Chapter 56

“Uh…?”

Tirisia’s face suddenly stiffened.

While lying on the floor, I looked up at her and withdrew the hand that had been stroking her flushed cheeks.

“What did you just say…?”

She seemed unable to comprehend her own words, her entire body frozen as she just flapped her lips.

“I told you to truly be happy, Tirisia.”

I spoke calmly and gently, hoping she would understand my words.

Shall I say finally?

Or should I say, ultimately?

At long last, this moment had arrived.

The moment I had been waiting for,

And at the same time, had hoped to avoid,

The destination of the path she herself chose,

The conclusion of Tirisia Bruerd.

I felt that I was confirming it in this moment.

Capturing her image with both eyes,

Listening to her voice with both ears,

Smelling her scent,

Feeling her warmth on my skin,

Through the heartfelt connection of our bodies,

I had the feeling that I heard the answer to the question I had long been asking.

Now,

It was time to unveil the curtain.

To put a period on our relationship,

To conclude the love that Tirisia Bruerd shared with Erto,

I brought to mind the words I had long suppressed.

Words I had never shown in front of her, that I had kept hidden all along,

My true, heartfelt feelings, as Tirisia Bruerd’s former lover and a commoner, Erto.

“Do you know why I chose to remain friends with you, Tirisia?”

This was the moment to unveil that.

“Erto…?”

Tirisia, still unable to shake off the shock, was perched on my waist.

Looking down at me from above, her teal eyes were painted with confusion, horror, and despair.

“It was because I didn’t want to cause you heartbreak.”

“Heart…break…”

Tirisia repeated the word with a seemingly frozen consciousness.

“When you eventually experienced a terrible failure with that man, I wanted to ensure I had no responsibility in it.”

“…Failure…”

Her words were gradually slowing down.

“Even if you cannot find happiness after leaving me for Kerg Durakal, it should have been solely your responsibility.”

“…”

With my heartfelt truths falling one by one, Tirisia fell silent, merely looking down at me.

“You should be able to date that man peacefully, devoid of any interruptions, so that when failure inevitably comes, you won’t pass the blame onto others.”

“…”

“Your failure must wholly belong to you.”

“…”

“So I let myself go. To not hurt your feelings, even if you cheated, I never scolded or criticized you, allowing you to keep a comfortable heart.”

“…”

“I adjusted everything for you. I listened to what you wanted, never blamed you for your choices, and never buried your path in dirt.”

“…”

“Did you think I still liked you and cherished you, wishing to remain friends? There’s no way that could be true. I just didn’t want you to seek responsibility from me for any failure you might experience.”

“…”

“I sacrificed everything for you. Hiding your flaws from others, making lunchboxes as usual, being your companion, and fulfilling your heart’s desires. Just like always.”

“…”

“If you desired me to withdraw entirely, I could easily comply. It was sad to feel like I lost even the remaining affection as a childhood friend, but I didn’t resist.”

“…”

“So, I bear no guilt. Your failure arose solely from the path you chose, and that’s entirely your burden. I didn’t lift a finger.”

“…”

“Now, do you understand why I chose to remain friends with you?”

At that question, Tirisia moved her creaking lips to turn the question back to me.

With a glistening and desperate hope nestled within her teal eyes.

“Erto… Do you no longer love me…?”

I offered her a soft smile and replied,

“Love?”

Recalling the massive hole torn into my heart since that twilight day until now.

“Tirisia, listen closely.”

“Erto…”

“From the moment I watched you nestled in that man’s embrace until now, I have never once felt love for you.”

“Ah…”

“What you’ve shown me shattered something within me. It felt like my heart was completely empty… I thought I’d lost a huge piece of my soul.”

“Ahh…”

As her beautiful face twisted grotesquely, a heart-wrenching whimper escaped her lips.

I ignored such an expression and continued with the necessary words.

This moment is where the hearts of the past Tirisia and I connected, but also where everything must come to an end.

“Yet, there was one part I had hoped for you.”

“Huh…?”

Tirisia hesitated, her eyes glimmering with the hope of hearing something positive.

But what came from my lips revealed the part where she felt the most devastating disappointment.

“If it were the Tirisia I knew, I would’ve thought there was surely a reason.”

“Uh…?”

“You are wiser and greater than I, so I had hoped there might be some unavoidable circumstance that led you to betray me and lean into another man’s arms.”

“E-Erto.”

“The Tirisia I love would never act like that; I assumed there must be a reason far beyond any situation that I could possibly imagine.”

“That’s…”

“If I discovered that your actions were justified, it would have been at least a relief. Even if you abandoned and left me, I could still bless your future.”

“…”

“So I chose to stay by your side as a friend, wanting to learn that reason. It would be a tough journey, but I was determined to endure until I could confirm it.”

“…”

“This intention of trying not to cause you heartbreak was the part where I had expectations.”

“I-I…”

Tirisia tried to say something.

But I cut her off.

“But that was never the case.”

“Ah…”

“You only continued to disappoint me. The kindness and purity of the Tirisia I sought were nowhere to be found. You simply loved that man, indulged in carnal desires, and betrayed me.”

“No… no…”

“I’m truly disappointed, Tirisia. Look at yourself now. Is this truly the result of the love you chose? Coming back to me, asking to mix bodies again?”

“No!”

Tirisia pressed her hand against my chest, leaning in closer.

“Erto… I…”

“Now that I’ve confirmed all the conclusions, there’s no need for you any longer, Tirisia.”

“Ah… Aah!”

With a pop, pop,

Tirisia began to beat her hands against my chest, her face twisting as if she were about to burst into tears.

I delivered my final words to end this situation.

“If you cover me now, I won’t resist. I wouldn’t want to ruin the house. If you want to have your way with me, then go for it. But once it’s over, I won’t ever look at you again. I’ll despise you for life, thinking of you as a filthy whore. If that’s okay, then indulge your desires and leave.”

“…!”

Tirisia, who had briefly lost her voice with a stiff expression, slowly stood up from atop me and began to walk, dragging herself toward the door.

“…”

A click.

Her hand rested on the doorknob.

However, even as a few seconds ticked away, she didn’t turn it.

The dazed silhouette stood, as if seriously pondering something.

After struggling to deal with her internal conflict and hesitating to open the door, Tirisia finally squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out a statement.

“I, have been cursed by enchantment.”

As I sat up, I looked at the expression of Tirisia who had turned to face me.

She had laid aside all her pride and face, looking determined to at least clear up any misunderstandings with a worn-out excuse.

“It might be hard to believe, but I was tricked by Kerg Durakal. I was forced under a curse to love him, Erto!”

As she pleaded her case with her head bowed, I nodded in agreement, accepting her words.

“I know.”

Her head shot up, her wide, teal eyes staring at me.

“…What?”

“I heard from Haidiera. Because of a cursed object from the East, your emotions were manipulated. Haidiera’s purpose for being sent here was, after all, related to it.”

“You… believe me?”

“Even without you proving it, I know that what you’re saying is true. If there was a curse involved in your sudden feelings for another man, it makes sense.”

“Then… did you already know what I said?”

“Yes.”

I stood up and met Tirisia’s gaze.

Tirisia, now shorter than me, looked confused.

“If you knew everything… why…?”

“It’s evident you unjustly fell in love with that guy. Your emotions were forcibly amplified, and you genuinely ended up loving a man you normally wouldn’t have cared about.”

“Uh, yes… that’s right! I fell into a trap!”

As she found a valid excuse, color returned to Tirisia’s face.

I nodded, understanding her grievance.

However,

“But, Tirisia.”

“Yes…?”

I began to scold her, wanting to awaken her to the most important point.

“You loved me too.”

“Um…”

“I know you came to genuinely love Durakal because of the curse.”

“…”

“Then, what about me? Wasn’t that genuine?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Enchantments don’t completely control their targets. They only make the subject love the caster more than anyone else. Therefore, Tirisia, you could have made a choice.”

“Erto… I…”

Fear glistened in her teal eyes, and Tirisia stumbled backward.

Thud.

Her back hit the door.

“No… No… I…”

Shaking her head in denial, Tirisia muttered.

Yet, we had to face everything in front of us.

“Even if you say you loved him more than me, if your love for me was genuine, you shouldn’t have done such a thing, Tirisia. You shouldn’t have ripped my heart apart like this.”

“Ah… No… No!”

Tirisia clutched her head, repeating the same words.

“Ultimately, you chose Durakal over me. Tirisia.”

“Hah… Hah…!”

Her breath quickened as though she were in a panic.

I was unfazed.

“I understand that your nature, which gives your all to the person you love, led you to condone such evil actions. You’ve always been a good kid, genuinely caring for others. But what’s done is done; it can’t be undone.”

“Ah… Aah…”

She had forgotten words entirely, covering her face with her hands.

“Even if the enchantment forced you to love him, even if I were to concede a hundred times that you were blameless, look at our current state. Recall what you did to me. How could we ever return to how we were before?”

“…”

“Our love crumbled long ago and disappeared; it’s utterly irretrievable. Meeting again was never in our choices, Tirisia.”

“…”

“What lies ahead for us now is to forget each other and genuinely part ways. There’s no room for anything beyond that, nor will I allow it.”

“So… that’s how it is…”

――

A heavy silence settled in the room.

Tirisia, with her hands hanging at her sides, slowly turned around.

Click—

This time, her hand turned the doorknob without hesitation, opening the door.

I took one last word I wanted to say to her before she vanished.

“Goodbye, Tirisia. I truly loved you.”

As Tirisia turned to look at me, she couldn’t meet my gaze, but thick tears streamed down her cheeks as she spoke her farewell.

“I’m truly sorry… From the bottom of my heart, for everything.”

Thud—

The door closed, and I could hear her footsteps receding into the hallway.

“Ha.”

After the sounds of the front door opening and closing faded, I released the breath I had been holding.

It’s over.

With that, my relationship with her had come to an end.

I felt it was the worst form out of all imaginable possibilities, but regardless, it was something I had to finish someday.

My love for her had vanished since that day beneath the sunset, but it was inevitable to feel bittersweet as this long connection met with calamity.

Still, I have no regrets.

I genuinely wished for Tirisia to be happy, and she was merely a character who experienced the impending failure.

There were no other possibilities I had imagined there.

As a result, she came back to me, but it was already far too late.

The only way for a burned forest to return to its former self is for new seeds to grow.

No matter how much you gather the blackened ashes, they cannot become trees.

“…Ah.”

That reminds me, I went out in these clothes.

Tirisia’s dress is in our laundry.

I scratched the back of my head and lightly clicked my tongue.

Well, that doesn’t really matter.

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