After our al, we headed to the theater, where we could use the tickets given by the vampire.
The building was so grand that it seed ordinary citizens or foreign laborers werent even allowed to step foot inside.
I was worried we might be turned away for not being nobility, but the doorman looked at us with deep reverence upon seeing our tickets.
Please forgive the intrusion. Youve been invited by the theaters main patron. Go right in.
I never wouldve guessed, but that vampire turned out to be the main patron.
Perhaps he had several false identities to operate in society.
It was no wonder he remained uncaught, despite being one of the most wanted criminals. As I pondered this, the usher guiding us to our seats smiled warmly at us.
Are you a couple? Ill guide you to the couples seats.
What? No, well
Then, without any hesitation.
rilyn?!
Whats the harm? It ans everyone sees us in a good light.
rilyn said this, leading by the hand to our seats.
Unable to shake off her hand, I reluctantly took my seat in the awkwardly intimate spot we were shown.
It almost seed like a statent that scread, Look, were a couple!
Do you dislike it?
rilyn asked , noticing my discomfort with the situation.
Conflicted about how to respond, I eventually settled into my seat with a deep sigh.
Ill accompany you just for tonight.
Yes, I had decided to devote tonight to rilyn.
As we sat side by side, waiting for the lights in the theater to dim, rilyns voice faintly reached through the darkness.
I wish you could keep company like this in the future, too.
Her voice faintly revealed her emotions.
I tried to ignore it, but I couldnt disregard the warmth of her hand as it intertwined with mine.
Quietly, I held her hand, focusing on making the most of our ti together.
The streets buzzed with activity as we left the theater after the play.
In the street after watching the play.
While passersby exchanged their reviews or boarded carriages to go ho, rilyn turned to with a look of anticipation.
How was it for you, Hyo-sung? Did you enjoy the play?
Ahaha, well, Im not really one for such things
Usually, people share their thoughts on the play with those they ca with, but I suppose I was more accustod to TV and movies, so the play didnt quite capture my attention.
When watching on TV, actors faces were close-up, and dynamic effects were added, but sitting in the theater, all I could discern were the exaggerated actions and loudly delivered lines.
Losing interest from the start made it hard to imrse myself, and eventually, I found myself just looking around, disinterested
In the end, all I rembered was rilyns face during the play.
Im sorry. Even though we watched it together, I couldnt view it as seriously as you, rilyn.
Yes, unlike , she watched the play very seriously.
Being a minstrel who writes stories, she must find the narratives created by others interesting and sensitive.
Though I felt guilty for not sharing her sentints, she didnt mind my apology and just held my hand.
Its okay. Even if you dont understand it like I do just being together like this is enough.
She said softly, intertwining her fingers with mine.
The gentle whisper and the intertwining of our fingers.
Despite the blush that should rise from such intimacy, I strangely felt a sudden surge of unease.
As ti passed since our planned dinner.
Feeling that the ti I could spend with her was getting shorter.
Is this enough?
I asked hesitantly.
Its okay. Even after today, there will be plenty of ti to be together.
I wanted to say.
But I couldnt voice it out loud, perhaps because I already foresaw how this eting would end.
Is this enough?
I asked again.
I was worried that my anxiety might be conveyed to her, but she just held my hand tighter.
With a gaze that seed more vulnerable and less composed than usual.
Yes. For now, this is enough.
She replied, holding my gaze.
Feeling my heart waver at her look, I still silently held her hand, willing to accompany her.
Even if a disappointing outco awaited, just a little longer.
If this dream would eventually shatter, at least I wanted to leave behind so good mories.
Do you have a place youd like to go?
As long as Im with you, Hyo-sung, anything is fine.
Wanting to fulfill that expectation, I decided to enjoy wherever my feet led us, just as she wished.
A series of small performances, events, and appreciations of structures where crowds gathered
Sotis wed enter a shop, browse, and if sothing caught my eye, Id buy it and gift it to her.
Hyo-sung, how do I look? Does it suit ?
You look beautiful. Really beautiful.
It was the unvarnished truth.
My thoughts hadnt changed since the first ti we t.
Is it okay to eat that much?
Hehe, its okay. Traveling is surprisingly exhausting. Would you like a bite, too, Woo Hyo-sung?
Mmm, then Ill just have one bite.
Here, say, aah~
I liked how she approached without any sense of distance.
Only to , not to just anyone.
Because she regarded as special, I also felt she was soone extraordinary to .
Hehe.
Her usual gentle smile, too.
The faint laughter that escaped when she opened her mouth, and her whispers to as well.
Ahaha~
At so point, all that beca emotional, and as the atmosphere reached , I found myself bursting into laughter as well.
I was happy that it was who brought out her genuine laughter, sothing she had never shown before.
As if she, as a person, was completed by eting
Her smile, now clearer than when we first t, makes wish that it would continue forever.
I wandered the world after leaving the Lords side before returning to you.
But cruelly, the ti to end those feelings gradually approached.
The moon rose, and the lights filling the night path began to fade one by one.
She, who road the alleys barely illuminated by dim lights, began to speak in a whisper, standing behind on my way ho.
Its a chaotic world. Almost all nations, except for the empire, have perished, leaving only a few small tribes and those maintaining re shells of traditions.
rilyn.
Ive seen even the Furry Tribe, threatening humanity, catch up with the undead. Even they, who consider humanity a disaster, are rely survivors in this chaotic world.
Out of curiosity, I headed outside the continent, but that place was already beyond human control. As if to isolate us in this land, they do not even allow us to leave.
What followed was the truth of this world, only heard through soone elses words.
Feeling her impressions and having witnessed them herself, I realized anew how precarious this world was.
It wouldnt be strange if this everyday life collapsed at any mont.
In the anxiety that all of this might disappear in the blink of an eye, we had to keep living
In such a chaotic world, one thing
As I gradually realized this, I felt her weight leaning against from behind.
She raised her hand to my body as if to embrace , then simply lowered it and rested her head.
I encountered a special being, unforgettable even for a single mont.
Having ceased to express her feelings through such modest actions, she began to whisper behind .
You know that even during our ti apart, my feelings remained the sa, right, Woo Hyo-sung?
I knew.
How she felt about .
I know its a difficult request.
Betraying the one to whom she swore loyalty, even at the risk of her own life.
And how significant it was that she chose to return to my side after traversing this chaotic world.
But still, now that Im here, I think I need to say it regardless of the outco.
A mont of silence.
In that gap, I slowly moved my head behind in the darkness.
Unlike , who had refused to face the truth until now, she had been waiting for the opportunity to convey her feelings to alone.
Woo Hyo-sung.
rilyn Sutherland.
Perhaps soone who, even before the bonds Ive ford now, held the potential to replace that future.
Would you, please, beco my companion?
Upon hearing that precarious confession, I tightly clenched the hand that I had let hang down and mulled over the words I had kept inside.
The ti had co.
Yet, my mouth didnt easily open, perhaps due to my lack of resolve.
Just a little more
If only we had a little more ti during our parting that day, the future might have been different, and that regret lingered.
Im sorry, but I
But in the end, it was just a matter of sooner or later.
I had to give her the answer I had decided on.
I sincerely thought of her and wanted to forget her, as written in the letter.
I cant be with you, rilyn.
To replace the newly ford bond, as if switching it out, would be an insult to the feelings I had for her.
I cant be with you, rilyn.
The mont those words, born from that sentint, leaked from the crystal ball.
Airi, who had repeatedly pondered the future she foresaw, took ti to further ruminate on it while biting her lip.
Cant be together.
Im sorry. I already have soone I need to be with.
The beginning, the choice to be together, and even the future.
The fact that their vow was not taken lightly was sothing she knew best, having sought proof of his feelings through countless embraces.
The belief that they would forever be together in the future, knowing where he was headed, allowed her to be certain.
Thats right. You chose .
Changing the future against a transcendent is not an easy task.
Everything was about love and duty.
Keeping in mind that she had to find the best future where those two could coexist.
Reviews
All reviews (0)