# Side Story 9
“What’s this? Where did you leave Ludin, being alone here?”
Devan spoke as he looked at Reyna, who was sitting absentmindedly. She had her somewhat deflated hair hanging carelessly, sitting alone in the middle of a staircase where no one was around. Devan, who had hurriedly finished only the necessary tasks and quickly set out to find Ludin, discovered Reyna with a gloomy face just a few steps from his room. Though he knew there weren’t many people with such luxuriant blonde hair, he approached her with narrowed eyes, not dismissing his doubts. With an expression of complete bewilderment as to why she, who should be touring the castle with Ludin by now, was here. At his sharp interrogation, Reyna bowed her head deeply and answered.
“…I don’t know.”
“Huh, you don’t know?”
Devan leaned against the wall, looking down at her. With his mind full of thoughts about Ludin, he hadn’t noticed, but now he saw that Reyna looked noticeably depressed. Though she was always a witch who did as she pleased, now she looked even more…
“What? Are you crying?”
Sad.
“…No…huhuhuuu…”
“No, what on earth happened?”
Devan hurriedly bent his knee to sit. Matching eye level with Reyna, he carefully patted the shoulder of the woman who was sobbing with her face buried in her hands. The warmer his touch stroked her back, the more her sorrow seemed to grow. As Reyna’s crying continued longer than expected, Devan began to wonder where Ludin was and how he had contributed to this situation. Ludin wasn’t the type to make someone cry. But then again, she wasn’t the type to cry either…
“Did Ludin scold you?”
“…”
“If that happened, don’t worry about it. He wouldn’t have done that without reason.”
“What? Are you taking his side right now?”
Reyna raised her head and snapped sharply. Her eyes, full of moisture, were still beautiful despite being red. Devan, who was about to silence Reyna with his usual cold words, momentarily hesitated upon seeing her tearful face.
“That’s not it…”
Uncharacteristically trailing off, Reyna stared intently at him as he gently stroked her. As much as Reyna was weak for clean laughter, Devan was weak for pure crying. The reason he had never acted despite knowing this was that he didn’t want to engage in obvious seduction. Since he was a man of a completely different caliber from the foolish men before, she wanted to approach him in a special way. With a more sincere heart, nobly. The problem was with Devan, who hadn’t given her even a second of his time.
As her tears began to subside, Reyna didn’t miss the opportunity and pulled on Devan’s hand. His hand, which had been carefully patting her, was easily drawn by Reyna’s constraint. She skillfully guided Devan to herself and placed her arms around his neck. As the distance between the two shortened, a faint tension flowed through the deserted corridor.
“This is compensation for the mental distress I’ve been through.”
Reyna said brazenly. Devan, who had been staring at her as she approached right in front of his nose, replied in a low voice.
“…Isn’t compensation something given by others, Reyna?”
“Originally, you can give it to yourself too.”
“Well, that may be true, but…”
Devan lowered his black eyes slowly.
“It’s a different story when it’s my lips.”
His gaze was directed toward her lips, which were not even a hand’s breadth away.
“Isn’t it?”
The first to pull away was Reyna. She pushed Devan away roughly, startled.
“W-what! I wasn’t trying to kiss you!! Seriously.”
Her face, as red as her lips, clearly revealed her embarrassment and bewilderment. Her appearance was so transparently innocent that Devan let out a rare laugh. Reyna, who had been listing excuses and curses loud enough to shake the corridor, suddenly fell silent as if a pause button had been pressed. After hesitating awkwardly and pondering something, she spoke in a voice that was getting smaller.
“I was just trying to hug you once.”
She glanced at Devan. After carefully observing him sitting silently with an unreadable face, Reyna finally reached out stiffly again and pulled at Devan’s body. Without even hiding her awkwardness and embarrassment, Reyna’s arms vaguely embraced Devan. Barely restraining himself from laughing more loudly, Devan silently responded to her embrace. Gaining courage, Reyna spoke in her usual voice.
“Because you seem to have gone through a hard time too.”
“What hardship have I gone through? All of a sudden?”
“Just. There are such things.”
Reyna recalled the story she had heard from Ludin. Devan’s unbelievable childhood, the things he had done for the person he loved, his mistakes, and regrets… Everything pained her heart. And she could realize more than ever how heavy and precious this emotion was, aching even for things in times she couldn’t reach. Perhaps Reyna thought it would be fine if she could just embrace Devan like this occasionally. If only he could be happy.
“I’ve been doing really well lately.”
Devan said playfully. Reyna firmly grabbed his hair, which was interfering with her emotions.
“Can you just be quiet for a bit?”
“…Sure, why not.”
Responding willingly to her light threat, he carefully embraced Reyna’s small back and smiled.
* * *
“She was really lovely.”
“Who? Not Reyna?”
“Yes.”
Ludin, who was looking around Devan’s room, answered softly. He was curiously looking at items brought by visitors to the castle. Devan was leisurely sitting, following only with his eyes as Ludin poked at magical tools with childlike eyes and blew off accumulated dust.
“She’s just a kid.”
His answer was flat. Though the corners of his mouth turned up slightly at the memory of earlier, his thoughts about Reyna remained unchanged. A witch who was ill-mannered in everything, using beauty as a weapon, but still quite cute. At first, he hadn’t thought she would have such an innocent side. After all, she who had smiled even while looking at the flames that consumed her somehow resembled him. Perhaps that’s why, after saving Reyna and bringing her to this castle, Devan had been secretly concerned about her. Though never in a form kind enough for her to feel.
Of course, his feelings about Ludin also remained unchanged in their place. Tirelessly, persistently. Watching Ludin moving back and forth before his eyes, Devan thought he was quite stubborn himself. If it’s a heart he can’t easily let go of anyway, he might as well hold onto it to the end. Uncharacteristically.
“How’s the palace?”
Trying to distract his darkening thoughts, Devan deliberately opened the conversation. Ludin, who was distracted by a ceaselessly moving orb, answered his question a little late.
“The same as always.”
“…”
“Ah, Jiman has returned. Rio is totally excited, of course. Kadilen and Wimu seem glad too.”
“Everyone seems to be doing well. Tell them to visit when they have time.”
“Should I? Do you miss them?”
“Hmm…to be honest…”
Devan deliberately dragged out the time. When Ludin, who had been viewing the garden through a large window, turned his head to hear the answer, he spoke without missing the gaze.
“I only miss you though.”
Two eyes containing many things perfectly overlapped. After a moment of silence, Ludin ignored the blush burning on his face and pretended not to notice, turning his attention back to the flowers. Devan’s low laughter relentlessly pursued Ludin, who was feigning distraction.
“Do you want to take that?”
There was a place where Ludin’s gaze lingered particularly long as he awkwardly looked around. The sea in a small glass bottle. Ludin stared as if enchanted at the waves and blue water that moved vividly like a real sea. But at Devan’s suggestion, he shook his head. Since he didn’t look particularly disappointed, it was rather Devan who was perplexed.
“You can take it, why not?”
“It’s pretty, but I don’t need it. I’m fine with just this.”
Ludin rummaged through his bag. What he held in his outstretched hand was a pure white stone. The smile disappeared completely from Devan’s face, which had been relaxed. Though it was a stone in which he had placed his entire heart, he couldn’t prevent the greed that surged at its mere existence, though he had never forgotten it. Devan raised his hand to hide his expression and said:
“Do you carry it around?”
“Yes. I find myself doing so. Thank you.”
“…”
“Just having it gives me a feeling of being encouraged. It’s also a comfort knowing you’re always on my side.”
“…”
Ludin, who had been speaking quietly, glanced at Devan, who remained silent. The teasing smile that had been playing pranks until just now had disappeared, and a dark shadow dominated his face.
“…What’s wrong? Are you angry?”
To Ludin, who approached in confusion, Devan barely managed a smile. He couldn’t act foolishly and risk never being able to set foot in the castle again. Like waves that settle gently but surge again several times, Devan’s feelings had never once disappeared. He said quietly:
“That’s right. I’m on your side.”
“…”
“That’s why I endure like this too.”
As he pulled in Ludin, who had walked closer, embracing him as if in friendship, Devan painfully swallowed his boiling emotions. When their gazes met again, his gentle smile, having regained a perfect poker face, was subduing Ludin’s worried look.
