HDGD 13

Chapter: 13

Giliard froze for a moment.

Surely, he hadn’t expected such a request to come up in the flow of this conversation.

He stared at Shia for a long while before asking again,

“You want to speak to the one who deceived you, betrayed you, and even tried to take your life—what could you possibly have to say to them?”

“This is a necessary step for me to come to terms with how I’ll live from now on. I hope you’ll grant me this favor.”

A silence fell between them.

They had never been particularly close, so silence wasn’t unusual—but she wanted an answer as soon as possible.

Finally, Giliard placed a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“There are conditions.”

“What are they?”

“You may only meet with Mrs. Harrington. And it must be here, where I can see you.”

Was he expecting some sort of treasonous scheme?

He had been annoyed before and told her to leave immediately, and yet now he had followed her here?

Though doubts crowded her mind, Shia chose not to argue further and opted for a quick resolution.

“That’s enough.”

She nodded, signaling her acceptance.

Giliard seemed like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he swallowed his words and remained silent.

Arriving at the entrance of the prison by carriage, Shia paused for a moment.

Giliard, walking behind her, asked,

“Why hesitate?”

“It’s nothing.”

Even if pressed, she couldn’t admit she’d been imprisoned here before.

Nor could she say that he had fought countless soldiers and swordsmen here to save her—and that he had been pierced through the heart and had died in the process.

Fortunately, Giliard didn’t ask further and went ahead down the stairs.

Shia quietly followed.

“Over there.”

Giliard pointed to a room at the end of the corridor.

Coincidentally, it was the same place where Shia had been held before her near-death.

Her steps faltered for many reasons, but she had to go.

She slowly approached the iron bars.

When she reached a spot where she could see inside, a woman sitting with her back turned came into view.

Shia carefully called out,

“Ma’am.”

Startled, the middle-aged woman turned her head.

Her hair, once neatly tied, was messy, and her usually tidy clothes were dirty.

Recognition froze her for a moment.

“You…”

“Ma’am, I’ve come. You… recognize me, right?”

Was the shock of imprisonment so great that she couldn’t recognize her?

Seeing the woman’s blank expression, Shia asked anxiously.

But she soon realized it was pointless.

“AAAAAAAH!”

In an instant, Mrs. Harrington lunged toward her.

Just as she reached through the bars to grab Shia, Giliard swiftly pulled her back.

Shia stumbled backward, almost as if being cradled, and looked at Mrs. Harrington in disbelief.

The furious woman flailed her fists wildly, cursing Shia.

“You… you could have avoided all this humiliation if you had just stayed asleep… but that damned brat is too clever! To treat me like this? Not even grateful for all I’ve done to raise you!”

“Ma’am, please calm down…”

“You unlucky brat! Why else would I feed you and give you shelter if you were worthless? Your entire family was ruined because of you! I never should have taken on this cursed child who destroyed their line, and look where it’s gotten us!”

Shia said nothing, silently enduring the torrent of abuse.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Giliard grabbed her hand to pull her away.

But Shia didn’t move.

“Ermodian. Leave here immediately.”

“No.”

“If you expected an apology, you’re sorely mistaken. To them, you were nothing more than a tool to exploit.”

“I’m used to your usual demeanor, Instructor. This doesn’t faze me at all.”

Giliard pressed his lips together, silence falling over him at her calm reply.

Satisfied, Shia stood before the iron bars.

Mrs. Harrington, exhausted after venting all her anger, glared at Shia with a huff.

She had tried to act tough, but that didn’t mean Shia wasn’t hurt.

Hearing the inner thoughts of the only person she had relied on—possibly even more than her real mother—was painful and distressing.

But it was reality.

And she had to endure it.

On her own, by her own strength.

“…Ma’am. Though it wasn’t the form you might have wanted, I am truly grateful that I could spend these three years with you.”

The woman looked at her without a word.

Her eyes were full of grievance, without a trace of guilt or apology—but that didn’t matter.

This moment was for Shia, no one else.

“Even after knowing everything, I could not hate you. Strange, isn’t it? You were the one who tried to kill me.”

“…”

“That’s probably because the lullabies you sang, the warm milk you gave me late at night, the bedtime stories—you told me all of that remains deep in my heart. Those memories will never fade. Never. Even forever.”

The constellations she taught her to spot in the night sky, the smell of freshly baked bread every morning, the care she took when Shia had a fever—were all still there.

Could it all have been lies?

Could it all have been an act?

It hurt to think, but she chose to believe.

No, she had to believe.

Otherwise… how could she survive this bitter world?

“Whatever your original intentions, I choose to believe that, in those moments when you treated me kindly, you truly cared for me. Since time cannot be turned back, I want to take only the good memories with me.”

…Only by doing this could she hope to somehow keep living.

“Now, I must go.”

Having said what she needed, Shia stepped forward.

She thought she heard a voice calling her from afar, but she didn’t look back and walked straight out.

The sun had been up when she entered, but now the sky was painted with crimson dusk.

Looking up at the sky, she turned when she sensed someone behind her.

Giliard was standing there.

The orange light cast detailed shadows across his face.

“Are you satisfied?”

He asked, and Shia answered clearly:

“Yes. I am satisfied. It feels relieving to have said this. Thank you for granting my request.”

“About today…”

“It wasn’t a family I created by choice, so it doesn’t matter. One day, I too will have a family of my own…”

She paused mid-sentence.

She, dreaming of the Emperor’s revenge, wasn’t really thinking about making a family.

Shocked, she shook her head and quickly began retracing her steps.

From a short distance away, Giliard called her.

“Shia.”

She stopped at the touch of his hand.

Turning, she saw him holding her hand.

For a brief moment, desperation flickered across his face.

Could this be déjà vu?

He had held her hand and run with her then, too.

No matter how much she tried to pull away, he never let go and only ran forward.

In the same situation, she heard Giliard speak in a low voice.

“I know… saying this is contradictory.”

“…”

“But I will never…”

It took him a long time to continue, as if each word had to be forced out.

“…No matter what happens, I will never abandon you.”

It might have been her imagination, but the desperation she had glimpsed earlier was now in his voice.

“From the moment you entered my life… I haven’t… been able to rest for even a single moment.”

That memory again.

Not knowing what to say or do, she stayed still.

Giliard didn’t speak expecting a response; he simply waited in silence.

A cold breeze passed over their clasped hands.

Shia didn’t know how long this would last, only hoping to escape the uncomfortable moment.

Finally, Giliard relaxed his grip and turned his head.

“Return to the dorm before curfew.”

And with that, his strange display of protectiveness ended.

Shia pressed her lips together and walked straight ahead.

In the past, she would have scoffed at such foolishness.

But now she knew.

He was ready to give his life for her.

And if such a situation arose again, he would truly do it.

“No, don’t be fooled. I still need to keep him as far away as possible this life too…”

“….”

Her thoughts were in turmoil.

But even amid it all, one thing was certain.

Her icy protector was slowly… changing.