The faint sunlight that passed through the leaves touched the clean white hair like a joke and then shattered.
I doubted my eyes.
I thought I was mistaken.
Or perhaps it was a vision created by my head since I really want to see Jungkook.
Then I could see a monster behind him, shooting down his claws at him.
"As......!"
I tried to call Jungkook like a scream but stopped.
Jungkook swung his sword without looking back.
The monster's neck fell off the spot.
I could not tell exactly how it was done.
Only then did I notice what lay behind Jungkook like a background.
'The monster's dead body.'
On the drooping blade, a green liquid, believed to be the blood of a monster, was dripping.
"Woooo...."
"Woo......."
The monsters again made a polite cry.
I fully realized it thanks to it.
What made the monsters so scared all of a sudden?
And the fact that what I'm seeing right now is not a fantasy.
"Oh, no. Who is this!"
Until then, a man who seemed to have regained consciousness after a moment's enchantment shouted loudly.
"The Duke of Jeon! I didn't expect to see you at a place like this. That's exactly what the rumours say. It's such an honour."
The man raised his voice in an exaggerated way as if his aim was to draw Jungkook's attention.
But no matter what the man said, Jungkook's eyes did not fall from me.
The golden eyes were only directed straight at me from the moment he appeared here.
"Noona."
Listening to his voice added to the sense of reality.
My heart leapt.
My heart throbbed wildly.
More than when I thought I was going to die a little while ago.
"Why......."
Jungkook opened his mouth as if he were trying to say something but soon closed it again.
Instead, he came slowly to me.
I thought as I saw Jungkook's face getting closer.
How could Jungkook be here now?
I'm sure he must have gone to the south.
It took a few days to run a carriage or horse all night.
But how.
But such a natural question was only for a short time.
Subsequently, there was a sentiment that pushed those questions away and filled my head and chest much more intensely...
I missed him.
I've missed him so much that I can't believe it.
I bit my lips.
I almost cried out of tears.
I've come all the way here, avoiding Jungkook.
I'm going to run away from Jungkook and his eyes, try not to be caught.
The result of the struggle was now here.
Nevertheless, at this moment I couldn't help but feel glad to see Jungkook.
Obviously desperate, things will now flow to the worst, the one I've ever wanted to avoid.
Knowing that I couldn't stop this foolishly clear feeling from taking over me.
Soon Jungkook knelt down on one knee in front of me where I was sitting.
Until then, the monsters were still scared and just crying.
Then our eyes met.
Jungkook had an unreadable look on his face.
But somehow I felt breathless at the sight of his face.
My heart throbbed.
At the same time, it hurt like a muddle.
I soon realized where this feeling came from.
"Noona."
"......"
"I've told you before, noona. No matter what noona has done, as long as you're okay, then it doesn't matter for me."
"......"
"I'll cancel it."
"......"
"Not this one."
"...Jungkook."
"You can't leave my side."
I was looking at Jungkook as if I had been possessed.
The pain in my chest grew worse.
"I couldn't allow that."
He didn't sleep.
He didn't sleep a wink.
Until he gets here.
I couldn't believe it.
I reached out my hand unconsciously to Jungkook's face, and then I hesitated.
Distrust.
Pain.
Question.
Worry.
Desperate.
And also relieved for finding me in the midst of that.
My eyes and my voice conveyed the emotions that made me hard to breathe.
My heart was about to burst.
I know.
I know those mirageos emotions.
I know it's a fleeting fake that will all disappear when he finds out that I'm not his real family.
So right now, I'm deceiving Jungkook.
There is no excuse for letting Jungkook continue to treat, worry and burn me as a sister, knowing that I really don't deserve anything.
I'm only making Ash suffer.
I am.
'Let's stop.'
It is inevitable facts that will become known anyway.
If not now, soon enough, it would have come to light even if I were to pass this moment.
I suddenly realized that I was quite exhausted.
Neither mentally nor physically.
Come to think of it, I hardly slept either.
I shuddered with fatigue and cold.
The throbbing ankle was slowly numb.
I want to stop.
Yeah.
Now, I want to put everything down.
I opened my mouth.
When I was ready, my chin trembled and tears were about to come out, but I could still spit out words.
"Jungkook, in fact, I...."
And it was then.
"Hey, Your Excellency Duke! ......Ugh!"
A man, approached this way, was blocked by the monsters.
The only one who wasn't blocked by the monsters was Jungkook.
The man shouted since his course was blocked by monsters.
"Good for you! Get these away from me... Huh? I can't work because of these monsters."
Jungkook still didn't pretend to hear it.
But the man didn't seem to give up.
"It's simple for you! Huh? I just saw that all these would die in your hand, so please help me!"
"Sister, can you stand up?"
"Your Excellency!"
"Hug if you don't think you can stand up. Let's go back to the mansion and......"
"Oh, don't worry about someone who's not your real sister, and help me! She's not even the real princess, but you're so damn serious about her!"
Jungkook's motion has stopped.
At the same time, my breath stopped.
Time seemed to have stopped, but in time Jungkook's head slowly turned.
For the first time since coming here, Jungkook has given the man an eye.
"What did you just say?"
"Wait, wait, Your Excellency, if you'd clean these up, I'll tell you again kindly. It's a little hard to talk to because I can't see......."
Two monsters' necks fell to the ground before his words were finished.
Then came a dull sound as the heavy body fell.
"Now tell me."
The man gulped and opened his mouth.
Compared to his rather cheeky way of speaking, his posture was very polite.
"Yes, well. Didn't you know? Yeah, I didn't think you'd know. If you had known, the rumoured duke wouldn't still have kept her alive......."
"Does my patience look good?"
The man was hardened by his dry voice, which was almost not high or low.
It was the same for me, being unable to move.
I was going to say that anyway, but he did it.
"This time, talk to the point before I blow your head off."
"Oh, he, yeah. Got it. So... well, the princess there is not blood-related with you, as far as I know. In short, he's not related to the Duke."
My heart, which had fallen to the bottom, seemed to stop as it was.
"How can I believe that?"
"If, if you don't believe me, let's get someone to find out. Don't you have that much information? You didn't know because you didn't want to know, but if you try and find out, you'll find out soon enough. For your information, I don't have a hobby of lying anyway, risking my life."
It was not important to me now that the man's speech was clearly polite, and how he knew that.
Rather, I wondered how Jungkook, who was silent now, was making a face.
I don't have the courage to check.
"Yes, Princess. Didn't you know that? Didn't you run away like that because you knew that? You're afraid you'll die if you get caught. Right? Am I right?"
The man seemed very quick-witted.
I'm confused about whether to blame or thank him.
I didn't answer the man.
Instead, I opened my mouth to Jungkook.
"......that's right."
My voice still trembled.
I closed my eyes tightly.
That's because I felt like I wouldn't stop talking on the way.
"That's right, Jungkook. It's true."
The tremors spread to my fingertips, so I clenched my fingers in my fist.
"I was adopted by a family when I was young. Very... very young, yes, even before you were born."
I didn't say many words, but I felt as if I was out of breath.
But I couldn't stop talking.
There's something left to say.
"......sorry."
I bit my lips tightly and then let go.
It tasted like blood, but it didn't matter.
On the contrary, I was able to add the last words without wavering because of pain.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, Jungkook."
All right, then.
I said it.
It's over.
Oh, now really.
A feeling of exhaustion came to my mind.
If I hadn't already sat down, I would have collapsed.
Tears streamed out in torrents.
I don't have to hold it in anymore.
It was then.
Jungkook, who had not said a word until my end, suddenly opened his mouth.
"How did you know this?"
"Yes?"
"I asked, how do you know this?"
The man seemed to be embarrassed by the sudden return of the topic to him, but he answered steadily.
"Oh, well, in the process of commissioning ... Well, I got some information that might help me with my request......."
"Don't make me repeat what I said earlier."
"Yes. I mean, I got the job to kill that princess! So I asked the client how to kill the Duke Jeon's sister and whether it was the way to commit suicide, and they told me that she's not a real princess, so it's okay."
"Who?"
"Who is it? ......I don't know the identity of the client. They hid it for me. He came with a mask on his face. Instead, they're paying us a huge deposit, so we'll just take that's all....yeah."
"I see."
Soon there was a brief silence.
Then came a suppressed scream.
I opened my eyes with fright.
"Ugh, why, why......."