Chapter 300
The problem wasn’t Ysaris’s whispered promises—it was the deep-seated trauma that bred distrust.
If their first separation had been born from misunderstanding, her faking her death and fleeing had been deliberate. No amount of comfort—”It was just another misunderstanding”—could change that. In the end, Ysaris had left him again, even after knowing he was Cain.
Now, if Kazhan so much as sensed her pulling away, he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t lose himself. He’d bring about tragedy with his own hands, dragging them both into an eternal slumber.
“…And yet, I’ll still follow your words. The moment I accepted you as real, this was inevitable. No matter the pain, as long as I breathe, I’ll keep reaching for you.”
Ysaris didn’t need to tell him to look at her properly. Kazhan had already begun doubting when she mentioned the portrait, and the moment Duchess Blake’s involvement was revealed, he understood everything.
The only question left wasn’t her identity—but the truth of her words.
“At least Casilia has recovered. Then… may I claim my price now?”
“Tell me. I’ll grant anything, as promised.”
Kazhan inhaled shallowly at her quiet vow. He’d meant to ask for something else, but now, his wish had no choice but to change.
“I…”
Despite his resolve, his voice faltered from the first word. He hesitated, then started again.
“May I… still love you?”
May I still love you?
Kazhan closed his eyes after that phrase, forcing slow, deliberate breaths to steady himself. But it wasn’t enough to stop the tremors in his hands. His heart convulsed with emotions he couldn’t contain, and his voice came out fragmented.
“Will you allow it?”
What remained between them was nothing but scars. Could this even be called love?
Maybe it was closer to obsession, as Ysaris had once described. Compared to the rest of the world, what he felt was too thick, too vicious, to fit neatly into the word love.
But it didn’t matter. This emotion had persisted, was persisting, and would continue to persist—whether Ysaris accepted it or not. So his question wasn’t “Can I love you?” but “Can you bear it?”
Even if I keep loving you, will you be alright? Will you stay, without pushing me away?
Even if you don’t love me back, can you at least… not reject my love?
It was a plea born of surrender, and Ysaris didn’t answer immediately. Kazhan couldn’t tell if time had slowed for him alone or if seconds truly stretched into minutes—until finally, she moved.
Instead of speaking, Ysaris lifted her face from his shoulder. When she leaned back slightly, as if to meet his gaze, Kazhan tried to read her expression—and failed.
Not for any complicated reason.
She was just too close.
By the time he registered the soft pressure against his lips, it was already over.
“……”
“……”
Neither spoke. With their lips still touching, words were unnecessary—warmth seeped between them, quieter than sound.
The kiss wasn’t deep, nor was it long. Just Ysaris pressing against him briefly before pulling away.
Yet for Kazhan, who hadn’t been kissed first by the woman he loved in eleven years, it was enough to short-circuit his mind. As he struggled to process reality, Ysaris rested her forehead against his.
“You said I was precious to you.”
Even if our relationship is irreparably twisted.
Her hand cupped his cheek, her bittersweet smile faint as she whispered to her former lover.
“Let’s go back now, Kazhan. For our new beginning.”
Crack.
Something shattered. Crk—crrrk— The sky split, the earth fractured.
Even as the world crumbled around them, their gazes remained locked—red and blue, tangled in an endless stare.
Until the dazzling light swallowed the collapsing world, shattered by its master’s resolve.
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