Walking through the Empress’ Palace with Stella, I reviewed the tasks that needed to be addressed.
There wasn’t much time left until we left for the Riven Palace. The plan was to stay there for a while and then leave for Ios once the preparations were complete.
I would need Ian’s help to fake my death and slip quietly out of Asha.
‘The secret order sealed inside Vanessa’s body…’
Now, my condition had become so severe that it was impossible to have a conversation with Ian. I handed a letter to Stella.
“Deliver this to him later.”
Stella, who already knew what was inside, nodded silently.
It was the secret order of his father that he had been desperately searching for. I would give it to him in exchange for my safe escape out of Asha.
“And it would be better to send Casey to the Pompus Peninsula.”
Soon, wings would fully form on Casey’s back.
The black wolf mentioned in ancient records was a gigantic creature with a body of around 5 meters, but the current Casey was at most the size of a small dog. It seemed likely that, through the passage of many years, it had undergone genetic changes, although it belonged to the same species as that mythical creature.
Despite being a legendary creature with tremendous magical power, Casey was timid and gentle.
While I was confident that Casey wouldn’t cause harm to people, a strange creature like a black wolf with wings wouldn’t find a place to live peacefully anywhere, except for the Pompus Peninsula, where wolves were revered.
There, Casey could safely live. I thought it would be a good idea to bring Casey there soon.
At that moment, I heard a muffled sound somewhere. Without realizing it, I stopped walking.
“Well, it’s because her mind is going back and forth.”
“No, then, are you saying the Empress getting infected with the plague is all a lie?”
They seemed to be gardeners from the Empress’s palace. I felt an inexplicable surge of anxiety. I listened more attentively to their conversation.
“These days, it’s quiet, but you never know when she’ll have another seizure. If you see the Empress, you must avoid her at all costs. If she sees a passing courtier, she’ll give them a quick hand job, and if she’s bored, she’ll beat them until they faint. Not long ago, she even sent a neatly packaged dead mouse to the Kaelin Palace. Ugh, it’s too dreadful to even mention.”
“Really? Did such a thing happen?”
“Everyone hushes it up, but there are also rumors that the Empress is possessed by an evil spirit. Honestly, the thought of such a wicked woman being the Empress gives me chills all over.”
The unbelievable stories made my heart pound, and my legs trembled. I hurriedly returned to the palace and urgently asked Stella.
“Stella, tell me everything that happened without leaving anything out.”
Stella’s complexion darkened for a moment. She took a short breath and recounted everything that had happened.
Many gruesome events had taken place during the time I couldn’t remember. The more I heard, the more dismal the content became, leaving me speechless.
Now, I understood Theo’s attitude, which seemed to hide something, and the reason for the terrified expressions of the palace servants whenever they saw me.
“…So that’s how Lord Claflin ended up in the Empress’ Palace.”
Even after Stella finished speaking, I was still in shock, unable to say anything.
It was frightening to think that I had to go through such horrible events just because I was connected to a demon.
“Lord Claflin didn’t tell Your Majesty about this because he was concerned about how shocked you would be.”
Stella held my trembling hand and continued.
“But here you are again. Once you leave for the Riven Palace, everything will be resolved smoothly, so don’t worry too much.”
In Stella’s voice, as warm as sunlight, a wave of sorrow swept over me. I hadn’t lost consciousness like before, but I didn’t know when something like that would happen again.
I remained alone in the room and continued to fiddle with the sacred stone Theo had given me.
I wondered if it was because of this stone that I was able to drive the demon away and regain my senses.
Theo said he knew how to solve my problem. With a desperate wish for nothing to happen again, I tightly gripped the sacred stone.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
It was an unusually bright moonlit night. I strolled through the palace grounds, trying to calm my restless mind.
I couldn’t get out of my mind the horrifying things I had done, or more precisely, the horrifying things that the fearful being that had taken over my body had done. I had never felt such fear in my life.
The thought that an unknown entity had spoken to someone and done unimaginable things in my place became suffocatingly agonizing.
“There you are.”
I turned my head in the direction of the familiar voice. The moonlight cast shadows on Theo’s face, making him look even more sculpted.
He approached, and we started walking side by side, matching our strides. Walking alone with him in the late night at the Empress’ Palace seemed surreal.
I wondered how desperate the situation must have been for Ian, who was determined to keep Theo away, to let him into the Empress Palace.
“I know what has been happening. You probably kept that information from me for my sake.”
“…….”
“I can’t believe I did such terrible things.”
“You didn’t do it.”
There was no hint of disturbance in Theo’s eyes. Somehow, his calm voice, trying to comfort me, felt a bit melancholic.
“You said there was a way to fix my problem.”
“Yes, there is.”
“If… if that solution fails, what will happen?”
At my serious question, Theo stopped walking and turned to face me.
“I will never let it come to that.”
His resolute answer once again weighed heavily on my heart.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“I, too, asked the same question.”
His words brought back memories of the conversation I had with Theo at Briland Farm.
<Am I not frightening to you?>
<Not at all.>
<Even if I were a murderer who became a demon’s servant and killed people indiscriminately?>
<You could never be such a person.>
He continued with a gentle smile.
“My answer is the same: whatever happens, it’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.”
His consistent response, matching my expectations, became a comforting reassurance today.
Theo’s kind eyes sparkled like jewels in the moonlight. The current situation was so beautiful that it made me forget everything. Facing each other, we exchanged words as if making a promise.
In these moments of silent contemplation, it felt as if time stood still. But, as always, if I tried to approach him, he would likely step back.
The man before me was like the most enigmatic puzzle in the world.
Theo seemed to have given me his heart, yet ultimately, he remained someone who wouldn’t come closer to me.
Recalling this fact, a mixture of tender and subtle emotions surged, causing my chest to swell. I asked him.
“Have you ever…”
“…….”
“Have you ever felt any emotion toward me?”
“…….”
“Sometimes, it confuses me when I look into those eyes of yours.”
In the ensuing silence, the sound of crickets crying became more pronounced. I read hesitation in Theo’s eyes. He looked down at me and finally spoke.
“I’m not going to answer that.”
Once again, he closed the door to his feelings and attempted to distance himself from me. But there was something searing in the way he looked down at me.
And that soon led to a strange conviction. Somehow, it seemed like this man was intentionally hiding his feelings.
Summoning my courage, I took one step closer to Theo. The distance between us narrowed precariously. The moonlight penetrated his unusually long eyelashes.
He didn’t avoid my gaze. Slowly, I reached out toward his face.
“Then why aren’t you avoiding me this time?”
His serene eyes traveled to my eyes, then to my nose, then to my lips. Taking my hand with deliberate slowness, he spoke. For some reason, his touch tickled my heart.
“I cannot accept your heart.”
He let the heartless words slip out without a care in the world. Yet, perhaps due to the peculiar atmosphere that made anything possible at any moment, his low voice was as gentle and sweet as ever.
“I understand.”
I thought he was going to push me away, but he gripped my hand with a little more force. He didn’t withdraw his subtle gaze, seemingly restraining immense emotions.
“I won’t be part of your future.”
“That’s… I understand.”
Strangely, the chillingly composed response sounded like an irresistible temptation.
His hand wrapped around my waist. Our bodies pressed against each other. The sound of our breaths, which I couldn’t tell whose they were, began to grow louder.
“Our relationship won’t change in the future.”
“I don’t care.”
His lips approached mine, as if about to touch but never closing the final distance.
As if blocked by an invisible wall, he seemed to be torn between something and tried to distance himself again.
I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him closer. He knew what I was about to do, yet he didn’t resist.
I kissed him. The warm sensation of our lips meeting sent a shiver through my entire body.
After a brief kiss that lasted a few seconds, I looked up at him again. He was staring at me with eyes full of heat, and his brow furrowed slightly as if he were on fire.
At some point, the thread of reason that had held him back seemed to loosen in an instant. His soft lips covered mine once again.
A powerful sensation mixed with lust and greed spread through my mouth. The enchanting moment, as if detached from the real world, lingered on for a long while.
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guys it’s happening