Chapter 113
Ah, what was it that he asked again?
Right. Why hadn’t she come to the South after reincarnating?
“The second time, or was it the third? Until then, I still remembered who I was. But after that, even that faded. That’s why I didn’t come to the South.”
In the end, there was no way to avoid causing pain.
There was no path where no one would be hurt.
Siren whispered as she stroked the beast’s fur.
“Your fur has gotten much rougher. It must have been a long time since you took this form. Shall I brush it for you?”
Long ago, she would pick up a comb and brush his fur herself. Slowly, gently, until it shone. Carefully untangling any knots so that it wouldn’t hurt.
He had liked that time together.
And she had never disliked it either.
It simply wasn’t everything.
“…Brush it.”
At last, Yasamin, now back in human form, mumbled with his head hanging low.
Tamed and quiet, he looked utterly pitiful, like a drenched stray.
“Alright. Shall we sit up for a bit?”
“No. If I do, it feels like you’ll run away.”
“How is it that you’ve grown up but are still the same?”
“I don’t know.”
His sullen expression was endearing.
Siren gazed at his pouting profile and, before she knew it, let out a laugh.
It was amusing how everything had changed from their first meeting as “Siren” and “Yasamin.”
“Yasamin.”
The mood had softened slightly.
It would be nice to leave it as it was, but unfortunately, there were things that needed to be said.
Siren pushed him away gently and looked into his eyes, deep and unwavering.
As their gazes met, Yasamin frowned and shook his head.
“Don’t say anything. I won’t listen.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“You’re my wife now. My diet. So why are you looking at me like you’re about to leave? Who said I’d ever let you go?”
There was no reasoning with him.
Of course, it was only natural—he wasn’t listening in the first place.
“This is why I left you.”
“……”
“You forced your feelings on me and never respected mine. You always did as you pleased. But what can I do? I have to do as I please now. And knowing you’d cling relentlessly, I had to make sure you couldn’t follow.”
The shock etched into his deep green eyes was like a lightning strike. His well-shaped lips trembled.
She had known he would react this way—that was why she hadn’t wanted to say it.
But even saying it takes the courage to face it.
She didn’t want to be a coward.
When she was Aquafuran, she had, frankly, been a coward.
She had been arrogant, only thinking of herself. She had avoided conversation, choosing to turn away instead.
“What I regret is being a coward. That, I admit, was my mistake. I should have made you understand before I left.”
When she offered him a sincere apology, Yasamin lowered his head once more.
She knew that a few words wouldn’t be enough to resolve everything, but saying them was better than saying nothing at all.
“So, you left me behind because it was too hard to deal with my blind devotion.”
At last, Yasamin muttered those words. Siren did not deny it.
“Then what happens now? Ever since I met you again, I’ve been able to sleep. Can I still sleep now? And can I cross the desert freely, without any special reason?”
“Yes. The spell that prevented you from crossing without a special reason… it’s all broken now. You’re free to live as you wish.”
“And my immortality?”
“It’s a trait that was bestowed upon you once. Until you willingly abandon it yourself, it won’t disappear.”
Having finished speaking calmly, she decided to wait.
Until he could accept it.
She didn’t know how long that would take, but Yasamin was no longer a young beast.
For a thousand years, he had read countless books. He had become a thinking, reasoning being.
Even now, his mind must be filled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
“…I feel wronged.”
“Mm.”
“I suffered so much. You could have looked back at me just once in those thousand years.”
“Mm.”
A long while later, Yasamin murmured in a slow, heavy voice. As Siren quietly responded, she suddenly felt that she should grant him at least one thing he desired.
Fate had ultimately led them back to each other.
The savior had become the saved, and the saved had become the savior.
They had each taken turns.
She had not been hurt in the process, but if Yasamin had suffered, she wanted to ease that pain as much as possible.
Within the limits of what she could do.
“Date me.”
And the words he suddenly uttered were not too far from what she had expected.
“And love me. Until you grow tired of it.”
“Love, huh…”
“You said it yourself. Neither of us knows what it truly is. You called my feelings an obsession. Then let’s find out. That thing called love.”
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