<Chapter 5>
It was because of my brother.
As you know, Just Out of Reach is a “romance fantasy.” As the genre suggests, fantasy elements were scattered throughout the story, and one of them was the unique ability possessed by each protagonist’s family.
As you might expect, our family line had long been known as “fire mages.”
It might sound obnoxious, but it was an innate ability passed down through the Valerian bloodline — those with red hair and eyes. There was even a running joke that Valerians were born breathing fire.
And that, of course, meant we could freely control fire.
“I’ll go check the second floor hall. You two must be exhausted today, so please rest.”
The downside, however, was that when emotions ran high, it became difficult to control that ability.
And since my brother had just gone through an engagement ceremony only to have it immediately fall apart, he seemed to be in deep depression.
To be fair, the flames themselves weren’t truly dangerous. Since they weren’t created with intent to harm, they weren’t hot and didn’t burn objects.
But to regular servants, they were more than enough to induce fear.
“Miss, thank you. In that case, could you check the stairs this time…?”
“Lead me that way.”
That’s why I took it upon myself to go around extinguishing the flames — partly for the sake of the staff, and partly as a show of regret to our parents, who must have been distressed by the drama my brother and I had caused.
After putting out the last of the flames, I headed toward my brother’s room.
When I opened the door, the scene was exactly what I’d expected. Intense heat filled the room, and the sharp stench of alcohol hit me first.
“What the hell is all this?”
The floor was completely ablaze, like it was the very pits of hell.
I pinched my nose with one hand and began sluggishly brushing away the flames with one foot as I made my way forward.
I pulled the curtains aside and flung the window open.
“Get a grip, big brother.”
He was slumped against the bed, sitting on the floor.
His red hair was a mess across his face, and his once-sparkling eyes were now void of light. His chapped lips were muttering something over and over.
He was the perfect image of a hopeless drunk.
“What should I do? What’s going to happen to me and Seren?”
Oh, give me a break.
His tongue was so twisted he could barely speak. Who would ever believe this man was the heir of the Valerian marquisate?
I sat down a short distance from him with a thud.
“Stop lighting fires already. If you’re going to drink yourself into a stupor, at least stay put. Why do you keep staggering around the mansion, turning everything into chaos? Just send someone else if you need more booze.”
For the record, I hadn’t come to comfort him.
I was here to warn him to stop his drunken antics in the middle of the night. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep because of him.
“Dianthaaa…”
“Why are you calling me again? And even if you and Seren do break off the engagement, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end for you two. Don’t worry about it.”
Typical of a misunderstood male lead — worrying for no reason.
Seriously, who would’ve guessed?
The novel had only shown solemn, wistful moments, but in reality, there were tons of little episodes like this hiding beneath the surface.
‘Ugh, what a pain.’
I had said all I needed to say. Time to wrap up and leave. I was used to this kind of situation, after all. Shaking my head, I gave a casual reply.
“You probably couldn’t even bring yourself to ask Seren about it directly. If you’re so worried, go talk to her tomorrow. Ask what’s going to happen with the engagement and get a clear answer.”
“…Go see her?”
At that moment, light slowly returned to his unfocused red eyes, and tears began to fall.
His face looked like someone who’d just seen hope blossom out of despair.
Ah. This was giving me déjà vu. I tried to subtly scoot backward and stand up.
But my brother was quicker. His firm hand caught my wrist.
“My dear sister Diantha Valerian, for your big brother…”
How many times was someone going to grab my wrist today?
“Let me go! I said, let go!”
“Come with meee…”
But he was more persistent than I thought. He clearly wasn’t going to let go until I agreed.
In the end, I only had one option.
“Fine! I’ll go! I’ll go with you, okay?!”
I thought I’d be free after the engagement ceremony.
Why was everything getting more hectic and exhausting instead? Today, I truly regretted the past version of myself who used to laugh over how fun these misunderstanding novels were.
Clearly, novels are best enjoyed as just novels.
* * *
“Bone-chilling cold,” Iverc muttered to himself again and again.
His vision was pitch black, and it felt as if his body was slowly sinking deeper into the ocean. It was a freezing sea that froze everything — so cold he couldn’t even imagine escape or survival.
He instinctively realized he was dying, and in that moment, Seren came to mind.
‘Just when I thought I might finally see her… must I leave again, without ever truly meeting her?’
The Seren he’d seen recently looked nothing like the little girl he remembered. She was now a grown woman. That gap of time between them felt unbearably sad.
And then, as if following the description from his sister’s letters, a young lady came to mind — one who had cared deeply for Seren.
‘Diantha Valerian.’
Eyes like radiant rubies, a sharply defined nose, lips tinged with a red hue like ripe fruit — everything about her drew attention.
He had seen that face many times, thanks to the portrait Seren had sent.
The name Hynte, that unpleasant man, had come up once or twice in her letters too, but every time it did, the letters would shine with warmth.
“She’s such a mysterious girl. Even if I don’t say anything, Diantha always seems to know what I’m thinking. I’m so happy to be friends with her. Also, the gift I sent this time — she picked it with Hynte. They knew I always get depressed on your birthday…”
But at the time, she had seemed to recognize who he truly was. Her expression was like someone who had just seen something they shouldn’t.
Normally, he would’ve eliminated anyone who knew his secret, but he didn’t. Instead, he pretended not to notice and sent her away. Because if he hurt her, Seren would be devastated — that much was obvious.
‘Then why… why did I end up like this?’
Iverc stared emptily into the darkness. There wasn’t a single speck of light — like a signal that this was the end.
‘Is this my punishment for taking so many lives?’
He’d felt the chill ever since leaving the North. At first, he assumed it was just his body reacting to the warmer climate.
But things hadn’t improved. In fact, after touching the Lady Valerian and sensing that strange feeling, his condition worsened rapidly. By the time he realized his body was reaching its limit, frost had begun to form inside his helmet.
And so, he collapsed in the stables.
‘The last image I left my sister with… was her crying.’
That hurt the most. It may have been selfish, but he had wanted to share many things with Seren — all the emotions they’d missed in the years apart.
Most of all…
‘If I die like this… Seren will be left with nothing but sorrow.’
Just as he was about to give up, he forced his eyes open. Veins bulged from the strain as he summoned every last ounce of strength.
He didn’t want Seren to live a life like his. No — he couldn’t fall here.
That one wish drove him to rise. He struggled and struggled again.
And maybe his desperation reached something — a beam of light appeared above the sea of darkness. It didn’t come easily.
But Iverc reached for it again and again, and eventually, it came to him. The light began to melt the frost around him.
It was warm. The cold began to fade.
Light returned to his pitch-black vision, and his consciousness slowly returned.
“Some people are struggling to survive, while others sleep like babies.”
He felt someone poke his cheek.
Every time it happened, the light would draw near and then fade, teasing him by stealing its warmth. Though the cold had receded, he strangely longed for that unfamiliar warmth. He wanted more of it.
What was this warmth? He didn’t want to let it go. So Iverc reached out to the fading red light and gripped it tightly — so it couldn’t escape.
“…Warm.”
And then, he fell into deep sleep once more.
Perhaps because he had awoken briefly, his mind decided it was safe to rest — and everything went dark again.
The next time he opened his eyes, it was night, with not a single ray of sunlight in sight.
“How do you feel? Do you feel cold, or maybe too warm? Any discomfort at all?”
The room was dim and disorganized.
But what bothered Iverc most was the man in a white lab coat. Without introducing himself, he babbled nonstop.
Finally, Iverc grabbed the man’s neck like a chicken.
“Where am I? Who are you?”
“I—I’m an alchemist! Specializing in the North—ack!”
Only after being choked did the man finally introduce himself. He then explained how Iverc had ended up here, what happened the night before, and the nature of his condition.
Iverc’s face showed no reaction the entire time.
The illness was one he’d never heard of, even after years in the North. Normally, he would’ve called this man a fraud. But now, he couldn’t.
“So that’s why I lost consciousness.”
He had experienced the symptoms himself.
And the first thought in his mind — was still of his sister Seren. His own life didn’t matter. He was only worried about her being left alone.
Before arriving here, his only goal had been to stop her engagement. He couldn’t forgive the idea of his little sister, forever frozen in his mind at 15, being forced to marry some stranger.
So of course, he’d come to object without even seeing the guy’s face.
“But you said you were an alchemist?”
“Yes?”
“Then you can make specialized tools, right?”
His thoughts had changed.
Through this experience, he realized deeply that his life could end at any moment. He might not be able to stay by Seren’s side for much longer. So he needed someone she could rely on, in every way — inside and out.
And in the time he had left, he’d investigate thoroughly.
“How long can I stay in the capital?”
“Hehe. Now that’s my area of expertise. From what I observed yesterday, the young lady’s mana merged with the crystal and partially purified your curse. Her mana filled in the gaps left behind…”
If that was true, then as long as he remained in the capital, Iverc needed Diantha Valerian.
What an ironic situation — the sister of the man he’d come to oppose was now the one who had saved him, and the only one who could continue helping him survive.
