Chapter 61
Ordinary Peace
Damion had already changed the purpose of his life.
Now, living together with Ansi—that was the most important value to him.
He had resolved to spend the rest of his life atoning beside her.
He even looked forward to the future that awaited them.
For that, Damion was willing to give up his ambitions regarding Orphe.
He could play the role of the affectionate son in front of the duke and duchess who had once turned their backs on him.
He could endure the humiliation that would come with being Kardian’s plaything.
No, more than endure it—if it would ease Kardian’s wariness, he would gladly become his toy.
In the life he envisioned, Ansi would always be at his side, and he at hers.
That alone made his life feel blessed.
Damion gently kissed Ansi’s cheek.
As her steady, peaceful breaths echoed nearby, a smile crept to his lips.
He stared at her quietly for a long time before stepping out of the room.
Sophia was still downstairs on the first floor.
Damion’s gaze shifted to her hands—she was holding a family photograph.
There was loneliness in Sophia’s eyes as she stared at it.
So much so that the joy and brightness she had shown earlier felt like a lie.
The woman before him still seemed deeply lost in grief over her husband and son.
In truth, Damion knew it well:
The pain of losing someone dear would rise up unexpectedly, even as time passed, slowly eating away at the heart.
Would Ansi feel that way too?
That thought filled Damion’s mind—
“Is Ansi asleep?”
Sophia asked, turning to him. Her expression had brightened again.
“Yes. Are you not going to bed yet, Mother-in-law?”
“I will soon. But there’s something I wanted to say.”
Sophia gestured to him with a soft smile. Damion came and sat beside her.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“The one who saved me when I fell into the river.”
“…!”
Damion stiffened.
What she said was true. A year and a half ago, at Colonel Lubelsa’s request, he had rescued Sophia from the Benew River.
But he hadn’t known that she was aware of it.
“I was so grateful back then. I’m sorry I’m only thanking you now.”
“How did you know it was me?”
“How could I forget a face like this?”
Sophia let out a light laugh.
“Fate really is strange, isn’t it? Who would’ve thought that the man who saved me would end up being my son-in-law?”
“…Are you alright now?”
Damion asked cautiously—
What he truly wanted to ask was if she still thought about ending her life.
Unlike him, Ansi had grown up in a world where family was precious.
Even with the Orphe dukes, whom she had only just met, she felt a sense of belonging.
So the presence of her mother, Countess Lubelsa, must be even more significant.
That was why Damion hoped the countess no longer thought of dying—and that she would stay by Ansi’s side.
“I realized a lot that day. I would never think such thoughts again.
Thanks to that, I got to see Ansi get married, and now I have a wonderful son-in-law too.
Living long really does pay off.”
“Please continue to stay by Ansi’s side for a long, long time.”
“I will. I plan to. Oh, would you like to see this photo? It’s from five years ago.”
Sophia handed him the photo she was holding.
Ansi in the picture looked much younger. Her awkward smile was quite endearing.
Next to her stood a man with ash-gray hair and blue eyes—
It seemed to be Der de Lubelsa, Ansi’s older brother.
“There was such a fuss after this photo was taken.
Der was upset, saying he looked terrible in the picture, and Ansi tried to comfort him, saying he looked much better than her—and explained why in detail.”
“I see.”
“They ended up fighting and didn’t speak to each other for a whole week.”
“What did you think of the photo?”
“I wanted to side with Der, of course.
He’s my precious boy—like one I wouldn’t mind putting in my eye, and it still wouldn’t hurt.”
She chuckled bitterly as she gently ran her thumb over Der’s face in the photo.
‘A child so precious you wouldn’t mind putting them in your eye.’
Damion suddenly realized that there was no one who thought of him that way.
But it wasn’t surprising—or even particularly sad.
Then Sophia’s hand reached out and gently patted his head.
“You’re that kind of son-in-law to me, Damion.”
“…”
“I’m so glad to have a son like you.”
She smiled warmly at him, her eyes brimming with genuine affection.
A foreign emotion washed over Damion.
His heart stirred—it felt like the first warm day of spring at the end of a long winter.
The knots in his chest that had never loosened… began to melt.
That elusive thing called happiness—it seemed he had already stepped into it.
From the moment he met Ansi, he had been in this warm, safe space.
Here, he felt he could always rest in peace.
That he could share his sorrows and joys, even act a little childish.
Damion reaffirmed his purpose.
To share happiness with Ansi.
That small, ordinary peace had become the most precious part of his life.
It was something he could no longer lose—something he must never lose.
* * *
〈We must begin surgery immediately.〉
A stranger’s voice jolted Ansi awake.
She found herself walking quickly down a hallway lined with identical doors at even intervals.
Through the small glass windows of the rooms, she could see temporary beds—and people wearing similar clothes.
The people moaning in pain—
They were all patients.
〈He’s bleeding heavily. This will be a long surgery.〉
Ansi’s gaze shifted to the doctor speaking in a rush, and to the stretcher being wheeled alongside him.
Her eyelids trembled.
Of course—
Lying on the stretcher was Damion.
As soon as she saw his face, she understood.
“Severe bleeding” made immediate sense.
His face was deathly pale—completely devoid of color.
He looked like a corpse.
In contrast, his shirt was soaked in red, as if it had stolen all the color from his face.
In Ansi’s eyes, Damion lay still with his eyes and lips tightly shut.
Ansi reached out—
But before her hand could touch him, her vision shattered.
“Gasp…!”
Ansi awoke from the dream with a gasp.
She sat up, glancing around in a panic.
Moonlight streamed in through the open window, illuminating the room.
This was not a hospital.
This was Sophia’s home.
‘What was that just now?’
Confusion mixed with fear overwhelmed her.
Her breathing wouldn’t steady.
This dream was different from the others.
When the bridge collapsed and during the Geris incident, her dreams had begun in calm settings.
They showed the full context, allowing her to infer the cause—and thus, prevent the disaster.
But not this time.
She didn’t know why they were at a hospital.
Or when or where the bleeding occurred—or what caused it.
There was no information.
Everything had already happened.
It was far too short.
Even Damion’s ultimate fate wasn’t clearly shown.
It was as if the dream told her: Even if this happens, all you can do is watch.
She felt suffocated.
Ansi threw off her blanket and reached under her skirt, searching frantically until her hand found something smooth and small.
She pulled it out—
Amor’s mirror.
White moonlight filtered through the curtains.
In the mirror, a woman with a splotchy, discolored face stared back at her.
It was herself.
“…!”
Ansi flinched, then looked again.
The image was back to normal—as if nothing had happened.
She bit her lip hard. A metallic taste filled her mouth.
She was confused.
Was this truly going to happen? Or was it just a nightmare?
If it was a vision… what was Amor thinking, showing her only this?
“What do you want me to do?”
She asked the mirror.
No answer came.
Only her own distorted reflection remained.
“You’re stopping the expansion of the textile company? Did I hear that right?”
Henet asked, wide-eyed.
Damion calmly nodded. His serene gaze held not a trace of regret.
“I’m not abandoning or halting the company’s growth.
I’m just going to stop stealing partner companies from others.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I don’t want the attention.”
“What does that even mean?”
Henet scowled.
Damion had once acted like this was his life’s greatest mission.
Why this sudden change?
But Damion continued flipping through the documents.
They were all marked for shredding.
And this wasn’t his only odd behavior.
A few days ago, he’d suddenly shown an interest in mythology—
Not just any mythology, but legends about the god of love, Amor.
