Chapter 41
Ravian, who had been seriously pondering the true identity of the Northern Grand Duke, suddenly stiffened and widened his eyes.
“What’s wrong, kid?”
“……Uuuh.”
Nina shook her head, her small nose reddening.
She opened her mouth to say it was nothing, but instead, a small sob slipped out.
I remembered.
At last, it came back to her.
She remembered everything else just fine—even the moments right before her death—yet why had she conveniently forgotten only this part?
I really hate you, mister.
It was after the kidnapping incident had been resolved and Hameln had disappeared without a trace.
That was the last thing Nina had said to Ravian when they met again at the palace.
I really hate you. I’ll hate you forever.
She had said it, without a doubt.
And she had meant it.
Because back then, she really did hate him.
She hated that he sent her back to the palace as if nothing had happened.
She hated that, despite promising never to leave her alone, despite being the very first to come looking for her when Hameln kidnapped her, he now tried to abandon her at the palace.
She hated that when she asked him why he had even bothered to come find her in the first place, all he said was that he had time to kill.
“Hey, hey, don’t rub your eyes with those dirty hands…!”
Ravian quickly stopped Nina as she scrubbed her cloudy eyes with both fists.
Nina looked at him with tear-filled eyes and whimpered.
“Huuuuh, I’m sorryyy….”
“No, you don’t need to be sorry to me—”
“I’m sorry, mister, I’m so sorry….”
By the time she regretted having said those words, it had already been too late.
Only after he had fallen into an eternal sleep did she realize everything, and she had regretted it so bitterly.
And yet, she had conveniently forgotten just that part, which made her hate herself all the more.
She couldn’t stop crying.
But Ravian misunderstood her tears.
“Why? What is it? Is it because you lost your shoes? Do you think I’m scolding you about that?”
“Nooo, it’s not thaaat, I’m just, just sorryyy….”
“No, those were cheap… ahem, I was going to buy you all new ones anyway. You think I’m that petty?”
“But I still feel sorry….”
Unable to explain herself, Nina could only keep repeating apologies.
Ravian, staring at her flusteredly, had a complicated look in his eyes.
At times like this, she really is just a kid.
Normally, he hated seeing anyone cry—child or adult. But strangely, he thought he preferred her tears to that too-grown-up expression she sometimes wore.
“Guess you really are just a kid.”
Murmuring softly, Ravian impulsively pressed the back of his hand against Nina’s tear-soaked cheek.
The movement was so natural it startled even him.
Nina blinked her wet eyes wide in surprise at the unexpected touch.
Ravian, about to say something while thinking she looked like a startled little animal, froze stiff.
“…I missed you.”
Golden hair filled his vision.
Nina suddenly threw her arms around him, making his upper body sway for a moment, though that wasn’t the problem.
The problem was the small, trembling warmth wrapped around his neck.
“I really missed you….”
Ravian didn’t move.
His whole body felt paralyzed; only his absinthe-colored eyes trembled helplessly.
It wasn’t because the situation was sudden or uncomfortable.
It wasn’t because his expensive clothes were being ruined by a child’s tears and snot.
It was simply because he never expected Nina to come at him like this.
Until now, Nina had always been bold yet oddly careful in her attitude toward him.
Sometimes she would act spoiled.
She asked him to hold her hand or hug her.
She told him she liked him.
She even shamelessly claimed she came to the casino just to see him.
But all of it had always felt calculated—like she was probing for gaps, not freely revealing her heart.
Which was natural.
Nina was their hostage.
In such a one-sided relationship, the weaker side had no choice but to put on a performance.
And sooner or later, it was bound to end.
A relationship with an expiration date.
That was the only thing Nina and Anna had in common, besides their looks.
That was why Ravian never took Nina’s words or actions too seriously.
At least until this very moment.
“This time, I’ll definitely protect you….”
Crying and clinging to him with words that made no sense, Nina was such a small, fragile thing.
Like a chick dropped into a den of wild dogs.
And yet—what was she relying on, clinging to him so tightly, spouting such strange words?
As if she were certain he would never hurt her.
As if she weren’t worried about being hurt herself, but instead about him getting hurt.
It’s okay, mister.
The dream he had half-awakened from earlier suddenly crossed his mind.
The Nina in that dream had carried the same mood—acting as though it didn’t matter what happened to her, as though even her urging was entirely for his sake.
“You little brat, don’t look down on me too much.”
Grumbling, Ravian wrapped his palm against her small back.
He felt something deep inside him tremble—something long rooted within him, now cracking and breaking apart.
He forced himself to ignore the sensation that something irreversible had just happened.
“Who do you think you are, a scrawny thing like you, saying you’ll protect anyone? And if you keep crying, you’ll just get uglier.”
At the word “uglier,” Nina finally stopped crying and sniffled as she lifted her head.
Ravian squeezed his eyes shut dramatically at her tear-streaked face.
“Ugh, you’re so ugly I can’t even look at you.”
“…Pffft.”
Instead of protesting, Nina let out a small laugh.
Because she remembered what she used to think whenever she visited his bedside, when he seemed like he’d never wake again.
That if he ever opened his eyes, those would be the very first words he’d say to her.
I won’t ever lose you again.
She would never lose him again.
She wouldn’t waste their time together.
She couldn’t, not if she wanted to avoid regretting it like before.
“Mmm, I guess you look a little better now. But you’ve still got a long way to go before you’re as pretty as that lady over there.”
Ravian peeked his eyes open and teased as he pointed toward Sulle.
Her fierce-looking face flushed red.
“Oh my, boss, really….”
“Let me go already…!”
Messi, who had been stuck in Sulle’s grip, staggered to his feet.
Katya, meanwhile, had long since freed herself and was slumped to the side gulping in fresh air.
Her deep blue eyes were blank as she stared dazedly in their direction.
“Wait… anyone got a handkerchief?”
Ravian, patting his inner pocket, asked casually.
A leather-masked subordinate crawled over on his knees to offer one.
“Ah, thanks—”
Ravian cut himself off, glaring at the neatly folded leather handkerchief as if he might shred it to pieces.
With an air like he might tear the subordinate’s own face off next, the man in the mask quickly withdrew.
“Tsk. Useless, every damn one of you….”
Clicking his tongue, Ravian simply wiped Nina’s face with his bare hand.
A mournful silence fell.
Everyone, Nina included, seemed dazed.
Of course, Nina was the first to recover.
“Mister, that’s gross….”
“I washed my hands before I came here, okay?”
“No, I mean your hand—”
“Just stay still.”
