23rd Rule, Heartfelt Feelings to the Collapsing Rio (3)
♥Rio♥
A flash of memories surged through my mind like a montage.
It was from the time I'd come back hurt by my senior. The teacher's kind words that had wrapped me in warmth.
"Phew... thank goodness... I was really worried something had happened to you."
"You did the right thing. It was an unavoidable choice to protect your body, wasn't it, miss?"
"No matter what others say or what the situation is, I'm always on your side."
Looking back, the teacher had always been in my corner. Those warm words had been a great comfort even after my senior betrayed me.
The teacher would always soothe me, saying it was okay to quit anytime if it got too hard. Unlike other guys who only lusted after my body, he put my feelings first.
But why do we only realize such genuine hearts after it's too late to turn back?
Thud.
A heavy weight collapsed powerlessly into my arms.
The teacher dropped to his knees and sank to the floor. At the same time, my heart plummeted to the ground.
Only then did I start regretting every single thing I'd done to him.
From forcibly restraining him to snapping at him right up to the end.
Tears blurred my vision, so I couldn't see the teacher's face.
Still, I hugged him tight with all my strength to keep him from falling.
Then, through my hazy sight, I spotted something behind his back—a sharp, metal needle-like dart embedded there.
With trembling hands, I stroked down his back and asked,
"T-Teacher, are you okay?"
At that moment, he spat blood from his mouth and struggled to speak.
......Cough.
"Rio... you're not hurt, right?"
"......Y-Yeah... I'm... I'm fine... thanks to you, Teacher..."
A strained smile on his lips. Eyes half-closed but gazing steadily at me.
Wah!
The tears I'd held back poured out again.
He got hurt because of me, yet instead of scolding me, the teacher was worrying about me.
"......Idiot... Teacher's a real idiot... Hic!"
If I'd known it would come to this, I never would've acted on impulse like that. I should've cherished him more...
Feeling his heartbeat fading as I held him, I looked around desperately for what to do.
I saw Raven and Swan staring this way, their faces full of shock.
It was all my fault.
Ordering Swan to block Raven. Refusing to believe the teacher to the end.
All of it stemmed from my selfish greed to have him all to myself.
As the despair filling me twisted into deep regret,
I resolved to pay the price for my actions.
♥Raven♥
"Damn it..."
A sigh heavy with regret.
Swan's triumphant smirk from moments ago crumbled in an instant.
Her gaze fixed on the man coughing up blood with her dart lodged in him—and Rio sobbing as she clutched him.
Under the pretext of stopping an intruder, she'd destroyed something her employer treasured more than her own life.
Clink.
The darts slipped powerless from Swan's hand and rolled across the floor.
Her battle spirit utterly shattered.
I halted the fight and looked toward Miss Rio.
Thankfully, the man had thrown himself in the way, so she was unharmed. But he'd taken a fatal wound in the process.
Suddenly, Swan's voice came from behind.
"......Looks like the mission ends here."
Only now did she mutter quietly, finally grasping what she'd done.
Swan was undoubtedly a skilled fighter who'd pushed me hard.
But in the end, she'd endangered her employer. As a bodyguard, that made her a failure.
I turned my back on the dazed woman and rushed to Miss Rio.
"Raven... what do I do? It's because of me that Teacher..."
"Hold on. Let me check him."
I took the slave from Miss Rio and examined his body carefully.
Thick blood spilling from his mouth. A faint pulse barely detectable. Lips turning blue.
His condition was dire.
And then—
Hack!
Periodic coughs mixed with bloody foam. Without immediate first aid, his life was in jeopardy.
"Teacher can't die like this..."
......What a reckless woman.
Swan threw the dart, but Miss Rio was the one who'd led to this mess.
She'd apparently worked the guy nonstop late into the night. Now that she'd dragged him into danger, she wanted him to live?
"......I'm sorry... I'm really sorry!"
......
But no time to dwell on the contradictions now. I decided to rush him to the village clinic first.
Every minute, every second was critical.
As I hoisted him up to leave Miss Rio's house,
"Rio... miss."
The man in my arms slowly extended his handcuffed hands toward her.
Miss Rio, tears dripping to the floor, hurriedly clasped them.
Then, very slowly, his parched, cracked lips parted.
Hack... cough!
Red bloody foam surged out with every breath.
Even breathing looked agonizing, but he forced the corners of his mouth up into a smile.
"I... won't die... okay...? So... don't worry... miss."
At those words, Miss Rio burst into sobs again.
Honestly, I was more than a little surprised.
I knew he wasn't a bad guy at heart. But to worry about others first in a life-or-death crisis like this?
No ordinary willpower could manage that.
Cough!
As I marveled, his body convulsed violently again.
"......Miss, I'll take him to the clinic now."
No time for sentiment. We had to get him to the clinic.
Any more delay and he'd—
As I hurried for the door,
Squeeze.
Miss Rio, still gripping his hand tightly, approached and whispered softly into his face,
"Teacher... my name is Hyo-eun."
......!
Her words made me and Swan behind me flinch simultaneously.
"M-Miss... revealing personal info in the village is strictly prohib—"
Flustered by her sudden act, I tried to stop her urgently, but
"I know that much. So don't stop me... Raven."
......
Miss Rio's eyes were resolute. She cupped his bloodied cheek gently with her hand.
"Even if I disappear, you have to remember my name, okay? Don't ever forget it for the rest of your life. Got it?"
With that, she pressed her lips to his cracked ones.
After that farewell kiss that felt so final, I carried him and sprinted full speed to the clinic.
By the time we arrived,
"Hyo... eun..."
......
Hearing Miss Rio's real name from his lips, I involuntarily bowed my head.
In Dia Village, with its ironclad security,
mentioning one's real name
was as good as breaking a major taboo that could get you exiled from the village.
♥Hyo-eun♥
From the moment I decided to claim the teacher for myself, I'd braced for the fact I couldn't stay in this village forever.
The sisters here were all chaebol daughters raised in luxury.
Stricter than anyone about the rules. The type to lose all reason in a rage.
So if I tried to monopolize the teacher, I'd get chased out eventually.
It just happened to be today.
No regrets about telling him my name.
If he remembers it, nothing could make me happier right now.
Gazing at the teacher and Raven receding into the distance, Swan approached and bowed deeply.
"Miss... I'm sorry. Because of me, he..."
The infamous tough Swan, so deflated.
......Normally, I'd be furious.
But not now. My heart felt strangely calm.
I stroked my slightly bulging belly, full of the teacher's seed, and forced a smile.
"It's okay, Swan... Thanks to you, I realized something important."
If not for Swan's dart, I'd have hated the teacher forever.
That one mistake made me see my own wrongs. I might've even died without understanding his heart.
So I forgave Swan. I'd gained more than I'd lost because of her.
Of course, she'd pay for hurting the teacher.
Swish.
I scooped up the teacher's hot seed trickling down my thigh and pushed it back in. Then, I gently covered my precious place, brimming with his love, to keep any more from leaking.
The warmth on my hand was still fresh.
Maybe because of the heavy fullness in my lower belly. Relief washed over me that his trace lived on inside me.
"Swan. If it's not too much trouble, could you grab a waterproof patch from downstairs?"
"......Pardon?"
"I finally received so much love from the one I like. It'd be a shame to let it spill."
So the excessive love the teacher gave me... I'll cherish it all, not letting even a drop escape.
"......Understood."