The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 176

Eliza is crying.

She sits down on the floor.

She covers her face.

Her shoulders are shaking.

Even though she’s sobbing, the faint sound of her trying to suppress her tears seems like she’s trying hard not to cry.

He decided to run away.

He has to run away.

Because she’s going to kill me.

She must have come to kill me.

It must be like that, but it’s strange.

It’s not just her reaction that’s strange.

I’m strange too.

My feet won’t move.

I can’t leave.

No, I don’t want to leave.

‘You crying…’

I don’t want to see it.

It makes my insides feel tight and like they’re about to burst.

‘You’re much prettier when you’re smiling…’

It doesn’t make sense.

Saying that she’s prettier when she’s smiling than crying means I’ve seen all of Eliza’s crying and laughing moments.

Eliza.

That wicked woman, Eliza, would never show me such a side of herself.

‘So why…’

Ever since I fled from Eliza, I’ve been experiencing strange situations.

It’s as if the people around me are acting like I’ve lost my memory.

My own reactions are the same.

It feels as if my chest is empty, hollow.

I keep having dreams of Eliza.

Every morning, I find myself looking for a necklace or checking the flowerpot by the window.

I’ve never had a necklace or a flowerpot by the window.

‘If I’ve lost my memory…’

And if this is why you’re acting like this…

What kind of relationship did we have?

Eliza slowly lowered her hand.

Only her big eyes, red at the edges, are visible.

She lifts her head slightly and looks up at me.

Her pupils tremble.

Her large, clear eyes are crying.

That sight, I hated it.

A few times, I think you’ve cried.

What stands out most is when you were little.

Sardis.

Who was that again?

And the assassin.

Someone tried to kill you, and I ended up taking the knife instead…

“…”

When I came to, I found myself suddenly in front of Eliza.

Her eyes blinked.

“…Judas?”

Her voice calling me trembled fiercely.

It was full of a choked sound.

I kneeled in front of her.

I matched her gaze.

“Lady.”

I cautiously reached out my hand.

I touched Eliza’s face.

I don’t know why I’m doing this.

I just wanted to wipe her tears.

Like I used to.

Eliza’s lips trembled.

Her chin slightly vibrated.

Her pupils grew bigger, and she grabbed my wrist.

Her soft, white hand gripped it tightly.

It felt like a determined strength, as if she wouldn’t let go.

She pressed her face against my hand and rubbed it.

Like a cat showing affection.

This can’t be.

The you I know…

Is this really the Eliza I remember?

“Judas…”

“…Yes, Lady.”

Eliza, with her cheek resting on my hand, asked.

Tears still flowed endlessly.

The moist eyes seemed to carry both fear and expectation.

“Do you remember me?”

The Eliza I remember is a villain.

Someone who doesn’t understand emotions and treats human lives as if they’re nothing.

But this doesn’t seem like the Eliza I knew.

“I…”

A feeling of uncertainty and longing.

Without realizing it, I frowned.

Eliza’s hand moved gently toward me.

For some reason, I didn’t want to avoid that hand.

Her soft hand gently stroked my brow.

It smoothed out the furrow between my brows and caressed my face.

It was as if she was treating something precious with great care.

That touch.

Her face, smiling while shedding tears as if she were happy.

The way her eyes looked at me lovingly.

It should have felt strange.

It should have been awkward.

But it felt welcoming, and I was glad.

“I don’t think I remember… But…”

I struggled to form each word.

“I don’t think the version of you I remember right now is really the true you. Neither is mine… So, I mean, I used to… no, we used to…”

The words couldn’t continue.

“Ugh!”

His mouth was sealed.

By Eliza’s lips.

Eliza, who had been listening to me, suddenly leapt into my arms.

With her hand that had been touching my face, she grabbed my neck, held me still, and pressed her lips to mine.

In that instant, time seemed to slow down.

Her hair flying as she leapt towards me.

Her face coming closer, eyes tightly shut, as she cried.

The warmth, softness, and tenderness of her lips touching mine.

At that moment, I remembered.

The first time I kissed her at Bevel’s family home.

And from that time on, I secretly longed for even deeper contact than that.

As she rushed towards me, I knelt down on one knee and fell backward.

Naturally, she ended up on top of me.

It felt as though Eliza had fallen into me.

‘The Black Sun…’

I pulled Eliza, who had trapped herself in it, out.

In a land where anemones bloomed, I caught her as she fell like a petal from a flower.

Memories return one by one.

Like a video played in reverse.

Black Sun. Barak. The afterlife. Gods.

Eliza, who perished along with the evil gods.

Meeting, parting.

Building misunderstandings, resolving them.

The repeating cycle between Eliza and me.

The memories that rushed in made me realize why I had felt so out of place.

Why it had always felt cold, like a corner of my heart was empty.

Why I couldn’t leave, even when I saw Eliza crying.

‘Ah.’

It made me realize everything.

‘I… I…’

The confession that I liked her.

The promise I made in the afterlife that I would never forget.

In that moment, it felt like all of that was meaningless, as I had forgotten.

Eliza pressed her lips harshly against mine, as though trying to devour my mouth.

Her arms around my neck tightened.

She seemed determined not to let go of the distance we had just narrowed.

The way you cling so stubbornly, the way you leap into me at any moment… it doesn’t feel strange anymore. Not now.

I slowly closed my eyes.

I decided to willingly meet her feelings and expectations.

I wanted to.

It might be a bit clumsy since it’s the first time.

With cautious hands, I wrapped them around her waist.

And I moved my lips.

I didn’t know exactly what to do, but I copied what she had done.

In that moment, Eliza’s body jerked.

It seemed she was surprised that I suddenly responded.

The action of seeking my lips stopped for a moment.

But I didn’t stop.

I tilted my head and pulled her lips toward mine as if to suck them in.

Then she also responded, hungry for me.

She pressed closer, like a thirsty person dipping their head into a spring of water.

She must have been breathless because now and then, she pulled back to quickly inhale.

The moment was very brief.

Breathing in, breathing out, and immediately pressing against me again.

The sound was like someone swimming.

And so, she fell into me, and I soaked into Eliza.

Meanwhile, Eliza’s body continued to twitch.

She was crying.

Even now, tears are still falling onto my face.

“Ugh… h-huh…”

Even though her breath must have been labored from crying, she refused to let go.

Unable to hold back, she slowly pulled away from my lips.

Her red eyes were damp with tears.

Her lips, wet with saliva, glistened.

Eliza traced my lips once and spoke in a trembling voice.

“Judas… Do you… do you remember me?”

I carefully focused on her face.

The blur in my vision was probably because of the tears falling from Eliza’s eyes.

“Did I… did I remember?”

I sighed deeply and then pulled her into my arms.

Eliza quietly rested her face against my chest.

My voice came out hoarse and trembling.

“Yes. Miss.”

It was horrifying.

Now, I was afraid again.

I had forgotten this Eliza.

I almost lived on, forgetting her.

I remember what the gods said.

“You took the memories that I could no longer hold as I am.”

It could be part of them, or maybe all of them.

And in return, I lost only the memories I shared with Eliza.

The moments when we met, went through events, and gradually shared emotions—those moments disappeared.

And so, I truly became someone else.

I even started to believe that the world I had experienced was entirely fake.

Eliza is the central axis that forms who I am.

I almost forgot someone like her.

Though the possibility was slim, I almost left her behind.

I stroked Eliza’s hair.

It was soft.

I inhaled deeply.

Her rich scent filled my lungs.

I almost said I was sorry for not remembering.

I thought about her feelings toward me.

If Eliza had lost her memory, and I alone carried those feelings…

It would have been unbearably horrifying.

I had done that to her.

I know too.

At that time, there was no other choice.

It was the best option.

One of us had to do it, after all.

I made the decision and acted on it in place of her, who was unconscious.

I felt sorry, thinking that it might be my fault that she went through such pain.

I know it’s not entirely my fault.

I didn’t get to choose which memories to keep.

Still, I was sorry.

But, if I were Eliza now, I wouldn’t want to hear an apology.

It’s not just a feeling; it’s a certainty.

We can think that way, because we’re that kind of relationship.

So, I decided to say the words I wanted to hear.

I pulled her into a stronger embrace.

“I missed you.”

“…Huh!”

It wasn’t a lie.

Even during the time she had no memory, I constantly thought of her.

I dreamt about her often.

I now realize the reason.

I missed her.

I longed for her.

“I missed you so, so much.”

“Ugh-! Sniff…!”

Eliza, who had been moaning as if in pain, suddenly broke down.

“Uwaaaaah-!”

She cried like a child.

“I… I also…! Sniff, sniff-! I really, really missed you so much…!”

With her face buried in my chest, she continued to sob while speaking.

I gently patted her back, comforting her.

“For a whole week, I kept wanting to see you…! But there were so many things I needed to handle to make it easier for Judas to come…! So I was really tired…!”

“Yeah, I know.”

I’ve seen Eliza cry and grumble like this many times before.

But this was the first time I had seen her sobbing loudly, whining like a child.

It was probably the only moment in the world that only I could witness.

I still don’t know everything about Eliza.

I, too, must have aspects of myself that I don’t know yet.

So, from now on, I want to get to know her with a joyful heart and let her get to know me too.

In an alleyway in Jericho.

It’s a rather humble place to reunite with the empress who established the new order.

But the space itself doesn’t matter much.

As long as I’m with Eliza, I don’t care where it is.

She must feel the same way.

I’m sure of it.

We overcame our inherent nature to define our existence and defined ourselves through each other.

While talking through her tears, Eliza wrapped her arms around my neck and fidgeted.

She had been waiting for something, and then she put a necklace around my neck.

A golden necklace I had forgotten about.

“You can’t run away now, even if you want to.”

She looked up at me, sniffling, and smiled.

Her eyes and nose, red from crying, were quite adorable.

Not that I ever planned to run away…

“I modified this necklace so that only I can take it off. It’s made sturdy, so it can’t break or come off.”

“…”

“So no matter what happens, you won’t be able to take it off. I won’t let go of you now.”

Her persistent display of affection is simply cute and lovable. I guess I’ve gone as far as I can too.

“Oh dear. I was planning to escape, but I guess I’ll have to cancel that plan.”

At my joke, Eliza just gave a bashful smile.

We naturally kissed again.

But then…

-Rumble…

A thunderous sound came from Eliza’s stomach.

“…”

While our lips were still touching, Eliza blinked.

Her already red face became even redder.

“…Why? What is it?”

It was obvious.

She must have been starving without me around.

I gently stroked Eliza’s head, which she had hidden in my chest.

“How about we eat first?”

Eliza, still looking embarrassed, turned her gaze away and said quietly.

“Not that.”

“Sorry?”

“There’s something more important…”