IPWDP 25

Chapter 25

She had fallen into a trap.

She realized that the pleasant atmosphere up until now had all been a setup for this moment.

Senaren—no, Ephelia—always put four cubes of sugar in her tea. Every time, Regios would ask, “Four spoons of sugar?” He said it so casually that Ephelia never suspected anything.

Should she pretend not to know? Ephelia looked at him anxiously. And instantly realized that that was a mistake too.

She should have asked what he meant. She should have acted clueless, not showing a hint of panic. Even her reaction had been part of his calculation. She had let her guard down for a moment—she had no choice but to admit it.

“It’s already too late.”

Regios’s expression didn’t change, but Ephelia knew—he had figured it out.

With a quiet sigh, Ephelia let out a bitter smile. Regios casually handed her a teacup. Ephelia took it and drank a sip calmly.

The taste was exactly the same as before—so familiar it almost made her ache with longing.

She set the half-empty cup down. Regios stepped closer. Too close—into the space one should never cross. His hands cupped her cheeks gently.

His large hands stroked her face with aching care. She could feel them tremble.

“Ephelia.”

He spoke her name. The look in her eyes was different from moments ago. Gone was the woman pretending ignorance—the woman who feigned not knowing anything. Her gaze was clear and resolute. Breaking the silence, she opened her lips.

“Yes.”

Thump.

His heart pounded wildly. For the first time in years, the owner of that name had answered. Regios did not know what to call this feeling. He only felt like he was finally able to breathe again.

His palm brushed her cheek. His hands trembled. She was real. Alive. Right in front of him.

His hand slid up to her white hair. Why had it turned white? Had she bleached it?

Regios liked Ephelia’s light brown hair. A sweet color like caramel. When light touched it, it shimmered smoothly. It always tasted sweet on his tongue when he kissed her. He hated sugary desserts, yet that faint sweetness—her sweetness—he loved.

The moment she answered, his world flipped over. A dull, colorless world suddenly bloomed with color and life.

Even though he was touching her right now, he still couldn’t believe she was alive. Ephelia sighed softly and pushed him away. He resisted for just a moment, then reluctantly lowered his hands and stepped back.

“So the memory loss was a lie.”

“It was.”

It had been a lie. She realized it the very first moment they passed each other. Even before he recognized her. That was why she ran away from the village.

“So from the beginning, it was all a lie?”

“Not from the beginning. For a few months after I woke up, I really didn’t remember anything. Waking up at all was a miracle.”

“Then why didn’t you come back?”

Was he seriously asking that?

“If I went back, you’d have to marry me.”

“What?”

Regios doubted his ears.

“You didn’t come back… because of that?”

“I know you don’t like me. …To the point of wishing I were dead.”

At that time, she couldn’t accept that she had become an object of hatred to him. She desperately pushed away the truth—but eventually, she had to face it.

Because she had nothing else. No one else to depend on. So she believed in the affection he once showed her when they were young. She wanted to believe it.

Only now could she say this. And the fact that it no longer hurt told her that time had passed.

“That’s—That’s not true.”

“Not even for a moment? You never hesitated? Not even once?”

“I…”

“Don’t lie.”

“I never wanted you to die.”

“Sure. If you say so.”

But Ephelia knew. Even if just for a fleeting second, he had wished it. In that brief moment, her entire will to live had collapsed.

“Come back.”

“Back where?”

She wasn’t curious why he searched for her, why he revealed her true identity, or why he wanted her to return. She simply found it absurd.

There was nowhere for her to go back to.

“To where you belong.”

“I’m not going back. I belong here.”

“Ephelia.”

She had forgotten that name. She erased her past. Why would the man who once wanted to sever ties appear now just to drag her back to that past?

She gave him freedom. She disappeared just like he wanted. So why did he come looking?

“Don’t be stubborn.”

Ephelia lifted her head and glared at him.

“Stubborn?”

“Yes. Stubborn.”

How could he say that? This was her decision. And he had no right to interfere.

“You have no right to meddle in my life.”

“No—I have every right. Because I’m your destiny.”

Destiny?

She never imagined he of all people would say that. He was the one who hated destiny the most—who rejected it, defied it.

“You cursed destiny.”

“And only after losing you did I realize I was wrong.”

Her head throbbed.

“I like it here. I have a mother and father. I have work.”

There was nothing back there. The world’s richest luxuries meant nothing. Ephelia didn’t even have a place to stand.

“What parents.”

“Regios!”

“Your parents are dead.”

Cruel. Too cruel. That wound never healed—it was only buried. And he ripped it open. Ephelia bit her lip.

“You managed just fine without me. Just live like you have been.”

Regios let out a soft, bitter laugh. Fine? That wasn’t living. That was merely breathing. He would not lose her again. Not to anyone—not even to her.

“Listen to me while I’m still sane.”

“What?”

“While I still feel grateful to the people who saved you.”

“What are you talking about—”

She understood. And her face turned pale.

“What do you mean?”

She didn’t want to believe it. Even though she understood, she had to ask.

“They’re the ones who saved you, right?”

“Yes.”

“When you fell, I searched for you immediately. I offered a massive reward—enough for several lifetimes—for any information.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“There’s no way they didn’t know. So why didn’t they report it?”

“Because I couldn’t remember—”

“More accurately, even after you remembered, you pretended not to. Because you didn’t want to go back.”

Ephelia couldn’t respond. Because he was right. His words stabbed straight into the deepest part of her heart.

They were warm. Too warm. Like she had found a lost family. That was why she pretended not to remember.

But the next words were even crueler.

“They had a daughter once, didn’t they? She died young. You were just a replacement.”

Ephelia stopped breathing.

She had avoided that thought on purpose. He saw right through her.

“Do you really think that’s your place?”

Again—she could not answer.

“Ephelia, your place is beside me.”

This time, she couldn’t say no.

“You belong at my side. That’s our destiny.”

“Regios, we’re the ones who escaped destiny.”

He rejected destiny. She let him go from destiny.

“No. Finding you again is destiny. We were never free from it.”

Ephelia remembered something she had overlooked—what happened to those who defied destiny.

They all went mad. Regios looked fine on the outside, but he was someone who had lost his destiny—and now regained it.

Such a person… could not be sane.

It felt like sinking into a deep abyss. Destiny wrapped around her like a pit of sand, dragging her back into its grasp.