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Chapter 84
Tap. Tap.
Tiago lightly tapped the hair comb on the table with his finger as he organized everything that happened today in his head.
Delphine and Paella had already left.
There are only four people in this world who know that Delphine came from another world—me, Delphine, Edward, and Leo.
As soon as he thought of Edward and Leo, Tiago frowned deeply.
If it gets revealed that Delphine is from another world, she’ll be in serious danger. She’ll be accused of being a witch… and blamed for the curse orb incidents too.
“Sigh…”
Tiago let out a deep breath.
Right now, there was only one solution. His eyes narrowed sharply.
I have to erase Edward and Leo’s memories. That’s the only way.
Tiago ran both hands through his hair. After slowly rolling his neck and looking straight ahead again, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
Still…
He clicked his tongue quietly.
Memory-erasing magic… I never thought I’d be the one to use it. Life is strange.
Memory-erasing magic was one of the highest-level forbidden spells.
In the magical world, manipulating or deleting someone’s memories was considered more serious than even killing them.
The magical laws were built around the idea of “bringing chaos to the world or not.”
A death ends with that person—but memory alteration creates ongoing confusion and instability. That’s why memory-erasing spells were so strictly banned.
Erasing memories…
Tiago imagined what would happen after using the spell.
The punishment for using forbidden magic depended on how severe the spell was. For one as extreme as memory-erasing, the price was death.
This kind of spell is only used when you’re desperate—when you’re willing to die.
Tiago never thought he’d be pushed to such an extreme point.
He licked his dry lips.
Right now, he had only two choices:
Either I die… or Delphine dies!
As he got lost in thought, a face from the past appeared in his mind.
Tiago let out a soft laugh.
Is this how Seira felt when she chose death for me?
Looking out the window, Tiago’s expression turned quiet and sad. The sky outside was clear and cloudless.
He thought carefully.
Could I live happily after letting Delphine die?
The answer was clear: No.
Then… do I love Delphine enough to risk my life for her?
Tiago nodded with a faint smile.
The answer was: Yes.
At that moment, a prophecy he once read came to mind—the one about fate bringing both light and darkness.
Yes… Delphine is the new light in my life. Since I’ve been blessed with her light, I must also accept the darkness that follows.
A soft, wistful smile touched Tiago’s lips.
Maybe this ending was set in motion the day Seira gave her life for me.
Just like Seira once gave her life for him, Tiago was now ready to give his life for Delphine.
Only someone who’s received that kind of love can give it in return.
The smile on his face deepened, filled with both sadness and peace.
Tiago made up his mind. He stood and walked over to the drawer where his magic wand was kept.
Even for Kereman… it’ll take a few months to notice.
He smiled slightly and gripped his wand tightly. Then, he began chanting the forbidden spell.
A cloud of dark, black light burst from the tip of his wand.
“……”
When he opened his eyes after the final chant, the black light shot into the air like an arrow.
Fwoosh.
The spell ended. The wand that once glowed now felt cold and lifeless in his hand.
Tiago stared at it, feeling strangely empty.
It’s over… in a flash.
From this one spell, he would soon die.
But Delphine would live.
Tiago gave a bitter smile.
She can never know. That would be too painful. This secret… I’ll take it with me to the grave.
In his mind, Delphine’s face overlapped with Seira’s.
He would never forget how Seira died for him. That wound would always remain.
It was why, no matter who he met after, he could never truly love anyone.
After receiving love so deep that it faced death… shallow affections from others just never felt real again.
Now… Kereman will probably start to move.
Tiago calmly looked down at the now-quiet wand in his hand.
Once Kereman enters the palace… things will get chaotic.
Tiago slipped into his coat and carefully placed the wand into the inside pocket.
He left his room without hesitation.
“Delphine! Are you okay? Please open the door!”
Bang! Bang bang bang!
“What’s going on, Frederick? It’s the middle of the night!”
When I opened the door, Frederick stood there, out of breath as if he had run the whole way.
“Delphine, are you really okay? Are you hurt? Are you safe?”
“I’m fine, Frederick. Seriously. What’s wrong?”
“Let me come in. We need to talk.”
Frederick walked right into my room. He looked around every corner, like he was playing hide and seek.
I crossed my arms and watched his strange behavior.
“What is going on, Frederick?!”
“There’s no one… Good. That’s a relief.”
Only after checking my entire room did he relax.
“What on earth…”
Frederick walked up and grabbed both of my arms.
“Delphine. Are you really okay?”
“I told you I’m fine. Actually, your weird behavior is making me feel not fine.”
Still holding my arms, Frederick dropped his head.
“I’m so glad. I thought something bad had happened to you.”
“What did happen?”
Frederick took a deep breath.
“I felt Kereman. He’s here.”
“Kereman… you mean the one who attacked you at the tavern?”
Frederick let go of my arms and nodded.
“Yes, that Kereman.”
He glanced around the room again, then walked over to the window.
Creak.
He opened it, checked outside, then locked it tightly.
“I’m sure he’s nearby. I could feel it. That’s why I rushed over… I was worried he might attack you.”
Hearing him say that brought back that terrifying moment—the night at the tavern, when Kereman appeared and Tiago had saved us.
Come to think of it, Tiago has always saved me whenever I was in danger…
I shook my head.
“No, I’ve just been in my room alone. Nothing’s happened.”
My calm answer made Frederick let out a long breath.
“Thank goodness. I thought you were in trouble again…”
I asked him,
“But how did you sense Kereman?”
“His unique energy. That strong, dark magic—it’s hard to miss. He’s either inside the palace or really close by.”
The thought of Kereman being nearby made it hard to breathe.
The fear I’d felt that night came rushing back.
I muttered under my breath,
“Does that mean… someone’s going to die?”
“Maybe. Or like last time…”
Frederick didn’t finish, but I knew what he meant.
So I finished the sentence for him.
“Maybe… Tiago will stop him again.”
As soon as I said Tiago’s name, I remembered his bitter smile from earlier.
No way… Tiago wouldn’t… right?
I shook my head in front of Frederick.
He looked concerned.
“What’s wrong? Do you know something?”
“N-no…”
I realized there was no point in telling him about today.
Tiago told me to keep my possession a secret.
There’s no benefit to sharing any of this now.
I kept my mouth shut and shook my head. Frederick still looked suspicious but didn’t ask further.
“Anyway, Frederick…”
I quickly changed the topic—to one I knew he’d like.
“How’s Charlier doing?”
His face instantly lit up.
His mood changed so fast—it was almost funny. Just thinking about her made him that happy?
I was surprised by his sudden mood shift, but I was glad I managed to change the subject.
With a big, happy smile, Frederick said,
“Charlier’s doing well. She’s getting better. Sometimes she wakes up and even talks to me. I think she’ll be able to live like she used to very soon.”
“That’s a relief.”
And I meant it.
There was a time I really disliked Charlier. She annoyed me.
But I never wished for her to die.
I was genuinely glad she was recovering—and most of all, seeing Frederick so happy made me feel warm too.
He looked so genuinely happy… like a child.
Watching him smile like that softened my heart.
I looked at Frederick and thought:
How nice it is… to have someone to love so purely.
