DOTD Chapter 19

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It sounded eerily familiar.

 

The words sent a shiver down my spine.

 

‘Don’t go?’

 

It couldn’t be, but he sounded so sad.

 

Had he mistakenly assumed I wasn’t standing up for him?

 

I squeezed between the two men blocking my way and stuck my head toward Adrian.

 

He’s not the type to be sad because we haven’t seen each other in a long time, and he’s talking to someone else without bothering to greet me…

 

‘…Adrian?’

 

It was only then that I realized something was wrong with my friend.

 

My heart sank as soon as I saw his face.

 

Adrian rarely showed emotion. It wasn’t that they were infrequent, but rather that the swings were not severe.

 

So the emotion of despair on his face was very foreign to me.

 

…I’ve never seen him like that before.

 

Before she had time to ponder, her body moved toward him.

 

“Bella…!”

 

Evan staggered and grabbed her.

 

When I look back at him, I see an unknown emotion on his face.

 

I felt sorry for his scratched and bruised face, but all I could read was… ‘desperation’? Even that wasn’t quite right.

 

Even that wasn’t accurate. I’ve raced here and thought of all sorts of hypotheticals, but I don’t have an answer.

 

Why did he have to fight Adrian so early and so recklessly, so much earlier than in the original story?

 

Was the reason their meeting had been accelerated because he had come here to save me?

 

‘Even if we did run into each other… why couldn’t they just not fight?’

 

No, of course not, they’re meant to be.

 

In the end, I’m the only one stuck.

 

What would I do if this situation came up? It’s not like I didn’t think about it.

 

What do I need to do now? That’s for sure.

 

Not to be torn between the two. This place must not allow me to hesitate.

 

“I’m here to stop the fight, because I want to, and I have the power,” I said, pulling Evan’s hand away firmly.

 

“I’m here to stop the fight, because I want to, and because I have the power to.”

 

“…”

 

“If you mean you don’t want to stop the fight…”

 

“I’m not… that’s not…!”

 

“…”

 

“…because I want to protect you.”

 

“I know, and even if this fight is reckless, Evan jumped in because he has something he wants to protect, and so do I. I have something I want to protect, and I need to stop this fight.”

 

“And what about Bella?”

 

“…”

 

“Who’s protecting you?”

 

Evan’s question was tinged with anguish.

 

It was all I could say to a man who was so concerned for my safety, as if I were the one charging in with my life in my hands.

 

I know it sounds harsh, maybe even cruel.

 

But I want him to know that it’s the kindest thing I could say.

 

“I don’t need Evan to protect me.”

 

It was the same thing I’d said to Rowan before I came here.

 

“…”

 

Evan bit his lip at my words and lowered his head. He looked a little sorry for himself.

 

Something about him reminded me of a wounded puppy… Perhaps it was his male-buffed appearance?

 

…But I did save him from Adrian’s lethal spell, so hopefully that offsets some bitterness.

 

Evan backed off, and Rowan stopped holding me.

 

He seemed to have lost the will to continue the fight. I’m glad it was easier to stop than I expected.

 

Oh, by the way…

 

What will the atmosphere be like if my relationship with Adrian comes to light in this situation?

 

The person you thought was on the same page turns out to be friends with the enemy.

 

I don’t think it’s going to be like this. I think it’s going to be more of a shocking revelation, but I feel like it’s going to be a sense of betrayal.

 

Betrayal. As I reflected on the word, it became more vivid.

 

It was the outcome I wanted to avoid the most and one of the biggest reasons I wanted to stay away from them.

 

Somehow, I feel like a sinner, even though I didn’t deceive them because I wanted to.

 

Why can’t I just not care about what people think of me, why can’t that work?

 

Trying to hide my confused thoughts, I start to walk toward Adrian, but just when I think he’s given up, Evan grabs me again.

 

“…?”

 

“How could I let you go somewhere so dangerous?”

 

He said, almost sobbing.

 

Dangerous…?

 

Well, from their point of view, it’s no wonder Adrian was considered dangerous.

 

But at this point, I couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.

 

Why do they naturally assume that Adrian would be a danger to me?

 

Because he thinks I’m one of his people?

 

Because I was taken to the Tower, and he was the one who ordered it?

 

It’s subtly different from that. It’s more like he’s going to do something to me, or has already done something to me…

 

‘Oh, no, not because of the earrings?’

 

And then there was a moment that just flashed through my head.

 

The look on Evan’s face when I told him Adrian gave me the earrings.

 

Was it anger, sadness…?

 

If anything, I thought you felt betrayed because I told you where the earrings came from and revealed that I knew Adrian.

 

What if you already knew about the enchantment on my earrings?

 

Was it ‘anger’ at Adrian for giving the earrings to me?

 

‘…I’m pretty sure I misunderstood you.’

 

Unable to control my expression in this unexpected situation, my face subtly changed from smiling to crying.

 

‘So, to summarize, I was captured here during a misunderstanding about the earrings, and Evan, who came to rescue me, happened to run into Adrian.’

 

Plus…

 

Looking around at the nearby ruins, I realized that this was the room I was being held in.

 

What if Adrian had heard I was here and had come looking for me? Given the circumstances, Evan would have stood in Adrian’s way.

 

And then the fight…

 

‘Haha, no way… this fight was… because of me?’

 

I chuckled to myself at the unbelievable reality.

 

It’s not like I’m some innocent comic book heroine crying out pitifully, ‘Don’t fight because of me.’

 

Turning to Evan, who looked like an abandoned puppy with no intention of letting me go, I opened my mouth to speak.

 

“I think there’s a misunderstanding here…”

 

Still, the misunderstanding must be cleared up.

 

Glancing at Evan, I’m about to continue, when his face tightens and a look of wariness crosses his face.

 

Rowan, standing behind him, shuddered and took a defensive stance.

 

Their gazes darted to my back, and I reflexively spun around.

 

A familiar scent hit my nostrils. The faces staring back at me were unfamiliar. The languid eyes I remembered were now distorted with genuine emotion.

 

My jaw dropped, but I was even more surprised when I had to use a defensive spell.

 

Adrian fired an offensive spell at Evan’s arm that was holding me.

 

“Ouch!”

 

Evan groaned as I managed to block his arm from being severed, but not the impact.

 

Adrian, who hadn’t missed my momentary hesitation, grabbed my outstretched hand for defense magic.

 

The next instant, I was yanked backward by a strong force and slammed against a solid body.

 

With a flick of his arm around my shoulders, Adrian blocked my vision with his cloak.

 

As the black hem of the cloak obscured my vision, I cried out in desperation.

 

“Stop! Stop, all of you!”

 

All three of them stopped moving at once.

 

A roaring fireball and a sharp ice spear floated through the air, and Evan raised his molten sword and pointed it at Adrian.

 

Without wasting any time, I poked my head out from under his cloak and shouted again.

 

“If you move an inch, I’ll kill you all!”

 

…The words came out more violently than I expected.

 

I didn’t want to go this far, but I had no choice, because if any of them started a fight, we were all going to die.

 

Are you a little surprised?

 

“…”

 

Everyone was stunned. The effect of the murderous threat was clear. No one dared to move.

 

‘Ah, I knew it.’

 

Yeah, people don’t listen to you if you try to be nice and soft!

 

Even if they’re shocked, it’s better to speak tough…

 

“Huh?”

 

I stared at Adrian, who was closest to me, startled.

 

“You…”

 

Unbelievably, he said, “Are you… crying?”

 

That’s right, I was crying.