Upon hearing those words, Damia grew cold and felt like she was being sucked back into the past. His words echoed in her ears:
‘Your father, I will make sure that he returns to you safely.’
he said, with his faint smile clearly coming to mind. Lastly, he held her hand and left a distant greeting with a sense of subtle foreboding
‘Please, I hope you will always be happy.’
As soon as she remembered that sad voice, her legs collapsed under her.
“Oh, Damia!!”
Owen hurriedly grabbed his daughter, who had almost fallen to the floor. Damia, leaning on his arm, quiveringly asked,
“Ah—w-what happened? He can’t, he… … .”
She couldn’t ask if he was dead. The moment she released her fears, she was terrified that they would become reality.
“I don’t know if he is still dead or alive,”
Heinrich confessed with a gloomy face.
“But being alive is probably more painful than dying.”
As soon as she heard those words, a sob that was close to wailing erupted from Damia’s mouth. It was an intense cry that surprised even herself.
She remembered brutally crushing his heart and attacking him with harsh words. Nevertheless, she shamelessly accepted his oath. She was relieved when he vowed to protect her father.
So Akkard Valerian would die. Because of a woman who didn’t even love him: Completely alone, he will close his eyes, desolate and despairing, blaming himself for not being able to win a piece of her heart till the end.
It felt like her heart was being torn apart at the thought of that. If someone broke her heart and stepped on it, it wouldn’t hurt this much.
Damia burst into tears and got up from her father’s hug. And she staggered and half crawled towards Heinrich.
“A-are you going to rescue him? Please… … It’s not too late yet… … .”
Heinrich looked down at Damia’s tearful face. Seeing her shock, it was comforting to know that Akkard did not throw his life away in vain.
“I already asked the nearby lords to send a rescue team. The elite troops from the capital are also advancing toward the north.”
Having obtained the Saint, there was no further obstacle to attacking the High Temple in her name. Heinrich had already obtained legitimate justification.
“But if Lord Akkard will be alive until then… … I can’t say for sure.”
With those words, Damia could not accept reality and gave up.
* * *
Near the capital was a villa belonging to the Primula County. Owen, entering the most beautiful room there, cautiously called out to his daughter.
“My dear, sweetheart.”
But, as if deaf, her body, sitting on the window bench, did not move or flinch. Owen sighed, remembering his daughter sitting in that position the night before, again unresponsive. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Dami.”
“… … Oh, when did you come?”
Damia asked with a cracked voice after regaining consciousness. Catching sight of her bloodshot eyes as she turned to her side, Owen let out a sigh.
“You haven’t eaten or slept for three days. It hurts my heart to see you like this.”
Owen sighed, glancing back at the cold food on the tray she had not touched. Tears fell from Damia’s eyes at the gentle rebuke.
“I’m sorry. But I couldn’t bear to eat… … .”
Her tears, dripping down, eventually turned into a sob. Even during her childhood, Damia’s tears were solemnly seen. To see his distraught grown-up daughter weeping broke Owen’s heart.
“Please, don’t cry. You’re going to be really dehydrated.”
Despite her father’s attempts at soothing and his bewildered pleading, Damia wept for a while longer. Owen wiped her swollen and red face with a cold towel. He was confused.
“My dear.”
The time had come to finally face the reality that had been denied.
“Sir Akkard… … Do you like him?”
Damia, with a blank countenance, turned to look at him. And after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
“Yes.”
It was her first time. To admit her feelings for him out loud.
How could she not have been attracted? There was no other man in the world who was so captivating and so handsome. From the moment she first saw him, he stole her attention, and her eyes followed him, and little by little, he took her heart without her even noticing.
However, she thought it was a ‘moderate’ level of emotion. She believed it was at a level that was controllable by reason and rationale, and she knew she could cut him neatly out of her life whenever she wanted to. At least she had believed her misunderstanding until she heard of his sacrifice.
‘But it was me who was foolish.’
She liked him. She liked the man who declared that he loved her, and it was only her–it must be her. But she couldn’t just believe his words and promise the future.
Would it have been possible if she didn’t have the slightest love for him? But Damia could sense it. The fact that she would eventually deeply fall in love with that dazzlingly beautiful man. And one day, as she feared, he would betray her, and she would fall apart.
So she pushed him away. She kicked him coldly, declaring that she didn’t love him and wouldn’t give him a chance.
However, she was punished for her distrust, as Akkard risked his life and probably lost it to prove his sincere heart.
‘Ah, if only I could turn back time.’
If that happened, she would bet her future on him this time. Damia cried so much with regret as she rubbed her eyes until no more tears could be shed.
How can she not risk her future for the man who risked death and sent her father back to her? Even if he betrayed her, she didn’t think she would have any regrets.
What he did for her was so significant.
Upon hearing those words, Damia grew cold and felt like she was being sucked back into the past. His words echoed in her ears:
‘Your father, I will make sure that he returns to you safely.’
he said, with his faint smile clearly coming to mind. Lastly, he held her hand and left a distant greeting with a sense of subtle foreboding
‘Please, I hope you will always be happy.’
As soon as she remembered that sad voice, her legs collapsed under her.
“Oh, Damia!!”
Owen hurriedly grabbed his daughter, who had almost fallen to the floor. Damia, leaning on his arm, quiveringly asked,
“Ah—w-what happened? He can’t, he… … .”
She couldn’t ask if he was dead. The moment she released her fears, she was terrified that they would become reality.
“I don’t know if he is still dead or alive,”
Heinrich confessed with a gloomy face.
“But being alive is probably more painful than dying.”
As soon as she heard those words, a sob that was close to wailing erupted from Damia’s mouth. It was an intense cry that surprised even herself.
She remembered brutally crushing his heart and attacking him with harsh words. Nevertheless, she shamelessly accepted his oath. She was relieved when he vowed to protect her father.
So Akkard Valerian would die. Because of a woman who didn’t even love him: Completely alone, he will close his eyes, desolate and despairing, blaming himself for not being able to win a piece of her heart till the end.
It felt like her heart was being torn apart at the thought of that. If someone broke her heart and stepped on it, it wouldn’t hurt this much.
Damia burst into tears and got up from her father’s hug. And she staggered and half crawled towards Heinrich.
“A-are you going to rescue him? Please… … It’s not too late yet… … .”
Heinrich looked down at Damia’s tearful face. Seeing her shock, it was comforting to know that Akkard did not throw his life away in vain.
“I already asked the nearby lords to send a rescue team. The elite troops from the capital are also advancing toward the north.”
Having obtained the Saint, there was no further obstacle to attacking the High Temple in her name. Heinrich had already obtained legitimate justification.
“But if Lord Akkard will be alive until then… … I can’t say for sure.”
With those words, Damia could not accept reality and gave up.
* * *
Near the capital was a villa belonging to the Primula County. Owen, entering the most beautiful room there, cautiously called out to his daughter.
“My dear, sweetheart.”
But, as if deaf, her body, sitting on the window bench, did not move or flinch. Owen sighed, remembering his daughter sitting in that position the night before, again unresponsive. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Dami.”
“… … Oh, when did you come?”
Damia asked with a cracked voice after regaining consciousness. Catching sight of her bloodshot eyes as she turned to her side, Owen let out a sigh.
“You haven’t eaten or slept for three days. It hurts my heart to see you like this.”
Owen sighed, glancing back at the cold food on the tray she had not touched. Tears fell from Damia’s eyes at the gentle rebuke.
“I’m sorry. But I couldn’t bear to eat… … .”
Her tears, dripping down, eventually turned into a sob. Even during her childhood, Damia’s tears were solemnly seen. To see his distraught grown-up daughter weeping broke Owen’s heart.
“Please, don’t cry. You’re going to be really dehydrated.”
Despite her father’s attempts at soothing and his bewildered pleading, Damia wept for a while longer. Owen wiped her swollen and red face with a cold towel. He was confused.
“My dear.”
The time had come to finally face the reality that had been denied.
“Sir Akkard… … Do you like him?”
Damia, with a blank countenance, turned to look at him. And after a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
“Yes.”
It was her first time. To admit her feelings for him out loud.
How could she not have been attracted? There was no other man in the world who was so captivating and so handsome. From the moment she first saw him, he stole her attention, and her eyes followed him, and little by little, he took her heart without her even noticing.
However, she thought it was a ‘moderate’ level of emotion. She believed it was at a level that was controllable by reason and rationale, and she knew she could cut him neatly out of her life whenever she wanted to. At least she had believed her misunderstanding until she heard of his sacrifice.
‘But it was me who was foolish.’
She liked him. She liked the man who declared that he loved her, and it was only her–it must be her. But she couldn’t just believe his words and promise the future.
Would it have been possible if she didn’t have the slightest love for him? But Damia could sense it. The fact that she would eventually deeply fall in love with that dazzlingly beautiful man. And one day, as she feared, he would betray her, and she would fall apart.
So she pushed him away. She kicked him coldly, declaring that she didn’t love him and wouldn’t give him a chance.
However, she was punished for her distrust, as Akkard risked his life and probably lost it to prove his sincere heart.
‘Ah, if only I could turn back time.’
If that happened, she would bet her future on him this time. Damia cried so much with regret as she rubbed her eyes until no more tears could be shed.
How can she not risk her future for the man who risked death and sent her father back to her? Even if he betrayed her, she didn’t think she would have any regrets.
What he did for her was so significant.
