CH 160

“Is that… really you?” he asked quietly in a hoarse voice. His jawline was more defined than before. Overall, he looked thinner compared to the last time I had seen him. Perhaps he really had been ill; seeing someone who had never shown his weak aspects so fragile, I began to feel sorry. Maybe he was still recovering from our unexpected breakup.

Mikhail began to approach me but stopped a few feet away, prompting me to recall what I had said to him during our last meeting.

“Forcefully touching others without their consent is an act of violence. I hope you haven’t done this to anyone other than me.”

Staring at me from a distance, he mumbled what sounded like, “I must be dreaming,” as he reached his hand out to me. His movement was slow, but the somewhat peculiar gesture made me push—or rather, slap—his hand without hesitation. Examining the back of his hand which had turned red from the impact, the astonished man turned to me.

Realizing I had made a mistake by acting rashly against a sick person, I decided to apologize. However, Mikhail spoke first.

“It’s not… a dream?”

Until now, I had planned to say some harsh words to him once I met him again. But seeing him so weak, I couldn’t dare do such a thing. Deciding I had no more business here, I bid farewell. However, Mikhail hurriedly ran to block my way. With an urgent expression, he pleaded, “Jubelian! Please listen to what I have to say. It will only take a moment.”

I couldn’t understand why, but it sounded like he still carried feelings for me. I could have just left him there, but if I didn’t make a clean closure now, his mother was going to chase me to the ends of the earth. Disastrous days like this were going to continue.

“Sure,” I agreed at last. After all, not doing so would be no different from running away from my problems.

Mikhail widened his eyes at my permissive attitude. Nodding his head vigorously, he suggested, “Thank you, thank you so much! S-should we converse inside?”

No matter how much of a delinquent I was, I knew when to feel embarrassed. I couldn’t go back into a mansion that I had just shat on. “I would like to talk in private—in a quiet place if possible.”

“We’ll head to the pavilion, then,” he concurred.

“That sounds wonderful,” I answered, confident that we would be able to have a personal conversation in the summerhouse located at the corner of the garden.

“Then, my lady,” Mikhail held out his hand as if to escort me. On his thin face was a faint smile. Ignoring his gesture, I proceeded to the alcove. From behind, I could hear his footsteps chasing me.

***

He had always strived to be the cream of the crop and desired to shine brighter than anyone. Such was the reason why Mikhail had poured all of his energy into reaching his ambitions. But after the fateful day, the renowned knight could not focus on anything.

“From now on, don’t try to talk to me anymore. I don’t want to get involved with you ever again,” the lady had said.

Remembering his bygone days, Mikhail deemed nothing of worth anymore—his swordsmanship, success, reputation… Everything was worthless except Jubelian. Images of the cold-hearted lady who had thoroughly rejected him lingered in his dreams despite his resentment toward her. Whenever Mikhail tried to reach out to her, she disappeared into thin air. The empty feeling in him had grown as time passed, and when the sense of purposelessness had finally swallowed him whole, Mikhail had admitted that he missed her dearly.

Since then, the knight had suffered many feverish nights and days chasing the hallucinations of the subject of his infatuation. Even today, when he had seen her descend the stairs from the mansion’s gate, he had decided he was being fooled by another ghost. His instincts, however, had forced him to step out of his room to chase the lady in fear of missing her once again. When Mikhail finally felt the touch from her hand, his senses finally awoke to accept reality.

When he realized he was not dreaming, his heart began to pound. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he perceived her astonishing beauty—the woman Mikhail saw before him was nothing to be compared with his fantasies. Adoring the lady’s porcelain face adorned by rosy cheeks and raspberry-colored lips, Mikhail began to berate himself for mistreating her until now.

‘I’ll ask her for forgiveness, and all will be solved. We will start afresh,’ the man pledged as he followed her to the pavilion.

Once they reached their destination, the lady examined him and asked, “How are you feeling?”

Mikhail was deeply moved by how she had asked him about his health. Suppressing a smile, he answered, “It’s bearable.”

“That’s good to hear.”

A silence followed as Jubelian didn’t say anything after. Mikhail began to grow restless as the stillness continued. He certainly had a lot to say, but he couldn’t readily start blabbering. Strangely, he couldn’t help but try to read what the lady was thinking.

“So, what was it that you needed to say?” Jubelian asked then.

“Oh, it’s… Why have you visited today?”

The lady sighed at his query and answered, “The reason I’ve come here is because of your mother.”

“Ah, I see.” Mikhail knew from a long time ago that Jubelian had difficulty getting along with his mother. Still, he had left the two ladies be, thinking it was up to them to sort their differences. Regardless, he couldn’t help but feel unsettled now after listening to Jubelian’s reason for the visit.

‘Has my dear mother done wrong to Jubelian by any chance?’ his anxiety grew.

“She dragged me here using another noble lady’s name. Besides that, it seems she still thinks of me as your girlfriend.”

It was as Mikhail had expected—his mother had caused a misfortune after all. “That’s because she sees you as easygoing…” he began to persuade.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with the rudeness she has treated me with until now. Also, I am uncomfortable with the fact that she sees me as an easygoing person.”

Confused, Mikhail struggled to interpret the lady’s obscure words.

“Well, I did realize today that I had made a mistake,” she continued.