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Chapter 123

Translator: Yonnee

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"What pushed me to cross dimensions was the Emperor's order. Since Seo-yoon kept crossing dimensions, the Emperor became worried. He wondered what would happen if she never returned to the Empire. Moreover, because of his only son, he was constantly concerned that he was an Esper without a Guide. It was all too clear, given how Espers without Guides end up."

While he spoke, he occasionally glanced in my direction.

"That's why I decided to cross over to where the Saintess was. I had already gotten hints from her words, even if she didn't think I knew."

"So, that's why you crossed over."

"Yes, but I was deceived by Seo-yoon. At first, she assured me that she could send me back... but that woman broke her promise and stood behind the government, trying to control me."

His words left me stunned. It was the first time I had heard this story. I had thought that Ciel was considered by the government as a valued Esper, so I never expected that it was like this.

"It was incredibly challenging for me to adapt to life in Korea, coming from a strictly class-based society. Moreover, when they tried to forcibly make me imprint with Seo-yoon without my consent, I thought I could never return to the Stern Empire anymore."

Taking in a deep breath, he continued.

"Just when I was about to give up, I met you."

His gaze, which had been fixed on empty space, shifted to me. His blue eyes gleamed with a sharpness that was different from before.

It was the same gaze I had grown accustomed to in the past.

"Back then, I didn't trust you either. You were a soldier, and I thought you were one of the government's people."

I felt that at first, too, that he had regarded me as an enemy. I sympathized with him.

I had never sympathized with him before, but right now, I wanted to soothe his weary heart.

I reached out and held his hand, only with pure friendship, excluding all the desperate love we once had in the past.

I gently patted the back of his hand with my fingers, just like how Dad would with Mom.

In response, his widened eyes stared down at me, a gesture of gratitude.

"...Thank you."

His eyes welled up with tears.

"Have you always been this much of a crybaby?"

"...Haha."

He let out a soft chuckle, covering his face halfway with his other hand.

"Yeah. I didn't know I had so many tears in me."

My words, delivered with composure, seemed to lighten the mood a bit. I wanted to wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, on which such a heavy burden had been placed. I just felt like doing it.

Perhaps from sharing our vanished past, we could start building a better relationship. Our desired relationships might differ, but at this moment, I wanted to convey words that no one else could say.

"You've been through so much, Ciel."

As I spoke, his fingertips trembled, and the trembling soon spread throughout his body. His shoulders quivered, and I soon heard him sniffling.

In hindsight, he had also come to an unknown place at a relatively young age and endured it all alone, just as I had lost my family and survived on my own.

I felt a sense of camaraderie. It was as if a bond was forming, a bond I couldn't have felt even if we had lived as a family in the past. I reached out and pulled his large frame into an embrace.

Just like my mom used to do when I was a child, I shared warmth and patted his back. It was as if I was comforting his heart, understanding and empathizing with his tough journey.

He couldn't stop crying for quite some time. I continued to pat his back in silence, waiting patiently until his tears completely subsided. It was as if he was letting out all the remaining emotions from his past.

"Ha... Really..."

He took a deep breath and finally raised his head. The face that I always thought of as a cold handsome man was now flushed red.

Among the redness, his eyes and the tip of his nose were so red that even calling him Rudolph's friend wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Unconsciously, I burst into laughter.

"Pfft."

"Haa..."

He wiped his face several times with both hands. After roughly wiping his face with a gesture filled with irritation and embarrassment, he suddenly hugged me tightly. It was like he was going to squeeze me, but then he pushed me away gently.

Then, he looked at me with a serious expression.

"...You've been through a lot, too."

The moment I heard those words, laughter escaped from me for some reason. I smiled brightly, showing my teeth. The look on his face at that moment might be something I'd remember for the rest of my life.

Oh, so when people fall in love, they make such expressions...

Ironically, it was the expression I had liked the most from his face...

...Which I had been seeing all along.