Fear and despair made Damian sob as sharp as a scream. Lily called him once more, but Damian shuddered and only yelled.
“Don’t come closer!”
Perhaps because even his vocal cords had changed, his usual voice and the sound of scratching a rusty iron door came out at the same time.
Damian gasped and begged.
“No, Lily. Don’t look at me, please…!”
In a terribly hoarse plea, Damian begged incoherently.
Lilian stood still for a while, unable to approach Damian, who was in a mess, fearing that he’d act up again.
For a very short time, her mind weakened.
‘Should I get out of here?’
Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for Damian to pretend that she hadn’t seen this scene, to pretend not to remember and live as before?
Did she deserve to know what Damian was so desperate to hide?
At that moment, these thoughts passed through Lilian’s head one after another.
“If I follow you…will you stay with me forever?”
“Promise you’ll never abandon me for the rest of your life.”
Damian said that it didn’t matter who Lilian was, whether she was human or not, as long as she did that.
“You can’t abandon me. I might kill you. I’m a bad monster.”
“Promise me you won’t abandon me.”
In every moment, there was only one thing Damian asked of Lilian.
He begged her not to abandon him.
What was important to Damian wasn’t to be noticed by Lily.
He desperately wanted not to be abandoned by Lily.
When she remembered that fact, her heart, which had fluctuated for a moment, slowly sank.
Lilian’s eyes, which had been weakening, became clear once more.
“Your Highness.”
As Lilian took a step closer, Damian let out a choking sound as if in indescribable horror.
But Lilian didn’t back down or stop.
At a steady pace, she approached Damian. And knelt before him.
Damian seemed to have forgotten to even breathe. Lilian laid her hand on Damian’s left cheek, where the misshapen bulging black blood vessels were wriggling.
She didn’t think it was gross. Rather, when she touched it, she felt that it was literally covered with tears and felt sorry instead.
“I, I, I…”
Damian gasped. Lilian made a low shh sound to stop him from speaking.
She then walked over to Damian and slowly wiped his lips.
It might hurt so she had to be careful.
Lilian gently gripped Damian’s badly chewed lips.
She then let go.
And whispered.
“It’s okay.”
Damian’s pupils trembled mercilessly. Lilian smiled lightly, took Damian’s grotesque left hand, and placed it over her beating heart. Startled, she placed her hand firmly on top of his hand which was about to fall.
In disbelief, Damian stared blankly at his monstrous hand on Lilian’s chest.
Underneath the giant beast’s paw-like palm, he could feel Lilian’s tender heart beating.
Lily’s heart was beating slowly and surely, not impatiently.
Her heart wasn’t frightened.
How could this happen?
Damian looked at Lilian earnestly. Lilian whispered.
“It’s okay, Your Highness.”
How could this be?
Damian couldn’t take his eyes off Lily, having so many questions.
“I know that Your Highness’ life has been difficult up until now.”
“…”
“Your Highness’ heart is broken. I also know that very well. That’s why, Damian.”
Lilian whispered.
Just as she patiently carved each letter into a child who cannot see, hear, and therefore cannot speak, she slowly and sincerely did so.
“Thank you for being alive.”
“I’m sorry I showed up so late. Thank you for surviving until you met me.”
Lily slowly lowered her head and kissed Damian’s finger.
Her kiss was reverently grateful.
“Lily, Lily…”
Damian’s eyes trembled. Even so, he desperately held on to Lilian.
He’s like a man who found a rope in deep water.
“Will you not abandon me?”
“You may not remember, but I have told you many times that I will take Your Highness’ life.”
There’s only one thing Lilian could pay to have Damian.
“And in return, I became yours.”
“Have as much as you like.”
Lily whispered.
“Because I gave you permission.”
It was daunting and painful. He was afraid that this might not be real, but he couldn’t stop. Damian let out a painful moan.
That was the last memory of that day that remained intact.
***
Twilight passed, deep night and dawn passed, then morning came.
Clothed, Damian was wandering in a shallow dream, holding Lilian in his arms.
What appeared in his dream…
-Pathetic.
It was himself in his youthful form.
It was an unpleasant face. He should have slept in the happiest mood, so why should he meet this guy in his dreams and not Lilian?
-I didn’t want to be an adult like you.
Whatever. His younger self’s accusations didn’t even tickle.
“It’s the same for me. I’m not the type to like my childhood, when I was a helplessly rotting fish.”
-But I am you.
“Yes, damn it.”
Little Damian’s form began to change into a light that broke little by little. Damian sneered as he watched the light seep into him.
“Didn’t you say you don’t want to be an adult like me?”
-If it means being Lilian’s husband, I can accept it.
The child warned, looking at Damian without batting an eye.
-I heard that your body will get better when I go back.
Damian noticed. It wasn’t that the young him suddenly decided to come back with a change of heart. Since he’s young, this guy had been enjoying Lilian’s unconditional care and affection.
However, he realized during the concert raid incident.
That he couldn’t protect Lilian with his body.
Lilian was only willing to protect the young Damian unconditionally. But when Damian appeared, she was relieved enough to kneel down, and was immediately protected.
Young Damian was shocked and enlightened. Now was not the time to enjoy being petted.
It was time for him to become Lilian’s husband who could protect her.
As the fragments of his soul that had fallen away seeped into him, Damian became more aware of those thoughts.
“You’re like a sullen little boy.”
He grumbled, but his mood wasn’t bad. Thinking that Lilian had even repaired his shattered soul made him a little happier.
Finally, the fragments of his soul that were separated were completely absorbed…
Damian woke up.
Blink, blink. He blinked deeply as if trying to drive away his drowsiness.
His purple eyes gradually became clearer.
“Ah…”
Damian let out a light exclamation in a hoarse voice. One by one, the experience of the fragments of his soul in Zagreb was seeping into his memory.
Like Kiyomun silk, which creates a strange light by weaving wefts and warps of different colors.
A thread called Lilian began to intertwine between the warp and weft called Damian.
Lilian permeated the most miserable moment of his life. Damian trembled and watched the new memories being made.
“Your Highness…?”
An inexplicable wonder.
Strictly speaking, this happened in Lilian and Damian’s memories, in reality, nothing had changed.
But for Damian, it was a miracle that changed his life.
Damian looked at his wife’s languid blue eyes as she woke up, frowning as if struggling to sleep.
It was still the dark dungeon, but there was nothing Damian couldn’t see.
There was a love that left its mark on his deep past, which no one could reach.
“Lily, can I ask you one thing?”
“Yes…?”
Lilian, who was barely awake, didn’t know what to do. Damian, who was pitiful but still cunning, asked in surprise, thinking that it was rather good.
“You may think I’m a persistent man, but I’ll ask you one more time.”
“Yes…”
“You tamed me, so you must take responsibility.”
Lilian looked blankly at Damian. Unlike Damian, her eyesight, which belonged to the category of an ordinary human, couldn’t distinguish Damian’s form in the dark.
She heard the voice in the dark demanding that she take responsibility. It was a situation that could have been quite frightening.
Damian urged.
“I believe you’re prepared for this much when you fed the hungry beast.”
Lilian was not afraid.
She laughed.
“As much as you want.”
Lilian was certain. She was prepared to risk her life for it.
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