Episode 89
“Oh, it was there… I thought it wasn’t.”
“What? What does that even mean? How can something be there and then not?”
Serena tilted her head, puzzled by Azaid’s cryptic words. If something was there, it was there—what did he mean by thinking it wasn’t?
“Why? How could I have completely forgotten about it all this time?”
Azaid mumbled incoherently, lost in his chaotic thoughts. His memory, which he thought was clear, now seemed riddled with gaps.
That day, his mother had arrived just in time to rescue him and Levin. Levin, having fainted in shock, was taken away by Raffaello.
He thought he had heard that Levin was safely returned home, but—
‘Could Raffaello have done something?’
Considering that Levin had witnessed Azaid’s powers firsthand, it was hard to believe Raffaello would have simply left him alone after discovering such a secret.
‘Did he… kill him?’
Azaid shuddered at the thought. Though Raffaello wasn’t one to kill, it was likely he had taken some sort of measure.
The fact that Levin hadn’t shown up at their usual meeting place since that day was enough to raise suspicions.
‘But how did I manage to control my powers back then?’
He could remember the torment caused by the explosion of power upon awakening, but not how he had subdued it.
Just then, Serena interrupted with a question.
“So, who was with you?”
“…There was someone. A pretty eccentric person.”
“You seem to have a lot of eccentrics around you, Your Majesty. Starting with Jack, for one.”
Serena chuckled, counting on her fingers. She considered adding Lucy to the list but refrained from saying it aloud.
“By the way, what do you mean by ‘pretty eccentric’? Not just eccentric?”
“He looked a bit too pretty for a guy.”
Azaid, deciding to look into Raffaello later, shifted his gaze to Serina. Now that he thought about it, Levin’s hair color had been similar to hers. He remembered teasing Levin for looking like roasted eggplant.
“He really looked like roasted eggplant.”
“Huh? That was my nickname, though.”
Serena laughed softly, as if finding the coincidence amusing. Her unique hair color had often made her the target of such teasing, to the point where she’d lost track of when she first heard it.
Azaid smirked at the mention of “eggplant” and gently picked up a strand of Serina’s hair.
“Well, to me, you’re more like a pansy.”
Her pale skin contrasting with the deep purple hue of her hair, coupled with her golden eyes, made her look exactly like a pansy.
Unconsciously, Azaid fiddled with her hair. Its faint scent made it seem like a real flower. At that moment—
“Ah.”
Serena let out a small yelp, clutching the other side of her hair with a groan.
“What’s wrong? Did it get caught?”
“Uh-huh. I think my hair is stuck in the sofa.”
“What?”
“Oh no, what do I do?”
Serena, who had been lounging on the sofa carelessly, groaned in distress. Alarmed, Azaid leaned over to check the other side of her hair.
“Hold still. I’ll take care of it.”
“…”
“How does someone even get their hair caught in a place like this?”
Azaid chuckled as he carefully untangled her hair, being cautious not to damage it. He held onto the sofa with one arm while delicately freeing her hair with the other.
Serina held her breath at the sudden proximity. Oblivious to their closeness, Azaid was entirely focused on untangling her hair.
Once the task was complete, Azaid muttered, “It’s done…”
He trailed off as their eyes met. Serina’s golden eyes sparkled right before him, much closer than he expected. Without realizing it, he had caged her in with both arms.
“Uh…”
Azaid hesitated, his lips moving silently. He should have pulled back immediately, but his hesitation created an odd atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Serena’s hand, caught between them, was inadvertently raised because of their position.
The silence stretched on, leaving Azaid more confused. Normally, Serena would have snapped at him to move, but she remained still.
Her lower lip twitched as if she were holding back, which only fueled Azaid’s misunderstandings. She looked almost shy.
“Should I… move?”
It was such a ridiculous question that even Azaid realized it as soon as he said it.
“What?”
Serena responded, baffled, as if wondering why he needed her permission to move. Azaid’s face burned with embarrassment.
‘Of course, Serena wouldn’t be shy.’
Embarrassed by his assumptions, Azaid was about to retreat when Serena suddenly spoke.
“What do you want to do, Your Majesty?”
“What?”
“Tell me.”
Her bold question left Azaid gaping. He had expected her to tell him to move, not ask what he wanted.
“What do you mean?”
Azaid stared at her intently, as if trying to decipher every emotion in her golden eyes.
Serena smirked, amused by his confusion.
“I prefer honesty.”
She knew exactly how her words were affecting him, teasing him with deliberate intent.
Serena had already sensed Azaid’s growing feelings for her. She hadn’t noticed it earlier because she hadn’t considered it, but now it was all too clear.
Her words were like handing Azaid a loaded gun, leaving the decision to pull the trigger entirely up to him.
She secretly hoped he’d take the shot. The longer she waited in silence, the more Azaid felt the pressure.
‘What is this? What does she mean?’
Her reaction was entirely different from usual. On reflection, she hadn’t rejected him recently.
If she truly disliked him, she would have made that clear.
‘If she didn’t like me, she would have been repulsed…’
Realizing the implication of Serena’s words, Azaid hesitated before finally asking, “Can I?”
Though he didn’t specify what he meant, it was clear enough to Serena.
She smiled faintly, ready to say, “Of course.”
“Well…”
Click!
Before she could respond, the sound of a door opening startled them both.
“Your Majesty!”
“Leonard.”
Azaid glared at Leonard, who had chosen the worst possible moment to appear.
‘Serena was about to say something important!’
Azaid looked visibly frustrated at missing her answer, while Leonard appeared clueless about the situation. Behind Leonard, Lucy peeked in with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, the mood here is great.”
“Lucy. Come here and apologize right now!”
When Leonard growled at Lucy, she playfully stuck out her tongue.
“Sorry, it was a mistake.”
“It wasn’t a mistake.”
“It really was.”
Lucy shrugged, trying to play innocent. Serena, watching the two appear at the perfect timing, couldn’t help but laugh at Azaid’s bewildered expression, even though she felt a bit exasperated.
“Haha.”
It was a battle of time, but since the outcome was predetermined, it felt even more thrilling.
“Sir Leonard really came.”
“He really did…”
“Shall we focus on escaping first?”
Serena gently nudged Azaid. Azaid, who was easily moved aside, glared at Leonard one more time.
In the meantime, Lucy untied the ribbon binding their wrists. As Serena separated from him, Azaid sighed in disappointment, only to grow irritated again and stomped hard on Leonard’s foot.
“Ugh.”
“Why are you so annoyingly competent?”
Azaid’s icy remark made Leonard fidget with his injured foot as he followed behind Azaid.
“You stepped on me on purpose, didn’t you?”
“If you don’t want real flames to fall on your foot, shut your mouth, Leonard.”
“….”
Leonard discreetly pulled his foot back. Azaid clicked his tongue at the sight, while Serena, watching from behind, let out a soft laugh.
“So cute.”
Beside her, Lucy also smirked, feeling confident that Plan B had gone perfectly.
***
Back at the imperial palace, Azaid found it difficult to fall asleep. Tossing and turning, he kept replaying Serena’s actions in the confined room.
Her subtle tone, her gaze—no matter how much he thought about it, they seemed like good signs.
“Damn it, I’m too excited to sleep.”
Azaid’s mind was in chaos, blaming Serena for robbing him of his rest. He couldn’t wait for morning to come so he could have a proper conversation with her.
After spending a sleepless night, morning finally arrived. Azaid got up early, cleaned himself up thoroughly, and even applied some perfume as he waited for Serena.
Right on time, Serena entered his chambers for the morning check-up.
“Your Majesty, it’s Serena.”
Her calm tone was no different from usual, but it made Azaid’s shoulders tense.
“Come in.”
Worried that his feelings might show, he deliberately lowered his voice to sound more dignified.
However, the moment Serena entered the room and stood beside him, Azaid’s patience snapped. Instead of saying something sophisticated, he blurted out a straightforward question.
“Rena, what did you mean by that yesterday?”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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