Chapter 34
I looked him straight in the eyes and spoke again.
“You should’ve just left me to fall on my own.”
“What? How can you say that?”
I was serious, but the First Prince looked as if he’d just heard the most absurd thing.
Then, with a slightly troubled expression, he hesitated and asked.
“Are you still really angry with me?”
“What?”
“I said I came looking for you because I had something I wanted to say. Actually, when I saw you at the divine beast nest last time, I should have said this first…”
For some reason, he hesitated again, his expression dark, then lifted his lowered eyes to meet mine.
“I’m sorry.”
And he was apologizing to me.
At that moment, I think I unconsciously made a strange expression.
“The divine beast that was in your playroom back then…”
I’m not sure how he interpreted it, but the First Prince hurriedly continued.
“I said your tastes were unusual when I saw it. I shouldn’t have spoken carelessly about something someone else likes. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
“I understand why you were upset. That’s why I wanted to apologize and came to see you… If that made you even angrier, I’m sorry for that too.”
Finishing his words, the First Prince looked at me, slightly anxious.
I stared silently back at him.
The longer he met my gaze, the more his own eyes began to waver.
Finally, I opened my tightly shut mouth.
“You’re such an idiot, you know?”
“What?”
“Really a fool.”
He didn’t give the answer I expected, and the First Prince frowned, a mix of disappointment and resistance in his eyes.
“Adel, let’s go back now.”
At that moment, my father called me from outside the door.
I left the First Prince in the room and turned around.
But before stepping outside, I greeted him one last time.
“…Next time, bring some more snacks and come for tea. The chef here actually makes pretty good stuff.”
Hearing this, First Prince Euclid widened his eyes in surprise for a moment, then smiled.
“Alright. I’ll bring plenty next time.”
“And… thank you for helping me earlier without pretending not to notice.”
“Huh, what…?”
The added words seemed a little unexpected, and Euclid asked, slightly dumbfounded.
But I didn’t repeat myself and closed the door with a bang.
On the way back from the First Army and First Prince’s palace to my father and my own quarters, the sky was painted with orange sunset.
“Adel, if you feel any pain later, you must tell your father.”
“Yes.”
For some reason, the gentle breeze felt warmer and softer than before.
I recalled Euclid’s face as I rode on my father’s back.
His urgent expression as he ran toward me overlaid vividly on top of all my past memories.
‘I’m really such a fool.’
What I said to Euclid just now was, in truth, also meant for myself.
‘Really stupid.’
They say a person can live a lifetime on just a single memory.
Perhaps I’m like that.
When Euclid—who had hurt me countless times and disappointed me repeatedly—finally reflected me in his desperate, shining eyes…
I thought it would be alright if I became a fool in this life too.
‘Really a fool…’
Of course, that didn’t mean I could suddenly forget everything that had happened and interact with others like before.
But…
Unlike the past two lives, the First Prince—who had always been inferior to others—was the one who caught me first this time. It felt like a small sign that I could allow myself some hope in this life.
So, I thought maybe I could open my tightly closed heart just a little.
‘Just a tiny bit, really tiny.’
Enough so that even if I saw his back again later, it wouldn’t make me sad.
And since I allowed myself to take one step closer to Euclid today, the person who had to accept me first was already determined.
Finally putting an end to my long contemplation, I spoke.
“Father, we…”
“Sorry for the sudden message, Carus.”
“Not at all! I’m just glad I get to be with you two.”
The Garden of the Gods, filled with mystical air, remained as quiet as ever.
Even now, the small, dull fruit barely clung to life, wrapped in withering vines.
I stood before it, staring down at the fruit.
Perhaps because Carus had visited often, dark energy was clinging thickly to its surface.
I watched it quietly and lightly touched the fruit’s surface with my fingertips.
‘Zerkaine.’
And in my heart, I called my annoying younger brother, the Fourth Prince.
Buzz.
The fruit moved ever so slightly.
It felt like a beast that had been in deep sleep suddenly opening its eyes, sensing my presence.
“He really seems to like the Third Princess’s touch.”
Carus said happily.
My father also stepped back, watching the fruit with a gentle smile.
I smiled at them once, then returned my gaze to the fruit.
‘You still look at me like that, don’t you, sister?’
‘You don’t know, but my longing for you has never changed.’
Honestly, if Zerkaine hadn’t said anything back then, I could have hated him a little more.
From the first moment I saw the Fourth Prince’s pitiful fruit here, I’d had a heavy hesitation in my heart.
I was angry at his betrayal, but I vaguely understood why he had to walk a path that would even ruin himself.
I knew what kind of treatment he had endured in the palace with his father, Carus; a royal with eyes and ears would inevitably notice.
And I had long realized I was the only one he had almost completely opened up to and trusted.
Yet, I always drew a line with him.
To avoid being hurt later.
Also, somehow, the affection he gave never felt entirely mine.
‘After all, I’m not really Aspodel. If the story ends happily, I might just disappear from here.’
So in a sense, no matter how hard I had tried until now, I had lived with a certain detachment in this world, never giving myself completely.
‘So let’s just call it even for what was exchanged.’
The hurts I caused him and the hurts he caused me.
It’s meaningless to debate now which was greater.
Anyway, it seems I can’t completely abandon this child.
So, before returning to the past, I decided to treat the time I was betrayed by him as if I had simply killed him.
In reality, I couldn’t tell from the spirits I sent whether he lived or died.
‘Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky I’m this kind.’
“Grow up healthy, without pain, my child.”
Murmuring this softly, I brought my hand to the fruit.
Not teasingly like before, this time I fully pressed my palm to the fruit, enclosing it as if embracing it.
Snap!
The foul, black energy dissipated.
The fruit trembled as if delighted by my touch.
This time, I didn’t pull my hand away, nor did I avoid the subtle emotions I felt.
Thus, I added one last drop of resolve to my hesitation and sealed it.
For some reason, I felt like the true starting point of my possessed third-life had begun right now.
Chapter 12
So far it seems too easy, right? Actually, it was hard mode!
First Prince Euclid came to our palace surprisingly quickly.
“See? Perfectly fine, right? The priests treated it immediately.”
In the end, he had called a priest to fix his broken arm.
I was about to mock him for his patience, then realized I was the cause of the injury and quickly changed my words.
“Yeah, now it shouldn’t hurt anymore.”
“Like I said, it broke cleanly, so it didn’t really hurt much anyway.”
Euclid didn’t make a fuss at all.
I felt a little wistful again.
Yes, I used to like this part of you in the novel!
Although as I got to know him, my illusions about him were completely shattered.
“By the way, try the snacks I brought today. I think you’ll like them.”
The First Prince gestured confidently to the plate on the table.
I peered down at it with squinted eyes.
‘This is going to be ridiculously sweet.’
Clearly, he took my words from our first snack session seriously and considered me a comrade in sugary treats.
‘Sigh. Well, can’t blame anyone. I brought this disaster upon myself.’
