Chapter 233: Dummy, Good Morning
Celia’s POV
Celia sat on the broken rooftop of a half-ruined high-rise.
She was perched on the thick railing at the edge, knees pulled tightly to her chest.
Her faint sobs slipped out despite her attempts to muffle them.
Her heart was heavy.
She felt as though a rope was tightening around her neck, suffocating her.
A part of her wished she had never asked for the truth.
She had wanted answers, but the answers had torn her apart.
Her brother, the one she had leaned on all her life, and the governor she had admired... both of them had been committing unspeakable crimes.
Celia didn’t know what to do.
She felt small again, like the helpless girl who had once tried to run from her home, from the people who killed her family.
Her breaths grew shallow.
The suffocating feeling spread through her body until it felt like her lungs might collapse.
Then, a calm voice broke through.
"Aren’t you cold?"
Her head jerked up.
Isaac landed lightly on the other side of the rooftop. His presence felt as steady as the ground she sat on. He walked toward her without hesitation.
"...I’m... not," she whispered.
"That’s surprising," he said, "I’m freezing out here."
He settled beside her, dangling his feet off the edge of the rooftop.
For a while, they just sat there.
Silence stretched, interrupted only by the wind and her quiet attempts to hide her sobs.
Isaac leaned back slightly.
His eyes lifted to look at the stars.
"I’m sorry for making you hear that. I could’ve tried to explain it in a better way. But instead, I forced Vale to tell you everything directly."
"You don’t need to be sorry." Celia’s arms tightened around herself. Her nails pressed into her skin. "It’s my brother and the governor’s fault."
Her voice shook.
"I-I’m sorry. They tried to kill you again and again, and still, I kept coming to you for help."
Isaac didn’t say anything.
Celia knew she had always ignored pieces of the truth about the governor.
She had told herself he was pragmatic, that his methods were harsh because he was working for the greater good.
She had clung to that image.
But the truth had torn that illusion apart.
He was just a greedy politician, who knew how to keep his public image clean.
And Vale... her brother had been the one binding the Nagas with a curse.
The suffocation worsened.
Celia’s vision swam, almost like she was on the verge of passing out.
Isaac noticed the way she struggled to breathe, but instead of panicking, he turned his gaze back to the night sky.
"Celia."
The night was a terrifying thing for many.
In the darkness, monsters thrived.
Awakeners died in ambushes when they lost sight of their surroundings.
But the night wasn’t only made of terror.
It helped the stars in the sky shine brightly too.
"Please, don’t hate Vale."
Celia froze.
She forgot to breathe for a moment.
"...What are you saying?"
"Vale’s choices were cowardly. They were wrong. But..."
Isaac lowered his eyes from the sky to look at her—at the untainted star Vale sacrificed his everything for.
"He did the best he could with the choices he had."
Her lips trembled. "H-he tried to kill you."
"I know," Isaac said plainly.
He exhaled.
Deep down, he already planned to make Vale repay every debt, and betrayal.
Vale would carry the weight of his crimes.
But...
"If I had to choose between saving a stranger and saving someone I loved, I’d choose the one I loved. Every time," Isaac said. "Vale did the same."
Her mind flickered back.
She remembered arriving in the surface world with Vale when she was a child.
She had been weak, frightened, and lost.
She had depended on her brother for everything back then.
But Vale had been a child too.
He must have been just as terrified when they were thrown into the human world.
He hadn’t known the customs. He hadn’t known whether their identity as devils would get them executed. He hadn’t known how to survive in the wilderness.
He had only been a pampered prince hours before, and suddenly he was forced to bear the weight of survival.
Still, he had put his foot down.
He had taken the role of her shield.
He had stood between her and the dirt of the world, keeping her untainted.
When they entered the human city, Vale had accepted the governor’s help because, at the time, it looked like the only path.
Before he knew it, he was trapped in the governor’s schemes, becoming a puppet.
Even then, he resisted.
He had fought quietly, making sure his star could shine brightly.
"Vale has done a lot of wrong. But I hope you can forgive him," Isaac said.
Celia’s tears finally spilled over.
They flowed faster than she could stop them.
Her chest heaved as sobs broke loose.
"I know. I know everything he did was for me."
Her voice cracked.
"...I’ve just been a burden to him."
Isaac stayed silent.
"He must’ve thought it would’ve been better if I had died. He must’ve hated me. He had to do things he didn’t want to do, all because of me."
"Celia..."
"It would’ve been better if I died in hell!" she cried. Her body trembled like a leaf in a storm. She buried her head in her knees, shaking uncontrollably as sobs tore out of her.
Isaac stretched his hand and gently patted her back.
"Do you really think that? Do you really think Vale would hate you?"
"Yes—"
"You know that’s a lie. Vale could never hate you."
The words cut through her, slicing the invisible rope that had been suffocating her.
"He loves you. That’s why he did all of this. That’s why he protected you."
Celia clenched her fists.
Her nails dug into her palms.
"If you want to help him, if you want to change, then grow, Celia. Spread your wings and fly. Show him that you can be someone he can depend on, not just someone he needs to protect."
Isaac thought back to the nature of Talents.
He believed they reflected a person’s inner wishes.
Emily hated being alone. Her Talent let her summon spirits, and surround herself with them.
Alice cared deeply for people, even when she looked cold, which was why her Talent let her heal others.
And Celia... her Talent was teleportation. What did that say about her?
Maybe it was a reflection of her trauma. The desire to escape, to run away from people who hunted her.
Maybe Vale believed the same about her Talent, and that was why he worked so hard to shield her.
He wanted to give her a sense of assurance.
’But maybe that’s not what her Talent represents,’ Isaac thought.
Perhaps her Talent represented the wish to reach the people she cared about instantly. She didn’t just want to escape.
She wanted to be there for others as soon as possible. To save them, not only herself.
He rose to his feet, his eyes softening as he looked down at her.
"Think about what I said."
He turned, walking toward the edge of the rooftop. His
voice carried back, steady and certain.
"Celia, I promise I won’t let Vale walk the wrong path ever again."
At the very end, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
"So please... go and tell him you don’t hate him."
Because it would be too cruel if the person he sacrificed everything for ended up hating him.
Isaac turned back, intending to leave.
He had taken only a few steps when suddenly Celia’s voice broke the silence.
"Isaac!"
He turned and looked back.
She wasn’t looking at him. She stayed there with her back turned, her eyes on the night sky.
"Thank you."
Isaac smiled faintly.
He didn’t give a response.
Instead, he turned and walked away, as if saying he hadn’t done anything to be thanked for.
Celia stayed there for a while, staring upward.
Her heart was trying to make sense of the rush of emotions pressing on her.
After a long silence, she let out a breath and teleported back inside the house.
The meeting seemed to have ended. Only Vale was still there.
She immediately realized Isaac must have told him to stay behind because she would be coming back.
The thought lingered for only a moment before it was drowned out by the voice she had been waiting for.
"Celia."
"...."
"I’m sorry for disappointing you."
It was as if something broke inside her.
She couldn’t stop herself.
She sprinted across the room and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"What are you even talking about? You never disappointed me."
She cried her heart out.
"You’ve always been doing your best for me. I love you."
Her fists hit his chest. They were weak and unsteady with no strength behind them.
"You dummy! If the governor was forcing you, we could’ve just left for another city! Why didn’t you say anything?"
"...The governor has influence in all human cities. And your career as an idol... it would have ended if we left."
Celia shook her head against his chest, her tears soaking his shirt.
"I don’t care about that! I don’t need my idol career. I only need you. I only need my family."
Slowly her fists stopped moving.
She clung to him instead, crying openly.
Vale hugged her back finally.
"I’m sorry."
"I should be the one saying that. You have nothing to apologize for"
"I failed you. I did things I shouldn’t have—"
"Don’t talk about those things," she cut him off, hugging him tighter. "I love you. That’s all that matters."
Hearing her say that, Vale felt something ease in his chest.
Relief poured into him like a wave.
His sister didn’t hate him.
That knowledge alone steadied him more than anything else could have.
He felt tears pressing at the edge of his eyes, but he held them back. He refused to cry in front of her.
"I love you too," he said softly.
As if those words were the last thread holding her together, Celia gave him one final squeeze, and then her body suddenly went limp in his arms.
"Celia!" Vale panicked, shaking her lightly.
But when he checked, he realized she had simply fallen asleep.
Her breathing was calm. Her face was relaxed.
All her exhaustion had finally caught up with her.
Relieved, he picked her up carefully. On the way down the hall, Catherine appeared.
"Follow me," she instructed.
Vale nodded and carried Celia after her. Catherine led him to a room on the first floor. It was "Celia’s".
"Place her here," Catherine said.
Vale gently laid his sister down on the bed. He stood there for a moment, looking at her sleeping face, before finally stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.
"You should go and take care of your guild," Catherine said simply.
Just as suddenly as she had appeared, she vanished again.
Vale stayed by the door for a moment longer.
Then, he turned and left the house.
...
That night, Celia had a happy dream.
She had joined a guild.
She still continued her idol career, standing on stages, singing to the cheering crowd.
And through it all, she was living happily with her brother.
Her dream family was whole.
Every day was enjoyable.
Having her family with her made her heart dance in joy.
But this time, it wasn’t just her and Vale.
There were three people in her family.
She couldn’t see the third person’s face.
All she knew was that he was her manager—the one who handled her idol career, the one who guided her through the hectic schedule and kept her safe.
His presence was firm, grounding, and assuring.
Beside him, Celia felt safe, and happy.
She liked watching him when he explained the details of her next performance.
Her heart bubbled when she talked to him about her songs.
His presence was comforting in a way she couldn’t explain.
Even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he was always there, and she liked being next to him.
And then, in the dream, she suddenly jumped into his arms and kissed him—
"Huh?"
Celia’s eyes flew open, and she jolted upright in bed.
Her heart pounded in her chest, so loud she could hear it in her ears.
Her face burned red.
"What kind of dream was that?" she muttered to herself, clutching her blanket.
She shook her head quickly, trying to clear the lingering warmth in her chest.
Looking around, she realized she was in a room, tucked safely into her bed.
"Brother must have put me here."
She stretched her arms above her head and pushed herself up, walking to the window.
She opened it and let the morning air flow in.
The warm dawn sunlight spilled over her soft and supple skin.
She took in a deep breath, letting the cool freshness calm her racing heart.
Her gaze drifted outside.
Someone was working on the farm.
He had his back to her, bent slightly as he worked with a hoe.
Something about that figure made her pause.
’Wait... that back...’
Her heart skipped.
She was reminded instantly of the "manager" in her dream.
The happiness his firm, and comforting presence brought washed over her.
She raised her hand to touch her lips unconsciously.
’He looks just like him.’
Feelings she had never known began to stir in her heart.
They rose quickly, surprising her with their strength.
Her heart started pounding so loudly she thought it would deafen her.
The man turned around.
He noticed her standing there at the window, staring at him.
He straightened, storing the hoe back into his spatial ring.
"Good morning," he said with a faint smile.
"Good morning." Celia’s lips curved into a smile almost on their own, washing away the weight of the last night’s sadness.
She stared at him. At the ’manager’, and....
The feelings she had seen in the dream but wasn’t aware of.
The feelings that she felt after seeing him again.
"Good morning, Isaac!"
She was aware of them now.