I Wish You Well In Your Next Love, My Love - Chapter 4

I wonder how much time had passed. After washing me and tidying the bedding, he was already dressed.

The uniform with gold epaulettes made his handsome face stand out even more. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who had been flushed with excitement and driving me relentlessly just moments ago. Now he looked restrained and intelligent.

“Are you being deployed for reinforcements again?”

If one were to name the Awakened who had participated in the most battles, it would naturally be Gerard Castion. Thanks to Gerard, who was active without regard for borders, the prestige of the Castion Grand Duchy rose without limit.

From the year his ability manifested until now, Gerard had been driven to the battlefield without a single moment of rest.

The fact that the only Awakened born to House Castion was also a first-rank Awakened immediately became a tool to elevate the family’s authority, and Lady Marcella, his mother and a former concubine, cleverly used that value better than anyone to establish herself at the center of the family’s power.

However, the heir of the family was, in the end, the eldest son, Pallas Castion. His brother, of pure noble blood.

The blood Gerard shed and the achievements he earned were used only like decorations to adorn the family’s crest, and nothing returned to him. It was a life of endless consumption, and one that would ultimately be thoroughly exploited.

Even knowing this better than anyone, the reason he couldn’t cut himself free was the last bit of sympathy he still held for his pitiful mother, who was enduring under the harsh shadow of power.

“We’re set to leave soon.”

Which meant his departure time had already passed by quite a while. Everyone must be anxious and desperately waiting for the Gerard who hadn’t shown up.

“How long will you be gone this time?”

“What, you can’t stand being apart even for a little while?”

Gerard asked with a sly smile as he sat on the edge of the bed. I pushed myself up and leaned back against the headboard.

His condition hadn’t improved at all. Even though I had performed deep contact purification, the amount he consumed was greater than what I could replenish.

Around the time wars between kingdoms broke out, a common enemy appeared. Monsters that tore open space descended, and humans were slaughtered helplessly.

When humanity stood on the brink of extinction, people called ‘Awakened’ appeared.

With the power manifested in each individual, they tore through the thick hides that guns and blades couldn’t pierce and crushed their hearts.

However, if they overused their power or their minds became unstable, Awakened would fall into a rampage state. An uncontrolled Awakened brought disaster greater than any monster.

Those who could stabilize such Awakened were called ‘Purifiers’.

From the lightest touch of fingertips to deep contact purification, Purifiers could suppress the rampage of Awakened through physical contact.

And I was a fourth-rank Purifier. My power was so weak that I couldn’t even be formally employed by the temple or anywhere else.

So for someone like me to replenish the energy of a first-rank Awakened like him, even rolling around in bed day and night for a week wouldn’t be enough.

“You… don’t have to do more?”

When I asked carefully, Gerard’s eyes widened slightly. His brows lifted as if surprised, then he gently held the back of my head.

As his face drew close, I closed my eyes naturally, as if conditioned. Our soft lips met, and Gerard lightly sucked on my lower lip.

“This is enough.”

“……”

I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t enough. He should have met a Purifier of a higher rank than me, but I couldn’t break Gerard’s stubbornness.

I quietly clenched my fist. The sense of guilt that came from my lack of ability pressed heavily on my chest.

Gerard brushed my disheveled hair behind my ear.

“Don’t get distracted, just wait for me. Exercise, and don’t skip meals.”

“I’ll take care of myself.”

Gerard bit my earlobe hard. The sharp sting spread through me, but I was used to it. Because he slowly licked along my ear, sounds seemed muffled.

“Louize.”

“Yeah.”

“If we break up, we die. You and me. So don’t abandon me. Remember that.”

“…I know.”

Gerard brushed a thumb once over my swollen eyelids, then stood up. As he moved, the old bed creaked as if it might collapse.

“When I get back, let’s replace the bed. Don’t refuse like before.”

With that as his last words, Gerard went outside. Normally, he would mutter a few more things that sounded like threats or pleas, then hug me tightly until I could barely breathe before leaving. But this time, maybe he really was late, because his farewell was brief.

“When will he come back this time…”

The shabby, narrow house felt empty. Before the loneliness in my chest could deepen, I quickly lay back down.

Gerard returned exactly one month and four days later.

At the sound of the door opening, I ran out barefoot, stopping halfway through changing my clothes.

But when I saw him standing there with his arms open, I froze, unable to run into his embrace.

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