n

n

n“……I like you?”

nA cold and dark voice.

nThe mood sank sharply. Dalia felt it, too, and noticed Hikan.

nHikan roughly put her off his shoulder. Dalia sank to the floor.

nShe sat down and looked up at his face from below.

nHikan’s face was colder than usual and had no warmth at all. She couldn’t even find out where the warm atmosphere just went.

n“Dalia.”

n“Yes, yes?”

nDalia replied in surprise.

n“I told you before, didn’t I? There’s no way I’ll like you.”

n

n

nHikan, still not looking at her, said in a cold voice.

n“You’re nothing to me.”

n“……”

n“Don’t forget that.”

nShe really didn’t say anything and didn’t even open her mouth, but she was suddenly given a warning. Dalia blinked in confusion.

n‘Who said anything?’

nI’ve never thought like that before, but I don’t know why I get mistaken when talking to myself. (*t

/n: sorry, not too sure about this part)

nThe atmosphere that was good just now is completely broken.

nBet that 10 years later, she will feel so stupid when she recalled herself feeling sentimental thinking about him.

nSomehow she felt heat surge from her heart. Dalia forced a smile.

n“……Yes, brother.”

n‘I hope you stepped on the banana peel on the road and broke both knees.’

nDalia gets up and brushes off the hem of her dress, while constantly imagining it in her head. Then she passed Hikan and went up to the carriage first on her own.

nOriginally, Dalia’s seat was in the direction of the coachman, but this time she sat on the opposite side. There was also less motion sickness and it was a seat for the head. It was Dalia’s little rebellion.

n‘No matter how narrow-minded you are, you won’t kill your sister for sitting at the seat for the head.’

nHikan also hopped into the carriage without a word.

nHe would have known that she was sitting at his place, but he said nothing. He really seemed to at least have a little conscience.

nThe carriage set off.

nFor a long time even after the departure, both Hikan and Dalia looked out the window. She feels that it’s unfair.

n‘I really didn’t do anything.’

nWhen I was in the study last time, I was even caught carrying a strange book.

n‘Or I don’t know if you’re mad at me for being a nuisance.’

nIt was strange because the atmosphere was nice and then suddenly it became scary. I didn’t know the reason, so it was hard to deal with it.

nI feel like I’m back to square one. So, can I safely say goodbye to my brother?

nCrack.

nThen, suddenly, there was a sound of something breaking in the carriage.

nIt sounded a little similar to the sound that Hikan made when he held the handle, as if it were breaking.

nNo, it’s a little bit more than that.

nCrack.

nThe second sound.

nHikan, who was looking out the window, responded to the sound and looked at Dalia.

nShe also stared blankly at Hikan.

n‘Don’t tell me?

nCrack crack.

nThe third sound.

nI think I’ve heard somewhere that the strength of the transcendent was enormous enough to break the handle of the carriage in half.

nShe raised her hand and saw the handle she held.

nThe hard wooden handle was cracked in half along the long side.

nShe turned back to see how far the crack went.

nThat was a mistake.

nThe crack stretched over from the handle to the wall behind the carriage.

nAs soon as Dalia turned around, the back wall of the carriage, that had been holding her back with its weight, opened wide along the crack.

nAt the same time, Dalia had the illusion that her body was floating.

nSadly, the couch on which Dalia sat was also close to the back wall.

nAs if the door were opening, the carriage couch, where Dalia was sitting, was torn out along with the back wall and fell backward.

nThe outside wind, leaking through the gap, scratched Dalia’s cheek badly.

n“Ahhhhhh!”

nDalia grasped the back of the couch with both hands.

nEvery time the horse stomped, the couch shook backwards and Dalia’s body also shook. If I made a mistake, I thought I would be thrown out there.

nThere was only one person who came to mind now.

nI was resentful just now, but now that the situation has come to this, he was the only one I could think of.

nShe looked at Hikan with only her head turned, while holding the back of the couch tightly.

n“Br-brother!”

nIn the chaotic situation, she met Hikan’s eyes.

nIf he pulls Dalia out of here, she can live. She unknowingly reached out to him in the midst of the shaking.

nAnd he.

nDalia looked into his eyes.

nShe couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

nAn ominous feeling engulfed her mind.

n‘Why did I believe that brother will save me?’

nHe hates Dalia.

nWhy does he have to do that?

nReally, would she be of use to him?

nEnough to reach out to her in this situation?

nMaybe the hate is bigger in his heart?

nThen the rattling back wall fell off completely.

nThe couch also reclined back. She could see the sky outside, which was not supposed to be seen indoors.

nAll that’s left is to fall.

n‘No, what kind of ending is this?’

nDalia smiled in vain.

nJust in case, I held out my hand like a fool, I must be out of my mind.

nShe raised her head.

nI saw Hikan. I made eye contact with him.

n“Ah…”

nI wanted to say something, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. I just thought I was going to die now.

nAt that moment a cold hand grabbed Dalia’s hand.

nAs she felt the shock as if her arm was falling out, she felt her body pulled toward Hikan.

nHis other hand caught Dalia’s back. It was as if he had been hugged by Hikan.

n‘Did you save me?’

nIn an instant my heart was filled with relief. My head was spinning.

nDalia loses her consciousness.

n* * *

nNot knowing whether it was a dream or reality, many thoughts passed through Dalia’s head.

nAmong them were meaningful thoughts, meaningless thoughts, happy thoughts, unhappy thoughts, joyful thoughts, and depressing thoughts.

nOf course even if she pretends she didn’t know, Hikan saved her.

nMaybe it’s because he thinks that she, who has the name of Pesteros, is useful? But I was glad that he saved me. I lived because of that.

nShe thought that if one day he would become the final villain, she would only help him once. Just once.

nOf course, he will never try to get help, but she will help him once.

nThen his expression would be worth seeing.

nPreparations to escape will continue.

n‘Good sister, good sister.’

nDalia hooked on the word and kept thinking it over and over again.

nOnce her consciousness returned, she opened her eyes wide.

nShe was lying in bed in her room. Her heart was pounding as if she had been crushed with a paralyzing nightmare.

nHikan was sitting beside her bed.

nHis eyes looked down at Dalia, cold as the winter sea.

nHe was a man of no possibility. She was originally the one who wandered between dream and reality. His good looks added more to the confusion. (*t

/n: not sure about the first part)

nBefore his lips even moved, Dalia first raised her upper body and put her back upright.

nAnd stared him straight in the eye.

nStill in a flood of confused thoughts, she didn’t even know what she was doing.

nThen she clasped his hand with both of her hands and said in a daze manner.

n“……Even if brother hates me, I will like brother. “

nOh, I said it wrong. I have to tell him I’ll help him.

nLeaving that word behind, she fainted again.

n* * *

nHikan looked back at Dalia, who had fainted. He realized that his hands were shaking a little as he tried to touch his forehead.

nHe still felt the vivid feeling in his heart with what she had said while looking straight at him. The feeling of the hands that she held tightly.

n‘You knew.’

nBefore he caught Dalia falling from the carriage, he hesitated.

nAnd Dalia Pesteros knew that Hikan hesitated.

n‘I thought you were just not thinking about it.’

nSince when did she know? That he hates her. You knew that, but you kept smiling whenever you saw me?

nNo matter how scared and poorly she behaves, she always looks straight at him.

n“Even if brother hates me, I will like brother.”

nAnd she said it while looking at him in the eye without changing her expression.

nHe felt a headache coming.

nThe moment Dalia fell, he thought. He can just let her die like this. Does he have to save her?

nHe didn’t want her to make him waver anymore. He never wanted to have any hope for his family again.

nBut the Emperor said his feelings were shaken because of her. His head may say that it can’t be, but the Emperor’s ability to read emotions couldn’t be wrong.

n

n

nHe really hates to admit it, but this is something that has to be done.

nWhen Dalia got on the carriage, he was taken aback when she turned away from him, when he thought that she would naturally hold his hand.

nAnd he was even more bewildered by the fact that he was taken aback for that reason.

nOriginally, he intended to get rid of her right away when he returned to this family. But he couldn’t.

nDid he have a weak heart because she is related to him by blood? He might have thought that since she was his only sister.

nIf so, he can get rid of that kind of mind. All he has to do is let her fall.

nWhen he saw her falling, he thought so.

nBut in the end, he couldn’t let it go and grabbed her hand. Did Dalia Pesteros read all that ugly agony and hesitation?

nHe stared at the sleeping Dalia’s face for a long time. When she wakes up……how should he treat her from now on?

nHe was confused.

n