I Raised Him Modestly, But He Came Back Obsessed With Me

“Then I’ll go this way.”

Verne split first at the crossroad. Cersinia and May were walking down the corridor to the annex. She went around the mansion again today. Unlike yesterday, they decided to take charge of each area and looked at it.

“Are you feeling okay?”

When there are only the two of them, May asked carefully. She seemed worried that Cersinia didn’t look good since yesterday.

“I’m okay.”

Cersinia was more determined than expected. She was not terribly surprised because she knew her implicit feelings toward Ben. It’s just that it wasn’t easy for her to admit it.

“May.”

“Yes?”

“You told me yesterday. That I like Ben.”

“Ah, it’s not like that Cersinia!”

May denied it, even waving her hands, afraid that her words stuck in Cersinia’s mind.

“No, you’re right.”

Her crimson eyes, with no more confusion or denial, were firm.

“I like him.”

Cersinia spoke the truth. Last night, Ben stood in front of the door for a long time and went back. Perhaps he just wanted to bring out his true feelings for her, but he didn’t wake her up and just went back quietly. Cersinia sat in the hallway for a long time after Ben returned while constantly reflecting on her conscious feelings.

“As expected! I knew it. So, are you two becoming official now? You like each other.”

May clapped her hands and liked it as if it were her job. Cersinia shook her head as she saw her sparkling eyes.

“No. I rejected him.”

“Pardon? Did you get a confession? No, rather than that, rejection? Why? Why!”

“I don’t want him to suffer because of me.”

So she rejected him. Because she didn’t want her most important person to suffer hardship or get hurt because of her. And she didn’t know what her fate would be in the future.

“But…”

May blurted out her words. She understood Cersinia’s mind to some extent because she knew that Cersinia was hunted and almost burned for her ability to use fire. As she recalled, the Grand Duke she had seen recently was as lifeless as a man who had lost all his hope. His face, full of shade, was haggard, and his eyes were red.

‘I can’t believe it was because of Cersinia’s rejection.’

It makes sense now. May wanted to say that the Grand Duke was already like a dead man, but she couldn’t utter a word. Because Cersinia’s expression wasn’t good either. Feeling frustrated, May sighed and opened her mouth.

“Cersinia, just think about your feelings. Apart from everything, what do you want to do?”

May felt sorry for the two, who cared for each other and didn’t know how to take care of themselves.

“I’ll go this way.”

Then May went to her assigned place. Cersinia, left in the corridor, kept May’s words ringing in her ears.

‘What do I want to do?’

It was a question that she had never thought about. She was in a hurry to avoid the situation that was just around the corner, worried about an uneasy future. However, what if something big happens after doing what she wants?

‘If this hand hurts him.’

‘If I lost my consciousness and ran wild again…’

‘What should I do then?’

The wind fluttered next to Cersinia. Her skirt shook, and a cold wind penetrated her skin. She lowered her gaze and looked at her hands. Her hands, which looked as ordinary as everyone else, kept making her uneasy.

‘I just want to be normal.’

It was a dream that she had always hoped for since she possessed this body. However, she couldn’t contain the water that had already been spilled, so she accepted it and lived with it, but she kept getting greedy. The desire to be next to him normally. Just a normal person who can’t use any ability. Like Aronia, someone who can fully express her own feelings. Not the only witch in the Empire, but just a human. She just wanted to be by his side like that.

‘The impossible dream.’

Cersinia lowered the corners of her lips with a bitter smile and ruffled her messy hair over the wind. After passing through the bare trees with no leaves left, she headed to the annex. Soon, autumn has passed, and it’s already winter.

* * *

Ben woke up almost in the afternoon. Lately, it has been common for him to toss and turn all morning because he has not been able to sleep properly. He barely fell asleep yesterday, but he woke up in a terrible nightmare.

The days when he was trapped underground without a single piece of light and lived without knowing when he could go out. The days he endured by reflecting on the name of Cersinia dozens of times a day.

He wanted to kick out Cersinia’s room door. Because he missed her right away. He wants to make sure that they’re not alone but together. However, when he arrived in front of the door, he could not enter. He wanted to open the door, just in case she wasn’t there. But he’s afraid that Cersinia will tell him to stop and leave after facing him. He returned like a coward and ran away.

“Archen.”

At a short call, Archen opened the door as if he had waited and came in. 

“Did you call me?”

“I need to go to the medical center.”

It was to get a prescription for sleeping pills. He had to sleep even if he borrowed the power of medicine. Otherwise, anxious thoughts kept eating him up.

“Did you feel sick? I will call the doctor.”

“I’ll go out on my own. Please prepare.”

“Yes, I understand. Lady Cersinia is taking a walk after breakfast.”

Ben was relieved with Arcen’s report and nodded his head slightly.

‘Cersinia is still by my side.’

Maybe it’s because of his request to stay by his side until his heart is ready to accept it. He smirked. Even so, he gets tired of his selfish self, who wants to hold on to her.

“Then I’ll prepare.”

Archen left, and Ben took off the bracelet he was wearing on his hand for a while and headed to the bathroom. He wiped away the cold sweat he had shed in the aftermath of the nightmare. After that, the first thing he did when he got out of the bathroom was to put on the bracelet again. Without this, everything connected to Cersinia will be cut off.

He opened the drawer next to the bed and smoothed the worn-out bracelet. The bracelet, which couldn’t find its owner, was in his hand. Thanks to this bracelet, he was able to survive for the last three years. He sat on the bed, touched the bracelet for a while, put it in a drawer, and stood up.

“You don’t have to clean it up, so don’t let anyone in.”

He ordered Archen before he went out. The drawer was not completely closed.

* * *

Entering the annex, Cersinia looked around every nook and cranny. The annex, which was a bit far from the main building, was different from its appearance. If the main building had the feeling of a quiet and magnificent mansion, the annex was old and faded as if it came from a rural villa. Every time she walked, the wooden floor creaked, just like her cabin before. It was well-maintained and tidy, but it didn’t look like a place for a person to live.

‘He tricked me.’

As Cersinia walked down the hallway, she gritted her teeth. For the second day, she still believed the words from Limapheus and was looking for that place, but there was nothing strange in the mansion. Even more so, where there might be a hidden space.

When Cersinia talked to Archen, she knew what happened in the past was hurting Ben. She suddenly believed Limapheus’s words because she thought it would make Ben feel comfortable if she had something to help.

“How could he play with human emotions?”

Limapheus knew Cersinia cared about Ben. So, he must have made fun of her with this nonsense. She was so upset that he wanted to beat Limapheus if they ever met again. Although she doesn’t want to see him again.

‘That guy will be with Verne? It’s such a waste for Verne.’

Before she knew it, she had already downgraded Limapheus. The Crown Prince did not suit a good and kind woman like Verne. There’s no way she can get along with a poisonous snake-like person behind a nice smile. The two of them are destined to be connected, so there’s no way it can be helped, but in Cersinia’s heart, she wanted to interrupt them completely.

“Huu…”

Cersinia eventually returned without finding anything in the annex.

“Huh? Have I ever been to a place like this?”

Then, she found an unusually dark and narrow hallway she had never seen before. The corridor is dimly lit with lights where there is no window. She instinctively entered the corridor. The corridor was so quiet that even small footsteps could be heard.

‘Why is this place so messy?’

That was the first thought she had while looking around. Unlike the other well-managed corridors, this corridor had a musty smell even though they were old. It was dusty enough to tickle her throat. But there was nothing special except for being messy and dark. Cersinia reached the end of the corridor and turned her back.

‘A gap? Why is there a gap in the wall?’

There was a crack in the wall under the light. She quickly moved closer and took a look. All the wooden walls were woven horizontally, but strangely, there was a vertical gap on this wall, just like a doorknob.

“Do you know that there is a hidden space in the Grand Duchy?”

Limapheus’s words came to her mind. Cersinia hurriedly touched the wall. The crack felt like it was really artificially made. It even appeared in the shape of a door. Her heart pounded with strange tension and excitement.

“Outsiders are not allowed to enter this place.”

“Argh!”

Surprised by the sudden sound, Cersinia couldn’t control her strength and slammed her fist against the wall.

At that moment.

Rumble.

The wall was pushed forward and opened with an unpleasant sound.