It's Not Night

Chapter 87

No, let’s not think about it any more. Grabbing her throbbing head, Andra turned to Elverika.

“Elv, I’m sorry, but I need to go back to my dorm room to rest. I’m feeling a little tired today.”

Meeting with the second prince, being caught as an Awakened, and even Dustin’s confession. Andra wanted to just lay down on her bed right away. She wanted to fall asleep for even a few hours and be free of all these complicated thoughts.

Elverika, noticing Andra’s tiredness, readily agreed to her request.

“Yes, it sure looks like you need a break today.”

“Thanks for understanding. Lunch tomorrow instead?”

“Sure. Should we meet up in front of your room?”

“No, I think I’ll have to see the professor first tomorrow. See you at the dining hall around noon.”

“Well, eating after seeing the professor’s face might just make you get indigestion.”

Andra nodded with a small smile, agreeing with Elverika’s small joke.

Soon after, Andra parted with Elverika and quickly returned to her dorm room. On her way back, she felt people looking at her and secretly gossiping, but she tried to avoid it as much as possible. She couldn’t even afford to care.

‘I’m so tired.’

With the thick wooden door shut and locked, Andra shuffled her feet into the bedroom and collapsed onto bed. The soft pillow felt all over her face. Andra, with her slender eyes wide open, stroked the velvet pillow with her fingertips.

It was still the middle of the day, so bright sunlight was coming in from the window next to the bed. Normally, she would feel better because the weather was nice, but she felt so lethargic today.

‘Why must things happen all at once?’

Was her fortune that terrible this year? Andra sighed as she looked back at what had happened to her just in time for graduation season. Then she finally scratched the pillow with her nails as a face floated in her mind.

‘Dustin Airak!’

She had said to herself not to think about it until a while ago, but she was still thinking. Even if she doesn’t want to think, her mind would stray, and the damn face of his would pop up in her head. When did she start thinking about Dustin Airak so often? Crazy.

Andra shook her head and threw her face into the pillow.

‘You like me? You like me…!’

It was something she couldn’t understand no matter how many times she looked back. Kept thinking over and over again. Andra screamed against the pillow in anger, clenched her fists and pounded on the bed. This is annoying, she didn’t like it.

If she could grab Dustin by the neck right now, she wanted to. And she wanted to rain words on him. You do not deserve to say that. Selfish bastard.

He said that he likes her, and it nurtured his desire to hurt her, until Dustin’s heart was torn to pieces.

‘Am I that easy? Did you think that if you made a confession like that, I would naturally accept it?’

What was Dustin thinking when he confessed to her? No, rather than that, she wondered when he started having such feelings for her.

Just as Andra hated and despised Dustin, Dustin must’ve hated and despised Andra in turn. The two looked at each other as enemies, and until they fell into the dungeon, they didn’t even consider each other as an equal, far from thinking of each other as a romantic interest.

‘As expected, there is nothing I can explain about it other than the dungeon. The illusion that he liked me under the influence of magic is perhaps the most valid hypothesis in the present situation.’

However… Andra thought about that, and suddenly stopped thinking. When Dustin confessed to her, and the way he reacted to what she said, it was too real to misrepresent his feelings due to magic.

It was the same in the previous situation. Even when she warned him not to cross the line, Dustin looked more hurt than angry.

‘But does it really mean he likes me?’

That absolutely doesn’t make sense. It’s impossible. Andra was confused. Then she started to get angry. Let’s say he really likes her. But how can he confidently say that he likes her?

Andra clenched her fists again and pounded on the bed. In the end, her thoughts circled back to their original place.

‘I really don’t know…’

Andra sighed as she took her face off the pillow and laid back on her side. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find an answer because her whole body became heavy. She closed her eyes, pulling the blanket over her head to avoid the sunlight. She needed a break for herself now, as Elverika said.

‘When you wake up, things will be in some order…’

Andra closed her eyes and went to sleep. Fortunately, she fell asleep quickly.

“Stop it, Dean! I said I’m fine!”

A sharp exclamation echoed throughout the room. Anat blocked Dean to protect the woman who was lying on her back, trembling behind her. But Dean’s frosty, cold eyes were still on the woman who was lying face down. There was definitely murderous energy in his eyes.

“The one who injured Lady Anat’s body. She could be an assassin sent by someone who is targeting you. She can never be punished for nothing.”

“What assassin! She is not! It was just a mistake, it was my mistake! That child did nothing wrong!”

“You put your life at risk for protecting a disobedient person like this before? This time I can’t get over it.”

Dean drew his sword from the scabbard he was holding. The blue blade gleamed coolly. Everyone kept their mouths shut and held their breath at the sight. The woman who had been lying down was now weeping and crying. Dean blinked at the other servants and told them to hurry up and take Anat somewhere else. However, Anat refused the servants’ touch and told Dean again.

“Even when I take responsibility, I lose! Have you already forgotten who I am? I am the child of the Primordial God and a God with wisdom and ideals! How could I harm you, Mother’s creatures? So please put that sword down. No more unnecessary killing… Ah!”

Dean grabbed Anat’s hand. Her hand was wrapped in bandages as a temporary measure for her wound. The handmaid’s fault had caused her palm to have a tear wound. As Dean’s cool gaze touched the wound, Anat flinched as if something had stabbed her.

“There will be no harm done. God, there are many disobedient people outside this city who seek you out. Those who want to bring you, the god, down to a human being, and obtain eternal life with that blood!”

“That is a lie! Dean, you know. It’s all Nera’s fault! I told you. You must believe my words first! Why do you keep listening to people who tell lies and not listen to me!”

“It is not a lie. Actually you are now…”

Dean shut his mouth. He was staring at Anat’s hand with watery eyes. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Anat hurriedly beckoned the servants to take the handmaid and leave. The servants hurriedly supported the handmaid and disappeared out of the room.

Anat and Dean, left in the room, Dean, with tears in his eyes, gently let go of her wrist, which he was holding. He removed the bandages that had been put on. When the bandages were removed, a long, diagonal wound appeared on her palm. When Dean saw this, his face grimaced and he was upset, as if he was the one in pain.

“…Look. God, you are now…”

Red blood, not blue blood, was coming out of the wound on Anat’s palm. Proof that she was no longer a god.

Anat was gradually becoming a human being, similar to Dean. And it was because of Dean. No, it was because Anat, who refused to abandon Dean, and so she received the wrath of the Primordial God. Dean continued to shed tears and carefully placed Anat in the chair.

“I also didn’t want to care about what stupid things were going around out there. But, Lady Anat, are you not becoming a human now?”

“Whether I shed blue blood or red blood, that alone doesn’t change my existence. Dean, I am still Mother’s child, and I am the god of wisdom and ideals. Are you afraid that I will become human like you?”

Anat comforted Dean with a soft voice. However, Dean fixed his gaze on Anat’s wounds and did not raise his head easily. He started wiping the blood from Anat’s wounds with a damp cloth lying on the table.

Each time the cold cloth touched her wound, Anat would flinch slightly. It was different from before, when she couldn’t feel pain well. Anat was now becoming something that responds to small wounds just like humans.

Dean was silent the entire time he put medicine on the wound, pulled out a new bandage and wrapped it up. Then, when all the knots in the bandage were tied and the treatment was over, he slowly took Anat’s hand and lifted his head. His eyes were still moist. Dean struggled to speak.

“Lady Anat, you asked if it was frightening to be human.”

“…….”

“Yes, it’s frightening. It’s so frightening that you, a noble person, will become a human because of me, who is lowly. You shouldn’t feel this kind of pain, this kind of thing… You shouldn’t have to go through it, but you are suffering because of me and me alone.”

Dean didn’t stutter, but his voice was trembling badly. He looked like a small, feeble beast, not knowing what to do in the face of a great tsunami.

A being that can neither escape nor stop a tsunami. He seemed to become that kind of being when he stood in front of Anat. He’s a lowly being who could not do anything to her.

So he was even more afraid of Anat becoming a human.

“Dean, I…”

“God, I do not want you to die. Even if I die, I want you to continue living. It’s okay if the wind blows past you. As long as I am alive, it is enough for me to receive your love. It’s nothing better for me to think for a moment in you, who live eternal life, I existed a long time ago.”

“…….”

“But I don’t want to bring you down as a human being.”

Dean lowered his head and kissed the back of Anat’s hand. Anat could not say anything at how reverent and sublime the figure was.

“Anat, may you remain a god forever.”

“…….”

“Do not be like me. You should never be.”

Having said that, Dean closed his eyes tightly. Anat knew Dean’s meaning well. She can give up on him now. It was one last chance to leave him.

But Anat couldn’t. She couldn’t possibly leave Dean. Even in this situation, he was so pitiful as he was holding her hand tightly.

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