I vividly remember the conversations I couldnât finish with him three years ago.
But as soon as Dylan vomited blood, all my thoughts flew into the air.
I looked at Dylan, forgetting everything.
He wiped the blood from his lips as if it was nothing.
â⊠Are you sick?â
He turned his head as if embarrassed to answer.
âDylan.â
â⊠Itâs paint.â
Dylan opened his mouth reluctantly when he looked at him with his eyes wide open to tell him.
âPaint?â
âYeah, paint.â
Do you think I will be deceived by such a nonsensical lie?
âDonât worry. You can go this way. Thereâs not much time left.â
Iâm worried about his condition, but he comforted me.
âI wasnât worried about that.â
Oddly enough, I trusted him.
It was only a brief relationship 3 years ago.
Because he saved me?
I donât trust others. It took a very long step to trust anyone.
Michelle was the only person in this world that I thought was reliable.
We went through difficult times together and overcame several crises together.
Very rarely, when I was lonely, Michelle was by my side, and when she was lonely, I was there.
It was a sufficient condition to trust each other.
âSo what about Dylan?â
Thatâs weird.
I couldnât figure out why I felt that way.
Dylan hid deep in the woods to avoid being pursued.
His condition continued to deteriorate.
Eventually, he stumbled heavily and collapsed.
âDylan!â
â⊠Ugh.â
Dylan grabbed his chest in pain.
I hurriedly looked around.
A place for Dylan to restâŠ
I looked at it quickly, and my eyes landed on one place. Abandoned temple surrounded by dry vines.
The building was half-collapsed, and cuts and cracks were visible in the walls.
As if unmanaged, dead grass was overgrown.
âDylan, hold on.â
I dragged him into the temple.
I thought I had to see the situation here as soon as possible.
Whatâs wrong with Dylan?â
Did you come to rescue me with a sick body?
â⊠Itâs hot.â
Then Dylan grabbed my chest as if he was going to rip it open.
Craak,craak-
I looked at Dylan, startled by the harsh sound of the fabric tearing.
â⊠Itâs hot, itâs hot.â
âDylan, are you crazy?â
â⊠Itâs hot and Iâm going crazy, Rose.â
Why is he doing this all of a sudden?
He murmured that it was hot all the time and tried to take his clothes off.
In embarrassment, I quickly grabbed his arm when his bare shoulders were exposed.
â⊠Itâs hot, Rose.â
âItâs midwinter, Dylan. Wake!â
â⊠Itâs hot.â
Dylanâs red eyes widened slightly. Why is he doing this all of a sudden?
That was when the fight was repeated.
Found a strange pattern on Dylanâs chest.
â⊠Rose?â
As I stared at his chest, Dylan called me in a puzzled voice, as if belatedly awakened.
He tried to get his clothes on, but I grabbed his hand.
âTake off your clothes.â
âHey, whatâŠ.â
âTake it off!â
âI donât like it⊠hey!â
Whether he called me in a hurry or not, I was absorbed in taking his clothes off.
A few times, as the hem of the fabric brushed past my hand, his clothes were completely removed and his torso was exposed.
It was a beautiful body with strong muscles.
But without admiration, I focused on the pattern engraved on his chest.
â⊠Donât look.â
Dylan tried to cover himself with his blushing embarrassed face, but I grabbed his hands.
His hands trembled helplessly.
âRose, pleaseâŠ.â
He called me as if begging, but it didnât reach my ears.
This pattern is undoubtedlyâŠ
Iâve seen it in a book. Not only that, Iâve seen others with similar patterns.
âDylan, is this a curse?â
ââŠâŠ.â
All the blood was gone from his face.
He kept his mouth shut, as if he didnât want to be found out.
<I broke him so he couldnât meet you.>
No wayâŠ
âThatâs what Yurtha did.â
â⊠Itâs not like that.â
âThatâs right. What curse did he put on you?â
â⊠I donât know, you do not have to know.â
Dylan groaned again in pain.
<If you want to protect Dylan, youâd better stay as far away from Dylan as possible.>
Yurta gave me advice and said something like that.
âYurtha told me to stay away from you. Is it a curse related to that?â
â⊠Ugh, no.â
Dylan vomited blood in denial.
He seemed unwilling to be found out.
âDylan, be honest with me. What curse is it?â
âCoughâŠ.â
The amount of blood pouring out gradually increased. I looked at him in amazement.
âDylanâŠ!â
At that moment, his body completely collapsed.
*****
More than a week has passed, and the search has not made any progress.
The knights bowed their heads as if they had no face.
âIs she really dead?â
You said she died in a fire? so stupid?
Still couldnât believe it.
Argen conducted a massive search just because she could not die in vain.
The knights seemed to think that Rosie had already died.
Argen got a little nervous, not like that.
She shouldnât die so easily.
He nervously tapped the armrest of the chair.
âMarquis.â
Then a knight cautiously approached him.
âI have heard that Baron Sablen has moved somewhere. What should I do?â
Argen, who was very suspicious, placed a watch on everyone who had anything to do with Rosie, just in case.
âThe Baron Sablen has moved.â
Argen, who was thinking deeply about something, got up from his seat.
âChase him.â
A pleasant smile formed on his lips.
âDonât get caught, be careful.â
****
I guess he hurts because heâs with me.
Dylanâs condition deteriorated rapidly after meeting me, so it was obvious that the cause was me.
As I pondered whether it would be better to leave Dylan like this, he grabbed my arm.
â⊠Rose, donât go.â
ââŠâŠ.â
âDonât throw me away.â
Although awake, Dylan muttered in a confused voice, as if he was not awake.
â⊠Dylan, would you be sick if I was with you.â
His eyes widened as if he had regained consciousness for a moment.
â⊠No. Itâs not like that.â
âBut youâve been sick since you were with me.â
I thought a lot while Dylan was down.
If what I guessed was the conditions for the curse, it was right to separate from him.
âTell me where Michelle is. I will take care of the rest.â
âNo, donât goâŠâ
Oddly enough, I didnât want to bother Dylan as much as I did.
Iâm reluctant to keep getting help from him. It was separate from the grateful feeling.
Are these my feelings or Roseâs?
Or is it both?
I couldnât figure it out.
Everything is chaotic when Iâm by Dylanâs side.
â⊠Do you think Iâll let you go alone?â
âThen what can you do with that?â
Like a repeat sign, the conversation lingered in place.
I sighed.
I coldly shook off Dylanâs arm, which was desperately trying to catch me.
Then his red eyes flutter.
âWhere does that blood go?â
Like Yurtha, Dylan is stubborn.
Since this has happened, even for him, you have to coolly remove it.
âYouâre no help and worthless right now. You know that? Why do you keep bothering me?â
It wasnât easy being sharp for Dylan. But I had to separate from him, so I had no choice.
If I had done this, I thought he would get hurt and collapse.
By the wayâŠ
â⊠Are you crying?â
His eyes were red.
Was this something to cry about?
The look of Dylanâs blushing eyes was bewildering.
â⊠Donât go, Rose.â
When he cry like that, IâŠ
I sighed.
Crying with a handsome face makes my heart weak.
And strangely, it wasnât easy to be cool with Dylan.
Why?
When it comes to Yurtha and Richard, itâs nothing but for Dylan.
âFootprints have been found here!â
WhoâŠ!
My body stiffened at the sudden voice.
âCalm down, Rose.â
Was it the Knights of Evantes or Yurtha Knights?
My heart was beating like crazy.
I was so nervous I didnât even know Dylan was hugging me.
âItâs on the temple side!â
Is this how we get caught?
âShould I have just left Dylan behind?â
I looked up at Dylan.
He canât use his powers with me. Because of the curse that Yurtha engraved on his body.
âListen, Rose.â
Then his red eyes shone brightly.
âThere is no one in the back road.â
ââŠâŠâ
âIâm going to stop them here, so youâre going out on your own to the back road. Thereâs a byway nearby, so keep going and youâll find Baron Sablen waiting for you.â
ââŠâŠâ
âGot it?â
I wanted to say no once, that I would be with you, but reason led me to a different path.
Itâs best for Dylan and I to separate anyway.
âTake this.â
Dylan handed me the black robe. Are you telling me to hide with this?
âCome on.â
Dylan let me go.
Three years ago, I remember the moment he protected me.
I donât know if itâs the price, but he got the curse.
Why are you still trying to save me?
I had my doubts, but my body had already run as Dylan had said.
I went straight through the back of the temple.
Crumbs and snow fell through the arched door, but I never felt it.
Shortly after I got out of the back road and ran, I came across the side road that Dylan was talking about.
Dylan was really determined to help me.
Again, I felt that I wasnât Rose, but I ran without knowing.
Bare feet were pierced with thorns and tears coming out of my eyes.
White snow rolled in, blocking my view.
âOuch!â
Eventually, I tripped over the thick roots of a tree and fell.
Tears came out from the pain, but nothing like this.
It was time to forcefully move the body that refused to get up.
A hand in a white glove reached out in front of me.
âOh myâŠâ
I know that voice.
I was hardened and couldnât stand up, I just looked at the floor.
Is this exactly what it feels like when you fall off a cliff?
I felt a deep sense of despair.
I ran away, but in the endâŠ
âYouâre hurt. It breaks my heart.â
I didnât have the energy to resist while Richard hugged me.
After all, is it Richard who take me around again?
It was a time to burst into laughter.
Crumbleâ
I could hear the rustling sound coming out of the blade of grass â trampling on the snow.
It wasnât from Richardâs side.
I turned my head in the direction of the sound.
And I was able to see the red eyes dotted with anger.
âIf you donât want your hand to be cut off, put her down immediately.â
It was Yurtha.
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