Chapter 178: Side Story 15 |
“Haaah…!”
Drea lay beneath a cliff tree, gazing up at the sky as she let out a long sigh.
The stars and moon sparkled enchantingly, as if they were about to pour through the leaves.
“They’re beautiful.”
Drea, who had been gazing at the dazzling cluster of stars in the night sky, closed her eyes.
With her eyes closed, she could hear the sound of the waves more clearly.
The cool breeze, the soft grass beneath her, and the refreshing sound of the waves—there was no paradise quite like this.
“Hm… Well, this isn’t a bad birthday. It has a nice atmosphere.”
Drea consoled herself with a bitter smile, sniffing her nose.
Ah, it’s just a minor wound that would disappear in three seconds if she used healing magic.
When she saw her reflection in the water earlier, she noticed a bruise under one of her eyes.
Now she was worried if she could go to the academy tomorrow in this state.
That boy, whether Rex or Rox, will get treatment and come back perfectly fine…
“Ah, it’s annoying.”
…Tomorrow is my birthday. The only day I can hold Shaik’s hand and walk around with him.
Suddenly, she remembered Ena’s back as she relied on Shaik’s hand and headed to the infirmary.
In her shy gaze, there was a mix of admiration and affection.
Drea, who knew that gaze better than anyone else.
Why don’t I understand? It’s evident just by looking in the mirror.
‘Well, who wouldn’t like our Shaik?’
Drea puffed up her cheeks unevenly and vented her frustration to the empty air. It was all in vain, though.
“Why am I like this lately…?
In the past, just knowing that she liked Shaik was enough to make her happy, regardless of what others thought.
Even if Shaik acted indifferent towards her, it didn’t matter.
Drea thought that just loving him and having him by her side was enough to make her happy.
But ever since a girl named Ena stepped in, something changed. No, something had changed since Shaik’s eyes laid on her.
A piercing feeling as if someone had cut through one side of her chest.
Feeling empty, frustrated, and resentful…
“…Damn it.”
As Allen Papa once said, Drea smoothly passed through her adolescence without any issues.
So when she asked what adolescence was, they said it was a time of fluctuating emotions.
You could burst into laughter at a moment’s notice, or tears could well up for no reason. It’s a time of inexplicable complexity, where your head and heart can become noisy.
“Allen Papa, what should I do? I feel like I’m going through adolescence right now…”
Drea covered her face with both hands to prevent the rising tears.
A sense of heat filled her flushed face.
Why is it so heart-wrenching?
Why does my chest hurt like this?
So this is how painful unrequited love can be.
For the first time in 16 years, Drea felt the agony of unrequited love.
And it happened on the eve of her 17th birthday, the day before she became an adult.
“Ah… Tomorrow is my birthday… damn it.”
My steak. My ribs. My cake…
My Shaik…
Only one day out of the whole year.
A day when everything seems permissible to her, and she missed it.
It felt like the end of the world.
“What’s the big deal about birthdays?”
In the midst of her gloominess, she must have had a thought that she wanted to cry out loud.
“…You should be at home if it’s your birthday. Why are you here?”
Shaik’s voice reached her.
Wow, really…
How much did she want to hear his voice to actually hear it?
She’s seriously hopeless…
It was so ridiculous that laughter burst out of her.
“Drea.”
The name called out gently, as if sighing.
Even in the midst of this, the auditory hallucination sounded sweet.
How nice would it be if he called her like that every day?
“…Are you asleep? Can’t you hear me?”
But isn’t he a bit too vivid?
With a feeling of doubt, Drea gently lowered her fingertips and discreetly looked up.
Drea’s pupils widened in a hurry.
A boy, more beautiful than the moonlight, was quietly looking down at Drea.
What? Is that really Shaik?!
“Ah!”
She was so startled that her breath caught in her throat.
Drea quickly stood up and took a few steps back in surprise.
It was her favorite face in the world, but she suddenly became scared.
Shaik, who had been sitting next to Drea, casually sighed and spoke to Drea, who was hiding in the shadow of a tree.
“What on earth are you doing here?”
“I-Is that really Shaik?”
“Then is there anyone else who looks like this?”
No, there wasn’t.
It was certain that there would never be anyone who looked like him in the future.
Drea stared blankly at her fiance, whose hair was neatly arranged and whose emerald green eyes resembled Kalia’s, shining in the moonlight. His fair and smooth skin, whiter and smoother than white porcelain brought from the East, and his contrasting mature physique…
The masterpiece created by blending the good qualities of Kalia Mama and Simon Papa was Shaik.
Strong and beautiful. Beautiful and alluring.
Ah… My fiance, seen under the moonlight, is indeed beautiful and handsome.
“…Drea?”
Shaik, who knelt on one knee with his arms resting on the other knee, looked at Drea, who was staring blankly at him.
Suddenly, his head tilted to one side.
“You… your face…”
As his eyes narrowed while looking at Drea in the darkness, Shaik’s voice sank even lower.
Drea, who had been absorbed in Shaik, completely forgetting the current situation, snapped back to reality at the word ‘face’ that came out of his mouth.
“Ah, that’s right. You, go away!”
Drea quickly turned her head and hid behind the tree, waving her hands.
Under the moonlight, Shaik was so beautiful, and her face right now was almost a complete disaster.
‘Hng… I can’t let him see me like this. I’m already so intimidated by that child’s beauty, I don’t want him to see me looking ugly!’
“Drea, come here.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
“Why? Don’t you want to see me?”
Shiak’s voice softened.
It was a voice Drea had never heard before.
It felt like whipped cream melting in her ears.
“Drea.”
It’s unfair to call my name with that kind of voice.
Her heart thumped. She wanted to cover her ears, but she couldn’t.
“Drea, come out here. Quickly.”
“…Just go. I just want to be alone today.”
Drea mustered up the courage to speak.
She wanted to rush out and hug Shaik’s neck and act childish, but she couldn’t show herself in this state.
‘I’m sad, I’m sad. Hee.’
Drea buried her face in her knees and shook her head, but she suddenly felt a movement next to her.
Startled, Drea shifted her buttocks to get a glimpse, but the movement followed.
Soon, a cool touch grabbed Drea’s wrist, which was covering her face.
“I have to look at your face.”
“…I don’t want to.”
“I’ll get angry.”
“…You’re talking as if you’ve never gotten angry before.”
Shaik’s words were blocked by Drea, who grumbled.
He took a short breath and lowered his body. Then, he met Drea’s gaze and whispered.
“Drea, look at me… quickly. Hmm?”
With each word spoken in a teasing voice, Drea’s ears turned red, and her whole body trembled.
“You, you… Where did you… get such a seductive voice…”
Shaik laughed as if he couldn’t believe Drea’s words.
No, this little kid said such seductive things.
“Do you feel that this voice is seductive?”
He asked in a husky voice, and Drea vigorously nodded her head while burying her face in her palm.
“A lot. Very much…”
…Seductive.
Although the latter part was almost inaudible, it vividly reached Shaik’s ears.
Seductive, it’s seductive.
Oh my.
“Drea, when did you become like this…”
“What?! Oh, no!”
Startled, Drea raised her head, but as soon as her eyes met Shaik’s, she quickly lowered her head again.
At that moment, Shaik’s hand quickly grabbed Drea’s chin like the wind.
“Look up.”
“…Uhuhh.”
When Shaik applied a slight force to his fingertips, Drea tightly closed her eyes and raised her face.
Her fair and beautiful face was covered in bruises.
There were even long scars on her small and pretty nose.
Shaik’s face stiffened.
In a cold and suppressed voice, he asked:
“Why… is your face like this?”
“…”
“Tell me. Who did this?”
Drea’s shoulders stiffened at the icy-cold voice.
A little while ago, she heard a sweet and seductive voice like whipped cream for the first time, but this deep, sinking voice was also something new.
It was a voice slightly slower than usual, yet filled with coldness, causing Drea to raise her bewildered eyes and look at Shaik.
‘Why is he like this?’
Shaik was angrier than Drea had imagined.
It was as if he had someone in front of him, and he would kill them on the spot, whether it was Rex or Rux.
Drea was confused.
Sure, she had a few bruises on her face, but it wasn’t like she was seriously injured, as if someone needed to be killed…
And in truth, Drea was the one who threw the first punch, and she was the one who fought until she lost consciousness.
If Shaik knew that, he might not have ranted at Drea instead.
Drea jerked her head back and shook it, trying to avoid his gaze.
Shaik narrowed his eyes and urged Drea, who had retreated, to speak.
As he approached her, she resisted even more, and in a sinister voice, he pressed her.
“Quickly. Tell me who did this, Drea.”
“No… What will you do if you find out? It’s fine. I’m okay.”
Drea pushed him away, shaking her head.
To prevent her from turning her head, Shaik lightly grabbed her cheek as if to restrain her.
Although Shaik’s touch barely grazed her, Drea couldn’t resist that touch and turned her head again, speaking.
Shaik spoke with a stern gaze.
“Why are you hiding? Drea, don’t hide. Look at me.”
“…”
“…Who is it?”
Wow, look at those scary eyes.
While doing so, Shaik urged Drea with a voice as soft as before.
He coaxingly pressed her, like a wicked villain luring a child with sweet cotton candy.
‘Why on earth are you doing this?’
Drea looked at him with confusion.
“It’s okay, Shaik. It’s nothing. It’s just a mess because I can’t use magic to heal myself. I’m fine, really. So, just go away!”
In response to Drea’s repeated refusal, Shaik bit his lip in frustration.
In a suppressed voice, Shaik became angry.
“It’s nothing… It’s nothing at all… Your face is in this state right now, and you say it’s nothing?”
Drea’s eyes widened in surprise.
No, what did she do wrong to make him angry?
Already feeling sorrowful and confused, Shaik raising his voice directly messed up her mind.
Sorrowful and annoyed… Why did we fight like this…!
But he even held the hand of the girl who twisted her ankle, and, oh, as if he were hugging her or something, but then he gets angry at me… Ugh.
Startled, Drea stood up abruptly.
“Why. What. What’s wrong with my face? I’m fine. Just go and chase after some kid or whatever!”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When I try to say something, you tell me to go away, and when I’m bothering you, you go to others first, holding their hands! And now you’re pretending to take care of me? You’re the bad one. You’re bad, Shaik! I hate you!”
For the first time in her life, Drea shouted at Shaik.
And for the first time, she didn’t say anything nice to him but instead expressed her dislike.
Somehow, she felt relieved.
When she saw Shaik’s slightly surprised face, she felt even more relieved.
Drea, with her mouth agape, looked at Shaik and suddenly turned around and ran away.
It was strange.
She was clearly relieved, but her heart was still troubled.
Looking at Shaik’s eyes, which were fixedly gazing at her, it felt as if her insides were turning upside down.
…I don’t even know anymore, really.
“…This is the worst.”
Tears welled up in her eyes.
As Drea returned to her room, she immediately flipped the blanket over.
It was already well past midnight.
It was the worst birthday.
