Episode 110

“You waited until we got here to say that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Yvonne could tell that Yurian was genuinely committed to never lying to her. Her wariness toward him had completely faded.

“Do you really think I’d kiss you?”

“Yes.”

“Where does that confidence come from?”

“It’s not confidence. It’s hope.”

“That’s quite a big hope.”

Even as she said that, her eyes drifted to his red lips. She unconsciously took a step back, afraid he might hear how loudly her heart was beating.

“If you don’t want to, I won’t do it. So don’t step away like that.”

“Why not?”

“Do you have any idea how many times you’ve run away from me?”

“…I don’t remember.”

“Every time you pull away, it makes me anxious.”

Yurian spoke sincerely as he gently took her hand again. A flicker of guilt passed through Yvonne. She had indeed run from him more times than she could count.

But as soon as she lifted her gaze to his lips again, that guilt faded.

“Your lips are shining.”

“Yes.”

“Did you put something on them?”

“No. Would you like to check?”

“…Yes.”

Yvonne found it strangely mesmerizing how his lips gleamed under the moonlight. Without thinking, she reached out, freeing her hand from his grasp, and pressed a finger against his lips.

They were softer than she expected.

But before she could pull back, her fingertip slipped slightly between them. She gasped in surprise as he lightly nibbled on it before releasing her.

“Did you just bite me?”

“Can I do more?”

“More of what?”

“Things like this.”

Yurian took her hand in his. She flinched, but remembering what he had said earlier—not to step away—she stayed still.

Taking it as permission, he raised her palm to his lips, kissing it softly before gently biting down. Then, he took her index finger—the one he had nibbled earlier—and did it again before letting go.

The warm, velvety sensation on her skin felt unfamiliar.

“That was indecent.”

“This doesn’t even count as indecent.”

“What if I really do awaken mind-reading abilities?”

Yurian still couldn’t understand it. Her scent was unmistakably that of a Guide, yet she possessed an enormous amount of magic. How?

“Then it can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I’ll get caught. But if you do awaken that ability, I wouldn’t mind.”

“You were scared just a moment ago.”

“I am. But at least then, you’d know my true feelings.”

“…”

“My feelings are… quite heavy.”

Earlier, the thought of her reading his mind had terrified him.

But now, watching her stand still instead of pulling away, feeling her hand in his, he was beginning to think—

Even if she could see into his mind, maybe he could prove himself to her.

“You’re awfully arrogant.”

“I’d call it confidence.”

“And where does that confidence come from?”

“From how desperately I want this.”

Yvonne realized she had been drawn into his pace yet again.

But this time, it didn’t feel as strange.

For the first time, she acknowledged that she was comfortable in this moment, that she didn’t dislike the nervous excitement he made her feel.

“Are you always this forward?”

“Only with you. I can’t seem to control myself.”

“…”

Yurian truly never lied to her.

At least, that’s what he thought.

But now that he looked back on it, it wasn’t that he didn’t lie—it was that he couldn’t.

Whenever he looked into her violet eyes, everything inside him came spilling out.

Lying around her was impossible.

Whenever he was with her, all his attention was consumed by her reactions.

“Let’s just drink.”

“Alright.”

“When do the fireworks start?”

“At ten.”

“I see.”

Yurian led her to a spot by the docks where they could sit. Since it was close to the pier, there were plenty of places to rest.

It seemed like most people had gathered near the bridge, leaving their spot surprisingly empty.

To Yvonne, it felt like a coincidence.

But in reality, it wasn’t.

Yurian’s men were stationed nearby, subtly keeping others from approaching.

They all knew how deeply their lord cared for the imperial princess.

To support him, they had made sure no one would disturb them tonight.

“Isn’t it dangerous for just the two of us to be here?”

“Didn’t I tell you about my abilities? If there’s any threat, I’ll take care of it.”

“The dangerous one here is you, Yurian.”

“What should I do to be less dangerous?”

“Let go of my hand and step at least twenty paces away.”

“Hahaha. Then I might as well die.”

Yvonne could tell he had no intention of stepping away from her.

“Yvonne.”

“Yes?”

He opened one of the three bottles of alcohol she had and handed it to her. Then, he opened the bottle filled with a purple liquid for himself.

“I want to try that one.”

“As you wish.”

Yurian handed her the bottle he was drinking from. In exchange, Yvonne passed him the one she was holding and wrapped her fingers around the new one.

“The smell is strange.”

“The scent is unusual, but the taste is different. It’s sweet.”

Yvonne decided to trust his words. She tilted the bottle and took a sip.

At first, the floral aroma was off-putting. But as it slid down her throat, an incredibly sweet taste spread through her mouth. The alcohol content was shockingly high.

“Ugh….”

“It’s quite strong.”

“Why are you telling me that now? I already drank a lot!”

“To me, it’s just like drinking juice.”

“Oh, for god’s sake….”

The liquid burned its way down her throat, making her cough. But once it settled, a cool sensation rose to her nose.

“Ugh, this is way too strong.”

“I should have warned you earlier. My apologies.”

“I’m drinking this one instead. Let’s switch.”

“‘Let’s switch’…? Our drinks…? Yes.”

Yurian was delighted by the way she casually included him in “us.” He agreed immediately.

She lifted the bottle again, eager to taste that peculiar sweetness once more.

As she drank, the sound of her gulping echoed softly in the quiet night. Yurian’s eyes were drawn to the delicate motion of her throat, illuminated faintly in the dim light.

It was oddly entrancing.

“Haa…!”

“Pfft….”

“Why are you laughing?”

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I am enjoying myself.”

Yurian wanted to kiss her.

So he lifted the bottle she had just sipped from and drank.

The rum had a sharp, spicy burn, but it wasn’t as strong to him. Though, for Yvonne, it was undoubtedly potent.

“I think I really like alcohol.”

“What about me?”

“Drink up, Yurian. That one actually tastes really good.”

“Alright.”

Yurian noticed how smoothly she avoided answering his question.

“If you drink that quickly, you’ll get drunk fast.”

“Tsk…”

“What if you forget the fireworks later?”

“Hahaha.”

Yvonne was relieved that the bottle in her arms was quite large—it felt like it would never run out.

To check how much was left, she lifted it slightly and swirled it. The weight of the half-filled bottle swayed heavily in her grasp.

“Still a lot left.”

“Yvonne, I think you’re getting a little drunk.”

“I’m not. I just feel good.”

“I see.”

Yurian began to wonder if he should stop her from drinking more.

“Yvonne. Right now, I think I want you to finish that bottle and make a mistake with me.”

“Pfft! Hahaha! Who would drink more after hearing that?!”

“Exactly.”

He was being completely honest.

But he knew that being this upfront would make her let her guard down even more.

“I won’t drink that much.”

“Good to hear.”

But she already had drunk that much.

And now, she tilted her head back and drank more.

For some reason, drinking made her problems feel insignificant.

It blurred out everything—the guilt about Marquez, the comfort she felt around Yurian.

Did any of it even matter?

Her cheeks were growing hot, and yet, she was convinced she was still completely sober.

“I… don’t remember much about you, Yurian.”

“So my nullification ability didn’t work well on you?”

“Nope.”

She was testing herself.

Seeing how well she could lie, testing her own self-control.

She thought she was just in a good mood—not drunk at all.

It was a complete delusion.

“I think you should stop drinking now.”

“Don’t stop me. I’ll hate you if you do.”

“Yvonne…”

Yurian hated the idea of her hating him.

And she was drinking way too fast.

She was chugging like a knight celebrating a war victory.

Yvonne had nearly finished an entire large bottle of rum.

The purple liquor in her other bottle was almost completely gone, only a tiny bit sloshing at the bottom.

“Haa….”

Yvonne drained the rest in one last swig and handed him the empty bottle.

“Give me the next one.”

“No.”

“Hurry up and give it to me.”

“No.”

When Yurian refused firmly, Yvonne climbed onto his lap, resting a knee on his thigh.

“Give it to me.”

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her.

She was now leaning into him, her hands clutching an unopened bottle of rum.

“Open it.”

“What will you give me in return?”

Yvonne found herself staring at his lips again.

They gleamed under the moonlight, tempting her in a way she didn’t understand.

She reached out, pressing a finger against them.

“What do you want?”

 

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