CHAPTER 38 "I BELIEVE YOU" (1)

"… It's not like that?" he repeated.

"I never made any such deal with the emperor. I was only curious as to why this floor was off limits."

I briefly wondered whether I had said something I hadn't intended to say because Kyle glared at me coolly. He wasn't applying any strength to his grip, but somehow I felt like my jaw was going to break.

"Are you asking me to believe that now?"

"It's up to you, Archduke, whether you choose to believe me or not, but I'm not lying."

My words were calm and level, though Kyle's expression remained the same. I wanted to turn my head away from his penetrating gaze, but with him holding my chin there was no way I could do that. So, I met his eyes head-on.

"You ask me to believe you," he said, "but you didn't believe me when I first told you I had a time limit."

"I do believe you."

"What?"

"I said that I do believe you have a time limit."

I answered him quickly as if such a conclusion were clearly natural to me. Ironically, no one believed that Kyle's time in this world was limited, though they were aware he was cursed. Even those closest to him seemed to be in denial of his dwindling lifespan, because he never seemed like someone approaching death. He was, by all accounts, strong and healthy until the very end. The nature of the curse was such that he would retain all his strength, which was emboldened by his newfound draconic traits, until his heart froze over completely and caused him to meet his untimely demise. So, with no visible evidence that such an event would occur soon, no one believed Kyle's words and treated him no differently than before. If anything, they were even more distant since they feared his bloodlust.

He was the only one who was acutely aware of how little time he had left. Calling the dragon's curse a lonely curse was no exaggeration—but I believed him. Honestly, I had no choice but to believe, since I knew full well his words were the truth.

Because I'm the original author of this novel.

Who else would believe him if not me?

"Are you still lying to try to catch me off guard?" he growled. "What a stupid thing to do."

"I don't care if that's what you think of me," I snapped back.

More than anything, I wished there was some way to explain myself to him without looking insane. Not being able to tell him the truth was unbelievably frustrating. It wasn't fair.

Ah.

Suddenly, my eyes brimmed with tears that quickly streamed down my cheeks. Maybe I was feeling overwhelmed by his increasingly oppressive aura. At this rate, if I continued crying without any explanation, then I would inevitably hear another biting remark from him.

"Why are you crying?"

Kyle's tone was cold and reproachful. I tried to hold back my tears, but unfortunately they would not stop falling.

"Your tear glands must be broken," he paused, "or, are you hurt?"

"…"

"You seem to like manipulating people."

"Urgh."

I shuddered at the icy sensation suddenly brushing my cheek. Kyle's hand had moved to wipe away my tears.

"Don't think that you can control me," he murmured.

Again, his palm swept the tears from my cheeks with a soft sigh. Oddly enough, his actions were surprisingly tender for someone whose aura and tone of voice bespoke imminent destruction.

"And don't bother telling me I can't touch you," he said. "You have no right to say that, because you're the one who touched me, interfered with my life, and talked to me first."

I wasn't even thinking about pushing him away, though I wasn't sure why I myself hadn't yet recoiled from his intensely frightening presence.

Then, I faintly detected the scent of flowers emanating from his body. I hadn't realized it before since the stench of blood had so strongly masked it. Now that my nose adapted to the metallic odor, the gentle, floral aroma was more readily apparent. Part of me wanted to comment on it, but I found I could not summon the energy to do so. I felt as if the relentless pressure keeping me in place had gradually sucked all the strength from my body.

You bought flowers after all. Are they for Riddel? Or not? Or are they really for me?

Then, Kyle's cold breath grazed my skin as he drew near me—close enough that I was able to smell that familiar body scent I had become so accustomed to falling asleep to. The tension surrounding him wasn't painful or cold to the point of freezing me, but it was frigid enough to consume my entire body in its chilly maws.

"It hurts…"

Though those were the words that came out of my mouth, they were not what I had truly intended to say. Amidst all that was going on, I just couldn't find a way to describe the enormous pressure binding me to the point of suffocation.

Ah.

All at once, Kyle stopped and stepped back a little, and the invisible force slackened its grip on me. An indescribable silence ensued after that as I caught my breath.

Then, Kyle's eyes became even redder. The darkness befalling his countenance was crazier than before, and he seemed to spiral further away from sanity.

"I will not let you go as you please anymore," his tone was twisted and desperate.

Afterward, his hand turned pitch black as it was engulfed by a powerful magic. He directed it toward the door guarding the west room that I had been meaning to enter. A dark miasma shrouded the entryway, swirling with lethal intent.

"If you try once more to go in, then go. However, your neck will burn the moment you touch the door."

"…"

"There are less than six months left now, so don't do anything stupid. Unless you want to see Doman Woodhill die."

Only

"… Okay."

I honestly couldn't care less about Doman's fate, but I just quickly replied in order to reduce the risk of further provoking his ire. Moreover, Kyle was not in the right state of mind to be reasoned with, so he wouldn't have believed my words anyway. It was better for me to keep my head down and quell his anger for now then explain myself later. Then, Kyle smirked.

"I hope you aren't lying to me," he sneered.

His tone was blatantly offensive, but he didn't care. Satisfied, he stepped back and the force that had paralyzed me slowly released its hold on my body. He turned to take his leave.

I'm safe.

Though this situation ended far from ideal, I was relieved that I had at least survived. Then, I glanced at the magic seal encircling the large doors.

This is a spell made by Kyle, the great wizard, himself.

Needless to say, breaking the curse had become a far more complicated task than before. I inadvertently looked back at the faint scent of flowers leading down the corridor, but Kyle was already gone.