The outskirts were quiet because the festival was going on late into the night in the city center. Occasionally, people passing by didn't even glance at him, who was wearing black and blending into the shadows. It was much better than during the day when people would rush to him shouting their praises and calling him a war hero wherever he went.
Walking through the streets of the island at night for the first time in years didn't give him much inspiration. To be exact, his mind was already full of other thoughts, not allowing the scenery to enter his vision. The triumphal procession was bustling as if all the islanders had poured out.
In that cloud-like crowd, Dante found a pair of eyes as if it were a lie. He couldn't help but recognize them. Their curious eyes and refreshing eyes like a summer forest were exactly the same as ten years ago.
"..."
But unlike himself who was breathless and surprised, there was no sign of agitation in her green eyes. What floated in those eyes was curiosity. Respect. Admiration. Just as if she was looking up at the faint stars in the distant night sky. As if she was just another onlooker. There was not a single shadow of longing or joy there. That was all she showed in response.
Dante didn't expect her to shout that she missed him and hug him tightly. She wasn't a very affectionate person even when she was young. However, she was a child who would call him brother and follow him around even when he seemed annoyed.
'... No way.'
Don't you remember? Me.
An unpleasant guess flashed through his mind. Just thinking about the possibility made his mood turn as dirty as a rainy season slush in an instant.
'That can't be true.'
He dismissed his suspicions with a hollow laugh. She wasn't even a goldfish, so how could she forget the memory of her near-death experience? And that girl, no. Now, should I call her a lady?
Anyway, that woman had even made a promise. She would never forget him, the savior of her life.
Count Lopez. Dante walked the same path he had walked ten years ago carrying the girl. Suddenly, Dante thought that he looked funny. He knew very well that this was not the time. He had been away from the system for ten years, so it was time to return 'home' and truly take over the family that his dear stepbrothers had worked so hard first to protect. But he was spending his night back chasing after a woman. There was nothing he could do. His footsteps were swaying as they pleased, ignoring his master's will.
From that time on, a strange phenomenon began to consume Dante. The long war and stimulating daily life, on the contrary, gave him a terrible boredom. When he had cut down the barbarians, and when death was right before his eyes, the world had been ashen at some point. However, that boring world was slowly regaining its color. The closer he got to the Count's residence, the more he laughed at himself coldly. Isn't this disgusting? How could he be so obsessed with a little girl he had only met for a few days in the distant past?
He didn't stop walking, though.
"But what should I say?"
As he approached the Count's residence, Dante agonized over how to say his first words so that he would seem less crazy.
Did we clearly meet earlier but you didn't seem to recognize me, so I came to see you? It's a shame that you didn't grow into such a cheerful lady? No, it's all over, so why don't you sing a song so I can listen to you?
He seemed to know that he absolutely must not say the last words. He was clicking his tongue when he couldn't think of a proper first words.
"Marquis."
Dante's feet stopped abruptly. He slowly raised his head. He saw a man and a woman standing in front of a small street tree.
"Thank you for escorting me today. Thanks to you, I had a great time."
A calm and gentle voice. A. voice that was noticeably more mature than the child from ten years ago, but still warm. In that voice, the woman whispered. "Then, please go in carefully."
"I'm glad I could be with you at the ceremony. Oh, and today's performance was really great. Maybe that's why it keeps getting better day by day."
"...I'm glad you said that."
Cheeks slightly flushed. Eyes downcast shyly. It felt like someone was hitting Dante on the back of the head with a huge weapon.
Ah. I see.
He quietly came to a realization. Ten years. It was a long time since the boy who only knew how to beat up his stupid stepbrothers ended up being called a murderer, a human butcher, and all sorts of other evil names. That time must have passed equally for everyone else.
Only then did Dante realize one cruel truth. It didn't matter whether she had forgotten his existence or not. What mattered was the meaning and weight of that memory. For Dante, the few days with the girl were the only positive memory of his poor life, but the girl's life would be filled with much brighter memories. He hid himself in the darkness.
"Hmm, hmm."
The face of the Marquis, who was called that, passed by him. Humming as if the world was all joyful and colorful, Dante slowly leaned back against the wall. He felt like he was finally waking up from a weak daydream.
The system was a place he had never had good memories of. So what did he expect to change when he came back here?
He had finally crawled all the way to his hometown, but the scenery he saw was no different from when he had cut off the heads of the barbarians at the border. The world was as gray as ever. It was colorless and odorless as always.
Suddenly Dante looked down at himself and laughed coldly. It was quite funny that he had crawled all the way here to collect the debt for saving a little girl ten years ago. He wasn't even a beggar.
Dante, who had a sneer on his face, finally pulled himself away from the wall.
***
'Pathetic.'
Dante clicked his tongue at his past self. No matter how long he talked, he eventually felt defeated. Marquis, the voice that had been flowing softly was directed at...
The fact that the fresh green eyes were directed at another man. He felt helpless at the thought that she had already found happiness by someone else's side. And in fact, that sense of defeat had not gone away yet.
"Marquis."
The look of infinite trust that Ariana had shown him the moment she said that. Dante wanted that very thing. Even after providing him with a lot of useful help, Ariana's gaze still didn't relax. On the contrary, she would tense up whenever he appeared.
I'm not a small animal. If I act like prey, it would only make me want to hunt her more.
'Well. Maybe it's because she instinctively sensed that I wasn't trustworthy.'
Cleverly. In fact, her caution was right. Dante suddenly recalled the contract he had signed with his own hands a few months ago. That contract had a huge blind spot. It only stated the start date of the contract, the obligations and rights of each party, and did not properly state the end.
To be exact, it only stated the point in time when Dante could unilaterally terminate his marriage with Ariana. The opposite was impossible. According to the contract.
'Poor Ariana.'
She seemed not yet to realize that she had been a victim of some kind of marriage fraud. But Dante didn't feel guilty. He just had to make it so that he wouldn't feel like destroying it. Thinking shamelessly, Dante climbed onto the carriage.
"Where shall I take you, Your Highness?"
"Home."
A deep smile formed on his lips. Home. That tone felt especially pleasant today. Would Ariana be waiting for him there?
"I miss you."
He muttered softly, rubbing the back of his neck which was starting to tingle. The carriage sped forward powerfully. But it felt slow.
***
"Are you here, master?"
Butler Oren greeted him politely and took his coat.
"Ariana?"
"Oh, Her Highness..."
A look of confusion flashed across Oren's face for a moment.
"What's going on?"
"She's busy reviewing the documents that came from the Lopez mansion."
Dante chuckled. Of course, she would. He had told her to rest, but he didn't really expect her to do so.
"Would you like to go to Her Highness?"
"No. First, let's change into our clothes."
The smell of iron and blood permeated his collar from his prison stay. He couldn't go see Ariana in this condition. As he strode down the hallway, he heard the servants whispering.
"Really? Anna finally got a proposal?"
"Did you see the necklace around her neck? It was a proposal gift from her fiancé."
Oren's eyes, following Dante, became stern. How could he be so absorbed in small talk that he didn't even notice his master passing by during work hours?
"Ahem. Master, I'll warn you-."
Dante raised his hand. Oren closed his mouth and blinked at the obvious warning. The servants continued to chatter, not even dreaming of who was right next to them.
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