Chapter 91: CH 91

‘Huh…?’

However, Riett, who had tightly closed her eyes for a moment, realized that her body was excessively free. If she were buried under the rubble, she wouldn’t be able to move, let alone breathe, but her breathing was normal as usual.

‘Could it be… am I already dead…?’

If becoming a soul meant not feeling anything, it could be possible. She was afraid to open her eyes.

In the fleeting moment when her closed eyelashes trembled,

〈You’re not dead.〉

As if comforting Riett, a clear voice was heard. Who else was trapped under the dirt with her?

‘I was alone in the house, I’m sure of it…?’

Curiosity outweighed the fear. Riett slowly opened her eyes to find the person who spoke.

And a strange scenery filled Riett’s vision.

‘What is this…?’

She was now trapped in a dome that was transparent like glass. The outside of the dome was filled with soil. It felt like she was dreaming. Riett anxiously looked around. Where did the voice come from?

〈I am here with you.〉

“Yes…?”

Riett looked around once again, confirming that there was no one else, and swallowed nervously.

“You… Are you a ghost?”

A gloomy voice was heard.

〈No, I…〉

The mysterious being blurred the end of its words.

‘What are you?’

〈…I think it’s better to tell you when I can reveal my appearance.〉

Riett frowned.

‘You’re acting like you have something to tell me.’

Although she was curious about the identity, Riett decided not to ask anymore. Understanding the current situation was more important.

“Anyway, did you save me?”

〈Yes…〉

“Then do you know where this is?”

〈You are still inside that house. You were buried under the collapsed roof due to a landslide. Right now, I am protecting you.〉

Riett felt relieved. It was fortunate that she wasn’t in an absurd place.

“Thank you. But how can I get out of here?”

Now that her life was spared, the next important thing was to leave this place. She could only consider herself fully alive once she managed to get out.

〈I will guide you out.〉

What? If the person could guide her out, they should have done it earlier.

〈I’m sorry… I wanted to have a little conversation with you…〉

Riett now realized that this mysterious being could read her thoughts. Well, there was no need to apologize for that.

“Well, please let me out now.”

〈Ah… Before you go, there’s something I want to tell you.〉

“What is it?”

〈The man who was with you, trying to save you, got slightly injured.〉

If the man they’re referring to was Evan, he had already left the house. Riett’s face darkened in an instant.

〈He’s not seriously hurt, so don’t worry.〉

Despite the comfort, Riett’s expression remained heavy.

〈I think it’s best to get you out quickly.〉

The voice expressed concern.

〈I look forward to our next meeting.〉

The serene voice resonated, hoping to reveal its true form.

Soon, a dazzling flash enveloped Riett, spreading in all directions. Instinctively, Riett closed their eyes.

When she opened her eyes, all the surrounding dirt disappeared.

In disbelief, Riett blinked, mouth agape, at the unbelievable sight.

Startled, Riett looked around and realized that it wasn’t just her who was surprised. The villagers stared at her with wide eyes and puzzled expressions.

Approaching her was the middle-aged woman who had asked to save her mother-in-law.

“Are you… alright?”

Riett reassured herself by checking her body; there was nothing wrong.

“Well… yes, I think I’m okay.”

The middle-aged woman glanced at the pit that had formed around Riett as the dirt disappeared.

“Are you a magician?”

“What? Um… yes.”

Riett nodded, wide-eyed. It was the only way to explain this bizarre situation.

“I’m so relieved… I was so worried that I caused you harm with my request!”

The woman said, tears welling up. However, Riett didn’t have time to share her relief.

“Where is the dark-haired man who was with me?”

“If you mean him… he tried to rescue you by digging through the pile of dirt with his bare hands, and then he was buried when the roof collapsed.”

Hearing that, Riett furrowed her brow.

“He dug through the pile of dirt with his bare hands and got buried in the roof?”

“We warned him it was dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen.”

Riett tightly closed her eyes.

‘What an idiot…!’

“In the end, he passed out, and the chief of security took him to the guardhouse.”

The guardhouse was where they had gone during the day. Riett had to go there first. Riett wrung out the wet hem of her clothes.

The storm clouds were still present, but luckily the rain had stopped. However, the surroundings were a scene of chaos. The mountain’s foundation collapsed, causing a landslide, and as a result, the houses below were destroyed.

Riett thought she should first check on Evan’s condition and then deal with the disaster in the village.

***

Upon arriving at the guardhouse, Riett was greeted by the chief of security, whom she had seen earlier in the day.

“My Lady! We heard the news and were worried… I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

The chief of security said cheerfully. But Riett couldn’t properly respond to the greeting as she looked around.

“Are you looking for the young lord?”

“Yes, I heard he was here…”

“If you mean him, he’s on the second floor.”

The chief of security guided Riett to Evan’s location.

When Riett opened the first door on the second-floor corridor, she saw Evan lying on a pristine white bed. He had been dressed in clean clothes and cleaned of dirt.

As Riett stared quietly at Evan, the chief of security approached closely.

“You roughly heard the story, right…?”

“Yes… He was digging the ground when the roof collapsed on the second floor.”

The chief of security shook his head anxiously.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have, but he was clinging to it like a crazy person. Because of that, his hands are a mess.”

Riett’s gaze landed on Evan’s hand. Just as the chief of security had said, his fingertips were tightly wrapped in bandages. There were traces of blood faintly visible on the bandages.

“All the fingernails are broken, and there’s a lot of strain on the wrist, so he shouldn’t move it much and wrap it tightly with a bandage for the time being.”

To treat his own body so carelessly. Riett bit her lip tightly.

“The fortunate thing is that when the rest of the roof collapsed, it hit his head, but he only lost consciousness and wasn’t seriously injured.”

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but it seemed like the chief of security had quickly checked on Evan.

Riett politely nodded her head to the chief of security.

“Thank you for bringing Evan here.”

“Oh, no, I should be thanking you. I heard it from my wife. You saved my mother.”

Mother? Riett’s eyes widened. The chief of security laughed as if he expected her surprise.

“Yes, you may not have known, but the person you saved was my mother. She is not able to move well and is not in her right mind, so my wife couldn’t save her alone. But you jumped right in…”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“No, how many people can risk their own lives to save others?”

As the chief of security said that with sparkling eyes, he noticed that her lips were turning blue.

“Anyway, Duchess, you must be cold. Please change into some clothes. We have spare clothes that the security personnel wear, though they may not be fancy.”

Riett nodded her head. After confirming that Evan was safe, the feeling of coldness she had forgotten gradually returned.

The chief of security went out for a moment and came back with a shirt and pants, handing them to Riett.

“Here you go. There’s a simple space next door where you can wash up. You can use it.”

Afraid that Evan might wake up while she was washing, Riett hurriedly moved to the bathroom.

After a quick wash, when she came out, she finally felt warmth in her body. Fortunately, Evan was still asleep. Riett looked down at Evan quietly.

‘Fool, idiot.’

When did he ever act recklessly without considering the consequences? And it was almost his life that was at risk.

Riett’s gaze landed on Evan’s hand.

‘When will your fingers heal…?’

Since he wouldn’t be able to use his wrist properly for a while, even daily activities would be difficult. Her heart felt heavy.

Recently, she had started to doubt how much Evan loved her, but she didn’t want to confirm it this way.

“…Evan?”

At that moment, Evan slowly opened his eyes.

Quietly calling out to Evan, but it seemed like he didn’t hear her.

Riett patiently waited in silence until he regained full consciousness. But it seemed like Evan didn’t realize she was beside him.

‘Of course, he wouldn’t.’

He must be disoriented. Riett waited patiently with patience.

But… Evan’s behavior was a little strange. He closed and opened his eyes a few times, then finally closed them tightly as if he didn’t want to wake up…

Evan covered his eyes with one hand. Riett, who was watching his actions, spoke up.

“Evan… Are you okay?”

Only then did Evan slowly turn his head towards Riett with a dazed face and met her gaze. There was no vitality in his eyes.

After a while, he murmured, as if he doubted, ‘Is this still a dream?’. Then he smiled faintly.

“If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up,”

Riett shook her hand in front of Evan’s eyes and said,

“Evan, it’s not a dream.”

Evan’s hair moved with the wind, and he seemed to become aware of reality with a vivid sensation. “Riett?”

He uttered, blinking his eyes a few times before fixating his gaze on Riett. Their locked eyes trembled visibly.

In an instant, Evan sat up in bed and tightly embraced Riett.

“Riett…!”

His voice, filled with suppressed emotions, seeped out. Startled, Riett fumbled around, but Evan showed no signs of letting go.

After a while, Evan’s grip on Riett loosened slightly. Pulling himself away, Evan scrutinized Riett’s face, examining every corner. His black irises still trembled ever so slightly.

“Is it really you, Riett?”

Riett replied with a gentle smile,

“Would I be fake? I’m not dead.”

“You were trapped under the collapsed house, so how…?”

How could she explain that the presence of a mysterious being saved her?

Riett knew a natural way to smoothly transition away from such questions.

“You speak as if you wished for me to die.”

“That’s not true!”

Evan burst out, and then he seemed to realize he had gone too far.

“Then just be grateful that I’m alive.”

Riett said, smoothly changing the subject.

“Are you injured?”

“I’m fine. It’s you who’s hurt.”

Riett gently lifted Evan’s hand and examined it once again.

“Your hand is a mess.”

“It’ll get better soon.”

He spoke in a nonchalant tone as if discussing someone else’s hand.

Despite feeling upset by his demeanor, Riett found comfort in his Evan-like behavior.

“Evan, don’t blame me later for getting hurt because of me.”

Riett exhaled softly, looking out the window. The clouds in the sky were clearing up.