NOVEL NEXT Chapter 89 Key
During the early hours of the day, Dantalian was awakened by the voice of a girl calling him to talk, standing outside his room. Taking a quick glance at her appearance, he asked, "So, this was your decision?"
"Yes..." Echidna replied.
With a gentle smile on his face, Dantalian extended his hand to the girl and said, "Then let me take care of the rest now, Echidna."
"Alright..." Echidna extended her hand towards Dantalian's, hesitating for a few seconds, but then opened her hand, releasing the completely crumpled metal crest of her family into the palm of Dantalian's hand.
She was visibly distressed; her eyes and voice were lifeless. What she recalled was something she hadn't expected. What her mother had done was far worse than she had known all these years.
Dantalian kept the crest in his pocket and placed his hand on Echidna's waist, saying, "If you allow me..."
Echidna didn't respond with her mouth but rather with her eyes, prompting Dantalian to do the same. He then pulled her close, embracing her while gently stroking her head. He spoke, "Don't keep it to yourself; you can let it all out. I will listen." Dantalian activated his divine hand, creating a small cubicle of golden energy around them, preventing any sound from escaping.
In the silence of the isolated space, the only sounds were their hearts beating and their breaths mingling as they embraced. And then, in a moment, Echidna bit her lip, tightened the hug, and began to speak amid tears.
"I know she wasn't good, I know what she did... but those memories, I never expected... all of this," Echidna confessed, her voice trembling with sobs. "What my mother did, it's just... beyond what I thought she was capable of. The betrayal, the pain... it's overwhelming."
In Dantalian's comforting arms, Echidna found the strength to share her deepest feelings. She opened her heart, recounting the pain of discovering her mother's true nature and the burden she had carried all these years. The vulnerability she showed was liberating, allowing her emotions to flow freely without judgment.
Dantalian listened attentively, offering consolation and understanding. The connection between them grew stronger, and Echidna felt a sense of relief after venting her feelings. The tears that fell washed away some of the anguish she had carried for so long.
They held each other, finding comfort and security in their embrace. The warmth of Dantalian's support allowed Echidna to confront her emotions.
In that moment, Echidna realized that there was no shame in being vulnerable, that she had someone by her side who truly cared for her. The intimacy they shared was profound, enabling her to release her suppressed emotions.
As the silence enveloped them, the space felt safe, and Echidna's heart felt lighter. The trust she placed in Dantalian was evident in her tears, her honesty, and the closeness of their embrace. In that small, sacred space, she found the strength to heal and accept the desperately needed support.
"See? It was good, wasn't it? From the moment I met you, I knew there was something more. Your eyes told me that," Dantalian spoke softly, feeling Echidna's tears moistening his right shoulder.
'I felt terrible watching her confess that in the game, but here, in front of me, it's destroying me. Everything feels different; she discovered something she didn't have originally, and I caused it.' Dantalian thought, gently tightening his embrace.
Echidna noticed this and smiled, nestling her head on Dantalian's shoulder.
' I've seen this face before... '
' Was it because of me that she did all this? '
' Why did they have to offend me? '
' Why did she have to do this to me? She only wanted me to be happy, so she did all this. '
All these thoughts overwhelmed her, a mixture of emotions, vulnerability, and comfort, as she was embraced like this.
"You don't have to feel guilty," she noticed Dantalian's gaze, so before he could say anything, she continued, "Let me finish... If it weren't for you, someone else would have taken my mother's crown... Someone else would have revealed everything, and honestly..." Echidna sighed, "There are many things still hidden, so let's leave it at that. There's already enough. I don't want to hear any more horror stories. Just fulfill what you promised and fix all of this."
"I will do that as soon as you're feeling better. Until then, you can use my shoulder as much as you want," Dantalian gave Echidna a small kiss on her forehead, causing a faint red blush to appear above her nose.
"You... You shouldn't do that. I'm not one of your...," Echidna spoke, embarrassed, her eyes seemingly wanting to escape from looking at Dantalian.
"It was just a kiss on the forehead. Don't be so worried. I still stand by what I said in that cave by the lake."
"Liar... I may not be sure, but I can see that you don't mean any of it," At this moment, Echidna had stopped crying for a while, but her eyes and voice still sounded sad, though there was a small hint of relief in her overall expression.
"No, I'm serious. You're thinking the wrong things. But, as I said, you are truly beautiful. However, I know that kind of thing wouldn't be good for you. Just accept my sincere affection," Dantalian emphasized, his voice soft yet determined, as he locked his gaze onto Echidna's eyes, searching for a connection beyond words
He leaned in slightly, the subtle warmth of his breath brushing against she skin.. "If I really wanted something right now, I'd be kissing you, you know. But you're very fragile."
Echidna closed her eyes, her face blushing. She spoke, "Don't look at me like that, and stop talking nonsense. If you tried something serious, I'd handle it. I'm not fragile."
"Exactly. You're not, so there's no need to cling to others. You've already freed yourself from what you should. Now, just choose your path and leave the problems to me, as I was the one who started them, and I will be the one to finish them." Dantalian's voice softened even further, a soothing cadence that seemed to wrap around Echidna like a gentle embrace.
Echidna let out a breathless sigh and placed her hand on Dantalian's face, lifting herself slightly on her toes to give him a kiss on the tip of his nose. "This is just a thank-you kiss, nothing more than that."
"I truly appreciate you for showing me the truth beyond what I could see." The expression on Echidna's face had a huge impact on Dantalian. Her red and black eyes seemed to penetrate his soul, and his heart raced again. ' why do you have to do this to me? I might end up having a heart attack one of these times ' Dantalian thought, chuckling softly.
At that moment, instead of finding such a response strange, Echidna was caught up in Dantalian's cheerful demeanor and began laughing too.
"Sorry... I don't know why I did that, but talking to you now..." Dantalian took both of Echidna's hands and started massaging them with his thumbs.
"Hmm? What would that be?" Echidna had already suppressed all her sadness, displaying a beautiful and bright cheerful face. Just for this moment, she was fine, her mind drunk with the situation, making her a little happier.
"You're right, but you're also wrong," Dantalian replied before Echidna could say anything else.
"What? I don't understand. Are you speaking in riddles?" Echidna said.
"No, I really want you, but I don't want to do any of that. After all, I don't want you as a reward," Dantalian spoke, recalling their conversation in the cave within the lake.
"I knew it. You really are a rogue... I understand. I can't give you an answer now. I have to weigh the pros and cons, and also, I don't feel anything like love for you. Well, I wouldn't want to share something like love... I've never really felt it, so I don't want to..."
Dantalian gently squeezed Echidna's hands and said, "I only said that because I didn't want to keep it from you. I won't say anything more about it, except that..."
He released Echidna's hands, moving back slightly and opening his arms. "What's wrong? Why are you acting like that? I'm not a kingdom guard about to search you."
"I'm opening up to you," Dantalian said, his arms still extended.
"Oh, for the love of God, don't say something like that. It sounds like you've been talking to those fake fortune tellers in the kingdom," Echidna said, laughing.
"I may be full of mistakes, but one thing I promise is that love will never be lacking for you. That's why I'm so greedy," Dantalian said with a mischievous smile, but quickly added, "Ah, I just made another mistake."
Echidna extended her hand, bringing it to her chest and pressing it against the center, as if pulling something out. Then she crouched down, pretending to take something from her shoe.
"At this moment, I am locking it," Echidna pretended to lock what was in her other hand and looked seriously at Dantalian, saying, "Take it."
"What?"
Echidna pretended to put back what she had taken from her chest and while feigning to toss something to Dantalian, she said, "What else? It's the key to my heart. At the right moment, you can use it. Keep it safe until then."
'To respond, you just have to act like you, Dantalian,' Echidna thought, smiling. 'I hope you'll be able to use it in the future.'