PSTB 54

Vethus stopped abruptly and let out a long breath.

The storm of emotions raging inside him refused to settle easily.

In truth, there was no reason Vethus had to accompany her. There was no need to go out of his way to see the Emperor, nor to persuade him to allow Dalia to go along.

It would have been disastrous for Dalia to hand those documents over to Etienne—but there were far simpler ways to prevent that.

Yet Vethus chose this path.

He wanted, no matter what, to pull Dalia away from Etienne.

Every time he recalled the sight of Etienne taking Dalia from his grasp at the banquet, it felt as though his eyeballs would spin out of their sockets.

He would take Dalia back and make her his again—turn her into a dog. One word, and she would flatten herself to the ground. Crawl. Lick. Die.

How he would brutally punish her after that was a matter for later.

Just imagining it made his fingertips tingle. It was an emotion he had never felt when looking at her before.

Vethus brushed a hand across his mouth as if soothing himself.

That was when—

“Vethus!”

Seeing the large cluster of light he held in both hands, Dalia came running toward him on her short legs, utterly lacking in decorum.

Vethus quickly put on his mask-like smile. Only someone as sharp as himself could have noticed the faint twitch at the corner of his lips.

“Careful. You’ll fall.”

Dalia stopped in front of him. Because she had been running, she pushed her hood back up from where it had slipped over her eyes, then eagerly examined the fragments of light in his hands.

Her curious face filled Vethus’s vision.

“Wow. It’s even more amazing up close.”

She looked back up at him as she spoke. His reflection was clearly visible in her eyes.

Only then did the emotions that had refused to settle finally sink into a deep, abyssal calm.

Yes. You should be looking at me.

The corners of Vethus’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“It’s yours. Take it.”

I held it in my palm and stared at it for a long while.

I sniffed at it, but there was no scent at all.

“Is this expensive?”

“Haha, it does cost quite a bit. Mages themselves are rare, after all.”

Oh really?

Enchanting air and selling it for money? That’s on the level of Kim Seon-dal selling water from the Taedong River.

For a moment, I wondered if I should stop selling dresses and just learn magic instead—but quickly gave up on the idea.

They said mages were strictly controlled by the state. No freedom. And what fun is a life without freedom?

“Shall we stop looking and make a wish?”

“Yes, sounds good. I just wish in my heart, right?”

“Yeah. And then throw it as far as you can. If it keeps hitting the edge of the lake, the light fades faster, so try to throw it as far as possible.”

Hmm. What should I wish for?

I clasped the fragment of light tightly in both hands. It wasn’t a birthday candle, but out of habit, I closed my eyes.

Somehow, it feels more sincere if you close your eyes when making a wish.

The scent of water carried by the night breeze tickled my nose.

“What did you wish for?”

“I’m not telling. If you tell people your wish, it won’t come true.”

“Who says that? Can’t you tell me?”

Vethus laughed casually and pressed on.

But there was no way I was going to tell him. Even if I did, he wouldn’t understand.

I shook my head firmly.

“Why? Tell me.”

His voice turned cold as he grabbed my wrist. A strong pressure dug in. I frowned.

“Ah—it hurts.”

Vethus immediately let go. I blew softly on my wrist.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“What is this, showing off your strength? It’s red.”

“I really am sorry.”

He took my wrist again and gently rubbed it.

Give poison, then medicine, huh?

Annoyed, I yanked my hand back.

Ugh. I’m annoyed, but I shouldn’t get upset while making a wish. Bad luck and all that.

“It’s fine. I’ll just throw this now.”

Vethus nodded.

I stepped a little closer to the edge of the lake and raised my arm high.

Baseball players do it like this, right?

I even lifted one leg for dramatic effect.

Good. Ever since being kidnapped, I’d at least done a bit of arm exercise.

Granted, that mostly consisted of attempting a push-up, smashing my chin into the floor, and collapsing flat—but still.

They say starting is half the battle, so that counts as half.

I inhaled deeply and threw the fragment with all my strength.

The fragment cut through the darkness like a shooting star—

…or not.

What the—

Since it was just air, it fell limply straight down.

So one push-up a day really isn’t enough. From now on, I’ll do two.

I sat down and peered over the edge.

“Hey! Why did my wish fall all the way down there? My precious wish!”

Behind me, Vethus let out a low laugh. For some reason, it irritated me, and my upper lip twitched.

My light fragment hadn’t fallen into water—it was lying on the ground below.

Still, it looked close enough to reach if I stretched my arm.

“Dalia, it’s dangerous. Just stand up. We can buy another.”

Vethus called from behind.

But I’d already made my wish. It might be superstition, but if I left it there, it felt like my wish would fade away too.

“No, it’s right there. I can reach it.”

After reassuring him, I stretched my hand downward.

Huh… maybe because it’s dark, but it’s farther than I thought. Still, just a bit more and I should be able to grab it.

I adjusted my posture, leaned forward a little more, and reached again.

“Uh… I can touch it… I can touch it…!”

The warmth of it brushed my fingertips.

Got it!

—or so I thought.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind.

My hair whipped up into the air. I stared blankly as my body tilted forward.

Huh? Why am I—

The hand bracing me against the ground slipped free. My heart dropped.

“Dalia!”

I heard Vethus shout behind me. The ground where I’d been standing pulled away, slowly, like everything had gone into slow motion. My hands flailed helplessly.

Splash!

With a sharp sound, black water swallowed me whole like the gills of a monster.

The icy temperature wrapped around my body. My brain seized up.

No—get out.

Instead of words, rough bubbles burst from my mouth.

I thrashed my arms and legs desperately, but my body kept sinking.

What a messed-up life. I should’ve learned survival swimming.

My limbs grew stiff.

The air bubbles clinging to my clothes abandoned me, rising upward in streams. Beyond them, fragments of light drifted gently. My nose, ears, head—everything felt numb.

The wish I’d made moments ago echoed in my mind.

‘Please let me live a different life than before. A life that’s happy, relaxed, and not spent struggling just to survive. Please.’

Ah… maybe I’m being punished for wishing for something beyond my station.

…How petty. If you weren’t going to grant it anyway, at least refund the money I spent on the light fragment.

My thoughts grew hazy.

First death: starvation. Second death: drowning. I wondered what kind of death awaited me in the next life—if there was one.

Still, it was better than my previous life. I ate plenty of steak. Not enough, but still.

Then—something tapped against my freezing fingertips.

My eyes, which had been closing helplessly, slid open.

Air bubbles scattered busily before me. Cutting through them, a large hand appeared.

That hand seized mine in an instant. As my hair that had been floating upward dropped downward all at once, I felt my body being pulled up.

A face I wanted to see appeared before me.

Etienne?

Is this a dream? Even in dreams, he’s handsome. But why is he angry again? He’s always angry. Wouldn’t it kill him to smile with that face?

My thoughts moved sluggishly, like a machine broken by water.

Etienne’s hand cupped my chin. His lips pressed against my cold ones, and hot air was forced into my mouth.

My eyes fluttered shut again.

People had gathered noisily along the dark lakeshore. In contrast, the black lake lay eerily calm, as if it had never swallowed two people at all.

“Shouldn’t someone help?”

“But who would go in there? Jumping into water that cold is basically suicide. You’d have a heart attack instantly.”

“Then what about that woman and the man? Throw them a rope or something!”

Everyone stomped around in panic.

Then, tearing through the heaving surface of the water, a man emerged.

It was the man who, moments ago, had suddenly appeared and leapt into the lake without hesitation.

“They’re out!”

An unconscious woman clung limply to one of his arms—the one who had fallen in first. Even in that position, he showed no sign of strain as he climbed onto the shore.

Vethus approached him.

“Etienne.”

“Move.”

Etienne growled, naked hostility and fury blazing in his eyes.

Vethus stepped back without a word.

Etienne laid Dalia on the ground.

With trembling hands, he brought his fingers beneath her nose.

Nothing.

He touched her face, but it was lifeless—like a straw-stuffed mannequin.

Water dripped from Etienne’s hair, falling uselessly onto her face.

In Etienne’s mind, a long-buried memory overlapped with Dalia’s face.

The Empress—his mother—stroking his face with unfocused eyes.

He had stared at her for a long time, watching what had been his mother turn into nothing more than a rigid, solid mass.

The veins in Etienne’s neck bulged red.

Damn it. Get a grip.

He cursed himself silently. This wasn’t the time to drown in the past. He couldn’t let Dalia end the same way.

Etienne pressed on her chest. Each time, her slight body rocked weakly.

Damn it.

Curses kept rising in his throat.

His soaked ivory shirt clung to his body, veins standing out thickly along his arms. Every nerve and muscle felt locked, twisted tight.

“Dalia—spit it out! Breathe it out!”

People crowded around, shouting advice and interference, but he couldn’t hear them. All he heard was the ringing screech in his ears.