She couldn't take it anymore.
She turned around, clenched her teeth, and strode towards the two.
Her eyes were fiercely blue, emitting an intense glare.
Mana burst out along with a dense murderous intent, as if she would use magic at any moment.
"You two are really shameless."
Dolores looked at each of them.
Igtus.
"You called me a tough one."
Erel.
"You call me a spiteful girl."
Erel.
"You tell me to come back."
The anger in her voice grew stronger.
"But the first thing you should have done when you saw me wasn't that."
"What should we have done then?"
At Igtus's question, Dolores clenched her fists tightly.
She was angry that they really didn't know.
"You should have apologized. You should have asked for my forgiveness."
The memory of fighting with her parents when she found out the truth about the broken marriage surfaced in her mind.
"When I asked why you had to do such a thing in that position, you should have apologized. But what did you say back then?"
They didn't answer.
So Dolores answered for them.
"You said I couldn't escape from the Baldschmidt family. You said I would never be able to get away from you."
"That's true. You can't escape our bloodline."
Igtus didn't try to deny his words.
He firmly believed that he was right.
Such an attitude further fueled Dolores' emotions.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to hit them.
She wanted to trap them in ice magic and make them beg for forgiveness.
"You want me to come back?"
Dolores pointed to the ground with her finger.
"If you want me to come back, kneel here and endure for 100 days. Don't eat or drink anything and don't move from that spot even if it rains or winds blow. Beg every time I come out. If you do that, I'll think about forgiving you."
At Dolores' demand, Igtus became furious.
"How can you treat the parents who raised you like this? You ingrate!"
"Parents?"
"Do you think you could have become the Tower Master simply because of your own strength? You should know that our efforts to make you who you are were behind it all!"
Dolores' childhood came to mind.
Yes, they had tried to make her a genius.
Her mother who criticized her for having no talent, her father who endlessly pushed her until she succeeded.
So, what remained in her memory?
She couldn't even get a response, and her only comfort was a teddy bear she cried against in silence.
And the one who saved her from that place was a single person.
"I didn't survive because of you."
Dolores entered the tower as if there was nothing more to say.
Her secretary, who followed her inside, asked Dolores.
"What should we do?"
"Leave them be."
She was curious if they would endure for 100 days and apologize to her.
Dolores didn't say anything more.
As expected of the Wallin Tower Master, she put on a strict and serious expression and boarded the elevator.
She went straight into her office.
*Click*.
As soon as the sound of the lock was heard, Dolores slumped down in her seat.
"Sigh..."
Leaning against the office door, she exhaled heavily.
"So annoying..."
She was scared.
As soon as she faced the two familiar faces, she felt as if her whole body was freezing.
She became powerless as if facing a disaster, and her hands and feet trembled.
However, she barely endured the pressure with the position and courage she had.
She wanted to hold something.
But there was no teddy bear to hug.
With no other choice, she gathered her knees and bowed her head in that spot.
-Tower Master.
"..."
-They have left.
"…I see."
She cut off the connection along with the short message.
They wanted her to come back, but they weren't willing to kneel and beg.
It was too expensive to put down their pride, and their courage seemed lacking.
Dolores knew this about them, but she still felt down.
'If you're going to do that, don't come to me at all.'
It's cold.
Even though she was the incarnation of cold and the Tower Master of Wallin, she couldn't adapt to this chill.
-Tower Master.
"I want to be alone. Can you leave me be?"
-The Silence Tower Master called you. He called your office desk directly, but there was no response...
Dolores instinctively lifted her head.
'Did oppa call me?'
"Alright."
-Yes.
Dolores walked to her office desk.
A moment later, a screen appeared, and Reed was shown.
His gray hair and golden eyes stared straight at her.
Dolores frowned and glared at Reed with a displeased expression.
"Why? Why are you calling me at this time when you know everything?"
-Is it too late?
"It's 8 PM now. It's nighttime. If you wanted to talk about a work-related matter, it's a very rude time."
-I just wanted to have a conversation. Is this reason not enough?
It was an unexpected reason.
The most unexpected reason she needed right now.
"You want to talk without even sending a bluebird?"
-Did I offend you? Should I hang up and send a bluebird first?
"Why are you doing this? I'm not that uptight, you know?"
Dolores put her elbows on the desk and rested her face on them, laughing heartily.
-You seem a bit more irritable today. Were you very busy?
"Isn't it always like that? Do you hate this me?"
-Rather than disliking your behavior, I'm a bit surprised that I did something you dislike. I even wondered if I did something wrong.
Hearing that, Dolores' smile faded.
Just a moment ago, she had been talking to someone about wrongdoing.
"What if, hypothetically..."
-Hmm?
"What if... if you did something wrong... would you apologize to me?"
-If I did something wrong, then I should.
"Don't you have any pride?"
-Is there a need to uphold pride in a situation where I did something wrong?
"What if I misunderstood and it's not really your fault? I could be throwing a tantrum, right?"
-Then I'll give you a piece of candy and comfort you.
"Why would you comfort me there?"
-Because it's obvious that you'll be pouting with your lips sticking out.
"Ha, that's funny."
She burst out laughing at the nonsense.
Even though the conversation had no substance, she felt her drained emotions filling up again.
The fatigue didn't go away, but the explosive stress seemed to have disappeared.
-How's the demon blood I sent you?
"It's quite a rare item. The books said it wouldn't be so dark, but I guess the demons were quite cooperative? Where did you get it?"
-I told you I wouldn't reveal the source, remember?
"You're keeping it a secret from me too?"
-If you make a big deal about something I've already told you, it puts me in a difficult position...
Reed bit his lower lip, and Dolores smiled at him.
"Thank you, oppa."
-For what?
'For contacting me when I'm having a hard time.'
"For giving me the precious demon blood."
-For now, use it sparingly. I'll send more when I can get it again.
"Okay."
-Then I'll hang up...
"Don't hang up."
Dolores interrupted Reed's words.
-Do you have anything else to say?
"No, I have nothing to say."
-Then?
"Just... just stay still. Don't say anything for exactly 5 minutes. Not more, not less."
Reed did as she said and stayed still.
Dolores also didn't say anything and just looked at Reed.
Her blue eyes stared up at Reed, and Reed looked down at her.
And so, the connection continued.
Neither of them could tell if the 5 minutes had passed.
