Since Eustave had not left work yet, I put the flower in a vase for now. I entered Idris’ room and saw Siezion. It had transformed into a sparrow now, deep in its sleep. Perhaps tired from the events that had transpired.
I sat at my desk, looking through the papers, then I rolled around in bed. It was a pleasant evening.
“Idris,” I called him, boredom creeping in.
“Yes, I’m listening,” he said, eyes fixed on the paper.
“You said today was a holiday. Why do you have to work? I don’t think it’s urgent.”
“…Why do you think so?”
Well, I didn’t know he would ask back, so I hesitated a little before answering. “I can’t answer since I didn’t expect that question.”
“I also didn’t expect it,” he said without hesitation and put down his fountain pen. He then raised his head and looked at me. “Yes… It’s possible,” he said, seemingly having no more words to say.
I talked to him once again as he grabbed his fountain pen. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I got out of bed and approached him. He didn’t eat well all day, and I was worried since the number of words he said seemed to decrease over time. “Are you hurt?” I looked closely at Idris.
There was no sign of pain in his face. He raised his head and looked at me. It was clear that his atmosphere was different from usual.
‘Actually, he’s been weird since this morning, no, yesterday evening.’
I sat on his desk. “Why are you like this?” I put my hand on his forehead and he flinched. “You don’t have a fever. Hmm…”
“Until when…” he said in a low voice, cutting me off. He paused for a bit and then continued after gathering his thoughts.
“Until when are you going to ignore it?”
I immediately stood up, but he grabbed my hand that touched his forehead.
I faced him with a shaky gaze. “What are you talking about?” I asked, pretending not to know.
His patience was running thin. It was bound to happen.
His fingers wrapped my cheeks slowly. His red eyes were looking at me. “I said I love you, Vianne.” Impatience hidden under his relaxed voice. I had only noticed it then.
“You have to give me an answer.”
It was pathetic, but I felt like I was going to be eaten. I was afraid.
“……Vianne.”
“What do you want?” My voice trembled. “What can I give you?”
“Everything.” Idris did not hesitate to answer.
I tried to laugh nonchalantly. “What’s wrong with you, Idris? Are we not friends?”
I emphasized the word friends. I was only an extra who wanted to be close to the villain in the novel and protect him.
And he was a villain who did not understand love.
We should just keep being friends… But now … all of it was ruined
“That’s not what I want.” He kissed my lips, not waiting for my reply.
How did we end up like this?
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck.
‘Alright, I lost.’
We were together for a long time.
“Stop, stop… Idris.” I pushed him away because I was out of breath. My gaze did not leave him as I struggled to catch my breath. His red eyes, filled with desire, were locked on me. I covered his eyes. And I kissed him one more time. “You said you wanted an answer, didn’t you? This is my answer.” I smiled but I also wanted to cry. “I love you.”
‘What will happen to me now? Will such an unpredictable future unfold in front of me?’
It was scary. Such thoughts scared me but, when I’m with him, my fear scattered like dust.
‘Is this love?’
Then it was clear that it was a great thing.
I was like Siezion when I was scared and wanted to run away.
“That’s why, don’t get hurt. Don’t be sick. If you die, you’ll get in trouble.” I was not sure with what I was saying, I just spat out what was on my mind.
Idris hugged me. I hugged him tightly too. I felt like I was going to cry.
“Alright,” he whispered. “Alright, Vianne.”
He started to console me. “Don’t cry.”
However, those words made me cry more instead.
“I’m sorry I confessed all of sudden. I couldn’t wait any longer.”
I cried hearing his excuse. “You’re a bad guy.”
“Yes.”
“Your personality is bad.”
“… Is it that bad?”
“I don’t know. Think about it on your own.”
“Okay.”
I complained in a slightly muffled voice while I buried my head on his shoulder. Idris rubbed my back with one hand. With his touch, my breathing gradually calmed down. With each breath I drew,I could smell his unique scent. We were swallowed by the waves of emotion.
That night, meteor shower decorated the dark sky.
***
When I woke up, I felt a hand caressing my hair softly, as if it was touching something fragile.I opened my eyes and I made eye contact with Idris right away. I blinked sleepily. “Did you wake up early or did I oversleep?”
“It’s the former, Vianne. It’s still dawn.”
“I see…” I slowly looked around— It was still dark.
“Sleep more.” He pulled my blanket up to my neck.
“What about you?” I asked, buried in a soft blanket.
“I don’t know. Should I sleep more too?”
“Yes. Come here.”
I moved to the side of the bed and patted at the space next to me. Idris looked at me, a little embarrassed.
“Here?”
“You said you love me.”
“Okay.”
“If you love someone, you should hold hands and sleep together.”
“Who said that to you?”
Idris laughed briefly and laid next to me. The bed seemed to be small with him there.
“Can I hold your hand?” I murmured, on the brink of sleep.
“Yes,” he replied quietly.
I held his hand. “Hug?”
This time, the action came before an answer. He hugged me as if he was trapping me. “You can do it. Any time.”
I laughed and closed my eyes.
***
“Idris, bring in Eustave,”I asked him as I arranged the flowers.
It was a quiet afternoon. Idris, who was working with the documents, looked dissatisfied.
“Why do you need him?
“I’m going to give him roses. I’ll take half of it, and I’ll give him the other half,” I said with a scissors on my hand as I removed the thorns.
“… I should have told you sooner, I forgot. If you give roses to someone on Mage’s Island, it means you’ll propose to them.”
“What?”
I didn’t know this.
“What should I do? But I wanted to give him some as a gift because he said he liked roses. Eustave has also been suffering from work because of me.”
“Then I’ll give it to him.”
“You?”
‘Don’t you think Eustave would hate it?’
I looked at Idris. In my confusion, Idris called Eustave.
Knock, knock
Soon, I heard a knock. I told him to come in. Eustave who wore a black cape and a silver-rimmed monocle walked in.
“Why did you call me to your room? I thought I wouldn’t see you today because you extended your holiday by one day.”
“I was asked to give you a gift on behalf of her.”
“What… A present? Who’s giving it to me?” He looked puzzled.
“Vianne. But know that I’m giving it to you because of the implied meaning, so take it. Don’t think of anything weird.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? …. You two hung out and became weird together. Whose idea is it?”
Eustave didn’t understand it. At that time, Idris held out a blue rose. As expected, Eustave was very freaked out.
“Master! You’re crazy!”
I laid down on the sofa and burst out laughing. Ah, this is so funny.
“Just accept it, Eustave. I bought it for you.” I said with a smile.
Eustave with an absurd expression received roses without a choice. “What is this nonsense! I shouldn’t have said anything before!”
“Haha. This wouldn’t have happened if you said a different flower.”
“Damn it… Anyway, I received it, so I have to say thank you. Thank you, Vianne. Wait, do I have to say thank you to the master too?”
“You don’t have to.” Idris responded with displeasure.
“Yes, I don’t even want to do that.” Eustave also shook his head resolutely.
“Oh my God…”
Apparently, I was the only one having fun here.
“Noisy, noisy.” Siezion woke up as we were chatting away. It turned into a fish and jumped into the tank, grumbling about how noisy we were.
Eustave was genuinely surprised and flinched. He must still be scared of it.
“Siezion, are you up? What do you think? It’s not scary anymore, right?” I waved my hand and greeted it.
“I’m not scared anymore.”
Realization flashed through my mind ‘That’s right! I should find the reason why Siezion ran away.’
I went in front of the tank and made eye contact with Siezion. “Siezion, what were you scared of yesterday?”
Siezion made a big turn around the tank. It flapped its fins as if making a fuss, and it pouted. “The door is open! So I closed it and it hit Siezion! Bad!”
I couldn’t comprehend his words. “Door? Which door?”
“That thing!”
What Siezion pointed with its tail was the wall on the side where the ‘frozen night’ was located.
“Are you talking about ‘frozen night’…? It can be opened on its own?” I turned my head towards Idris and Eustave.
“I don’t know anything, Vianne.” Eustave shook his head.
Idris created a dagger using mana. Then, without any hesitation, he threw it into the wall. Just in case, Eustave put a shield in front of me. I also pulled out a handful of my mana and was ready to activate a spell. But nothing happened.
Idris took back his dagger and touched the wall to open the entrance. We immediately felt the cold wind. It didn’t change at all from what I saw last time.
“There’s nothing wrong with it.” I looked at Siezion. “Siezion, what exactly came out from inside? The one who attacked you.” I asked again.
It swam anxiously. “Time, time! It was going to give Siezion time!”
“Time…” I couldn’t understand what it meant. I had no choice but to look at Idris.
“Remember when I told you Siezion had been reborn many times?”
“Yes.”
“At the end of the ancient times, Siezion couldn’t be reborn. Without it, its biological time stopped. That’s why it can be used as a living barrier.”
“…Then giving time back to it…”
“It will be dead.”
Eustave concluded on behalf of me, when I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Since Eustave had not left work yet, I put the flower in a vase for now. I entered Idris’ room and saw Siezion. It had transformed into a sparrow now, deep in its sleep. Perhaps tired from the events that had transpired.
I sat at my desk, looking through the papers, then I rolled around in bed. It was a pleasant evening.
“Idris,” I called him, boredom creeping in.
“Yes, I’m listening,” he said, eyes fixed on the paper.
“You said today was a holiday. Why do you have to work? I don’t think it’s urgent.”
“…Why do you think so?”
Well, I didn’t know he would ask back, so I hesitated a little before answering. “I can’t answer since I didn’t expect that question.”
“I also didn’t expect it,” he said without hesitation and put down his fountain pen. He then raised his head and looked at me. “Yes… It’s possible,” he said, seemingly having no more words to say.
I talked to him once again as he grabbed his fountain pen. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I got out of bed and approached him. He didn’t eat well all day, and I was worried since the number of words he said seemed to decrease over time. “Are you hurt?” I looked closely at Idris.
There was no sign of pain in his face. He raised his head and looked at me. It was clear that his atmosphere was different from usual.
‘Actually, he’s been weird since this morning, no, yesterday evening.’
I sat on his desk. “Why are you like this?” I put my hand on his forehead and he flinched. “You don’t have a fever. Hmm…”
“Until when…” he said in a low voice, cutting me off. He paused for a bit and then continued after gathering his thoughts.
“Until when are you going to ignore it?”
I immediately stood up, but he grabbed my hand that touched his forehead.
I faced him with a shaky gaze. “What are you talking about?” I asked, pretending not to know.
His patience was running thin. It was bound to happen.
His fingers wrapped my cheeks slowly. His red eyes were looking at me. “I said I love you, Vianne.” Impatience hidden under his relaxed voice. I had only noticed it then.
“You have to give me an answer.”
It was pathetic, but I felt like I was going to be eaten. I was afraid.
“……Vianne.”
“What do you want?” My voice trembled. “What can I give you?”
“Everything.” Idris did not hesitate to answer.
I tried to laugh nonchalantly. “What’s wrong with you, Idris? Are we not friends?”
I emphasized the word friends. I was only an extra who wanted to be close to the villain in the novel and protect him.
And he was a villain who did not understand love.
We should just keep being friends… But now … all of it was ruined
“That’s not what I want.” He kissed my lips, not waiting for my reply.
How did we end up like this?
I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck.
‘Alright, I lost.’
We were together for a long time.
“Stop, stop… Idris.” I pushed him away because I was out of breath. My gaze did not leave him as I struggled to catch my breath. His red eyes, filled with desire, were locked on me. I covered his eyes. And I kissed him one more time. “You said you wanted an answer, didn’t you? This is my answer.” I smiled but I also wanted to cry. “I love you.”
‘What will happen to me now? Will such an unpredictable future unfold in front of me?’
It was scary. Such thoughts scared me but, when I’m with him, my fear scattered like dust.
‘Is this love?’
Then it was clear that it was a great thing.
I was like Siezion when I was scared and wanted to run away.
“That’s why, don’t get hurt. Don’t be sick. If you die, you’ll get in trouble.” I was not sure with what I was saying, I just spat out what was on my mind.
Idris hugged me. I hugged him tightly too. I felt like I was going to cry.
“Alright,” he whispered. “Alright, Vianne.”
He started to console me. “Don’t cry.”
However, those words made me cry more instead.
“I’m sorry I confessed all of sudden. I couldn’t wait any longer.”
I cried hearing his excuse. “You’re a bad guy.”
“Yes.”
“Your personality is bad.”
“… Is it that bad?”
“I don’t know. Think about it on your own.”
“Okay.”
I complained in a slightly muffled voice while I buried my head on his shoulder. Idris rubbed my back with one hand. With his touch, my breathing gradually calmed down. With each breath I drew,I could smell his unique scent. We were swallowed by the waves of emotion.
That night, meteor shower decorated the dark sky.
***
When I woke up, I felt a hand caressing my hair softly, as if it was touching something fragile.I opened my eyes and I made eye contact with Idris right away. I blinked sleepily. “Did you wake up early or did I oversleep?”
“It’s the former, Vianne. It’s still dawn.”
“I see…” I slowly looked around— It was still dark.
“Sleep more.” He pulled my blanket up to my neck.
“What about you?” I asked, buried in a soft blanket.
“I don’t know. Should I sleep more too?”
“Yes. Come here.”
I moved to the side of the bed and patted at the space next to me. Idris looked at me, a little embarrassed.
“Here?”
“You said you love me.”
“Okay.”
“If you love someone, you should hold hands and sleep together.”
“Who said that to you?”
Idris laughed briefly and laid next to me. The bed seemed to be small with him there.
“Can I hold your hand?” I murmured, on the brink of sleep.
“Yes,” he replied quietly.
I held his hand. “Hug?”
This time, the action came before an answer. He hugged me as if he was trapping me. “You can do it. Any time.”
I laughed and closed my eyes.
***
“Idris, bring in Eustave,”I asked him as I arranged the flowers.
It was a quiet afternoon. Idris, who was working with the documents, looked dissatisfied.
“Why do you need him?
“I’m going to give him roses. I’ll take half of it, and I’ll give him the other half,” I said with a scissors on my hand as I removed the thorns.
“… I should have told you sooner, I forgot. If you give roses to someone on Mage’s Island, it means you’ll propose to them.”
“What?”
I didn’t know this.
“What should I do? But I wanted to give him some as a gift because he said he liked roses. Eustave has also been suffering from work because of me.”
“Then I’ll give it to him.”
“You?”
‘Don’t you think Eustave would hate it?’
I looked at Idris. In my confusion, Idris called Eustave.
Knock, knock
Soon, I heard a knock. I told him to come in. Eustave who wore a black cape and a silver-rimmed monocle walked in.
“Why did you call me to your room? I thought I wouldn’t see you today because you extended your holiday by one day.”
“I was asked to give you a gift on behalf of her.”
“What… A present? Who’s giving it to me?” He looked puzzled.
“Vianne. But know that I’m giving it to you because of the implied meaning, so take it. Don’t think of anything weird.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? …. You two hung out and became weird together. Whose idea is it?”
Eustave didn’t understand it. At that time, Idris held out a blue rose. As expected, Eustave was very freaked out.
“Master! You’re crazy!”
I laid down on the sofa and burst out laughing. Ah, this is so funny.
“Just accept it, Eustave. I bought it for you.” I said with a smile.
Eustave with an absurd expression received roses without a choice. “What is this nonsense! I shouldn’t have said anything before!”
“Haha. This wouldn’t have happened if you said a different flower.”
“Damn it… Anyway, I received it, so I have to say thank you. Thank you, Vianne. Wait, do I have to say thank you to the master too?”
“You don’t have to.” Idris responded with displeasure.
“Yes, I don’t even want to do that.” Eustave also shook his head resolutely.
“Oh my God…”
Apparently, I was the only one having fun here.
“Noisy, noisy.” Siezion woke up as we were chatting away. It turned into a fish and jumped into the tank, grumbling about how noisy we were.
Eustave was genuinely surprised and flinched. He must still be scared of it.
“Siezion, are you up? What do you think? It’s not scary anymore, right?” I waved my hand and greeted it.
“I’m not scared anymore.”
Realization flashed through my mind ‘That’s right! I should find the reason why Siezion ran away.’
I went in front of the tank and made eye contact with Siezion. “Siezion, what were you scared of yesterday?”
Siezion made a big turn around the tank. It flapped its fins as if making a fuss, and it pouted. “The door is open! So I closed it and it hit Siezion! Bad!”
I couldn’t comprehend his words. “Door? Which door?”
“That thing!”
What Siezion pointed with its tail was the wall on the side where the ‘frozen night’ was located.
“Are you talking about ‘frozen night’…? It can be opened on its own?” I turned my head towards Idris and Eustave.
“I don’t know anything, Vianne.” Eustave shook his head.
Idris created a dagger using mana. Then, without any hesitation, he threw it into the wall. Just in case, Eustave put a shield in front of me. I also pulled out a handful of my mana and was ready to activate a spell. But nothing happened.
Idris took back his dagger and touched the wall to open the entrance. We immediately felt the cold wind. It didn’t change at all from what I saw last time.
“There’s nothing wrong with it.” I looked at Siezion. “Siezion, what exactly came out from inside? The one who attacked you.” I asked again.
It swam anxiously. “Time, time! It was going to give Siezion time!”
“Time…” I couldn’t understand what it meant. I had no choice but to look at Idris.
“Remember when I told you Siezion had been reborn many times?”
“Yes.”
“At the end of the ancient times, Siezion couldn’t be reborn. Without it, its biological time stopped. That’s why it can be used as a living barrier.”
“…Then giving time back to it…”
“It will be dead.”
Eustave concluded on behalf of me, when I couldn’t finish my sentence.
