Chapter 81
The entire empire stretched out below her in a breathtaking view. The cold wind seemed to blow away the heaviness in her chest, leaving it feeling completely open and free.
It felt as though, if she reached out her hand, she could touch the sky. Elia quietly looked around the small balcony. Evidently, someone had occasionally visited this high place.
There was a simple round table and a long bench modestly placed there.
Relaxing as if the tension had melted away, Elia leaned back against the bench and gazed at the shimmering moon. She slowly reached out her hand. The moonlight, which had seemed so close to grasp, scattered in the air.
“I really wanted to see you today.”
That feeling hit her hard, like her heart aching for Cyrone. A wave of sadness washed over her. She missed him so much, longed to see him, yet hadn’t even properly greeted him or seen his face.
Elia let out a hollow sigh and closed her eyes.
* * *
“Ugh…”
How late was it? A chill coursed through her entire body. Her head throbbed as if it would split open. In the fragile haze of her fading consciousness, Elia let out a soft moan. A warm hand gently touched her head.
At that unfamiliar sensation, Elia barely lifted her heavy eyelids.
“Who…?”
She stiffened, unable to believe the person before her.
“Cyrone?”
Why was he here? Was this a dream or reality? Her thoughts blurred like a thick fog. Cyrone’s hand, which had softly brushed her cheek, slowly withdrew. The sensation lingered so vividly that Elia bitterly smiled.
Of course. This couldn’t be real. Not even in a dream could such a thing happen.
“Must be a dream…”
Elia chuckled softly. It was a pleasant dream after a long time. Even if only in a dream, she could see his face up close, and with such gentle eyes. She thought maybe it was better never to wake from this.
Lying quietly, Elia raised her hand and slowly caressed Cyrone’s cheek. The sensation on her palm was too vivid for it to be just a dream. Long eyelashes resting down, always cold and indifferent eyes, those red lips that made her heart race…
Feeling tears threaten to spill, Elia pressed her lips tight.
Then Cyrone placed his hand gently over hers. His blue eyes gazed down at her with a softness so unfamiliar it startled her.
“I wish this moment would never end.”
Elia’s heart pounded fiercely with an almost unbearable heat.
“Since it’s just a dream anyway, can I ask you just one thing?”
Cyrone didn’t answer, only quietly meeting her gaze with a strange look in his eyes.
“Do you love me?”
Her voice trembled slightly at the end. For a moment, their eyes locked deeply on each other. Elia pressed on, her voice urgent.
“No, have you ever loved me, even for a moment?”
“……”
Despite the repeated questions, Cyrone remained silent. After all, it was a truth that wouldn’t change even in a dream.
Elia looked up at his dreamlike face and gave a bitter smile. The sweeter the dream, the more painful it was. How many days would she have to suffer after waking from this?
Then, Cyrone’s lips, which had been frozen, slowly parted.
“I missed you.”
At that moment, Elia felt as if time itself had stopped. Only Cyrone’s tender face and the pounding of her heart were vivid. Nothing else could be seen or heard.
“…This really is a dream, right?”
Cyrone slowly nodded. Then, in a soft whisper, he said. It’s a dream. Once you wake, it will vanish like any other night’s dream. Forget it all.
His hand gently brushed over Elia’s eyes. With that, Cyrone’s face and all those fleeting moments of the dream faded away.
Elia was left crying for a long time in the vanished illusion. Every moment with him had been a dream, like a summer night’s dream, gone as soon as she woke.
* * *
Cyrone lay beside her, watching Elia for a long while. In the darkness, only Cyrone’s eyes shone brightly. Elia murmured softly as if troubled by a nightmare and shifted restlessly. Cyrone stroked the slight crease between her brows, but it only deepened.
Most of the time since then, Elia had such an expression. Either pained or numb.
“…Haah, haah.”
As he watched her, Elia suddenly shuddered awake, breathing heavily as if she’d just endured a terrible nightmare. Exhausted, she quietly stared up at the ceiling.
“Cyrone?”
Cyrone gently placed his hand on her eyes. Darkness enveloped Elia’s vision, and she whispered softly.
“What kind of dream did you have?”
Without a word, Cyrone asked back. The sensation of only hearing his voice in the pitch-black darkness was eerie.
Elia could not answer and shook her head. At that moment, a tear slipped from her eye and wet Cyrone’s hand.
“You were crying again, weren’t you? What was the dream about?”
Cyrone withdrew his hand from her cheek and asked. Elia briefly frowned as her vision suddenly brightened.
“……”
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