Never Saved You

Chapter 94

Translator: Yonnee

—

Ian’s face became distorted. There was no way that he was stable right now, and so this was perhaps a natural reaction.

He didn’t know why on earth Ophelia’s efforts to escape were making him so upset.

Was he disappointed in her? It’s not like he didn’t know that she was this kind of person, that Ophelia had used him in the past.

Rather than disappointment, what he felt even more was anger. She was trying to get away again, towards a different refuge.

Ian recalled Alejandro’s face. He had fallen so much for Ophelia that, even for someone who wasn’t involved and didn’t know, it was obvious just by looking at his idiotic face.

He must also believe that Ophelia loved him. That he was special to her. This was why he could show such ridiculous dedication and affection.

As she watched Ian take a step forward, she remained silent.

In Ian’s perspective, Alei fell in love all by himself and wandered around by himself—it was a type of love that benefited only one person.

‘Like with me…’

As these thoughts formed in his mind, Ian realized why he had been so obsessed with Ophelia’s plans.

All that he saw now was evidence that Ophelia did not love him.

Even though this was a fact that was as difficult to bear as seawater poured atop an open wound, it felt impossible to let go of Ophelia.

Without any regard to Ophelia, Ian tightened his grip.

“To you, I’m also… someone who must have been so easy to fool. You don’t like me anymore, but you’re now bringing in another man?”

Ian snapped at Ophelia, and this resulted in a look of contempt from her.

“In the time we didn’t see each other, you’ve become so good at slandering other people. I have nothing to say to you, so let go of me. There is nothing between us. I don’t owe you any explanation.”

You and I are mere strangers to each other.

As Ophelia coldly spoke out, Ian smiled in vain.

“No, Ophelia. I told you already. You will choose me.”

Ian’s moonlight-like eyes glinted coldly.

“Do you think that an imprisoned bastard like him can be your refuge? Or a siren that has a hobby of blowing up human heads?”

Ian’s words stabbed at Ophelia sharply.

“The only thing you’re talented in is using other people. You have nothing else you can do. If you don’t join hands with me, tell me, what the hell can you do? Just come to me, then. Whether it’s the magic tower or a siren, am I not set apart from normal people as well?”

Ophelia, who he did not hear out even until the end, laughed frostily.

“You don’t seem to understand, but even when we were married, there was that much distance.”

No matter where she went, to her, a faraway place was just that—a faraway place. Was there a reason why she should be faced with these words from him, that she supposedly had just changed directions from Ronen to the magic tower?

Even so, Ian still sharply retorted.

“Right, it’s exactly that. A refuge. You don’t know any other way of living except for running away.”

Ian loved Ophelia, but it was in the same way that he knew how to hurt her, how to shake her up.

Ophelia wished she could deny Ian’s accusations, however all of what he said stabbed Ophelia exactly at the most painful spots.

Especially when he said she couldn’t do anything else, that she was just trying to run away all the time.

‘If I deny it here, I’ll keep getting caught up with him endlessly.’

And it didn’t look like Ian was going to change his mind on what he thought about Ophelia. The love and hatred he felt for her was just as strong as his obsession over her.

So, quarreling with him here was just a waste of time.

Eventually, Ophelia stopped trying to move away from him and instead asked.

“Ian, you keep saying that I’m trying to run away. Why do you think I chose you as my refuge before?”

When asked about the basis of his thoughts, Ian looked as though his weak point had laid bare.

This question made him recall a memory, which in turn made him feel bitter.

He stared at Ophelia wordlessly for a moment, then he soon spoke as though he was about to cry.

“…Because I heard.”

“You heard what?”

“Before our wedding, I heard you talking to a man who was trying to stop our marriage. That you’re going to regret marrying me. Even after hearing that… You were strikingly calm.”

Ophelia finally realized what Ian was talking about. Because there was only one person who told her that she’d regret marrying Ian.

‘Alei.’

With a bizarrely firm conviction, Alei had opposed Ophelia’s marriage. It was the same during that day.

—Ophelia, it’s as I thought, I don’t think it’s him. You, too…

—Alei, do you also think that I don’t love him?

—I’m… I’m trying to say that it might be better to rethink this marriage again. If you get married like this, you’ll certainly regret it.

—But in our marriage, my love is not important. Because Ian loves me.

Ophelia looked back on that particular conversation she had with Alei and realized why Ian seemed to be so hurt by this memory.

If it was heard like that, then she really would have been misunderstood out of context. Ophelia glanced up at Ian with a confused expression.

“Ian. That day, I heard you were walking together alone with someone else who looks like me.”

Ian and a beautiful woman with red hair had been seen heading back home.

“The person who I was talking to told me to go and rip your hair out right away. When I didn’t respond that way, he said it seems like I don’t love you.”

Ophelia could still distinctly remember the slanderous words she heard that day. Because it was Hydar Ladeen who told her about it first.

—I pity the Grand Duke for having to live with an unfeeling and insensible person such as Your Highness. The woman I saw earlier was smiling so brightly, so I wondered, maybe His Grace had already moved on? But even if you hear this directly, it’s not like Your Highness would feel anything.

It’s not that she felt nothing. It’s just that she trusted Ian so strongly enough that she wasn’t affected even after hearing such a story.

“I heard something like that and trusted that it would not put a wedge between us. Because you loved me. And because I trusted your love.”

Ophelia knew herself well enough to be sure that her love would not waver.

So, whatever it was that’s said to her, she was fine. Because she knew better than anyone else that Ian loved her.

Even if other people could not see her love for him, even if she didn’t know how to love herself.

Because Ian loved her. This alone—this trust she had—made her smile. It made her look forward to a future filled with happiness.

And yet, she realized later that it was all but an illusion…

“Ian, the reason we broke apart from each other wasn’t because we didn’t have enough love between us. It’s because you lacked trust.”

You never trusted me. You never gave me any respect after you lost faith in me.

“So even if you tell me to come back to you, I don’t know if there’s any use in doing so.”

The reason she chose Alei over Ian was simple. It was because Alei trusts her.

When Alei came to Ronen, there was no one in the castle who looked at Ophelia kindly. Regardless of whether it was Alei who gave Ariel her legs, not once did he disrespect Ophelia.

Could Ian even see what a huge difference there was between them?

Even if he didn’t trust her, someone else trusted her. That was enough to keep her from crumbling away.

“And I believe you’re misunderstanding one other thing. Do you really think that I could stand here if I had no abilities of my own?”

When he mentioned that a siren could blow up a person’s head.

Setting expectations and actually achieving them in reality—that was Ophelia’s ability.

“Ian. You truly don’t know anything about me.”

“……!”

Ian’s face became a distorted mess as he tried to speak out in protest.

However, at that moment, Ophelia pulled out her arm from his loosened grasp.

Fwick—

Ophelia took off the cloak she had been wearing over her shoulders and flung it in a wide circle, drawing a curve in the air.

The hem of it grazed past the green flame next to them, just as she had thrown it straight towards Ian.

“Argh!”

The flame didn’t hit Ian directly, but Ian yelled out and took a step back when the heat brought by the cloak brushed over his face.

Holding his face, Ian shouted.

“Ophelia!”

“I regret that it’s come to this.”

Crack, crackle. Feathers broke in Ophelia’s hands, and soon, shadows appeared behind her.

They were the sirens she had given her orders to just now.

“You called again, Ophelia!”

“Yes. The plan has changed.”

But this time, it wouldn’t be so difficult to do.