“M-Mama…”

Drea stammered, taken aback.

But Kalia’s eyes were already shining fiercely.

“Besides that guy, there would be plenty of others who like you. Why bother getting upset over a kid who makes you cry? Just forget about him.”

‘Mama… He’s your son, isn’t he?’

“Do you want me to introduce you to some great knights? No, don’t get involved in a romantic relationship. Just live your life the way you want, and if there’s someone who likes you enough to die for you, then date them.”

“…But I want to be in a relationship.”

“Really? Okay, then… Fine. I’ll have the knights turn the Order upside down, and Simon can turn the Mage Tower upside down. And also Derek and Allen. Hm… They won’t let you go easily, though. Shaik seems to have reluctantly accepted that you’re always with him.”

Upon hearing Kalia’s serious words, Drea finally laughed and spoke.

Somehow, thanks to Kalia, who seemed to provoke even more anger than Drea, a corner of Drea’s frozen heart melted away.

Drea nestled into Kalia’s embrace and said:

“I dislike anyone other than Shaik.”

“You like Shaik that much?”

“Yes.”

“What do you like about him?”

“Just looking at him makes me happy. He’s handsome, um… I feel good when I see him smile, and it relaxes my legs. Anyway, he’s handsome…”

“Our Drea, you value appearance so much?”

“That’s… That’s the same for Kalia Mama too…”

Kalia’s eyes widened at Drea’s words.

Soon, the same person came to mind for both of them.

The silver-haired Archmage.

The man who was said to be the most beautiful in the continent and is now Kalia’s husband.

Both of them burst into laughter at the same time.

“But still, I’m sincere. If he doesn’t cherish you, I would reject even if the Emperor came. Even if he’s poor, weak, or not well-educated, I want to meet someone who cherishes you. The rest we can work on together, but not the heart.”

“…”

“The heart cannot be controlled by someone else’s will.”

Kalia hugged Drea tightly and patted her shoulder.

With the comforting touch of her gentle hands, Drea looked intently at the closed door.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The person I love and who loves me.

I wished it was Shaik. But…

The door didn’t open, and Drea eventually closed her eyes.

* * *

“Ahhh!”

The red-haired boy writhed in agony, screaming as he fell for the illusion.

Even though he hadn’t been hit once, after enduring the illusion for about two hours, the boy fainted.

A tall figure approached the unconscious boy.

It was Shaik.

Shaik briefly glanced at the fallen Rex with cold eyes and turned away.

‘In terms of my feelings…’

He wanted to destroy everything.

No, it wouldn’t even be satisfying to break one of his legs.

If it were the past him, he might have taken his life in an instant out of sheer anger.

But despite that, he held back solely because of his parents.

The Queen of this country.

A righteous and just Queen.

My noble and true mother, who has no trace of dirtiness.

And the only Mage Tower owner on this continent, my father.

For the sake of these two, Shaik suppressed his anger.

If he acted recklessly, he would have to face the wrath of his parents.

However, the boiling emotions in his heart still wouldn’t calm down.

Shaik stood still, roughing up his hair.

“Damn.”

Shaik always maintained a calm demeanor, but he wasn’t feeling well today.

Ever since he saw Drea’s bruised face, he had been like this.

And her cold gaze, something he had never seen from her before.

‘When I try to say something, you tell me to go away, and when I’m bothering you, you go to others first, holding their hands! And now you’re pretending to take care of me? You’re the bad one. You’re bad, Shaik! I hate you!’

Drea’s voice filled with resentment echoed vividly in his ears.

No matter how much Shaik pushed her away, Drea, who had never shown any signs of distress, expressed hostility towards him for the first time.

As if she truly despised him, as if she resented him deeply…Her reddened eyes glared at him sharply.

…Thump.

Shaik felt a strange pain in his chest, leaving him greatly perplexed.

Without even hearing any insults, just hearing her say that she dislikes him, a corner of his heart is being squeezed tightly.

‘…Is there something wrong with me?’

Moreover, this morning it was difficult to see Drea properly.

It was because the delusion of ‘I hate you!’ that tormented him throughout the night and her reddened eyes kept coming to mind.

This was the first time something like this had happened.

Drea was always a ‘smiling presence’ to him, never a source of anger.

How could Drea? Why? Why?

Drea turning her back on him was like Kalia abandoning Shaik.

To that extent, Drea was an absolute existence of trust for Shaik.

‘Drea likes me to an excessive degree.’

That’s the belief, so to speak.

It may seem arrogant in a way, but ultimately it was Drea who made Shaik think this way.

Throughout his life, up until now, Drea’s feelings toward Shaik were straightforward, with no detours.

“…But if you suddenly say you hate me, I, I’m just taken aback. Drea.”

Shaik sighed while drying his face.

Why suddenly say that you hate me?

Ah… right.

‘You go chasing after that child, Ena or whatever…!’

Ena. Yes… she talked about Ena.

A child resembling Anna.

An Eastern child with black hair and black eyes.

When he first saw her, he really thought Anna had come back to life.

As if he had been reborn, he observed that child by his side, wondering if Anna had also been reborn. But it wasn’t the case.

‘It’s not Anna. Just a child who only resembles her on the surface.’

Anna’s way of speaking, Anna’s voice, Anna’s laughter. There was nothing resembling any of them.

Anna was a brighter person.

She was the one who smiled when she saw only him, the woman who reached out her hand to him first for the sake of his cowardice.

She was the one who stood by his side with an even more pained expression when he was in pain…

She didn’t know how to act weak, a woman who confronted things head-on.

Shaik thought of Drea and Ena, who he encountered during the day.

What did Drea say?

Did she tell her not to act weak?

“…Now that I think about it, Drea resembles Anna.”

How could he have spent a lifetime together and only realize it now?

Within Shaik, Drea was simply Drea.

No one else resembled her, just the pure essence of Drea.

That’s why he couldn’t think of Anna when he thought of Drea.

‘But why all of a sudden…’

Shaik still clenched the corner of his chest, which was seething.

Something that he didn’t even realize was lodged inside was trembling less and less.

Drea’s tears, resentment, and fierce gaze kept poking at it.

“Tomorrow… Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

Taking a dry sigh, he raised his head.

The vibrant exterior that he hadn’t entered yet.

He looked towards the location of Drea’s room.

The light was still brightly lit.

It didn’t seem like she was asleep yet. Should he go and talk now?

In truth, when they met in the hallway earlier, Shaik wanted to chase after Drea.

But Ena stopped him.

With tear-filled eyes, Ena spoke as if sobbing.

“I heard harsh words.”

“…Harsh words?”

“Yes, senior Shaik, you heard them too.”

Saying that, Ena stared at him sharply.

And the moment her tear-stained eyes met his, all doubts that remained in Shaik, that is, the thought that it might not be Anna, this illusion vanished completely.

This child is definitely not Anna.

And even if she were truly Anna’s reincarnation… it was Drea that he should chase after now.

Shaik brushed off Ena’s hand that was holding onto him and spoke.

“I helped you several times, and I kept looking at you… because you resemble someone I loved. That person keeps coming to mind.”

“…Your first love?”

“Yes. I couldn’t keep the promise I made to that person, and it kept bothering me… That’s why my heart kept feeling bitter. But…”

“But?”

To be honest, that person doesn’t come to mind much anymore. There’s no longer a heavy feeling in his heart like before. Above all else… He hass realized that he shouldn’t neglect the person who is precious to him now by being entangled in the past.”

“Ah…”

Ena’s pupils trembled.

Looking at them absentmindedly, Shaik took a step back.

“If I confused you, I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. Oh, and…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t speak recklessly to Drea. When she gets angry… she’s truly terrifying. Even more so than now.”

He recalled Drea, who had glared at him with a fierce gaze.

And he remembered the story of Rex or Rax fighting and bickering.

…There were even times when she recklessly went alone to the Dragon’s Sanctuary to save him, without fear.

Drea was always straightforward.

Fear couldn’t stop that child.

That was… the scary aspect of Drea.

If one gets entangled with her, there really is no way out.

As the closest example, now even Shaik’s grandfather, Kalexia, cherished and adored Drea more than Shaik.

Shaik laughed unknowingly as he thought of him.

Although Ena tried to stop him from chasing after Drea again, Shaik finally shook her off.

After responding a few times to Ena’s desperate attempts to hold onto him, she simply let go as if her strength had given out.

The reason Shaik stopped from chasing after Drea right then and there was because he spotted Rex.

“I need to give that girl a good scolding. Does she think she’s a princess just because she lives in the palace?”

He talked about gathering his magic department friends for a foolish outburst.

Without realizing it, Shaik, who was enraged from head to toe, used the spirits to drive out the magic department people and then trapped Rex against a mud wall before giving him a good scolding.

The magical artifact he received from his father, Simon, was useful.

“If it’s difficult to attack physically, use illusions to distract them.”

A magical artifact created to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

Even if he hadn’t borrowed the bracelet, which could be used for invisibility magic, he would have given them a good beating himself…

He just found it regrettable.

‘Thanks to that, I couldn’t chase after her immediately, and this time passed.’

Shaik stared at Drea’s window, which was still lit, for a long time.

While he hesitated on whether to go up now or not, the light inside the window went out.

“Ah…”

He bit his lip and glanced at the clock.

It was slightly past 10 p.m.

It was still too early to go to sleep…

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even get to wish her a happy birthday today.”

He considered going up and knocking on the door but quickly changed his mind.

Yes, there’s still time tomorrow, so let’s go with a relaxed approach.

Tomorrow, he planned to be the one to apologize to her first.

It felt awkward even to have that intention for the first time.

So tonight, he thought about what he would say and calmly organized his thoughts. Shaik turned his body.

However, the next morning, Shaik couldn’t apologize to Drea.

Because Drea had disappeared.

And not only that…

[Shaik, I think it’s best for us to cut ties now.]

…She left a note saying that she would completely abandon him.