Chapter 58
Decided to Forget for a Moment
Damion didn’t know where else she could’ve gone.
He frantically circled a plaza near the cemetery. The umbrella was useless—just a hindrance—so he eventually folded it and started running.
Anxiety gnawed at every inch of him.
Couldn’t he have said it more gently? Had he hurt her under the excuse of telling the truth?
He should’ve made sure she stayed at home. If she didn’t want to be in the same space as him, he should’ve been the one to leave.
The fear of not knowing where she was—it was unbearable.
What was he thinking, so arrogantly tossing out compensation and divorce like that? Looking back, his earlier self seemed utterly pathetic.
In truth, not once had he ever truly considered divorcing her. If the current him existed by sacrificing Ansi’s lifespan, then he had a duty to make her remaining time the happiest and most joyful it could be.
She had to be the happiest woman by his side.
“Ansi, where are you…?”
His lips were dry. As he muttered in a contorted voice, looking around—
Thud. He bumped into someone.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I apologize.”
The woman lowered her head. Her brightly colored umbrella concealed her face—it wasn’t Ansi. Damion offered a brief nod and hurried past her.
“Are you… Lord Damion?”
A voice called from behind. A wave of fatigue washed over him. He didn’t have time for this—every second mattered in his search for Ansi.
“I’m not.”
He kept walking. But then, her next words stopped him in his tracks.
“I saw your wife board a shared carriage.”
He spun around sharply.
“She was headed toward the eastern Race district. There’s a church at the last stop—it’s a good place to take shelter from the rain.”
“Who are you?”
“Is that really important? What matters is finding your wife quickly.”
The woman gave a short laugh and turned to walk away. Her colorful umbrella grew smaller in the distance.
Damion didn’t know if her words were true, but it was worth checking. He started the car and headed toward the final stop of the shared carriage.
Ansi rubbed her arms. The indoor clothes soaked by the rain made her shiver. Still, she was grateful to have even this much shelter from the downpour.
“Phew…”
She slid down against the wall and sighed. She barely remembered how she’d gotten here. She had boarded the carriage, only to realize at the last stop that she had no money.
Fortunately, she had her hair tied up. The gruff coachman, who had looked ready to explode, brightened up instantly when she offered him the bejeweled hair tie. It was easily worth fifty times the fare.
What am I supposed to do on the way back?
The cold rain had jolted her senses awake.
She should’ve listened to Simon and brought her jacket—at least then she could’ve sold it. Maybe she could try drying her shoes and selling those. But if she returned barefoot, how pathetic would she seem to that man?
Every thought circled back to him.
Damion de Orphe.
Truthfully, he’d been on her mind the entire journey here.
Objectively speaking, she had no reason to be sad. That was the strange part. There was no logical reason to be hurt—yet she was.
A sudden flash of lightning lit up the dim interior of the church. A few seconds later, thunder shook the air. Ansi flinched and hugged her knees tightly.
“It’s okay.”
She whispered softly. Her voice was drowned in the sound of rain.
“I understand you.”
This time, she said it louder—intentionally so. She was practicing, because she couldn’t say it sincerely yet.
“I won’t divorce you.”
Yes, that was the one thing she couldn’t allow. Even if Damion thought there was no more need for her now that she had saved his life twice… she couldn’t let go.
She had to cling to him.
But how?
All she really knew about him was that he was romantic enough to marry her at first sight.
“I like you.”
The words came out oddly.
It wasn’t true.
And yet…
“I like you.”
Just saying it made a strange, unidentifiable emotion rise up in her throat.
A man who, like her, had suffered at the hands of Cardian. A man denied familial love, betrayed by someone he trusted. A man who would use her just to obtain Orphe.
He desired Orphe for its own sake. She sought to destroy Orphe. They stood on opposite ends.
Thunder struck again. She covered her ears.
“I like you, Damion.”
It was only practice. Not real. Just meaningless words to reassure a selfish man. A rehearsed lie, so he wouldn’t sense she was still his enemy.
“I hate you. But… I miss you.”
No one was listening. That’s why she could say it.
“Isn’t it strange? I feel like I’m going crazy. I came all the way here to avoid you, but now I wish you’d show up in front of me…”
In that moment, someone yanked her into a tight embrace. Her body collapsed forward—into the arms of a man. A jacket covered her shoulders. It smelled like him.
Lightning flashed again.
Ansi looked up, dazed, and met the eyes of the man in front of her—soaked through, pale, his face twisted with worry.
“…I like you.”
Ansi finally said the line she had been rehearsing.
With a loud thunderclap, Damion pulled her into a tighter hug and whispered:
“I love you, Ansi.”
Her pupils trembled. It was ridiculous how easily she was swayed by words she’d heard countless times before. But maybe it was the darkness that sharpened her senses, or the way his voice resonated so clearly in her ears.
“You asked earlier if I married you because I liked you, right? That wasn’t it. Just like you said, I was a selfish, hypocritical bastard.”
He tightened his arms around her, and she realized—he was trembling.
“But if you asked me how I feel now… my answer’s different. I like you. I didn’t expect it either. That’s why I used you and hurt you. I know what you must think of me. You probably don’t even want me touching you like this. But still…”
He hesitated. Then, as if he couldn’t take it any longer, he buried his face into her shoulder.
“Even so… if what you just said is true, that you hate me but still want to see me, then please… come back with me.”
Ansi closed her eyes. Then she asked the man trembling while waiting for her answer:
“You said your life’s purpose changed. What is it now?”
“…You.”
Her eyelashes fluttered.
“You don’t need to do anything for me. Just live… peacefully.”
“…Alright.”
Ansi hugged him back. Damion flinched in surprise—he clearly hadn’t expected her response.
“Saving you was my choice. Whether you knew it or not doesn’t matter. I saved you because I wanted to. Me.”
“Not again.”
“There won’t be another time. So stay with me, and repay me by living a long, happy life.”
“…Thank you. We’ll be happy. I know we will.”
Ansi gently patted his back.
Happy… How?
He was just like her. Just as she had used him, he had used her.
Just as her heart still clung to revenge—who could say he wasn’t feeding her sweet words for his own ends?
So she smiled. Just like he used to smile at her.
“Let’s be happy, the two of us.”
Ansi smiled brightly, like someone who knew nothing. She hid her deeply rooted mistrust and leaned into him.
Part of her wondered—what if she had never learned the truth? What if she didn’t know that his brother killed her father? What if she didn’t know about the special power of the Rubelsa bloodline?
Would they still have been able to be together?
A single tear slid down her cheek.
She had taken it easy until now. But starting tomorrow, she had to be busier.
So just for today, she decided to forget everything.
Meanwhile, Cardian, who had spent the entire day hoping to hear of Damion’s death, was deeply disappointed. He asked the messenger who brought news of Damion’s safe return:
“He’s keeping that woman close, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“Get rid of her.”
He’d found out through Nancy, one of his secretaries, that a company meeting had been held at that location. Nancy was a spy planted in Damion’s company.
It was a shame to lose her like this, but she hadn’t been very useful anyway. She hadn’t managed to extract any critical information—he’d been planning to discard her soon.
“Bring Bekishi on your way out.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the lackey left, Cardian turned on the record player. Loud classical music filled the room. Soon after, Bekishi entered.
The volume made Bekishi frown slightly, and Cardian’s brow twitched upward at the sight.
