Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 105

There was a knock at the door, and the sound interrupted the saintess’s thoughts. Clementia spoke.

“Come in.”

“Damn it. What is going on? These pests just won’t leave me alone.”

“You really shouldn’t speak like that, Your Highness.”

“Yeah, fine… Wait, what’s that?”

“What do you mean?”

Clementia raised an eyebrow as she adjusted the blanket covering Calliope, who was still lying in bed. She had brought the unconscious girl straight to her room from the balcony and had been taking care of her ever since.

The Crown Prince, Ansgar, had gone looking for her but was caught by the nobles. He had barely escaped and returned. Wolfgang appeared to be standing guard outside and had not come in.

“I found her collapsed in the hallway.”

“Is that so? You could’ve just left her there.”

“How could I leave someone like that in the middle of winter?”

Ansgar shrugged.

“Then you should have handed her over to a servant.”

Clementia shook her head.

“Something felt off.”

“Like what?”

She hesitated for a moment, then replied.

“I’ll explain later.”

Ansgar narrowed his eyes.

“You know, you’ve been keeping a lot of secrets lately. Are you aware of that?”

Clementia gave a tired smile.

“I’m sorry. But I really have told you everything I can.”

“Alright. But if I find out you’re hiding something else, I won’t be so calm about it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. And just so you know, a couple of kisses won’t be enough to fix it.”

“I don’t recall ever kissing you.”

Ansgar cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, how long are you planning to keep her here?”

“For now, until she wakes up. She doesn’t seem like an ordinary noblewoman. I think it’s best to protect her.”

Calliope lay still. Her face looked peaceful in sleep, but tear stains were clearly visible. Clementia gently pressed her handkerchief to them, wiping them away.

Who are you… and how do you know about the Demon King?

The saintess waited quietly for her to wake up.

She was dreaming.

Just like before, she knew she was in a dream. Because there in front of her stood Isaac—the man who had once left her.

It was the night before he departed to fight the Demon King. Wearing a cloak, she had gone to Count Esteban’s estate. For a woman to secretly visit a man at night was disgraceful, but she had no reason left to care about such things.

Because he, who had once clearly loved her, had turned away and chosen the saintess instead.

Calliope refused to believe it. Even if it were true, it didn’t matter. She knew what they had shared was real.

That night was pitch black. There was no moon, and she could barely see his face. The two of them stood in a hallway beside the Count’s Garden. She faced him, but he had his back turned to her.

Eventually, she spoke to the man who refused to look at her.

“Did you ever love me?”

She couldn’t see his expression. Their engagement might have been arranged for political reasons, but she had always believed his feelings were genuine. Now, she no longer knew what was in his heart.

He said nothing for a long time. In the complete darkness, he didn’t move. He just stood there, showing her only his back. Finally, he spoke.

“I…”

Calliope had truly loved him. And from just that one word, she could feel his heavy resolve. She didn’t know what he was going to say, but a terrible feeling washed over her. For a moment, she forgot it was a dream and shouted without thinking.

“Don’t say it!”

Whether he was going to tell her he never loved her, or that he no longer did, she didn’t want to hear it. She had asked him the question, but now she couldn’t bear to know the answer. Hearing it would destroy her.

Her voice trembled. Her pale hand, gripping her cloak, was shaking.

“Tell me after you come back. Please answer me then.”

She had decided to wait for him. Even if he was going to a place where he might never return, she would wait. She truly believed he would survive and come back to her.

One year, ten years, a hundred, even a thousand—if she lived, she would wait. She was willing to cling to him, to throw away her pride, to forget everything. Because to her, he was everything.

But what she heard in return was a cold rejection.

“Don’t wait for me.”

Her breath caught in her throat. His breathing was gone too. Her eyes opened wide, and warm tears, so different from the cold night air, streamed down her cheeks.

She stumbled forward. Her knees buckled. She forced herself to stay standing. Her body hunched, and tears dropped onto the floor as shadows deepened over her face.

“…I love you.”

She confessed, as if the words were being dragged out of her. Even if he left her, she could never love anyone else. That was something she just didn’t know how to do. But even after such a desperate confession, he said nothing. His footsteps echoed dully as he walked away.

Calliope came to her senses at the sound. She staggered toward him.

I have to see his face.

The last glimpse she never had. Once she woke up, she would never see it again. She wanted to see him so badly. She missed him more than she could bear. Tears blurred her vision. She took one step, then another, then broke into a run. She reached out her hand.

“Isaac…”

The moment her hand touched his shoulder—

She gasped awake.

She blinked up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

So, she hadn’t seen it. His face.

She wiped the wetness from her eyes. It seemed she had cried in her sleep. After drying her tears, she looked around slowly—then froze.

“You’re finally awake. Are you alright?”

“…Ah.”

Saintess Clementia was standing beside her.

Calliope quickly recalled the moments right before she fainted. Thankfully, her memory was clear. She thought back to the words she had said and groaned internally.

What was I thinking?

She truly hadn’t been herself. If she had been in her right mind, she never would have said such things in front of the saintess. She had tried to hide Isaac from her, only to mention him herself. Her head throbbed, and she pressed her palm to her forehead.

“So, you’re awake.”

She turned toward the voice and instinctively furrowed her brow. The man entering the room was Ansgar Babilium, Crown Prince of the Babilium Empire.

Two of her greatest disasters were now standing in the same room. No—three, most likely. The same faces that had smiled brightly as if Isaac meant nothing to them now overlapped with the ones in front of her.

“We’re not dangerous. You collapsed in the hallway, and we brought you here to protect you.”

“I see. Thank you for that.”

Calliope rose from the bed. Though she wobbled slightly, she could walk fine. Despite having helped her, the Crown Prince seemed displeased by her cold attitude and frowned as well.

“Stay here. Your guardian should be arriving soon.”

“My guardian?”

“I sent a knight to find someone who might recognize you. He should be on his way now with that person.”

Calliope’s eyes widened.

“No…”

At this party, the only person who could possibly be called her guardian was Isaac. She had worked so hard to keep him away from the saintess, and now he was coming. Everything she had done would be for nothing. She quickly grabbed the cloak hanging on the chair and put on her shoes.

“Thank you again for your kindness. I’ll make sure to repay you someday. If I go out now, I can meet him myself. Please don’t worry about it anymore.”

Just then, Clementia, who had been quietly sitting, stood and spoke kindly.

“But you just fainted. Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little longer?”

“No, really. I’m fine.”

“She says she’s fine. Just let her go.”

Now clearly irritated, the Crown Prince frowned deeper. Calliope, still slightly unsteady, made her way to the door. But as she reached for the handle, it began to turn from the outside.

Click.

Without thinking, she locked it.

A cold sweat broke out on her skin. Clementia and Ansgar looked at her with puzzled expressions.

“On second thought… I don’t think I want to go.”

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

“Saintess, I’ve returned with her guardian.”

“Please come in.”

“Wait!”

As Clementia moved to open the door, Calliope rushed over and blocked it with both arms spread wide. Everyone inside and outside the room stopped, confused.

“I had a fight with my fiancé, and I fainted. I don’t want to see him right now. Please tell him to leave.”

Calliope shouted. It was true she had been shaken by his rejection, but that didn’t mean she could give up and let Isaac be revealed like this. She had to protect him. She had to find a way to get her Isaac back. And, to be honest, part of her really didn’t want to see his face right now.

Outside the door, muffled voices exchanged brief words. Then Wolfgang’s voice came through the door.

“He said he’ll ride back on horseback. You should take the carriage.”

It was Isaac’s kindness.

Calliope felt a rush of tears again. She slowly closed her eyes, then unlocked the door.

“…Isaac?”

The door creaked open.

And there he was. Isaac stood there, looking at her with calm, quiet eyes.

She froze in place.

And so did the woman beside her, Clementia.

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