Dimas slowly guided me inside, every touch so careful, as though I were something fragile that could shatter at any moment. When my body finally sank against the living room sofa, the exhaustion I had been holding back suddenly washed over me, leaving me barely able to lift my head.
I knew he didn't want to leave. His eyes were filled with worry, as though he had only just realized how fragile a side of me I had kept tightly hidden all this time.
"Thank you for bringing me home," I said softly, doing everything I could to steady my voice and make it sound calmer. "You can go home now, Dimas. I'm... I'm fine now."
He shook his head. "I don't feel right leaving you like this. Please let me stay with you for a little while."
His sincerity touched me, but I couldn't let him stay. The longer he remained here, the greater the risk that he would see the secret side of me. And I didn't want him caught up in whatever danger might be following me.
"No," I said again, more firmly this time, though my breathing was still ragged. "You need to go back to school. You just started working there. Don't let this cause any problems. I need to rest... alone."
Before he could reply, Bu Sumi hurried over. The face of the woman who had cared for me for years immediately filled with concern when she saw my condition.
"Ma'am! What happened? Why are you so pale?"
"This is Bu Sumi," I said to Dimas with the last of my strength. "She'll take care of me. I'm not alone."
Bu Sumi turned to Dimas with a respectful smile. "Thank you very much for your help, sir. Please don't worry. I'll take good care of Ma'am. I'll prepare some warm tea and medicine right away."
Seeing that Bu Sumi would stay with me, the doubt in Dimas's eyes slowly faded. But he didn't leave right away. He placed a small piece of paper on the table, his attentive gaze making my chest feel warm and tight at the same time.
"All right. I'll be going," he said softly.
"But call me anytime you need anything. I'll come as quickly as I can."
I looked at the paper, then at him. A strange feeling slipped into my heart—a sense of safety I had never felt before.
"Thank you, Dimas," I whispered.
He nodded slowly, then walked out. When the door closed behind him, I finally let the tears I had been holding back fall, along with the pain that came surging back.
After Dimas left, Bu Sumi helped me upstairs to my room and laid me down on the soft mattress.
Before I could close my eyes, Bu Sumi's gentle voice came from the doorway. She was carrying a tray with warm tea and an extra blanket.
"Ma'am, aren't you asleep yet?" she asked softly as she approached.
I lifted my face and looked at her through my still-blurry vision. "Bu Sumi... how is Maya?"
Bu Sumi set the tray on the bedside table, then slowly sat down on the edge of the bed. Her face filled with pity as she looked at me.
"Don't worry yet, Ma'am. Miss Maya is fine," she said gently, though there was a heaviness in her voice. "It's just that lately, she's been locking herself in her room more and more. She hardly talks, and she barely eats unless someone feeds her."
My chest tightened again—not from the sharp pain this time, but from the worry I had only just realized was truly there. All this time, I had been so busy trying to become an unbreakable shield for her that I hadn't realized my daughter was suffering in silence too.
"I failed to be a good mother to her..." I whispered, tears slipping down my cheeks again.
Bu Sumi immediately clasped my hand tightly, trying to comfort me. "Don't say that, Ma'am. You've done everything for Miss Maya."
"Thank you, Bu Sumi," I said weakly, though my voice was calmer now. "Tomorrow, I'll see Maya."
Bu Sumi smiled warmly and adjusted my blanket. "Get some rest, Ma'am. I'll keep watch outside the door."
An immeasurable exhaustion suddenly overtook me, and my eyes slowly closed, carrying me into a familiar darkness that felt different this time.
I dreamed.
Not of the dark past or any other frightening shadow. Instead, I dreamed of the figure who always appeared in my visions—a man with sharp yet mysterious eyes whom I had once glimpsed among the shadows of time. The Demon Prince.
He stood before me, not frightening as people imagined him, but radiating unrivaled power.
"Do you wonder why your body aches every time you meet that girl?" His voice echoed, cold but not hurtful. "It's because the pact you made hundreds of years ago is slowly coming undone. The wall holding back your heart is beginning to crack."
I was stunned. "What do you mean?"
"You're no longer merely a numb immortal, Alena," he continued calmly. "You're beginning to feel the tightness in your chest when worry grips you, the tears that fall from sadness, and the pain that pierces your soul, not just your body. You have human emotions again."
Everything suddenly fell into place. All this time, I had been consumed with Maya's safety, piling worry upon worry for my daughter's sake, until I failed to notice the great change taking place within me. The pain wasn't merely an old curse—it was through that pain that I was learning to feel again. I could worry, I could be afraid, and I could cry.
But doubt soon surrounded me.
"Then why are you telling me this?" I asked, my voice trembling as I stared intently at him. "You were the one who bound that pact. You should be happy if I stayed cold and empty forever. Why are you helping me instead?"
The Demon Prince remained silent for a moment, a faint smile curving his lips, a smile I couldn't interpret.
"You'll find out when the time comes," he said vaguely as his shadow slowly began to fade. "Remember... the feelings that return are not a weakness. They are the answer."
The bedroom light gradually came into focus as I slowly awoke. My eyes were wet, and my chest throbbed—not merely from physical pain anymore, but from the confusion that had grown deeper still.