The Journey's End (3)
It was pure joy.
Strolling idly along the cobblestones, sharing sweet confections, dabbling in simple amusements along the street—in this world that, compared to modern times, should have felt utterly tedious, everything seemed painted in the vibrant colors of starlight.
Rian. Even the hastily concocted pseudonym sounded adorable on the Child of the Deposed Emperor. The real him, whom I had imagined for so long, differed vastly from my memories of the original novel, but he hadn't disappointed me in the slightest. If anything, this lively, reactive boy was infinitely more charming than the mechanical doll of the original story, who could only think like an automaton and cling desperately to a single woman.
I tended to act shamelessly spoiled around him. Whenever I pushed my whims on him, he would somehow always yield in the end—a habit that felt so uncharacteristic of his stoic nature, yet simultaneously so very him. Seeing him take even one step away from the tragic figure I had pitied in the original novel filled me with deep satisfaction.
"Rian."
"Yes? Did you call for me?"
"Just wanted to say your name. I was bored."
"...I apologize. I do not know how to entertain others."
"Good grief, what utter nonsense are you spouting now?"
Just having you walk beside me is entertaining enough. It's not about the face hidden behind that mask—it's your very existence that brings me joy. After spending this life grinding away like a rusted gear, I've never felt happier than I do right now.
Though, to be fair, few things were quite as entertaining as teasing him.
"I burst into giggles just imagining peeling that mask off you."
"For some reason, I find myself wondering if this is what a harassed maiden feels like."
Rian assumed an awkward posture, arms neither crossed nor uncrossed. It was plain to see that he had instinctively slipped into a defensive stance.
"Harassment, you say... Hmm, harassment. If my partner is Rian... I wouldn't mind that at all. Will you give me permission?"
"How can you utter something so vulgar...?"
"Oh, come on, vulgar? Hurry up and let me hold you in my arms, my little kitten."
"That title—'little kitten'—I beg of you... please cease calling me that."
"Pfft, hehe..."
They say romance fantasy worlds are fundamentally patriarchal, but in moments like this, it worked entirely in my favor. After all, the very concept of a woman sexually harassing a man was so foreign that the prevailing culture didn't even recognize it. That was precisely the fuel that empowered me to boldly advance on Rian.
"I really just want to take a bite out of you."
"Pardon? What did you just..."
Rian asked in a hushed murmur, as if doubting his own ears. Caught off guard myself, I could only give an awkward laugh and ask:
"Did I say that out loud?"
"You did."
Even for me, that crossed from metaphor straight into explicit harassment... Knowing today was our last day must have loosened the filter on my lips.
In that case, the only sensible stance to take here was...
"Well, it can't be helped. Since the cat's out of the bag, can I have a little bite?"
To lay on the shameless brazenness as thick as possible.
"Is that some manner of punishment?"
"It's a reward."
A reward for me, that is.
I wanted to leave little tooth marks everywhere—from his slender fingers up to the nape of his neck, all the way across his collarbones. Only now did I realize just how insidious my repressed desires truly were.
"I sometimes find myself wondering what goes on inside your head, Serin."
"If you're curious, feel free to touch it."
"I am fine. Doing so would hardly allow me to read your thoughts."
"Shouldn't you at least try before jumping to conclusions?"
"Serin...? Ugh."
I boldly caught his delicate, elegant hand and pulled. Lowering my head slightly, I guided his palm to rest gently atop my crown. At once, a warm, tingling illusion swept through me, as if his body heat were trickling down from my scalp, across my face and neck, and straight into my chest.
"It's cozier than I expected."
"..."
As Rian fell silent, I dragged his palm down against my forehead, letting it brush gently over my skin. Next, my cheek pressed into that warm heat, and shifting my center of gravity, I leaned against the curve of his shoulder. Until that very moment, Rian had not breathed a single word.
"Did that satisfy your curiosity a little?"
"I believe I understand even less now."
"That's wonderful in its own way."
An unsolved, tangled riddle always lingers in the mind far longer than an answered problem. If I could become an enigmatic presence permanently etched into Rian's consciousness, that would be quite the achievement. At the very least, he wouldn't be able to forget me easily.
It was only natural that I yearned to remain in his memory for a long time.
To think that I had run into him through such a monumental stroke of chance, when I had believed our thread of fate was utterly severed. Honestly, I was convinced it was destiny—to the point of indulging in the delusion that this was a special reincarnator's perk granted by the universe.
Because throughout my past life and this present one, he had grown into the person most precious to me. Even when I had never once seen his face or heard his voice, he had remained my one and only, always and forever.
"Rian."
"...Yes."
"Are you sulking? Just because I teased you a little? No way, really?"
"Of course not."
Though Rian denied it flatly, it was hard for me to dismiss my suspicions.
"Hmm. As expected, it really is tough to tell with that mask on."
"I am not taking it off."
"Did I ask you to?"
"Someone certainly sounded like she was."
"Aha..."
Right. I had been nagging him about it the entire time. It was my own blunder, a self-inflicted blow for the first time in a while.
Still, look at him, knowing how to counterattack now—he really had changed so much in such a short time. Until recently, his only comebacks were completely inadvertent, like when he bluntly condemned my squats as vulgar.
After pretending to look away for a moment, I spotted a girl selling flowers nearby and bought a single blossom, handing over far more coin than it was worth. Rian watched my unexpected behavior with a puzzled look, seemingly fascinated by the bright smile I offered him in return.
"It's quaint, isn't it? Doesn't seem to be any particular breed, just a simple wildflower."
"She likely gathered whatever bloomed here and there into her basket."
"Still, isn't it pretty?"
Knowing full well he wouldn't understand, I deliberately held the wildflower toward him and casually asked for his opinion.
Ever since meeting Rian, I had developed a habit of paying attention to the little things that usually went unnoticed. And every now and then, I would ask him what he thought of this or how that made him feel.
Every time, polite as ever, Rian would rack his brain and squeeze out a meager reply. He probably didn't understand. Beyond its physical utility, he likely couldn't grasp any other inherent value.
Even so, I wanted to teach him. In the story I observed in my past life, he had lived in a monochrome world—and I wanted him to know that a kaleidoscope of colors could bloom in his vision, too. Seeing him struggle to find an answer, I let out a wry smile.
"Well, I suppose when you're looking at the prettiest thing in the world all by yourself, ordinary flowers could hardly satisfy you."
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"Ahaha."
Your face, silly.
The fact that he was asking out of genuine ignorance felt like pure fantasy. Then again, this was the world of a romance fantasy novel, so perhaps it wasn't so strange after all.
Even beneath the mask, his striking features never failed to arrest my gaze. The golden hair fluttering in the breeze, and those blue eyes that occasionally trembled like an earthquake. They were as yellow as a descending twilight, and as blue as a swelling lake reflecting the open sky. To make a comparison, he was an awe-inspiring jewel—an aquamarine diffusing the luminous grace of an elegant light. Even the barest fragments of his appearance held a beauty far too overwhelming to conceal.
"In this case, ignorance truly is bliss."
"That I should remain ignorant of something concerning myself... strikes me as utterly unreasonable."
"Doesn't it just?"
I agreed lightly.
Unbidden, the early evening at the baron's estate surfaced in my mind—the evening where I had futilely squandered my chance to see Rian's bare face for the first time. The Rian of that night had poured out his raw emotions so fiercely that I wondered if he was even the same person I knew, leaving an indelible memory etched into my heart.
Furthermore, it was the moment that confirmed Rian truly possessed the potential to part ways with the original storyline. Perhaps without his realizing it, his monochrome world was already being washed in a tapestry of colors—the thought struck me like a flash of lightning.
Which only made parting all the more bittersweet.
"The shadows have grown long."
The cruel sky brushed Rian's hair with a faint crimson hue. The setting sun burned with the last dregs of its strength, preparing to greet the pitch-black night. The moment to write the final period on our all-too-brief, joyful journey was rushing upon us.
"You must return, Serin."
"Yes, I suppose I must."
I gave a brief reply and took Rian's hand. His pale hand, bronzed by the fading yellow light, clung to the lingering warmth and showed no sign of letting go. A prickle of jealousy reared its head within me. No matter how much I grieved this parting on my own, to Rian, this was merely seeing off an ordinary woman.
I should be content with this.
It was enough that I had confirmed he was doing well. I trusted that once the battle for the throne was settled, an opportunity would come to summon him formally. For now, I could only place my faith in the destiny of Rian's that I had slightly tangled...
After I've stamped such an impression on him, if he still falls for the original heroine, I'm seriously going to cry.
If that happened, to hell with the exhausting throne. I'd shove the crown straight onto my brother's head and bolt from the Imperial Palace immediately.
While I was absorbed in these rebellious thoughts, the shadows deepened until the night sky enveloped the space above our heads, forcing us to rely on the street lamps. Lost in reverie, I hadn't said a single word—had I made him uncomfortable? Belated guilt began to creep up on me.
Whether Rian noticed my guilt or not, he merely stated in a low voice:
"We have arrived, Serin."
"Right... We're here."
The Imperial Palace stood right before our eyes.
I said nothing.
Instead, I stared directly into Rian's blue eyes, waiting for him to speak first. But even after our prolonged contest of staring, he showed no intention of breaking the silence. In the end, I was the one who gave up first.
"You knew?"
"I did."
"Haha..."
Well, of course he did. Only a fool wouldn't have figured it out. Leading me straight to the gates of the Imperial Palace when I had kept my residence a secret—at some point... no, perhaps from the very beginning, Rian had deduced my identity as an Imperial Princess.
"You're making me dreadfully embarrassed, you know."
"I presumed you did not wish it disclosed."
"Well, look at that. We really are two of a kind."
You didn't want anyone to know you were the Child of the Deposed Emperor, either. That was why you guarded that mask with your very life.
"Was being around me uncomfortable?"
"Not in the slightest."
"What a relief. From watching you all this time, I know Rian doesn't tell lies."
"..."
"You just keep your words to a minimum instead."
"I am aware it is shameless of me to ask for your understanding."
"Why ask for understanding? You haven't made me feel bad even once."
"Is that so? Then I am glad."
After Rian's sigh of relief, we stood motionless in silence for a long time. Was he trying to find the right words of farewell, or searching for some poor excuse? Even I couldn't tell, making it impossible to pass judgment.
"..."
"..."
Step.
He took a pace forward.
I looked up at Rian, tilting my head slightly. His mask leaned closer and closer toward me. Just as I froze in bewilderment at his unforeseen action, a soft, tender warmth touched down briefly on my forehead.
If my instincts were right—it was unmistakably the touch of lips.
"Do not let yourself be kidnapped ever again."
Rian whispered in my ear and softly covered my eyes with his palm. When I blinked a moment later, the hand obscuring my vision had vanished into thin air, and so had Rian's figure. It was as if he had dissolved straight into the darkness.
For a long while, I stood dazed, staring blankly at the empty spot where Rian had just been.
Only when a chilly breeze brushed past did my senses snap back, and I grabbed my head, screaming silently in sheer agony.
Falling to my knees against the cold pavement.
'...A... Ah... Aaaah... AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!'
My ultimate bias, the one I had pined over for over a decade, had kissed me with the lips sleeping beneath that mask, if only for a fleeting instant.
On my forehead—something I had never permitted, something I had never planned to permit.
Heat erupted through my body like an exploding volcano, making my head spin.
"You... you little... enchanting minx..."
I had been so sure I was the one who left an indelible impression on him...
Yet here I was, utterly overwhelmed and defeated by his counterattack.
A gentle, lingering warmth danced across my skin, teasing me.
A brand of remembrance had been decisively burned into my heart.