This Book is Not Available for Subscription Under the Age of 18 - Chapter 214

Could you please be careful? (18)

As I spoke, my throat became sore. I spoke a bit faster, fearing that Merson might interrupt me. After the two rough encounters, my mouth, which felt dry and cracked, was more noticeable.

I instinctively moved my right hand to soothe my throat, but it was the hand that Merson had held. Surprisingly, he let it go without resistance.

“Kuhm, ahem.”

I rubbed under my chin and cleared my throat. His expression, as he looked down at me, twisted. I tensed up, wondering what else might be troubling him.

“Ah.”

The body that had been on top of me was removed, and he grabbed my shoulders to lift me up. A sharp sound escaped as I felt a pain between my legs.

As he snapped his fingers, moisture returned to my body, and my sore throat became smooth again.

The relief was brief. Merson wrapped his arms around me from behind. Instead of leaning against the wall, I ended up resting against his chest. His uneven breathing was audible right next to my ear.

“If you try to run away, you told me to cut your legs off? There won’t be a second chance, Erina.”

Even as my sweat soaked into his clothes, making them damp, he held me tightly, rendering me immobile.

Ignoring his silence, I continued speaking.

“…I was foolish. I boldly went to meet the saintess alone, and it backfired. The ability to open doors referred to the dimensional gates, and because the door opened beneath me, I fell here without any chance to escape. I tried repeatedly to return, but teleportation didn’t work, and the saint didn’t come here, so I couldn’t find a way.”

I grew anxious due to Merson’s lack of response. Would he believe me? I hoped he might at least pretend to be deceived. Summoning my courage, I lightly pinched the back of his hand.

After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice.

“You asked Bella to take care of me. As if you were leaving.”

That was from when I first went to the temple and spoke to the saint. Even after my departure, I had asked her to look after the Demon King. I was mocked as delusional, but my feelings at that time were genuine.

“…At that time, I still intended to return.”

Ugh.

He hugged me so tightly that my bones ached.

“I saw a soul in hell that looked just like you. It wasn’t just that you had crossed dimensions; everything about you was false.”

I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders and his black hair brushing against my cheek.

“…Yet I kept muttering that it couldn’t be true, as if hypnotized. I felt like I was suffocating, on the brink of death, and my heart was pounding with anxiety, as if it might burst out. I ran madly without sleeping just to meet you… But seeing you smiling in another’s arms, you ultimately killed me.”

“…….”

“How far do I have to be deceived? Hm, Erina?”

I was stunned by each word Merson said. The real Erina was alive in hell.

I finally understood. My soul had entered the already dead body of Erina and started to move again, making the loss of life in the original body a given.

Moreover, the relationship with Doyun was nothing like what Merson thought. I hadn’t even considered that his distrust, which had been faintly ignited by Doyun, could have grown so large.

I had to clear up this terrible misunderstanding.

“Merson, it’s true. This body isn’t my real body.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a different gender or an old woman.”

“That’s not what I mean. The soul that moved into this body caused my original body to decay. This was the room where I used to live, and where my corpse was found. I can’t return to a body that’s now just ashes. I lost all my family and friends in an instant. I can’t live here as Erina Holden.”

“…….”

“That boy you saw, Doyun, is also someone I first met as ‘Erina Holden’. His mother took in someone with nothing like me, and I was the one receiving help. There was never any kind of relationship between us. Think about it. Do you really believe I would come back here just because of someone I’ve never even met?”

“You might have missed the world itself.”

“What is there to miss in a place where nothing remains?”

I forced his arms to release me and turned to face him, hoping he would believe me.

Was my sincerity getting through? The man who had only been pushing against me, blocking all conversation, was beginning to change.

He faced his own emotions and started to look at me. He was realizing that the mire between us was actually too shallow to even reach our ankles.

I reached out first and stepped into his space.

He approached.

“…I have no one but you. Whether here or there, I only want you, Merson, or even Kayle. You’re the only one. Just like you’re the only one for me. So let’s put an end to these old misunderstandings.”

Even after crying like that, more tears came. Was it because Merson’s eyes were reassuring, or because I felt so pitiful?

“I’m sorry for deceiving you. But I never deceived you about my feelings, truly.”

“…….”

“Please stop acting like this, it’s too hard now.”

I don’t know why I only thought that the reunion of lovers would be a joy that swells the heart.

I imagined tears being a part of my reunion with Merson, but not like this. I hadn’t prepared for all possible outcomes, and I certainly hadn’t anticipated making such definitive assumptions without knowing what changes might have occurred in our time apart.

I clung to him, crying pathetically. The small comfort was that Merson, who had seemed stunned as if he’d taken a hit, began to cry with me when he saw my tears. Although he didn’t sob out loud like I did, I clearly saw the tears falling from his chin.

It’s somewhat amusing to think of two people, a man and a woman, embracing each other and crying in a room full of mold and dust. But at this moment, no melodrama could match the depth of the sadness I was feeling.

We exchanged many words in this late reunion. I recounted my experiences immediately after falling into this world and how Merson was able to cross dimensions, which revealed Serdebella’s lies in the process.

Initially, Merson didn’t believe me. However, as he remembered my knowledge of the Korean novel and Serdebella’s existence, and my secret visit to the temple, confusion set in. When he saw a soul in hell that looked just like mine, he began to fear that all the time we spent together might have been a lie.

My absence and the unbelievable truths caused Merson’s thoughts to waver significantly. And… seeing my pretended drunkenness and the familiarity he felt with Doyun pushed him to the peak of his anger.

“Without Erina, my judgment is clouded.”

Though it was a sincere remark, it sounded like an excuse in the current situation. Overwhelmed with sorrow, I muttered a few words before giving up. Physically and mentally exhausted, I didn’t want to expend any more energy.

“I’m sorry.”

He didn’t respond. I rested my head quietly against his neck and closed my eyes. The same words seemed to echo like a lullaby.

Before long, I felt something touching my hand. One drop, then another, until they began to trickle down.

Feeling his silent tears, I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Want to read more chapters and support us? Please consider becoming a patron to read up to 16 chapters in advance!