WICE 28

#28.

I became fully aware of reality. He was relying on me. It felt like he was trying to fill the emptiness inside him with my presence.

This isn’t how things are supposed to be.

In my mind, I kept telling myself to push him away, to end it here—but actually doing it was excruciating.

I shouldn’t have let my greed take over. I should’ve sent him off to the magic academy, called off the engagement, and run far away. If I had done that, I wouldn’t have ended up taking the place meant for Viena, and Allen wouldn’t be in such pain.

I regretted dismissing his feelings as mere curiosity.

I felt like I had ruined everything. I was about to burst into tears. It was too painful—having to push him away again, and him being hurt all over again.

Don’t be greedy, Kim Sohee. Never forget that your world isn’t here, it’s in Korea. You need to let go of this hand and tell him it’s over—right now.

I must not waver here. Allen’s rightful match wasn’t me—it was Viena. Now that I fully realized I had taken her place, I needed to remove myself from this story.

I wasn’t meant to be in the ending of this tale. For Allen to be happy, Viena had to be by his side—not me. I was someone destined to disappear anyway.

It was so painful. Why had I been so foolish until he fell in love with me? I should’ve acted colder, drawn a clearer line.

No—maybe if Guinness had come to me sooner and explained the rules of this world, things might’ve turned out differently. But even then, I knew he had done his best, so I couldn’t even blame him.

Why is it that everyone who wishes for my happiness ends up like this? I held back my tears as much as I could and said firmly, even now, I needed to push him away—and he needed to let go of me.

“I’m not your possession. And neither are you mine.”

“……”

“Please be more careful with your behavior from now on. Even if we are engaged, I won’t tolerate you forcing your will on me like this anymore.”

Allen’s trembling hand stiffened. The grip on my arm tightened involuntarily. When he lifted his head, his expression was sharper and colder than ever—his eyes pierced right through my heart.

“…Ha.”

A scoff I couldn’t decipher escaped his emotionless lips. I shivered slightly as I saw the unfamiliar look on his face and the strange glint in his eyes. Allen rose and turned his back to me.

A deep, cold ache spread through my chest. It felt like he was drifting far, far away from me. Unconsciously, I reached out with a trembling hand to stop him.

“Allen…”

“Don’t touch me.”

Allen coldly blocked my hand. And I was relieved. The hand that reached out faltered and fell to the floor.

The air in the room became heavier and colder than before. Without even turning around, Allen declared,

“This is the end of your unnecessary meddling. I hope you’ll forgive my past rudeness.”

And just like that, Allen left.

That day, after Allen left, I cried a lot. I was overwhelmed with sorrow at how things had turned out—and I was disgusted with myself. I mocked the old me who had once confidently said I’d make him happy.

I didn’t know how to piece together this scattered puzzle with the time I had left. My tangled emotions brought me to tears.

What should I do? I really don’t know.

Roni had canceled her plans with Gail and spent a long time in bed, full of self-blame. She knew blaming herself wouldn’t solve anything, but it was hard to pull herself together.

Still, she resolved not to dwell too much on what had already happened. Knowing things were going off course, she was almost glad Iyan ended up dancing with her.

Guinness had come by and told her that Allen had asked Viena to dance. No one knew why Allen had suddenly chosen Viena, but everything was going according to plan.

All that remained was to carefully piece together the puzzle that had shifted slightly out of place. Guinness said nothing more and quietly left.

She should’ve been happy things were going as planned, but she wasn’t. Allen’s cold eyes and pained expression from the night before kept haunting her.

She couldn’t forget the hand he rejected and the sight of him walking away coldly. Roni shook her head, trying to erase Allen from her mind.

Gail, sitting across the table, looked annoyed. He’d been trying to talk to her, but she hadn’t been listening.

“Noona, are you even listening?”

“Ah, sorry. What were you saying?”

Roni snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Gail. He sighed but spoke again, his face blushing.

“It’s about Lady Sharon Bernick…”

“Yeah? What about her?”

“Does she… already like someone? I mean, she’s not engaged yet…”

‘…Huh? What kind of development is this?’

Roni stared blankly at Gail, who looked like a shy boy in love.

Wasn’t Gail supposed to have a political marriage? In the original comic, he and Sharon never crossed paths. They must’ve only met by chance—and yet he fell for her already?

She was surprised at Gail’s sudden interest in a girl, especially since he’d never shown any before. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Just then, their father, Leo Sharligan, who had been silently eating, suddenly spoke up.

“I was worried because he never showed interest in women, but I guess he’s not impotent.”

‘Dad! Why would you say that about your own son?!’

Roni tried not to laugh at Leo’s absurd comment. Her mother, Irene Sharligan, chuckled and responded,

“I suppose we should formally request an engagement with the Bernick family. Haha. It’s spring for our little Gail too.”

Gail’s face turned beet red from embarrassment. He really did wear his emotions on his sleeve.

Roni couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. Gail glared at her, but she couldn’t stop. Just moments ago, she’d been depressed about Allen—but now, thanks to this, she felt a little better.

Leo looked at Irene and said, a bit worried,

“But if Lady Sharon doesn’t have a fiancé yet, maybe it’s because she doesn’t want one.”

“Oh dear, that means our Gail is starting a difficult love.”

“…Mother, Father, please stop.”

Gail looked at them, begging for mercy, but it only made them tease him more. The cheerful atmosphere at the table brought a natural smile to Roni’s face.

‘He’s actually kind of cute.’

And somehow, she found herself watching the family from a distance—as if she were an observer. They were a truly warm and close-knit family.

“Well then, should we start with a dance proposal to Lady Sharon? She won’t be able to refuse a formal request between noble houses.”

“A brilliant idea, my dear. You are wise as always.”

“Oh stop it, you.”

Gail looked pleased at the idea of asking Sharon to dance, but pretended otherwise, clearing his throat awkwardly and asking them to stop.

Roni watched him with a fond smile.

Yeah, Gail. Be happy. So you won’t feel lonely when your sister is gone.

The last day of the festival arrived. Roni was on her way to the final event with Iyan as her escort. He seemed more nervous than usual.

“Nervous?”

“A little. More than anything, I’m anxious that Allen hasn’t said anything.”

Iyan felt very uneasy. He had heard from Hadelio that Allen had probably found out, and had prepared a ton of excuses in advance.

But Allen behaved normally. Though he’d become colder than before, he hadn’t caused any trouble.

Then he heard Allen had asked Viena to be his partner. Allen had always seemed fixated on Roni, so this sudden interest in Viena felt suspicious.

Roni wasn’t saying much either, which suggested something had happened—but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Surprisingly, Roni seemed calm. Even though she was in a situation where she might realize her fiancé wasn’t actually interested in her, she looked the same as always. The only difference was her outfit.

Unlike her usual neat and modest attire, she was wearing a red dress suited for the festival—it was quite alluring. Since she normally didn’t dress up, he didn’t know where to look.

Being alone with her in an enclosed space felt awkward for Iyan. Then, Roni broke the silence.

“I wonder how Gail is doing.”

“Oh, I heard he asked Sharon to dance. He must’ve been desperate, suggesting it so directly.”

“Yeah. It’s because he’s a ‘mosol.’”

“Mosol?”

“Oh, uh, I mean—he’s never dated before.”

Roni realized she had accidentally used a word that didn’t exist in this world and tried to cover it up. Iyan looked puzzled but didn’t pry further.

Then, concerned about his younger sister, Iyan cautiously asked,

“…What kind of person is Gail?”