“Siara!”
Startled, Hierian woke up from his sleep and quickly stood up. He had entered Siara’s consciousness, becoming a fairy, but suddenly fell asleep.
In his dream, he had played and had fun with Siara without any thought of waking her up. Hierian bit his lip, unable to believe his foolishness.
“Siara, you can’t just fall asleep and never wake up, right? Right?”
Hierian shook Siara urgently, desperately trying to wake her up. It took a few minutes, but Siara’s delicate, closed eyelids trembled, and she twisted her body, finally waking up from her sleep.
Hierian witnessed this scene and was overcome with joy, embracing Siara tightly.
“Siara!”
“…Hierian?”
Sniffling, Hierian hugged Siara tightly, fearing that she might not wake up.
“I was worried about what would happen if you didn’t wake up.”
Siara blinked her eyes, still filled with drowsiness.
“When did you grow this much?”
Hierian’s arms that held her were considerably larger. Siara raised her head to look at Hierian. His bangs had grown so long that they covered his forehead.
Through the gaps, his gray eyes seemed cloudy with sorrow. Unconsciously, Siara gently patted Hierian’s back. Only then did Hierian sniffle and step back, looking up.
“A dragon took me to Dianel’s consciousness… and I fought the demon king to reclaim my strength.”
“What? You fought the demon king and regained your power? That’s incredible.”
“Yeah… Siara, I missed you.”
Hierian buried his face in Siara’s shoulder. Siara, unperturbed, stroked his hair gently. Hierian enjoyed the warmth of her embrace for a while before pulling Siara closer.
In the midst of this, a solemn voice came from behind.
“You two seem very close.”
Siara leaned back slightly from Hierian’s embrace and turned her head to identify the owner of the voice.
“…Adandito? What are you doing there?”
“Siara, you’re awake.”
“Why do you look so down?”
“I’m actually troubled… Haah.”
“What’s troubling you?”
“I tried hard to resist praying, but… every time, I keep hearing bells ringing in my ears…”
Adandito tugged at his hair in anguish.
“Even when I used to pray and play with Siara, it wasn’t like this… I can’t concentrate on anything else. I’m just a fool who can’t enjoy myself without Siara.”
“Adandito, calm down. If you’re suffering that much, why don’t you just pray?”
“…Actually, I wanted to stop doing that.”
“Why? Did Eora say something to you?”
With a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of his being, Adandito spoke.
“The Dragon Spirit spoke to me. It said that I am still bound to my past self…”
Adandito took another deep breath.
“Does that even make sense? In truth, Eora never forced anything upon me… I was about to blame her without even knowing anything. How foolish of me. I’m not even worthy of being called a divine official!”
Adandito shouted in frustration, an uncommon sight. Siara, taken aback, reached out her hand.
“Hold on, calm down. So, you resisted praying after hearing what the dragon said, and it’s been difficult, right?”
“Yes.”
“But wasn’t the dragon’s message only meant for Hierian to hear?”
In response to Siara’s question, Hierian nodded with a grim expression on his face.
“Right, Adandito. The message was only for me… Ah, we’re sharing the story.”
“Hierian, did you hear the dragon’s message?”
“Yeah. Why did the dragon talk to you? I don’t like it.”
In response to Hierian’s complaints, Adandito responded with a tired voice,
“Did I ask for it?”
“Anyway, you’re just whining because you can’t play alone. You told me not to act like a child, but now you’re acting like one.”
Hierian pouted, and Adandito, annoyed, quickly stood up. The tension between the two escalated as their gazes met. However, Siara, who had been silently observing them, let out a deep sigh and softly spoke.
“Both of you, quiet down.”
Immediately, Hierian and Adandito fell silent. However, their intense eye contact remained, prompting Siara to speak again.
“Anyway, we can play together. You said you’re not bothered when I’m around. But before that, tell me where we are and why I’m here.”
Adandito’s expression changed and he spoke up.
“You collapsed in Dianel’s office, so I brought you here. Do you remember what happened back then? It seems like it was a serious matter if Eora had to intervene.”
“Ah…”
Siara furrowed her brow as if something had just come to mind. Her face, which had looked relaxed after her nap, quickly turned grim. The expressions on the faces of the two men also became tense.
“What did Dianel do?”
“That guy tormented Siara!?”
At the accusing tone, Siara raised her head, calmly meeting their gaze. Then, hesitantly, she murmured as if speaking to herself.
“Dianel almost died.”
“What?”
“No, he died. But I don’t remember what happened afterward.”
Hierian gasped at the seriousness of the situation, while Adandito, who was already aware of the circumstances, silently nodded.
The fact that Dianel had attempted suicide and left a handwritten note on his desk was a secret known only to a few. It was also known that Dianel’s condition was so severe that he could hardly breathe.
The witnesses present at the scene speculated that Siara, who was a healer, had discovered Dianel’s collapse and saved him through healing magic. Based on the fact that she fainted after he woke up, they surmised what had happened.
Due to the secrecy surrounding the incident, the news didn’t spread widely. However, Siara’s name became known among the Prince’s entourage as a result. But Siara herself had no interest in such matters.
Siara felt melancholic. She sighed deeply, as if burdened by her actions, and softly muttered to herself.
“It’s my fault. I told him I wanted him dead.”
Hierian opened his eyes wide, unable to believe what he had just heard.
“If you said something like that to Dianel… then it’s definitely his fault.”
“That’s right. Siara has done nothing wrong.”
Both Hierian and Adandito agreed, and Siara lowered her head.
“No, it’s my fault. I don’t know why Dianel lied about kidnapping the healers… He died because of me. Maybe he thought I wanted him to die.”
Siara clenched her fist in anguish. Her expression showed remorse and self-reflection.
Hierian and Adandito couldn’t offer any comfort. While they hesitated, Siara stood up again.
“It can’t go on like this. I’m going to see Dianel.”
Immediately, Hierian also stood up.
“Siara, let’s go together! We don’t know what might happen.”
“There’s work to be done here. I need to see my family and take care of things.”
“Then I’ll help!”
Hierian could use magic to teleport quickly. Although they were still within the palace, it would take tens of minutes to walk from one building to another.
It would be more efficient for him to help find people and assess the situation. Siara knew this well and nodded willingly.
“Okay, Hierian.”
Hierian’s face lit up, and he shouted excitedly,
“Adandito, open the door quickly!”
“Understood.”
Adandito obediently stood up. As they were about to leave the bedroom and enter the corridor, they heard a commotion nearby.
Siara surveyed her surroundings and soon spotted a group of healers. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“They’re safe… Adandito, you’ve been taking care of them well.”
“It’s my duty. We’ve completed the detoxification treatment, and they’re all recovering.”
“That’s a relief.”
While Siara let out a sigh of relief, one of the healers noticed her and walked forward. Siara recognized him and murmured.
“You’re…”
“Indeed, you’re the one who helped us.”
He was the only healer who had a conversation with Siara at that time. He knelt down and tightly held Siara’s hand.
“Thank you so much. I didn’t expect you to save us like this.”
Siara smiled bitterly and lowered her head.
“No, I should have acted sooner.”
“No, it’s thanks to you that we all survived. I’m sorry for the disrespectful things I said… Looking back, I’m so ashamed.”
Even at the man’s confession, Siara only managed a faint smile.
Adandito, who interpreted it negatively, was about to pull the man away. But Siara gestured towards Adandito and locked eyes with the man, kneeling in front of him. At close range, their gazes met, causing the man’s gaze to waver.
Siara held the man’s hand firmly. A tremendous surge of healing energy coursed through her body. Overwhelmed by the sensation of purity spreading through his entire being, the man’s hair stood on end and he trembled.
To receive such a healing feeling from another healer who was transmitting power was truly amazing. The man marveled at the significant difference in skill and ability. Observing him, Siara asked.
“At that time, they said you had committed crimes and were wanted. They also called you an orphan.”
“Yes, yes. That’s correct. It was a false accusation, but no one believed me anyway…”
The man’s expression sank with frustration, and he hung his head low. Siara looked down at him and spoke calmly.
“You said that even if you were released, you would be captured again. So, it’s too early to be happy.”
“What…”
The man’s lips trembled as he looked bewildered. Siara firmly declared.
“I’ll take care of what happened to you. I won’t let this tragedy happen again.”
