As I was absentmindedly playing with my cane, the time came when the sun was slowly beginning to set.
It was still 5 p.m. in the middle of winter, but we decided we couldn't waste any more time playing around like this, so we started preparing for Aine's birthday party, which would also be dinner.
At first, I was thinking of leaving the cooking to the mansion's servants, but since Cray said that if today was our last day, it would be more meaningful if we cooked it ourselves, I decided to respect Cray's opinion.
Cray's cooking skills were by no means inferior to those of his servants, so I had no intention of rejecting Cray's idea of preparing a farewell gift of his own.
Cray was joined by his wife, Lenia, and by Butler Winder, who had treated Aine and me with the same special affection as she treated her own daughter, Luffy.
They seemed to have similar thoughts to Cray and wanted to treat us to a last supper.
Luffy, feeling that he hadn't spent enough time with Aine yet, decided to spend some time playing chess with her.
With each thump, thump, sound of a chess piece being moved, Luffy would convey one word of what he wanted to say to Aine.
Her voice was filled with the earnestness of not wanting to let Aine go like this.
Perhaps it was because it overlapped with Aine's appearance, as if she didn't want to let me go, that I felt a little guilty towards Luffy.
No matter how it ended, there were bound to be people who would feel sad, regretful, and longing.
It felt like it was stirring up the guilt that had been lingering in my mind.
Perhaps he had noticed me like that, but at some point Luffy stopped moving his chess pieces and looked at me intently.
I noticed that gaze a little too late, and tried to pretend like nothing happened, giving Luffy an awkward smile as if I was worried about giving him an unnecessary burden.
"You don't have to be so sorry, Oppa Klein. No, maybe it's more appropriate to call me Oppa Jooyeon from now on?"
But Luffy seemed to be quite perceptive about this sort of thing, as he smiled at me and said that to me.
Hearing my real name come out of her mouth made me feel awkward.
"I told you that Aine-sister was destined to no longer live in this world. In that case, rather than seeing Aine-sister die miserably, it would be better to leave her in the care of her trustworthy older brother, Joo-yeon."
Although Luffy still seemed to be having trouble accepting the fact that he had to part ways with Aine, he spoke in a loud voice, emphasizing his words as if this was his true feeling that would never change.
""Luffy...""
At her grateful words, Aine and I both called her name almost simultaneously, our eyes welling up with tears.
At the sight of Aine and I, who were harmonizing so well together that it was suspicious, Luffy made a slightly annoyed expression and then turned his gaze back to the chessboard.
"And since we fit so well together, I can't separate you out of greed..."
Then she added in a small voice, as if admitting defeat and looking slightly sullen.
I felt so sorry for her like that, so I quietly prayed that things would work out between Luffy and the Second Prince.
Perhaps because it was our last meal together, the food that Cray, Lenia, and Butler Winder prepared together was all so delicious that it stole our attention.
And its delicious appearance did not betray us at all.
The food, more delicious than the course menu at most high-end restaurants, stimulated my tongue.
It was rather regrettable that I had only just realized that if Cray, Lenia, and Butler Winder had all put in the effort and prepared the dish, they could have made such a delicious dish.
"I was a little worried that it might not suit my taste, but fortunately, it suits my taste better than I thought."
"It's really delicious. It's better than anything I've ever eaten on Earth."
Cray, who had actually prepared this dish, seemed a little unsure of his own skills, and he breathed a sigh of relief at seeing me enjoy the meal. However, the food was so delicious that, although I should have been free to speak informally to him, I couldn't help but look at him with respect and use formal language. I couldn't help but think, had I known this would happen, I should have been more proactive in learning how to cook from him.
After that, I had dinner in silence for a while, and over dinner, Aine talked about the memories she had shared with her past connections.
Unlike me, who had relatively more time to say goodbye to them, Aine seemed to have many stories left to share with her loved ones.
"Cray Oppa, Lenia Unnie. Thank you so much for saving me from the Dark Wiz, and finally putting an end to it. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve my family's goal as the last member of the family. Of course, I also really like you in private, aside from those public aspects. The fun and affectionate Lenia Unnie, and Cray Oppa, who seems a bit blunt but has a warm heart."
At the end of each story about a memorable experience with each person, she expressed her gratitude.
First, to Cray and Lenia, who helped her the most.
"Butler Winder. I was so grateful that you tried to comfort me in any way you could, even when I was always cooped up in my room after my parents passed away. And when I met Klein and found happiness again, I was so grateful that you silently supported both of us from behind the scenes. To me, you were truly the most trustworthy adult in the world, and the most trustworthy butler in the world."
Next, to Deacon Winder, who helped her from close range before I became close to her, and then silently helped her from afar after I became close to her.
"Luffy. Thank you for calling Klein when I was in danger. Thanks to you, I can continue to live this happy life. There are still many things I want to do with you, but the time I spent with you was truly precious and enjoyable for me, who never had anyone I could call a little brother."
The last one is something I only found out about relatively recently, but it's something I've become close to very quickly, to the point where it's almost insignificant.
"To be honest, I still can't shake off my anxiety because there's so much I don't know about Korea, the place I'm about to visit soon."
After expressing her gratitude, Aine's expression became slightly heavy as she mentioned the place called Earth and the place called Korea.
Even I, who had been able to get a glimpse of life in this world through the medium of novels, felt afraid when I first fell into this world, not knowing if things would go well.
It was impossible for her, whose only knowledge of the Earth and Korea was the crude descriptions I had heard from her, not to feel fear.
"I can't help but be so afraid of leaving all my precious relationships behind in this world, going off to such an unknown world, and living alone for 2,000 days."
The way she spoke, holding her breath with each word, indirectly conveyed her fear.
"But I was able to make myself strong enough to overcome them. I had someone I loved dearly who had supported me all this time."
But she turned her gaze towards me, took a deep breath, and continued speaking in a surprisingly refined tone. Aside from a slight blush, she seemed remarkably composed.
"He also spent 2,000 days in this world filled with unknown things. So, even though I can't meet him, I believe I can easily spend 2,000 days alone."
"I completely agree with that. I never knew love could make people so strong, but it really does."
Aine declared this with a tone full of confidence, and Lenia, who had been listening to her silently, agreed with her declaration.
True love, they say, enables a person to overcome any ordeal.
In the end, everyone here has overcome trials through the power of love, or will overcome them. That statement, at least for those present, is entirely accurate.
"It's already 7:40. In 20 minutes, Klein, Juyeon, and I will be leaving for Earth, for Korea."
Aine, sensing the slightly heated atmosphere, glanced at her watch and calmly told us how much time we could remain in this world.
Everyone present felt a mixture of emotions at the thought that only 20 minutes, that short time, remained.
I didn't want to waste time like this and end up parting ways with them, so I quietly made a suggestion.
"There's a game on Earth called the Truth Game. Since it's the last one, would you like to play it together?"
After hearing my cautious proposal, everyone present expressed their willingness to participate in this short, twenty-minute final game.
So, the last 20 minutes of the truth game began.