Chapter 28
The moment Castian saw me, his face went deathly pale.
Before I could even think of what to say, I realized I was lying in his arms.
I didn’t even have time to protest—What are you doing right now?—before an unbearably bitter taste flooded my mouth.
“Ugh! Pffft, pfft! What is this?!”
“Don’t spit it out. You have to swallow it.”
“It’s way too bitter, I can’t! Is this poison or something?”
“It’s a mana supplement. Lydia, please, swallow it.”
Castian begged with a face that looked on the verge of tears.
Honestly, if it were just poison, I might have forced myself to drink it for his sake, but the medicine he gave me was far, far too bitter.
I jerked my head away, dodging the vial, and shouted:
“Your Grace, wait a minute. Why on earth would I need a mana supplement?!”
“You’re bleeding!”
Castian shouted back, and then I finally understood what misunderstanding he was under.
“I’m not suffering mana depletion. I’m really fine.”
“Then why are you nosebleeding?”
Because I hit myself with a lamp, that’s why—and your medicine tastes like poison.
It was too embarrassing to admit the truth, so I averted my gaze.
Still unwilling to give up, Castian pressed the vial to my lips again.
“Even if you’re fine, just drink it. There’s no harm in taking it.”
“The taste is too horrible. I don’t want it.”
I grumbled as I sat up in his arms.
Another trickle of nosebleed ran down annoyingly.
While I wiped it away with my sleeve, he let out a sigh, wearing the face of a tragic hero.
No matter how pitiful he looked, I just couldn’t drink that.
Was it really not poison? The moment it touched my tongue it tasted like death itself.
I pressed my lips tightly shut in defiance. Finally, instead of the vial, he handed me a handkerchief.
“You’re really not suffering mana depletion, right?”
I rolled up the cloth and stuck it in my nose as I answered:
“I told you, I’m fine.”
He stared at me, his brow still creased with tension.
He looked doubtful, but since I was so lively in my resistance, he seemed to decide to believe me.
Even so, he still placed the vial in my hand.
“If anything feels wrong, drink it immediately.”
I doubted I’d ever drink it, but out of respect for his feelings, I nodded obediently.
“By the way, Your Grace, what are you doing here?”
“I was looking for you. What about you—what were you doing here?”
I instantly regretted asking, but it was too late.
His gaze flicked between the lamp I was holding and the underground crypt behind me.
“Did my mother take you to the crypt?”
So smart. His deduction skills were practically Conan-level.
I rolled my eyes to avoid his gaze.
Elicia hadn’t said it was a secret exactly, but it wasn’t something I could just talk about.
He pressed again when I didn’t answer.
“You went there, didn’t you? What happened?”
A lot happened.
I met your father, learned you’re adopted, and heard from your mother that you mustn’t marry me.
My head was a tangled mess, but once I sorted it out, it wasn’t as complicated as it seemed.
Elicia hadn’t exactly doused me with water to make me leave Castian’s side, after all.
She’d only said what she said because she thought we were lovers. But that wasn’t true—it was all fake.
I was just the cliché self-insert who secretly adored the male lead.
It’s not like Castian was begging me to marry him. So why was I so shaken?
Right. Thinking of it that way, nothing had really changed.
Well… except for one thing.
Lady Bernstein had agreed to become my guardian.
See? That was good news!
“Lydia?”
While I was sorting through my thoughts, Castian called to me worriedly.
Since I hadn’t responded and was just lost in thought, he looked concerned.
I curved my lips into a bright smile.
“Nothing happened.”
“Lydia. It’s fine, so tell me the truth. If my mother—”
“The Duchess has agreed to be my guardian.”
I cut him off with my answer.
The last thing I wanted was to add pointless misunderstandings between two people already so far apart.
His eyes widened in surprise.
“A guardian?”
“Yes. Isn’t that great?”
When I smiled even more brightly, he didn’t press further.
“Yes… that’s good. Let’s return to the room. There’s something I need you to do.”
As he said this, he naturally tried to lift me into his arms.
I’d let him carry me whenever I was unwell before, but now it didn’t feel so easy.
So I discreetly avoided his hand and started walking first.
Back in the room, I pulled out the handkerchief. The nosebleed had already stopped.
Finally, the crease in Castian’s brow disappeared.
As always, he was the only one who worried about me.
That made me both happy and a little sad.
To shake off my thoughts, I asked in a bright tone:
“What should I do?”
He hesitated a moment, then spoke as though making a heavy decision.
“Lydia, undo the Soul-Binding Ritual.”
Too many shocking things were happening tonight.
Now he wanted me to undo the ritual?
Since his very life was tied to it, I immediately shook my head.
“No, Your Grace. Is this because I had a nosebleed earlier? I swear it wasn’t from mana depletion. It wasn’t because of the ritual.”
“Not today, but what if something like before happens again? It’s best to stop now.”
“But you gave me this! If it gets hard, I’ll drink it. What if you regret rushing this decision?”
“My soul is whole. From the moment my heart began beating again, it has been so.”
“But Lord Marcus said—”
“I’m truly fine, Lydia.”
Even when I tried bringing up Marcus, or waving the mana supplement, Castian’s resolve didn’t waver.
Castian wasn’t one to act on whims.
If he said this much, it meant he really was fine.
If the ritual was no longer needed, that should’ve been good news.
He wouldn’t have to rely on dark magic anymore, and he’d be free from its restrictions.
So I should have been happy… but I wasn’t.
Yes, part of me still worried about “what if,” but deeper down, I knew: the ritual was the only excuse I had to stay by his side.
I sulked with selfish disappointment, until Castian smiled gently.
“I made you suffer too long because I couldn’t make up my mind. I’m sorry.”
Well, of course he’d been cautious—his life was at stake.
But why did he have to be so kind even in a moment like this, making my heart waver again?
Unable to resist anymore, I asked one last time:
“You’re really okay?”
He nodded slowly.
A brief hesitation flickered over his face, but when he opened his eyes again, only firm resolve remained.
I inhaled deeply, gathering mana into my core.
Violet energy gathered at my fingertips, resonating with the magic clinging to his soul.
I opened my mouth to recite the spell—but my hand froze.
Castian looked puzzled.
“Something wrong?”
Yes. Me.
I’d held it in before Elicia, I’d held it in when I fell down the stairs, but why now, at this moment, did I feel like crying?
Why was I so scared and confused about my own heart?
What would happen to me now? Was this the end of the useless necromancer?
Couldn’t I just stay by his side, without dreaming of being a duchess or anything more?
“Lydia?”
Sensing something, Castian approached me.
I sniffled back tears and asked:
“Your Grace, even if I undo the ritual, we’ll still be friends, right?”
“Friends?”
“Yes. You said you’d be my friend, remember? Don’t you?”
“…Did I?”
“You did. No take-backs now.”
Castian looked at me with a complicated expression, torn between disbelief and sadness.
I couldn’t read it well—my feelings were too jumbled.
Nervously, I waited for his answer.
After a long silence, he pressed his large hand gently on my head, stroking my hair.
“If that is what you want, then yes.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
The promise instantly lifted my mood.
The tears dried up, a smile broke out, and I almost laughed.
Was it okay for emotions to swing this wildly?
When I started grinning like a fool, Castian chuckled softly too.
It looked slightly bittersweet, but I pretended not to notice.
I didn’t dare ask—what if he said it was because he didn’t want to be my friend?
Instead, I gathered mana again and reached toward him.
“To grant you complete freedom.”
I chanted the words, and the magic binding his soul withdrew.
Castian stood still, unmoving.
Panicked, I waved my hand before his eyes.
“Your Grace, are you okay? Your soul’s still intact, right?”
Without a word, he reached out and clasped my hand.
“My soul, and my heart, are both whole.”
Relief should’ve made me dance, but his vivid blue eyes locked onto mine and refused to let go.
He gazed at me for a long moment, then slowly closed his eyes.
And then he pressed a long, lingering kiss to the back of my hand.
