Raizen’s eyes slowly widened, his lips parting slightly.
It all played out in slow motion before me.
Honestly, he didn’t show much of a reaction for someone who’d just been confessed to.
At least, that’s how it would seem to most people.
But for some reason, just seeing that made my eyes sting.
My heart fluttered for no reason at all.
‘I shouldn’t get carried away.’
I couldn’t let myself repeat the same mistakes just because I was overwhelmed by my own emotions.
And yet, that tight, fluttery feeling wouldn’t leave my chest.
Most people wouldn’t understand.
Raizen is the kind of person who doesn’t show his emotions.
He doesn’t get surprised or flustered by anything anyone says.
He just calmly processes it all and gives a faint smile.
So the fact that this random, sudden confession had caused even the slightest crack in him…
“Ha…”
I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed just because I felt good.
I thought about holding it back, but I let myself act the way my heart wanted.
I’d spent too long pretending to be fine, adjusting to others, and hiding how I really felt.
“Anyway, my mind hasn’t changed.”
It was time to go back.
Set everything right.
And… stop Kim Minsoo.
And break Raizen’s curse.
At my words, Raizen just stared blankly at me.
Then, he murmured softly,
“…Yeah.”
“…”
“…Let’s do that.”
His voice still sounded dazed, like someone lost in a dream.
Once I’d made up my mind, all that was left was to follow through.
First, I told Grandpa everything I had seen, heard, and thought.
He said he understood where I was coming from, but asked for a day to think things over. I waited.
The answer came faster than expected.
—All right. Let’s do it your way, child.
Next, I arranged a temporary place to stay for Jack and Derek.
They refused at first, but eventually accepted after I explained how serious the situation was.
Finally, I hired someone trustworthy and discreet to give the kids basic education.
I even made it clear that when they were old enough to stand on their own, they’d have to pay it all back.
Because I could tell—what scared them most was getting used to being cared for.
‘Why… why are you being so nice to us? We’re not special. We’re just a couple of worthless street rats…’
To Jack’s question, I didn’t hesitate to answer.
‘Because you’re still young. You need care. You need to learn how to survive. And I’m in a position to give you that much.’
Honestly, it was all thanks to the parents I was lucky enough to be born to.
But I know that if they were still alive, they would’ve thought the same.
‘And… because I saw you. I couldn’t just walk past. That’s all. So you don’t need to feel overly grateful, or pressured. You don’t need to repay me by becoming someone amazing. Just learn what you need, grow up, and be able to live on your own. That’s enough.’
I don’t think I’m doing anything that noble.
Honestly, I’m just projecting my own childhood in Korea onto these kids.
As long as we both get what we need from each other and no one gets hurt, isn’t that enough?
“From now on… you don’t know anyone named Daniel. Got it?”
The con I started with Priest Aysol was now being carried on through the Ruin Guild.
Reizen promised to assign a guild member who was good at acting to play Daniel’s father, so they could continue extracting information from the priest.
The clueless noble boy named Daniel would vanish without a trace, and Priest Aysol likely wouldn’t care.
“Still… just in case.”
This charade wasn’t going to last long.
Sooner or later, Priest Aysol would be caught transferring the children he secretly gathered in the underground classroom.
Whether then or earlier, if he had any sense, he’d probably start investigating Daniel.
He’d find out Daniel’s rich, yes—but not definitively of noble birth.
I hoped he’d give up there.
But there was always the chance that Priest Aysol would dig deeper.
Someone might eventually recall seeing Daniel somewhere.
And during that, he might even stumble across Jack and Derek.
Though it might frustrate the kids, I asked them to always tell someone where they were going.
I advised them not to go out if possible—but I also knew that for kids who’d lived freely on the streets, that was a nearly impossible ask.
Even if I left Crete Island, the people my grandfather sent—and the agents from the Pantheon ducal house—would protect the children.
They’d also keep a close watch on Priest Aysol.
Through all of this, Reizen followed my decisions without much comment.
∗ ∗ ∗
The house felt a little empty now that most of the things were packed up.
Strange, how over just a little more than a year, it had started to feel familiar.
Knowing I’d be leaving soon, I felt strangely off.
Maybe that’s why… I couldn’t sleep tonight.
[Can’t sleep?]
Seol, who had curled right up against my side, murmured.
When I reached out toward his head, his ears gently folded back.
“Yeah. Maybe because I know I’m leaving soon.”
I stroked Seol’s head as I looked around.
A private home on Crete Island, often called paradise on earth.
A house built mainly of ivory-colored marble, with a small garden attached.
The ceiling was high, and it was too spacious for just one person to live in—there were too many rooms.
“It was the kind of place I only dreamed of…”
And I only now realized that.
“Hey…”
I hesitated, watching Seol’s reaction.
I had so many things rising in my chest, but wasn’t sure I should say them out loud.
Even though Seol had been by my side since the moment he hatched, I rarely shared my deeper thoughts with him.
‘I’d never really wanted to open up to anyone, to begin with.’
Maybe he sensed that.
Instead of pushing me, Seol gently nudged my palm with the tip of his nose.
As if saying it was okay.
So, carefully, I began to speak.
“Not long after I woke up in this body, the Duke of Pantheon showed me the list of assets Sean Kreveta would inherit. I almost lost my mind when I saw it. From that moment, my goal was simple—survive until adulthood, inherit everything, and live a peaceful life here on Crete Island.”
That already felt like a lifetime ago.
Even though I’d spent nearly four years asleep, I’d still been in this world longer than I expected.
I’d filled out some, gained height—looked like an adult now, no matter who was looking.
[But in the end, you didn’t get the inheritance, huh?]
I let out a soft laugh at Seol’s words.
“Yeah. I ran away without proving Sean Kreveta was still alive.”
[Still, you got what you wanted, right?]
“Did I?”
I guess he wasn’t wrong.
An unbelievable house, enough money that I didn’t have to worry about tomorrow.
I had achieved what I first aimed for.
“But… isn’t it strange? I never felt that way once while living here.”
I barely left the house, slept like the dead. I had everything I once desperately wanted, but I wasn’t even a little happy.
This massive house felt like my tomb.
Crete Island was no longer a paradise—just a place to hide.
“To be honest… nothing went the way I planned. I thought I just needed to survive and bolt once I got the inheritance. But then they said I had divine power. And the future villain who’s supposed to kill me—he has the exact same face as my brother.”
[…]
“I was only trying to butter him up to stay alive. But I ended up falling for him. And then I found out Reizen was the hyung from Korea. Everything had already been decided from the start.”
My goals—survival and inheritance—became meaningless the moment I fell for Reizen.
I wondered what Baldur would think if he knew what I was originally planning.
Maybe, as a god, he found it a little amusing.
“It’s like… things are just flowing the way they’re meant to. Not that I mind.”
[Hmm.]
Seol, who’d been silently listening, finally spoke.
[Even a god probably didn’t see that one coming.]
“What do you mean?”
[That a soul born in a completely different world and one that just happened to drift into that world for a while would come to care for and fall in love with each other. Even if they were placed close together, recognizing each other and giving their hearts… that’s beyond even a god’s control. Even one who governs love.]
“…”
[So from the god’s perspective, it was probably a gamble.]
