Chapter 298

Chapter 298

Fortunately, I don’t dwell on the painful times I’ve experienced—sink into the ground and succumb to depression. Maybe it’s because I remain optimistic to the point you can even say I was a little crazy.

In reality, being a bit crazy allowed me to go through countless experiences and still be able to laugh nonchalantly. Thinking this way, I feel sorry for Kaichen, who fell in love with someone like me.

“Speak,” Kaichen urged, looking at me with impatience. I involuntarily curled the corners of my mouth in response.

I’m sorry, master. Your lover is a crazy person.

“I was pondering where to start. Anyway… Even if what I say seems absurd, I hope you’ll listen until the end.”

“Go on.”

“And I want to make it clear in advance that I’m not…crazy. I have no delusions or anything like that.”

“…Say what you want to say.”

Despite admitting I was crazy just a while ago, I justified what I was about to say with excuses. Kaichen flicked my forehead gently, trying not to hurt me.

Anticipating a lengthy story, he pulled a chair over and sat near the bed, settling comfortably. Leaning against the headboard, I nervously tore at the bedsheet, fingers fidgeting.

Despite my determined decision to share my story confidently, my demeanor was timid. It was only natural.

Even if I explained it perfectly, saying things like, “I’m not the Dalia you know; I’m actually a soul from another world. I woke up in this body, and this world is the one from the novel I read,” was an incredibly challenging task.

Most importantly, the crucial part was that in that novel’s world, another person had transmigrated like me, and she was the antagonist, Princess Exchetra.

If Kaichen, who trusted and loved me, didn’t believe the story, it was clear that Julius wouldn’t either. No matter how much I said.

To defeat Princess Exchetra, I had to reveal every piece of information to Julius. It’s unclear if we could win even if I told everything, but it was better to increase the odds as much as possible.

Despite feeling reluctant and annoyed, I had to throw in the possibility that Kaichen might meet his demise in the final moments.

I internally cursed the novel “The Protector of the Blue Dragon, Julius” several times.

Where the hell is that blue dragon? And why did it fail to provide protection but instead cause more trouble?

According to Exchetra, Kaichen was not by Julius’ side when he became the emperor. She mocked me, claiming that the rope I had captured was a rotten, useless thread.

If only I could spit on her face.

But the moment I heard the story, the image of Kaichen sacrificing himself in Julius’s place came to mind involuntarily.

Though it’s a part I haven’t read, considering the mid-section, it was a plausible storyline.

‘But… now I’m here.’

I may be the only one whose fate has changed, but it may also have changed the fates of others. I couldn’t change the plot, but I had to alter my thinking.

The flow might remain the same, but there could be a tiny shift, causing Kaichen to hesitate when he would sacrifice himself for Julius.

That was enough for me.

“Dalia.”

“Oh, um… yes?”

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to do it.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s a story that must be told…”

I took a deep breath and glanced at him while processing various thoughts. I hesitated.

Kaichen kindly assured me that it was okay, a far cry from the annoyance he showed when we first met.

“Master, I….”

* * *

Kaichen had rarely been at a loss for words in his life. Even when you combined everything, it wouldn’t be enough to count on one hand, most of it due to Dalia.

He had been listening to Dalia’s tales of the centuries she spent inside the time magic. After hearing about the ten years of losing her sanity, Dalia had promised to share those stories whenever she remembered them.

It was a commitment born out of the desire to indirectly understand what she had gone through during the long, lonely time they couldn’t spend together. Kaichen hoped Dalia hadn’t buried the memories.

He wanted to be able to comfort her for the pain, loneliness, and sorrow she felt, even if just through conversation.

Whenever Dalia shared her stories, he always ended with an apology for not saving her sooner.

It couldn’t be helped. Every time he listened, the pain, loneliness, solitude, and agony she experienced seemed to tighten his heart.

Why couldn’t he have saved her sooner? Regret always lingered over the moment he didn’t rush to her side upon hearing the news.

Dalia would wear a peculiar expression each time and say, “It’s because my mental strength was strong, and the magic was resilient. You did your best, Master. Don’t apologize; I was too strong. Please don’t feel guilty.”

It was a somewhat bothersome statement.

It didn’t help that she would say it with a genuine smile.

The feelings of love and hate had already disappeared, but when I met Dalia again, she sometimes made that strange smile and shook her head without a care in the world.

Dahlia changed to the point he thought she was a different person altogether. This Dalia claimed to have lost her memories and knew nothing.