#24. Then Is It Because of My Personality?
As Ophelia opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a man standing with his head turned away from her.
She frowned when she realized the tall man with dark hair was Idren.
“Why are you standing like that?”
His body was turned slightly toward her, but his head was facing the other way. It looked terribly uncomfortable.
Normal people don’t stand like that. As she blinked away the remnants of sleep, the man cleared his throat and handed her something—still with his head turned away.
“What’s this?”
Idren didn’t answer. But she didn’t need a response. A glance at the paper bag he gave her was enough.
Inside were three or four glass jars, each about the size of her fist. Ophelia took one out. Inside the jar were colorful bead-like things wrapped in thin paper.
“Candy,” said Idren, now seated in the chair beside her.
Ophelia glanced at him. Apart from slightly flushed ears, his face was as calm as ever.
“Why did you bring me candy?”
“…Is it really so hard to just say thank you?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Unable to follow his train of thought, Ophelia simply said, “Thank you.”
The man cleared his throat again.
Ophelia considered telling him to stop seeing the world so cynically. Not only did he tear up easily and blush often, but he also seemed to find it painfully difficult to hear a simple “thank you.” That seemed like a real problem.
But then again, was it really her place to criticize a fully grown man?
After a moment of hesitation, Ophelia decided to stay silent and opened the glass jar. She picked out a light green candy and unwrapped it.
The prettily colored candy was just the right size and a little sweeter than she’d expected. After rolling it around in her mouth for a moment, Ophelia offered the jar to him.
“You should have one too.”
The man looked at her in surprise, as if her words were completely unexpected, but did as she said. Ophelia watched him select a blue candy and pop it into his mouth.
He rolled it on his tongue for a bit, then asked, “…Do you like it?”
The boat began to move slowly. As the rippling water split before them, Ophelia replied, “It’s sweet.”
“I mean… what I’m trying to say is…”
But he didn’t finish. Instead, he sighed and mumbled, “If you didn’t like it, you would’ve spit it out already.”
Ophelia didn’t bother responding to the man who always seemed torn between wanting to be kind and picking a fight. His emotions shifted too quickly for anyone to keep up with.
Sure enough, he made another out-of-the-blue remark.
“Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I said earlier… about your looks or whatever…”
Once again, Idren blushed.
There he goes again. Ophelia casually tilted the jar, spotting another light green candy at the bottom.
“…I don’t like you because of how you look.”
Then he added, “Do you not like yellow ones?”
Instead of answering, Ophelia unwrapped another light green candy and popped it into her mouth. As she rolled the slightly smaller one and the new one together, she asked,
“Then is it because of my personality?”
“…What kind of question is that?”
She saw genuine shock in the way his brow furrowed. If that expression wasn’t an act, Idren was truly taken aback by what she said.
There he goes again. Again. Ophelia absentmindedly rolled the candy over her teeth. Click. The sweetness spun across her molars.
Idren turned to look at the woman who could speak nonsense and still stare calmly ahead. He couldn’t tell if she was joking or being serious.
But one thing was clear: he had to correct the misunderstanding immediately.
Even if he usually interpreted most of Ophelia’s actions in a favorable light, even he couldn’t let this one slide.
He could tolerate it because she was the one saying it—but if she said something like that in front of others, she would surely be criticized.
Looking at the woman watching the flowing water, he said with sincerity:
“Your looks are a hundred times better than your personality.”
Ophelia placed the jar she was holding back into the paper bag.
…He wasn’t entirely wrong, yet somehow, that stung.
“Then why do you like me at all?”
She handed the bag of candy back to him. Idren blinked as he accepted it.
“You don’t want any more?”
Without turning to look at him, Ophelia replied, “It’s sweet.”
Apparently, that “sweet” could mean she liked it—or that she didn’t want any more. Idren sighed softly and set the bag on his side.
Ophelia had closed her eyes. A light layer of makeup highlighted her features, and golden sunlight poured over her face.
Idren quietly observed that peaceful moment. With her eyes closed, she looked far gentler than he’d ever known her to be…
But Ophelia didn’t let him enjoy the view for long.
Still with her eyes shut, she pressed him.
“Aren’t you going to tell me why you like me?”
He stayed silent for a long moment before finally speaking—something completely off-topic.
“…I didn’t know you had this kind of personality.”
Ophelia informed him that this wasn’t about discovering new facts.
“I didn’t know you had this kind of taste either.”
Idren let out a deep sigh. She couldn’t see his face with her eyes closed, but Ophelia could tell—he was probably looking at her with that helpless expression again, unsure of what to do.
Some people made that face when they wanted to avoid answering. It was a way of shifting focus onto the other person to escape a difficult situation.
Ophelia saw right through it—but didn’t push further. His feelings weren’t what really mattered anyway.
She took a deep breath, letting the sunlight warm her entire body.
“Do you not know why we keep going back to the past?”
Before he could answer, she added, “I know. You said before you don’t know.”
“But do you have any guesses at all?”
“…I’m not sure, but there is something that bothers me.”
Ophelia’s eyes lit up. She opened them and turned to him.
“What is it?”
Sunlight caught in her sky-blue eyes, filling them with clear, unfiltered hope.
Watching that, Idren felt a strange twist in his stomach. He scowled.
“What makes you think I’d tell you?”
“What do you mean?”
“If you find out why time is repeating, you’ll just get rid of it and die again, won’t you?”
A trace of sadness came over him.
He had been briefly intoxicated by sunlight and sweetness, but their situation hadn’t changed.
Ophelia would leave him the moment she felt like it. And he—unable to gain her affection through normal means—was threatening and manipulating her by holding everything hostage.
Yes, he hated how she treated him like he was worthless—but he didn’t want to treat her the same.
This wasn’t the kind of marriage he wanted. He had hoped to be her ally, her friend…
Not this petty man who bristled at every little thing.
But Ophelia didn’t even glance his way when he tried to be nice.
So what was he supposed to do?
A hopeless frustration swelled inside him, too painful to put into words. Idren turned away from her ocean-colored eyes.
But the waves surrounded them, and his mood sank even further. Ophelia, meanwhile, didn’t even bother denying what he’d said…
Ophelia stared at the man who suddenly sulked mid-conversation, dumbfounded.
“What do you mean, ‘Why should I tell you?’”
Did he want to whisper secrets like children?
They weren’t kids. She and this ridiculously immature man were both adults.
Yet Idren was acting like a ten-year-old boy with no friends.
“You think this is some kind of game, don’t you? But for me, it’s a disaster.”
Of course it was. She was trapped in an endlessly collapsing tower.
But Idren didn’t seem to understand her words properly. He retorted with a sarcastic tone.
“You clearly don’t understand. It’s precisely in disaster situations that trust matters most.”
“So that’s how you want to play this? But you’re forgetting something—you once said you didn’t care if I lived or died. Remember?”
Of course he remembered.
Now avoiding her glare entirely, Idren recalled the events of the night before.
“You can do whatever you want. If you want to kill yourself, kill yourself. If you want to run, run.”
Right after that, he’d added that she didn’t have to marry him.
Then he threatened her with everything that would happen if she didn’t.
As a result, Ophelia followed him here. He didn’t know her exact answer, but Idren was certain she would go through with the wedding at Sigdrasil Castle.
Ironically, it was the only thing he’d done that achieved its intended result.
And yet, even as he drowned in guilt for going against her will, she brought it up like it meant nothing. Idren’s brow furrowed sharply.
“I said I wouldn’t care—not that I’d agree with it.”
