SOTBW - 127

Maximón put his clasped hands behind his head and looked down at Najane. Najane, with one cheek against Maximón’s chest, was fast asleep, making soft breathing sounds. Perhaps due to her exhaustion, the area around her slightly parted lips was a little damp. He tickled around her tightly closed eyes with his fingertips. Because she had sweated a lot, her white skin felt soft.

Maximón listened to her breathing slowly spreading around his chest. The warm orange light of the lamp hanging by the bed softly flowed over Najane’s face. He carefully stroked her hair, which shimmered with a hint of orange like the sunset, making sure Najane didn’t wake up from his touch. He knew he should slowly withdraw his hand, but looking at Najane using his body like a bed, he kept wanting to touch her here and there.

His fingers, moving as if playing the piano, slowly traced Najane’s back, moving downwards. He went down her firm, toned back and, pretending to stroke her rounded buttocks, rubbed the gently divided area. Najane’s opening was half-open because Maximón had ejaculated several times. He gently stroked the still slippery area, and her small feet twitched, as if her body was still sensitively alive.

Najane, who had been tossing and turning, looked at Maximón with tired eyes. Maximón’s figure was reflected in Najane’s sleepy eyes. He smiled softly and patted Najane, who buried her face in his chest again.

“Sorry for waking you.”

“…Aren’t you tired?”

Najane murmured softly in a deeply sleepy voice.

Maximón covered Najane with a blanket and kissed her warm forehead.

“I was just thinking about something for a while.”

“Thinking…?”

Najane’s words were short due to her drowsiness.

Maximón chuckled at her unfamiliar appearance.

“I was thinking about what I did with my time before I met you, but I don’t really know. Strangely, I can’t remember. It’s as if we’ve been like this since a long time ago……”

Najane didn’t answer. She seemed to have fallen asleep again. Maximón gazed at the sleep-intoxicated Najane and, patting her back, looked at the fireplace where the fire was blazing. Even though he couldn’t move because he was afraid Najane would wake up again, he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all; instead, he felt comfortable and even a sense of relief. Since he began to think that the unfamiliar memories suddenly popping into his head might be experiences from a past life, Najane looked a little more special.

It was an absurd thought, but Maximón didn’t find it strange. Rather, he was curious if Najane was also having a hard time with sudden memories popping up like him. If they were suffering from the same phenomenon, wouldn’t it be right to say that he and Najane were destined?

It was a cheesy expression, but the word “destiny” was the most appropriate. From the moment he recognized her curse at once, Maximón had jumped into the river called Najane.

Maximón had no intention of letting Najane go.

Now, Najane had to live or die by Maximón’s side.

How had he lived before he met her? He couldn’t remember anything, as if all his previous memories had been completely erased. Well, it was the same when he moved his residence to the border. He had been so nervous at the thought of sharing a room with Najane that he barely ate dinner. After thoroughly enjoying her small, soft body and then falling asleep embracing each other, he realized that he had endured that tiresome life for this very moment.

After becoming husband and wife, we lived for each other. It was impossible for us to be apart even for a short time. If only I hadn’t been killed by that man….

At that moment, Maximón flinched and opened his eyes. He had unconsciously recalled some moment he didn’t even remember. Flustered, he pinched his forearm as hard as he could to see if he was sane, and then quickly grabbed Najane, who was about to roll over to the side as he turned his body.

Maximón carefully laid her back on the bed, as she had leaned towards the edge of his body. Najane briefly opened her eyes and then buried her face in Maximón’s arms, as if telling him to go back to sleep, avoiding the light of the lamp. He smiled gently and rubbed the wick of the lamp with his fingers to put out the fire. There was a slight burning smell from his fingertips, but it was okay because the wound would heal quickly.

As only the fire in the fireplace dimly illuminated the surroundings, Najane quickly fell asleep again. Maximón gazed at Najane before falling asleep. Just now, without any awareness, he had thought that he had lived with Najane as husband and wife so naturally. If he were to tell Najane about this symptom, she would be very confused. Maximón himself wasn’t even sure if the fragments of memories were really from his past life. Perhaps he had gone crazy because he couldn’t control his feelings for Najane….

The important thing was that whenever unfamiliar memories popped up, his head no longer ached, and he no longer felt confused. Since his eyes had changed in the underground prison, those symptoms had completely disappeared. Maximón looked at Najane with an unreadable gaze and then hugged her shoulder tightly.

“Sweet dreams, Najane.”

________________________________________

Bright sunlight poured into a very long corridor. The tall, slender windows were kept spotless without any rainwater stains because the maids diligently cleaned them every day. Najane stood in the golden sunlight and gazed at the scenery outside the mansion, which she had thought of as stifling for a long time… but now felt a little nostalgic about.

The broad-leaved trees surrounding the mansion swayed coolly in the wind. She touched the smooth, dust-free window frame and slowly walked forward. The large mansion was quiet, as everyone had gone to lunch. Somehow, it felt like only Najane was here. Najane, who had stopped walking, looked at the other side of the corridor, where she didn’t feel any presence, with an uneasy expression.

There seemed to be something at the bottom of the stairs. It was the same kind of unease she had felt as a child when, if she let her legs dangle off the bed, it felt like someone would come and cut off her ankles. It was an unknown fear. But Najane was no longer a child, so she had to confirm what it was that made her uneasy. She quietly and cautiously took a step. Her high heels made an unnecessary clicking sound.

After taking a deep breath, Najane turned the corner. Fortunately, the area around the stairs was bathed in sunlight. The stairs leading down were blindingly bright from the sunlight pouring down endlessly. That was when she finally saw the figure of someone sitting on the railing. The person had platinum-blonde hair, far more beautiful than the golden sunlight surrounding the stairs...

Najane braced herself with a trembling hand on the wall.

“...Luna?”

As she mumbled in a voice that sounded strangled, Luna turned around.

“Unnie!”

Luna lightly jumped down from the railing and ran to Najane like a bird. Najane opened her arms and embraced Luna as she leapt into her arms. When she pressed her lips to Luna’s hair, which had soaked in the warmth of the sunlight, tears began to fall. It was the face she had longed to see so desperately. Yet, Najane couldn’t look Luna directly in the eyes. Her tears blurred her vision.

Najane bit her lower lip, trying not to cry as she hugged Luna’s fragile shoulders.

“Luna, Luna... Where have you been? Where on earth have you been…?”

When Najane finally burst into tears, Luna chuckled softly and wiped them away.

“Did you do well, sister? I thought you had forgotten about me, so I came to see you.”

Luna said with a hint of grievance.

At those words, Najane was startled and grabbed Luna’s hand.

“No, I kept looking for you. Whenever I had time, I went to places where you might be, like the black market. I really did, Luna. How could I forget you? You’re the most precious person to me.”

“No, sister. You only looked for me because you were lonely and scared. You’re not lonely now, are you? So, you don’t care at all about where I am or what I’m doing anymore.”

“...Luna?”

Najane was taken aback by the sudden accusation.

Luna gently let go of Najane’s hand and smiled faintly.

“Let’s be honest, sister. You’re still happy, aren’t you? Actually, it’s okay if I’m not around.”

Luna’s eyes looked up at Najane as if resentful.

“If you really cared about me, wouldn’t you have done whatever it took to find me? Postponing things like training... What does that matter? You knew I could be going through something terrible, but you still leisurely protect others.”

Taking a few steps back, Luna stopped smiling.

“You’ve always wanted to be a knight, right? It’s nice. You finally achieved your dream. But you couldn’t even protect me.”

Najane froze in place, unable to say anything. Luna’s gaze was so sharp. She wanted to explain herself, but all Najane could do in that moment was approach Luna, who was slowly drifting away from her.

“...Luna. Please, please don’t say things like that. I love you more than anything in the world. I... I’m so sorry I ran away and left you. But back then, I had no choice. I...”

“Unnie, this isn’t the first time you’ve abandoned me, is it?”

Luna’s calm voice dug deep into Najane’s heart. Najane looked at her with a pale face.

Luna quietly let her tears fall.

“Did you think I forgot about that?”

“...Luna, back then... I was too young...”

“Li...ar.”

“Luna...”

“You abandoned me again.”

At those words, full of sadness, piercing Najane’s heart like a dagger, she gasped for air as though emerging from underwater and opened her eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw a familiar ceiling. Only then did Najane realize it had all been a dream, and she slowly sat up.

She must have cried throughout the dream, as her face was damp with tears. It was a relief that Maximón wasn’t there. It would have been so embarrassing to show such a side of herself in the morning. He must have left early, as the spot next to her was cold.

Najane calmly wiped her tears and picked up the clothes that were placed on the chair. Beyond the window, the red dawn was breaking. If Luna were in Noctis, she would be facing the same morning. As Najane tightened the bandage around her chest, her eyes reddened, and she bit her lip to hold back her emotions.

Steadying herself, Najane left the room with an expression that tried to look unaffected. The living room had food laid out. It seemed Maximón had finally allowed the maids access to the private quarters. Normally, she would have eaten anything, but for some reason, she had no appetite. She stared at the food, where the oil had slightly congealed, and then grabbed her coat.

As soon as she stepped out of the house, the voices near the stone wall abruptly stopped. In an instant, the area around the residence became eerily quiet. Sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Najane pressed her lips tightly together. As expected, the soldiers deliberately avoided looking at her, focusing their gazes on the distance.

Of course, a few shameless soldiers seemed to hope she would offer them the leftover food as she usually did. However, Najane said nothing and walked on without a word. There was no reason for her to extend such a kindness to them.

In fact, giving the soldiers leftover food might have been a foolish thing to do. It had been quite some time since she last shared food with them, yet she had never heard a word of thanks. Since moving into the residence, Najane had subtly started watching the reactions of those around her.

Being at the center of gossip was more challenging than she had expected. She knew she had to ignore people talking carelessly about her, even though she still wanted to appear favorable to them by performing meaningless acts of kindness.

Looking up at the sky with swollen eyes, Najane let out a bitter smile. The negative thoughts kept coming because of the dream. She deliberately walked faster. She was curious about the knight’s schedule for the day. She wanted to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t dwell on pointless thoughts.