𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟓
Eugene’s room was pitch dark, with no light.
Row took out a small metal box from his pocket and plucked a cigarette from inside.
He put it in his mouth and flicked the tip with his finger. The fire ignited slowly, and white smoke began to escape from the slightly parted lips.
Row held the smoke floating in the air and infused it with magic. Then, with a popping sound, a sphere of light appeared in his palm. Along with the floating sphere, Row stepped further into the room.
“How about turning on some lights?”
Ignoring Eugene, who didn’t respond, Row walked towards the window. He opened the closed curtains, revealing a pale blue moon shining brightly in the night sky.
At the same time, the figure of Eugene, sitting on the sofa and looking down, was illuminated.
“I brought her safely, so you can relax.”
Row unlocked the window latch and slid it open slightly. A cool breeze entered through the gap in the wooden frame, slightly dispersing the stagnant air in the room. Ignoring Eugene, who remained silent, Row leaned against the desk and once again put the cigarette in his mouth.
“Mabel-chan was crying.”
“…”
Row let out a long sigh. The white smoke mixed with the darkness and eventually disappeared. The silence continued. Row patiently waited for the interrupted conversation to continue.
In a world where sound was stolen, Eugene finally spoke.
“I asked if we should break off the engagement.”
“I see, I understand.”
With a wry smile, Row exhaled the smoke he had inhaled. From the mist, a white flower was gently plucked. While comforting himself with it, Row continued speaking.
“Well, honestly, when I heard that you were engaged, I felt uneasy.”
“…”
“We have long lives. She will surely die before you―can you endure that?”
The white flower dropped from Row’s hand. Eugene, looking down at the flower on the floor, uttered a hoarse voice, “I don’t know.”
“I might not be able to endure it. But still, I was fully prepared for us to be together.”
It was his first love.
But it was a love that was destined to be lost.
Eugene would inevitably have to witness Mabel’s death. He couldn’t imagine what would become of himself when that happened.
Still―even if it was just for that brief moment, he wanted to be by her side. He wanted to be by Mabel’s side. That’s why he sought the certainty of an engagement.
“But maybe that would separate Mabel from the human world..”
Mages were not human. Eugene had been called a monster countless times.
It would have been fine if it was just him. But if things continued like this, not only would he be seen as a princess who married a monster, but Mabel would also be criticized.
“I searched for ways to abandon magic or shorten my lifespan. But I couldn’t find any. There are magic spells that consume a large amount of magic, but even then, they can’t catch up to her lifespan…I can’t die with Mabel.”
In the past, Eugene had never felt dissatisfied with being a mage. His astonishingly long life and the mysterious power of magic had satisfied his intellectual curiosity.
But then, there was one person.
The moment he met Mabel, someone dear to him, everything turned against Eugene.
He never expected it to affect her as well.
“I never even considered falling in love with someone. Let alone feeling so helpless and tormented like this.”
Eugene covered his face with both hands and tightly gripped his own bangs. Seeing this, Row buffed a ring of smoke.
“If only I hadn’t fallen in love with her? Is that what you’re thinking?”
A calm voice escaped from Row’s slightly parted lips.
Eugene slowly shook his head from side to side.
“No. I never regretted falling in love with her.”
Perhaps it was a sin for someone like him, who was called a monster, to harbor such feelings.
Because he loved her, he truly wanted her to be happy.
If that meant he didn’t have to be by her side―he was willing.
“…You’re amazing, Row. To be able to bear such complex and troublesome emotions, time and time again…”
Upon hearing Eugene’s murmurs, Row raised an eyebrow in surprise.
But as he lifted the corners of his mouth, he gently lowered his long eyelashes. The sparkle in his red eyes dimmed slightly.
“Not really. When it comes to someone I truly love, I’m nothing but a coward who can’t even say ‘I love you.’”
Row once again created a white flower from the smoke and rolled it onto the desk. The beautiful moon depicted the vibrant shadows of the two.
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