DOTD Chapter 25

Adrian held Bella’s shoulder as she hesitated to answer, locking eyes with her.  

 

“You understand, right?”  

 

“…Yeah.”  

 

His resolute expression and tone left Bella unable to refuse.  

 

An awkward silence fell between them. 

 

Feeling uncomfortable, Bella searched for a topic to lighten the heavy atmosphere and remembered something she needed to say.  

 

It was about that sentence she had casually blurted out earlier, not knowing Adrian would show up—the one that included the word ‘marriage.’  

 

At Bella’s words, Adrian stared straight at her.  

 

“I really like it.”  

 

“No, that’s not what I meant… And you do know what marriage is, right?”  

 

Of course, he had to know, but Bella asked anyway because it didn’t make sense for him to say he liked it without understanding.  

 

“Yeah.”  

 

Adrian’s confident reply made her ask again.  

 

“What is it?”  

 

“It’s being together for life, right?”  

 

Bella was momentarily flustered, then gave a mischievous smile.  

 

“You only know half of it, huh? A serious relationship like marriage means if it breaks, you can never see each other again.”  

 

“I don’t like that.”  

 

“Right?”  

 

“You wouldn’t see me again?”  

 

“What are you talking about? Not us. We’re friends, so it’s fine, right?”  

 

“No.”  

 

“…Huh?”  

 

“I just like you, Bella.”  

 

“Huh?!”  

 

Now it was Bella’s turn to blush. Her heart pounded loudly.  

 

Fanning her flushed face, she tried to calm herself.  

 

‘What do I do about this…’  

 

She couldn’t process Adrian’s confession-like statement.  

 

She knew Adrian liked her, but this felt different from usual. Not only that, but she had always thought it was just simple affection as a friend.  

 

‘Could he actually like me romantically?’  

 

A possibility she had never considered before crossed her mind.  

 

Bella studied Adrian carefully.  

 

Thinking about it, she had skipped five years, but Adrian hadn’t changed noticeably during that time.  

 

His strikingly beautiful red hair, which she wanted to touch, and his delicate features that somehow made long hair suit him perfectly despite being a man—all remained the same.  

 

His sharp eyes might seem intimidating at first glance, but his deep gaze and slightly drooping eyelids always carried a hint of weariness.

 

Adrian’s lips, usually straight and tightly sealed, curled up slightly only when he was with Bella, as if satisfied.  

 

Draped in a tall, flowing mage’s robe, he exuded a calm and steady presence, like an ancient tree.  

 

It was astonishing how unchanged he was.  

 

Even the way he openly showed affection toward Bella was exactly the same.  

 

Which meant…  

 

‘It doesn’t make sense for Adrian’s affection to suddenly feel different now, does it? Right?’  

 

Bella steadied her heart and took another look at Adrian. He didn’t avoid her gaze, silently waiting for her, just as he always had.  

 

Even the way he lowered his head when she reached out to him was the same.  

 

“Adrian.”  

 

“Yeah.”  

 

Adrian’s low, rumbling response came as Bella’s hand briefly touched his cheek before pulling away.  

 

“We’re… friends, right?”  

 

Adrian, who had been leaning toward Bella, stood still for a moment before straightening up.  

 

“Is that what you want?”  

 

His delayed response came a beat later, in the form of a question.  

 

“Huh?”  

 

Bella’s voice rose in surprise.  

 

“You’re okay with that, right?”  

 

Adrian’s low voice followed without hesitation.  

 

“…Y-yeah.”  

 

After a moment of hesitation, Bella gave an affirmative answer.  

 

“Okay.”  

 

“Wait, Adrian…”  

 

“Then, that’s enough.”  

 

“…”  

 

“That’s all I need.”  

 

‘If that’s what you want, I can stay as your friend.’

 

Bella couldn’t even begin to guess what Adrian was feeling as he said those words.  

 

‘Is he serious…?’  

 

Bella’s pupils trembled uncontrollably.  

 

Of course, there was plenty of room to interpret Adrian’s words differently. But to Bella, there was only one interpretation.  

 

‘Does Adrian really… like me?’  

 

Shocked by this newfound realization, Bella bit her lip.  

 

Adrian’s long, straight finger touched Bella’s red lips. The sensation was so hot, as if burned by fire, that Bella flinched and looked at him.  

 

Adrian’s face, now much closer, made her hold her breath.  

 

“A-Adrian…”  

 

Her voice came out like a whisper, barely audible.  

 

“If…”  

 

“…”  

 

“If you ever want something more than friendship…”  

 

Bella’s eyes widened.  

 

“Make sure to tell me.”  

 

Adrian’s finger gently pressed between Bella’s lips, caressing them softly.  

 

“Don’t bite them. It will hurt.”

 

A hidden passion lingered in his slow, deliberate touch.  

 

Bella’s face burned so intensely she thought she might lose her mind. Her breathing grew shallow, and she felt dizzy and disoriented.  

 

The moment she realized Adrian was gradually closing the distance between them, Bella pushed him out the door.  

 

“Uh… I need some rest! Thanks so much for the room, and you must be busy too, so go on! Well then…”  

 

Slam—

 

Without giving Adrian a chance to respond, the door shut instantly.  

 

Adrian stared at the firmly closed door for a moment, then let out a sigh-like laugh before leaving.  

 

“Phew…”  

 

Bella leaned against the door, trying to steady her breathing.  

 

‘What on earth was that?!’  

 

Her silent scream echoed in her mind, unable to be voiced aloud.  

 

🦋

 

There’s a reason I’m this shocked.  

 

The fact that I never once anticipated Adrian’s feelings being of that nature was utterly bewildering.  

 

I had firmly believed that Adrian would never show interest in anyone romantically.  

 

And this belief wasn’t unfounded. Back in the Bennett Kingdom, when we were friends, he was always popular.  

 

A young, handsome, and aloof genius mage—how could he not be?  

 

But I had always seen Adrian show no interest in any of the countless women who flocked to him.  

 

‘I even wondered if he might be asexual or something.’  

 

Sion had a personality that didn’t bother with women coming and leaving, and Louis, while not exactly the same, didn’t seem clueless about them either.  

 

But Adrian? He didn’t even spare a glance. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he treated them like stones on the side of the road.  

 

‘Actually, thinking about it, Adrian wasn’t just indifferent to women—he was indifferent to men too… No, he was indifferent to humans in general.’  

 

He was indifferent to anything related to humans.  

 

Human affairs, human relationships…  

 

The only things he cared about were magic and mana.  

 

And, though it feels a bit awkward to say this myself, I was included in his interests.  

 

He once said something like this: ‘Your mana is similar to nature mana.’  

 

He told me that the reason I could use special-type magic and absorb divine mana was because of my unique mana.  

 

So, I thought I was just being treated like a magical entity to him.  

 

That his feelings were of that kind…  

 

‘Well, whatever. It’s fine.’

 

Now that I’ve become aware of it, everything else starts to look different!  

 

‘What about all the physical contact we’ve had until now?!’  

 

Memories of the casual touches and closeness we shared flooded my mind.  

 

It seems I won’t be able to accept them as naturally as before.  

 

“Sigh…”  

 

I ended up staying all night. My eyelids feel heavy, and the back of my neck is stiff.  

 

Chirp, chirp—

 

The bright light streaming through the window and the clear sound of birdsong feel dreamlike, as if I’m still half-asleep.  

 

Trying to clear my head, I opened the window wide and took a deep breath of the cool morning air.  

 

That’s when it happened.  

 

Knock, knock—

 

It seemed a visitor had arrived early in the morning, as the sound of knocking echoed through the room.  

 

‘Did Adrian send someone?’  

 

Since someone had come and gone with dinner last night, I opened the door without a second thought.  

 

“…”  

 

Slam—  

 

And then I closed it again.  

 

Standing at the door was Adrian, looking as composed as ever, his expression calm.  

 

“Oops, I didn’t mean to…”  

 

Blame it on the fact that I’d just seen the person who caused me to lose sleep, but my arm automatically closed the door. I cursed my own reflex and cautiously opened it again.  

 

“…”  

 

The door, well-oiled and silent, slowly creaked open.  

 

“Sorry. My hand slipped. …Hi?”  

 

“Did you sleep well?”  

 

‘No, I didn’t.’

 

Despite my inner thoughts, I forced a smile and pulled up the corners of my mouth.  

 

After that awkward morning greeting, Adrian sat down in a corner of the room without stating his business.  

 

“So… what’s up?”  

 

At my awkward question, he turned his head to look at me.  

 

Why does Adrian look so unaffected, as if nothing’s changed?  

 

‘It’s like I’m the only one making a big deal out of this!’  

 

Trying to calm my chaotic thoughts, I rolled my eyes around, and after a long pause, Adrian finally spoke.  

 

“Want me to teach you some magic?”