with a straight face.
But he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips that kept twitching and soaring upward.
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“I ate the curse, so why is miss Ria angry?”
“Why, you say! Of course…!”
I suppressed my overflowing emotions.
“Because my precious person has been insulted for something that is not his fault.”
My affection grew about as much as the time I spent with him, and we’re engaged, so he’s a precious person to me.
After making my own conclusions and nodding my head, I asked Dillian hastily.
“Sir Dillian, won’t you get angry if I get cursed while I’m on the street?”
“No way, I will pluck out that bastard’s tongue.”
His expression looking at me was so sweet, but the content of his words was quite radical.
Now that I’m used to it, I clapped my hand saying that’s what it meant.
“Yes, I was angry in a similar sense. So, sir Dillian should get angry too when you hear that. Do you understand?”
“As you said it, I’ll keep it in mind.”
Dillian whispered sweetly, bowed his head and kissed the back of my hand.
My face heated up at the burning sensation. My heart pounded at the gentlemanly attitude that sometimes appeared.
‘Aren’t he doing this knowingly?’
As soon as our eyes met, Dillian pulled the corner of his mouth. A scorching heat rose on the strangely colorful face.
Then, suddenly my gaze turned to Dillian’s neck.
Dillian’s curse is still there.
The last time he was attacked in Wilhelm, his curse never ran wild.
It was because Dillian had learned to control the Runaway.
And I often appeased his curse with divine power.
‘Is it time to do it soon?’
I reached for the curse that was visible through the open collar of his shirt.
As my fingertips touched, Dillian looked at me suspiciously.
I unleashed the divine power and carefully swept away the curse.
“This curse, I will undo it.”
I wonder how I can break the curse that neither Aina nor High Priest Aaron could solve, but wouldn’t I be able to do it because I use a different power from them?
No, I will make it even if it is impossible.
“By all means.”
And I will make sure he would never be treated like that again.
Dillian’s eyes, which had grown astonishingly wide, were softly curved as they burned with a will that had never been before.
And suddenly he hugged my waist and pulled me. I blinked my eyes as I was dragged without stopping and slammed my face into his chest.
My face warmed up late at the smell of his intense scent.
“What are you doing?! In broad daylight when everyone can see….”
“Then don’t go anywhere until my curse is lifted.”
As I flapped and pushed Dillian away, I stopped.
His voice sounded strangely hoarse.
‘That’s cheating.’
I stuck out my lips because I was agitated for no reason.
“Isn’t it getting longer? We were supposed to be together until you found your memories.”
“The memory doesn’t seem to come back for the rest of my life, so it doesn’t matter if it increased.”
Oh, that’s a big problem for me.
“Since you mentioned it, I’m going to ask you. Do you really not remember anything?”
It seemed too natural for a person who lost his memory.
“I think I was very good at acting. Seeing that miss Ria fell for it.”
Feeling relief, Dillian smiled broadly.
“I memorized all the information I needed. My past, my family’s history, and even my family tree.”
Indeed, it is Dillian. I poked my tongue out at his thoroughness, while sweeping my chest.
Because I didn’t cause any trouble.
“What a relief.”
“It’s a relief.”
We nodded at the same time.
“No one knows sir Dillian’s secret.”
“Miss Ria will never leave.”
I pouted at the unexpected answer.
“Is that going to happen?”
“If I find my memory, you will run away. Then I will never look for it.”
I can’t speak. Now, laughter came out even at the obvious trickery.
“Okay, let go of your hand. It’s embarrassing if someone sees.”
“That means it’s fine where there’s no eye to see. For example, a carriage.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Dillian pushed me into the carriage.
“Wait…!”
Even with my earnest hand, the door of the carriage slammed shut.
***
“Aina. Let’s calm down and go back first.”
Cassis managed to comfort Aina, who was exhausted from crying, and went out onto the street.
In the distance, he could see Ria and Dillian’s back. It was a friendly sight to anyone.
Cassis looked at the figure with unfamiliar eyes.
‘I thought he put up a smoke screen because he didn’t want to marry my sister, but it must have been the truth.’
Dillian’s feelings for Ria were obviously the same kind he had for Aina.
At first, it was so unbelievable that he mistook him for a monster covered in his skin.
‘Are you worried about the almighty Dillian Sinaize?’
The shock came again when he remembered that Dillian was rushing towards Ria without looking around.
Cassis thought of Dillian and touched his face without realizing it.
When he looks at Aina, does his face look like that too? It was because he was curious.
‘It must be embarrassing.’
Dillian‘s feelings were blatant. The face of the beholder was revealed without hiding.
‘They said he’s a monster that doesn’t even know how to feel. It was all bullshit.’
It wasn’t a bad thing. Because he was able to see the human side of Dillian.
The problem was the person that his lover called her guardian angel.
‘A guardian angel….’
I knew that Aina had been looking for a woman for a long time.
It was said that she was waiting for an angel to give only for herself.
But the guardian angel chose Dillian over Aina.
The two seemed to have a deep relationship.
Cassis gently stroked Aina’s sniveling hair.
“Aina. You were too much this time. Even the Duke would be offended to hear such a thing.”
“… I was short-thinking.”
It was something she did because she wanted to help Ria, but she didn’t expect the two of them to be in such a relationship.
Everyone will feel bad, if you curse their precious person.
Aina boldly admitted her mistake.
“Try to apologize next time. Then miss Ria will accept it with a smile again.”
“… Yes.”
Cassis comforted Aina, who was heartbroken.
Aina tapped her cheek at Cassis’s sincere advice, but stopped at the long shadow beneath her feet.
“Stand back.”
Aina’s eyes, which instinctively sensed danger, shone sharply.