Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 139

To Vanessa, From Gideon 139

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

It felt like I was having a very long dream.

When the black wolf ran across the land, the rich soil surged, and when the bird with the wings of the sun brightened the sky, new life sprouted. In the sea, a giant serpent stirred the waves, sweeping away the wicked things.

The great creatures looked happy. That was comforting.

I wished the black wolf could always have such happy dreams. The dream was so fun and interesting that I didn’t want to wake up.

‘Dreams are more enjoyable than reality.’

That was right. Suddenly, I was reminded of all the exhausting things I had experienced since I was young. The day the people who came to adopt Vanessa chose another child in the end.

‘Brown hair is a bit too ordinary. Blond hair would be better, don’t you think?’

The day I was betrayed by people I had expected so much from.

‘That’s just how children raised in orphanages are.’

Dark shadows grabbed at my ankles like quicksand. In this dark place, watching the great creatures was very comfortable and enjoyable. Vanessa didn’t want to wake up….

My senses were fading more and more.

At that moment, I heard soft footsteps. The sound, which had been getting farther away, slowly approached.

Was the window opened? After a rattling sound, I heard the beautiful chirping of a bird and the rustling of fabric. It seemed someone was tidying up the place where Vanessa was lying.

The person adjusted the pillow and briefly held her hand, gently rubbing her fingertips, and delicately adjusted the position of her hand on the thin blanket.

After fussing around like that for a while, they seemed satisfied, and soon I heard the sound of a chair being pulled near the bed. Someone sat there and spoke to Vanessa.

“You still seem to be having a good dream, Vanessa.”

It was a kind voice.

“But I wish you would wake up soon. The garden is completely covered with blue Ialia flowers [a fictional flower]. The bluebells have already fallen, but these look pretty good too. I’d like to take a walk with you before they all wither. You like blue flowers, don’t you?”

Ah, Ialia. When small blue flowers hang modestly on dark green stems, it’s truly beautiful.

Vanessa thought of the blue starlight blooming profusely in the green garden.

But what does it mean that the bluebells are all gone? Aren’t Ialia flowers the ones that bloom near the end of summer? It was definitely spring.

Unaware that Vanessa was bewildered, the man continued to speak in a coaxing voice.

“Do you remember the place we went to together last time? The small cottage in front of the lake in the east. The weather is so nice these days that the sparkling water looks like jewels. The horse called Rose has grown so strong that she can’t control her energy. Thanks to you, the special forces work has decreased, and I have a lot of time, so I can take a long vacation.”

Anything you want. I can do anything.

The person whispering beside her wanted to let her know that there was something better than dreams.

Vanessa still hesitated, with the lingering images flickering behind her eyelids. It would be nice to see the world with the black wolf breaking the ground, the burning bird, and the water snake like a wave. It was an era of amazing magic.

But.

But just as the black wolf had something he wanted to see, she also had something she wanted to see: the color that stole the brilliance of the sun.

Vanessa fell into 고민 [Korean word for ‘worry’]. The dream was so cozy and comfortable that there seemed to be no pain. Should I bother waking up? It’s so perfect here.

But I knew the owner of this voice clearly. With kind eyes, warm eyes, and a big embrace.

As if sensing Vanessa weighing which would be better, the man continued.

“And you need to be scolded too. How could you go there alone? You should have grabbed the border wizards by the scruff of their necks and taken them with you. You met Aberdeen Chara.”

What are you talking about? You’re the one who should be scolded. You always treat your injuries so trivially that you don’t even know you’re in pain and collapse! It’s always like that. Why do you try to handle everything yourself? You have to share the hard things with others!

I wanted to shout that, but my mouth wouldn’t open even a little.

Enraged, Vanessa worked hard to push up her eyelids. I don’t know how long I’ve been asleep, but I had no strength in my body, so it was difficult.

Still, I groaned and gave it my all, and somehow the black curtain began to lift. Behind my eyelids, the black wolf, the red bird, and the blue water snake began to fall asleep. Vanessa hoped they would fall asleep in peace.

After putting in all my effort, I barely opened my eyes. The light I faced after a long time was too bright, and my expression was naturally distorted.

With only my pupils rolling in that state, the man caught in my blurry vision was looking out the window.

“Should I get some dahlia flowers….”

Saying strange things. Vanessa gritted her teeth.

“Why… should I be scolded?”

Surprised by the sudden voice, the man turned his gaze sharply. The blue eyes, seeing for the first time in months, were furrowed as much as possible. Although the focus was still blurry, she was clearly staring at him properly.

Gideon blankly stared at that beautiful blueness—the moment her focus became clearer and clearer, the moment she finally contained him completely.

“You… you’re the one who should be scolded….”

Only then did the man come to his senses and hurriedly got up and pulled the string hanging on the side [to call for assistance]. Greatly embarrassed, he knocked over the chair behind him. A loud noise struck my ears.

“Vanessa, where does it hurt? Is there no place that hurts?”

“Hiding that you’re a teacher… not even apologizing properly….”

Vanessa mumbled, filled with anger. Seeing that he had opened his eyes, I was relieved and even more resentful.

I ran up that high mountain for you! I repaired the magic circle all night, shivering in the cold! Do you know how hard it was to do it without really knowing what it meant? Night Bandallu treated me like a complete fool. But why am I being scolded!

Gideon was anxious and didn’t know what to do at the sight of her getting angry with inaccurate pronunciation. He hurriedly closed the curtains, worried that Vanessa’s eyes would hurt, and said,

“Vanessa, don’t close your eyes. Just wait a moment–”

“I won’t let you….”

Vanessa decided to ignore Gideon’s words. My eyes hurt from opening them after a long time, so I’m going to close them.

“Vanessa!”

I didn’t even pay attention to his urgent shout. Vanessa fell asleep again.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Amidst dozens of doctors and wizards flocking in, Vanessa, who had fallen asleep for a while, woke up easily. Only then could Gideon breathe properly. Even from a distance, his lips looked pale and bloodless. His large hands anxiously roamed the air.

Vanessa was briefly shocked to hear the time she had been lying down – about 3 months – but quickly adapted and faithfully answered the doctors’ questions.

“Do you have any pain?”

“I told you I don’t.”

The doctors and wizards surrounding me repeated the same question at least three times. I was a little wronged by their attitude that they doubted she was conscious after lying down for so long. How many times are you going to make me say the same thing!

But with the king and the duke standing behind me with such serious expressions, Vanessa, who was no longer a great wizard but an ordinary person, had no choice but to endure.

“Oh my, whether it’s God’s grace or something. I’m so glad, Vanessa Rose. The whole world is blessing your awakening. Do you see the people throwing flowers outside? Everyone is in a state of excitement. The gardens of Valder Castle are completely covered with flowers.”

The king gave a playful smile.

I don’t know how the people of the Kingdom of Friba knew about this. It spread in song before the king announced it.

In Vanessa’s opinion, it seemed clear that someone high up in the king or cabinet had a hand in it. It was something that could bring vitality to a country depressed by an inexplicable disaster.

In any case, what Vanessa had done spread to Friba and the Kingdom of Vitola, and parts of the Arbas Islands. Vitola, which had suffered from the earthquake, and the small countries of the Arbas Islands, which were exhausted by the tidal wave, were competing to send gifts.

Of course, it was hard to feel it even when I heard those words.

“It’s okay. I don’t really want to go out right now.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. Does that mean the work you’ve done disappears! We all owe you a great debt. As a mere human being, and as a foolish king, I express my respect to you.”

Bina Dom Friba expressed his gratitude sincerely, with all his heart. As the king bowed his head, Vanessa was also surprised and hurriedly bowed her head.

Hearing such a story from the king was definitely something I had never imagined in my life. I felt like I had become more amazing than the ‘great Vanessa Rose’ I had dreamed of in the orphanage.

However, even in this situation, my mind was restless without being able to concentrate. It was a very glorious thing, but my eyes kept going to the pale man behind me who couldn’t even make eye contact with me properly. He looked very unwell….

The king noticed him and smiled.

“I don’t know exactly, but it seems the Duke has something to apologize for.”

As the king glanced at Gideon, he made an openly unpleasant expression. Vanessa coughed awkwardly, and the king laughed amusingly.

*I had no intention of becoming an oblivious old man. The two lovers are meeting after a long time, so I should quickly step aside so they can talk.*

Of course, his inside was sinister.

*I was going to think about it to my heart’s content after the two reconciled, whatever it was. How coldly the Duke treated the king, how loudly the rumors spread inside the castle because he held Vanessa in his arms and disappeared, and how desperately he acted.*

He threw away all kinds of work and locked himself in the castle, and everyone was restless because they couldn’t get in touch with him, but he didn’t care. He only stayed by Vanessa’s side, as if his only job was that.

After begging for a week, he would reluctantly accept one task with an annoyed face and finish it, then bury himself back in the castle.

The king endured all that rudeness. There are so many fools in the world because of affection. If it’s first love, there’s no need to say more.

Because of that, the members of the joint council screamed, and the members of the special forces groaned from excessive work, but he didn’t even listen. Rather, everyone sighed and stepped back at his fierce attitude that he should receive compensation – vacation – for working without rest until now.

If he had at least pretended to be resting, I would have been angry with jealousy, but rather, he was only getting thinner and thinner, so it was ambiguous to scold him.

Now that everything has fortunately returned to its place, wouldn’t the excellent official Vanessa Rose kick him out to work?

The king smiled with satisfaction.