Though Romiya had requested it, it was true that there had been some distance between them. The knights dropped to their knees in the middle of the square without hesitation.
Sigmund couldn’t bring himself to be angry with them.
‘It’s mostly my fault anyway.’
Had he simply kept his wits about him while in Romiya’s embrace, things wouldn’t have gone this far.
“I know the reasons behind what happened, so there’s no need to explain. I’ll handle this matter myself. Now, withdraw. I need to speak with Romiya.”
“Y-yes, sir! Understood!”
The departure of the guards only made matters worse. Sigmund couldn’t summon the courage to turn toward Romiya, gnawing on his lips instead. The moment stretched on, feeling like an eternity.
“…Sig, what in the world is going on?”
“I’m sorry.”
When guilty, it is best to prostrate oneself first. That doesn’t guarantee forgiveness, of course.
“Wait a moment. Let’s move somewhere else.”
Whitten had chosen to approach Romiya in the middle of the square, leaving every gaze in the area fixed on them.
“I’ll carry you.”
Sigmund carefully lifted Romiya into his arms. Though she still looked visibly bewildered, thankfully she didn’t push him away. Her quiet hands encircling his neck made his heart ache.
After seating Romiya on a bench, Sigmund knelt before her on one knee. With deliberate care, he brushed the dust off her skirt.
“…There’s dirt on your skirt.”
A mere incantation could have cleaned off the dirt in an instant. Yet he deliberately used his hands, stalling for as long as he could before the inevitable judgment.
“Sig. Do you know where Cat Sig went? Was that really you?”
Despite all his efforts, the dreaded moment had finally arrived.
Sigmund barely suppressed the urge to utter an incantation and disappear from this world with Heinz. Forcing his reluctant lips to move, he confessed.
“Yes, it was me. I was that cat. The truth is…”
Sigmund, with no sense of order, began pouring out the events of the day.
He explained how Heinz had appeared and suddenly turned him into a cat. How he had pretended to be a cat because Romiya seemed happy to see one. How he had constantly thought about leaving her arms but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
The more Sigmund spoke, the more he realized just how foolish his actions had been today.
‘I really want to hit myself in the back of the head.’
If he could, he’d do it—hard. It wasn’t even the first time he’d acted pathetic in the face of love. Yet, no matter how many times he experienced it, the self-loathing never got easier to bear.
After hearing Sigmund’s explanation, Romiya asked with visible confusion.
“So, you’re saying you pretended to be a cat because you liked being in my arms that much?”
“Yes.”
“And you heard everything I said about you?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Oh…”
Romiya fell silent. Sigmund felt as though his heart had sunk into the pit of his stomach. Even the sliver of hope he had clung to seemed to evaporate.
‘Is she furious with me?’
Of course, she would be. He had knowingly deceived her for hours, fully aware of her concern for the kitten she thought he was.
‘Can I even be forgiven?’
In his past life, if something like this had happened, he would’ve believed without doubt that she would eventually forgive him. Back then, he had been certain of her love for him.
‘But this life is different from the past.’
In their past, they had shared time and built memories. He had helped her, and she had accepted him. Over time, their love had become as unyielding as diamond.
Even after her death, that love had continued to shine vividly in his heart.
But in this life, Romiya remembered none of that. They were only just beginning to create new memories—still at the stage of laying the foundation, metaphorically speaking. And today, Sigmund had set fire to what little ground they had managed to prepare.
And so, he was terrified.
Terrified that Romiya might abandon him.
That she might leave him.
‘Romiya. Please.’
He was one of the most powerful beings in existence. Even though his lifespan had been shortened due to a wager with causality, his overwhelming strength remained intact. Like other dragons, he would only grow stronger until the end of his days.
Yet, Sigmund felt like nothing more than a fragile dandelion seed, at the mercy of Romiya’s slightest gesture—capable of vanishing without a trace.
It wasn’t an illusion. Romiya could shatter his heart with a single word.
If she didn’t forgive him, Sigmund would suffer an irreparable wound. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her twice.
Then, Romiya finally spoke.
“Why did you do it?”
Sigmund flinched and opened his eyes. He didn’t have the courage to meet her gaze. Fixing his eyes on the hem of her dress, he answered in a trembling voice.
“Like I said earlier, I’d lost my senses. I liked seeing you smile when you looked at the kitten, and being held in your arms felt so good…”
“No, that’s not what I’m asking.”
At those words, a warmth enveloped Sigmund’s cheek. So tense was he that, for a brief moment, he thought Romiya had slapped him in anger.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Romiya gently lifted his face, her hands cautious. Sigmund swallowed dryly and looked up at her.
Romiya whispered softly.
“You said that wizard, Heinz, insisted on checking my feelings.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Why did you listen to him?”
“That’s because…”
Maybe I’m forcing my feelings onto you.
Sigmund couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
A gentle smile appeared on Romiya’s lips, as tender and lovely as spring sunshine.
“Why did you think I wouldn’t love you?”
“This life… we haven’t made enough memories together.”
Romiya pretended to pout, her voice playfully teasing, and then she chuckled.
Sigmund was captivated, unable to tear his eyes away from her face, as if bewitched.
“I’m really disappointed. You don’t even understand my feelings.”
“Romiya.”
“It’s not the length of time we’ve spent making memories that matters, but the weight of them. When I woke up, the first one to welcome me back was you, Sig. Do you know how heavy and precious that memory is to me?”
Romiya went on to softly recount the moments they had shared.
Coming to Genos together, watching the night scenery, Sigmund making macarons for her, holding hands, kissing, and sharing even more intimate moments.
“Every moment since I woke up has included you. My time and memories only have meaning because you’re in them. How could you not know that?”
“…Romiya.”
“Seriously. I thought dragons were supposed to be incredibly strong. I must have been foolish. If I knew you’d feel this insecure, I would’ve told you every day that I love you and that I’m grateful.”
“…”
“I love you, Sig.”
Romiya’s lips touched Sigmund’s forehead. He was on the verge of tears, feeling utterly pathetic. He buried his face in her lap.
“I’m so sorry for today. I did something so foolish.”
“In the end, you said it was because you like me, didn’t you?”
“That’s… true.”
Sigmund took a deep breath.
“The truth is, I’m crazy about you. Meeting you again, being able to love you again—it makes me so happy I could die. Every single day, every single moment, I feel that way. Without you, I’m nothing. I can’t live without you. You’re like my breath—no, you’re everything to me.”
Looking back, it was the first time Sigmund had ever laid his bare feelings so completely before Romiya.
He had been afraid.
As Heinz had said, his feelings were bound to be much stronger than Romiya’s. He had worried that the disparity would burden her.
So, aside from the first time he met her in the lair, he had never shown vulnerability. He hadn’t shed a tear. He always pretended to be calm and composed, as if nothing could shake him.
But he couldn’t do that anymore.
Once his true feelings began to flow, they surged out uncontrollably, like a flood breaching a dam.
“I don’t need to be a dragon. I don’t need power. I don’t need anything I have now. But I need you. I can’t go back to a time when you weren’t in my life.”
“…”
“I don’t want to go back to a time without you. I don’t want to be left alone again…”
He thought the past was behind him, but it wasn’t. The time spent yearning for her had left scars that hadn’t truly healed. Meeting her again had closed the wounds, but the pain had turned into a fear that continued to haunt him.
“So please, don’t leave me. Stay by my side.”
His eyes grew hot with unshed tears.
How long would love keep making him so pitiful?
In truth, he didn’t care anymore.
He was no longer an immortal transcendent. His life now had an end. And because it was finite, he didn’t want to waste it calculating or hesitating.
“…Sig.”
Romiya’s eyes also turned red as she listened to Sigmund’s confession.
Since she had awakened again, it would have been a lie to say she hadn’t felt confused. The unfamiliar world frightened her, made worse by her lack of memories from her previous life.
Even so, she had surprised herself with how well she had adjusted to her second life. She had nothing—no possessions, not even memories—and yet she felt at peace, as if standing firmly on solid rock.
‘It’s all because of Sig.’
She hadn’t felt uneasy because of Sigmund’s unwavering love. She hadn’t been afraid because he had given her certainty.
‘I want to give him certainty too. I want to give him everything.’
Hearing Sigmund’s heartfelt words today, Romiya felt overwhelmed by the depth of his love. Yet, she also felt a touch of anxiety. She wanted to do something for him, but no immediate solution came to mind.
‘Should I ask him to turn back into a cat?’
When she had held him earlier, Sigmund often looked as relaxed as a cat buried in catnip. At the time, she had thought it was simply adorable. Now, she understood—it was because he had loved being in her arms.
‘I can hold him, kiss him, and caress him as much as he likes. If that’s what makes him happy, I can do it anytime, every day.’
Sniffling, Romiya hugged Sigmund’s head tightly to her chest.
Leave a Reply