Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 140

To My Teacher, From Vanessa (140/146)

“Rest well, and let’s meet again next time. I’ll give you a proper reward as a king then. I’ve already prepared a lot, so look forward to the upcoming commotion!”

The king left with an unsettlingly bright smile, and silence fell among those who remained.

Strangely, everyone hesitated, watching Vanessa, who was leaning against the bed, rather than the Duke, the owner of the castle. They had all clearly noticed who held the upper hand while she was unconscious.

Indeed, anyone would be a fool not to notice, given the Duke’s pale complexion and fidgeting.

Vanessa was staring at the ceiling, and Gideon was looking down at the floor. In their silence, someone mustered the courage of a lifetime and spoke.

“Well, ahem. We’ll, we’ll take our leave now. We’ll come back later to check on Vanessa Rose’s mana, mana reaction…”

Everyone was busy gathering their things as quietly as possible. Vanessa quickly relaxed her expression and smiled.

“Thank you for your concern. You’ve worked hard.”

“No, don’t mention it. We were honored to see you awake.”

Vanessa felt a chill at someone’s flattering words. The world before she closed her eyes and the world after she opened them treated her so differently.

“Um, yes.”

Despite her awkward voice, everyone bowed and left the room.

Ugh. Vanessa shook her head. The man flinched at the sight.

Noticing his movement, Vanessa turned to look at the man. A pale and gaunt man avoiding her gaze. But he was still more than enough to steal her attention.

I was going to pretend to be angry a little longer. But I can’t be spiteful in front of that face.

“Come here.”

Even at the gentle words, Gideon hesitated, standing far away.

“Quickly.”

When Vanessa spoke in a firm voice, Gideon approached weakly. The voice she had heard in her sleep was clearly refreshing and soft, making her feel relaxed, but the man she actually faced seemed very tired and anxious.

Leaning against the thick cushions, Vanessa clicked her tongue inwardly. What’s with that face?

The man’s cheeks were gaunt and rough, and his lips were chapped with many scars. His jawline was so sharp it seemed like paper could be cut on it.

She looked up at him, engraving every detail into her eyes.

“Did you see my letter?”

“…I did.”

“What did you think?”

“Why did you go alone, not even knowing how dangerous it was…!”

Vanessa snorted at Gideon’s sudden outburst.

“No. You shouldn’t say that.”

“…….”

“Tell me what you should say.”

“…Vanessa.”

Gideon whispered. Vanessa, Vanessa.

That was all he said, calling her name like a sigh. The man’s trembling hand touched his forehead, and soon his head drooped.

His hair had grown quite a bit, covering his ears and the nape of his neck. He was silent, without a word.

Vanessa pursed her lips, about to say something, but her eyes widened as she met his gaze again. She saw something different from what she had expected.

His bright eyes, which she had missed so much, were filled with clear tears. They sparkled briefly as they reflected the light. And with a single blink, they overflowed, wetting his dry cheeks and streaming down.

It was definitely a very surreal moment.

“Wh, what is it!”

I haven’t even said a word yet! What is this! Why are you crying!

He cried silently. Vanessa, startled, could only clutch at the thin blanket, flustered, and reached out her hand to him, but it was gently taken. His large hand, which had trapped hers, trembled incessantly.

The man held Vanessa’s hand as desperately as if it were the only lifeline to cling to on a collapsing cliff. He pressed his forehead against the back of her hand and trembled. He hunched his large back and let out a long, tearful sigh.

He collapsed as if it had all been a lie that he had endured until now.

“If something had happened to you, I…”

What was I supposed to do?

The back of her hand was soaked with his flowing tears.

Throughout all the time he had waited, Gideon never thought he would cry like this in front of her.

He thought he would rationally explain how worried he had been about her, how terrible that time had been. He had saved her and Friba, but it had been painful. He was going to persuade her not to jump into danger alone again.

But emotions are so far from reason that it was a mess.

He felt like it was all his fault. It felt like Vanessa had collapsed because he loved her. Because everyone he loved had disappeared.

So, for the three months she hadn’t woken up, even breathing didn’t feel like breathing. Everything felt distant, like a dream. Gideon, who had been living in a hazy reality, was now experiencing those terrifying moments anew, only now that he could hear Vanessa’s voice.

Even knowing she was awake, it was hard to believe. He might have closed his eyes for a moment out of exhaustion and was dreaming. When he opened his eyes, Vanessa would be unconscious, and he would be left alone in the dark room again.

He couldn’t calm the trembling of his body from fear.

Then a small touch pulled the man, who was trembling in a terrible imagination, out of it. As the touch patting his back was repeated several times, the trembling of his body slowly subsided.

“I’m sorry about that. I know how scary it is to be left alone. I also know that you hated me getting hurt the most.”

Vanessa apologized refreshingly.

“But that’s not what I wanted to hear.”

Gideon raised his head at the laughter-filled voice.

The man’s bright eyes were shimmering with watery light. The overflowing tears wet his gaunt cheeks, gathered at the tip of his chin, and dripped down. His chest rose and fell greatly with his panting breath.

It’s so pathetic and pitiful, and therefore looks pretty, so I must be crazy. Vanessa thought so inwardly and criticized her twisted taste.

Hiding that feeling, she said in a firm voice.

“Repeat after me. I’m sorry. I will never make secrets again.”

“I’m, sorry. I will never… make, secrets again.”

A damp voice followed haltingly. Vanessa grinned.

“And what’s next?”

Vanessa didn’t tell him the answer this time. She waited for him to speak.

“Va, nessa. I will never hide anything again. So…”

The voice filled with tears was desperate.

Vanessa grinned. It wasn’t the right answer, but well, it’s pitiful enough.

Vanessa cupped his cheeks with both hands, making a soft sound as if lightly slapping him. She wiped the moisture from his cheeks with her thumb. She met his eyes and smiled brightly.

The man’s damp eyelashes blinked heavily. Tears streamed down again, as if there was no use in wiping them away.

“I hit you once, so it’s okay now. Stop crying.”

“Too…”

Aren’t you being too generous? Vanessa laughed in disbelief at the tearful whisper that told her to scold him more.

How could she possibly put into words what she had thought the moment she saw him collapse?

Seeing him awake made her feel like anything was fine. Just facing him was enough. It was a great reward that made her feel proud and satisfied with what she had done. Even the tears are sparkling, so it’s no different from a precious jewel.

“As the teacher knows very well, I’m really nice, you know. Gentle.”

“I don’t like being nice and gentle… I like being selfish. I’m scared to be alone, so I drag other people along.”

Vanessa gave a sullen smile as she listened to the man’s words, who was quick to grab her tail [take advantage] as soon as she forgave him.

“I don’t think this will ever happen again, but I understand for now. I’ll drag you along. Ugh, stop crying.”

Vanessa scolded him. The tears had subsided to some extent, but they were still overflowing intermittently, so his cheeks had no time to dry.

“Why are you so gaunt? Your cheeks are sunken! Did you eat properly? You look worse than me, who’s been lying down for a long time. What have you been doing?”

“You were…”

Asleep. Not waking up. His words were cut off by intermittent trembling breaths. Vanessa laughed awkwardly.

“Ah, so you were scared?”

She expected a rebuttal, but the man lowered his gaze and remained silent.

I was just trying to lighten the mood and tease him a little! Vanessa was flustered and fidgeted before dragging her feet off the bed.

And something feels strange… Thinking that, she fell off the bed.

“Vanessa!”

Gideon was shocked, but Vanessa was blankly supporting herself on the floor. I’m lightening the mood in a different way now, thinking such a futile thought.

Fortunately, the floor covered with a soft rug protected her without a scratch. Her knees and palms, which had landed, were also intact.

Gideon quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up, and Vanessa awkwardly grabbed his arms and shoulders to stand. However, she didn’t have much strength in her arms, so she was leaning on his torso and arms.

The man supported her without putting as much strength as possible into his grip.

“Ah, no… my legs.”

“Vanessa, it’s natural since you’ve been lying down for a long time. You won’t be used to using your legs. Don’t worry. You’ll get better soon. I tried to preserve the function as much as possible with magic, but the time was longer than expected…”

Gideon seemed more surprised than Vanessa, who had fallen. He poured out several sentences, pretending to be calm to reassure Vanessa, but the arm around her waist trembled intermittently. The throbbing transmitted under the touching body was intense.

Vanessa was wondering whether to laugh or not, as his complexion was so pale.