Cain said, “I’ll disappear quickly this time,” and vanished.
Arundel was led by Zion, weakly dragged along. Zion gently seated Arundel in a soft chair and sat across from her.
For some reason, Zion seemed to be staring intently, making Arundel feel awkward and look around.
Seeing this, Zion asked with a low laugh, “WhyCain said, “I’ll disappear quickly this time,” and vanished.
Arundel was led by Zion, weakly dragged along. Zion gently seated Arundel in a soft chair and sat across from her.
For some reason, Zion seemed to be staring intently, making Arundel feel awkward and look around.
Seeing this, Zion asked with a low laugh, “Why are you like that?”
“Just because you’re staring so intensely.”
“Well, I’m sitting across from you.”
“Even so…”
“If you don’t like it, you can sit next to me, or on my lap?”
“Pfft-!”
At Zion’s teasing words, Arundel spat out the tea she was drinking. Zion, seemingly amused, kept a smiling face throughout the conversation.
Although it was uncomfortable and awkward, Arundel didn’t dislike this soft atmosphere.
While blankly staring at her teacup, struggling to handle Zion’s attitude, she remembered Bianca’s words.
[His Majesty the Emperor risked his life to save the Empress.]
She came here because of Hills, but she wanted to express her gratitude to Zion as well.
When Arundel got a little used to the atmosphere, she opened her mouth.
“I am grateful to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard it from Bianca. You were the one who got rid of the parasite.”
“…..”
“I know it was a dangerous thing for you too.”
The smile faded from Zion’s face.
“I don’t really want to talk about that time.”
His face, bowed down, was shrouded in shadow.
“When I think of you vomiting blood, I feel dizzy.”
He seemed to be really struggling. He covered his face with his palm, but his pale complexion was apparent.
Arundel felt like she had brought up the topic unnecessarily and hurriedly changed the subject.
“And then…!! You saw the man with purple hair!”
She unintentionally jumped straight to the point.
Arundel had lost consciousness and hadn’t seen Hills, but the only person who knew how to get rid of the parasite, besides herself, was Hills.
So, Zion must have seen Hills. Zion briefly opened his eyes and spoke.
“That man taught me how to save you.”
As expected, Zion had met Hills.
Arundel nodded and glanced at Zion. Next, she had to ask about Hills’ whereabouts, but Zion’s expression was not very good.
“Who is that man?”
“…A homeless man I met on the street.”
She blurted out whatever came to mind.
Honestly, it wasn’t a lie. The demon didn’t always sleep on the bed, and he seemed to sleep well in the trees.
But isn’t a homeless man too much…?
“Hahaha, I’m kidding. Just…I met him. By chance…”
“You have a lot of secrets.”
Zion didn’t seem to like Arundel’s vague answer, but he just elegantly drank the tea in front of him.
He didn’t seem to want to pry any further.
At that, Arundel blinked.
He had really changed.
In the old days, he would have tried hard to find out Hills’ identity with a fierce expression.
As if reading Arundel’s thoughts, Zion put down his tea and spoke.
“Let me say it again, I have no intention of prying into what you don’t say.”
Arundel breathed a deep sigh of relief. She didn’t have the confidence to hide it perfectly if Zion decided to dig. She would have definitely been caught in a small trap.
“But it’s strange.”
“…Yes?”
“Sometimes, it doesn’t seem like the Empress Irina I knew. As if her soul has changed.”
At Zion’s sharp words, Arundel gasped for a moment.
“The woman I knew wouldn’t have thought of making a deal with a demon. She didn’t seem to have the guts.”
“…”
“Moreover, she didn’t seem to be sociable enough to be friends with a crown prince from another country.”
He was talking about Hills, who was in the body of the crown prince of the Shalbon Kingdom.
“Moreover, that crown prince was actually a great magician. If he was that skilled, he wouldn’t have hidden inside the palace.”
Zion calmly explained with his eyes narrowed. There was nothing wrong with it, and Arundel was on the verge of suffocating.
“And this time, there’s that suspicious man…”
“….”
“It’s annoying. I only saw him for a moment, but he strangely resembles someone.”
Zion muttered to himself.
And with his eyes downcast, Zion, who had been quietly lost in thought, looked at Arundel as if to warn her.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If he happens to harbor other feelings for you, then.”
“…Then?”
“He’ll disappear without a trace.”
Zion’s expression was cold as he spoke. At his chilling words, Arundel flinched for a moment.
It was definitely not a joke.
“He is…”
“I think we can stop talking about other men in front of me.”
Arundel wanted to ask about Hills’ whereabouts, but Zion frowned and showed his displeasure.
In the end, it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to achieve her purpose of coming here.
“And.”
Zion spat out a word and paused for a moment. Uncharacteristically, he seemed hesitant to speak.
But that was only for a moment, and he looked at Arundel with dissatisfaction.
“Why do you call me ‘Your Majesty’?”
“…What?”
Arundel questioned. He didn’t understand what Zion meant.
What’s wrong with calling him ‘Your Majesty’… or is he picking a fight again?
Arundel stared at Zion with pure eyes, as if she really didn’t know.
The more she did so, the more Zion seemed strangely flustered. As the silence lengthened, Zion murmured in a low voice.
“Zion.”
“…Zion?”
“Yes, my name is Zion.”
Zion complained quietly. His ears were redder than his original skin color.
Only then did Arundel realize what Zion meant.
And Arundel laughed wickedly.
‘He must have enjoyed teasing me.’
A wicked idea appeared in Arundel’s heart.
She was always the one being teased. He always laughed leisurely, creating awkward situations and enjoying the surprised and embarrassed reactions.
‘Hehe. It’s my turn now.’
At the sight of Zion, who seemed somewhat embarrassed, Arundel smiled mischievously and spoke.
“Do you want me to call you Zion?”
“…”
“Rather than ‘Your Majesty’?”
“…”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll keep calling you ‘Your Majesty’.”
Arundel was so excited about the situation that she felt like she could die. Who would dare to tease Zion?
Remembering the awkward situations she had experienced so far, Arundel smiled contentedly.
Arundel crossed over to Zion, who was sitting across from her, and approached him. Arundel gently stroked his chin.
“Aren’t you going to answer? Your Majesty?”
“…”
“Hmm…It seems you want me to call you ‘Your Majesty’.”
“…”
“If you really don’t answer…umhp”
Arundel had to stop speaking for a moment.
She felt a strange sensation on his lips.
Zion, who suddenly rushed in, was passionately kissing Arundel’s lips as if to devour them.
The desperate breath and soft touch between the hot lips.
Even though Arundel’s mind was dizzy, she remembered another memory for a moment.
He had kissed her before. The forced kiss before she was trapped in the Empress’s Palace again. He had no consideration or affection when he kissed roughly.
But now it was definitely different.
As she quietly received his breath, her heart became fluffy, her body twisted, and her mind blurred.
‘…Is this okay?’
Arundel suddenly had doubts about this situation, but she didn’t want to refuse.
No, there was no chance. Her mind was focused on the unfamiliar sensation of stirring inside her mouth.
When her breath quickened, Zion’s lips moved away.
“Haah, haah.”
Arundel exhaled the breath she had been holding.
Arundel’s pupils were dazed. Zion seemed to be no different. His eyes were languidly relaxed.
Arundel, who came to her senses first, asked Zion.
“…Why did you kiss me?”
The sudden kiss made Arundel’s face blush and she was embarrassed, but she was curious.
It wasn’t the first time their lips had met, but the feeling was definitely different now.
She knew that Zion was obsessed with her, or to be precise, with Empress Irina, but now it was different.
He wanted to hear Zion’s honest feelings.
Zion looked straight into Arundel’s eyes and answered.
“Because I wanted to.”
“…”
“Even now, I want to touch you.”
At his direct expression, Arundel’s face turned red for a moment.
There were no sweet words to win a woman’s heart. It was a plain statement, but sincerity was embedded in it.
There was no lie in his eyes.
Zion just seemed unable to define his feelings accurately.
His gaze blindly chased Arundel. He stared at Arundel without blinking, as if she was about to disappear at any moment.
Seeing this, Arundel was more confused.
‘Could it be…Zion likes me…’
When that thought crossed her mind, Arundel’s heart pounded for a moment. But that was only for a moment, and soon a sense of depression overcame Arundel.
After all, she was a person of heaven.
She couldn’t forget her mission.
The right ending was to change him so he wouldn’t become a tyrant, and as an archangel, she should return to heaven.
If he really liked her, that would be a problem.
Arundel’s expression gradually darkened at the unexpected worry.
“What do you want to talk about?”
As Arundel’s expression got worse in real-time, Zion asked, wrapping Arundel’s cheek with his palm.
But Arundel forced a smile and spoke playfully.
“The one who told me not to touch him before, always rushes in like this.”
“Well, I don’t know why I’m like this.”
Zion, who pretended to ponder with his eyes downcast and stroking his chin, laughed and spoke.
“I think I need to do more to know.”
‘This guy is really…!’
He was a person who liked to tease and mock others, but she didn’t know he was so teasing.
As Arundel was blushing and giggling, Zion burst out laughing and spoke.
“It’s a joke.”
“…”
“But it’s really strange.”
Zion, who had stopped laughing, spoke with a rather serious expression.
“I used to get goosebumps on my arm just by touching someone.”
Zion muttered, looking far away. Arundel didn’t miss the opportunity and asked a question she had been curious about.
“…I’m curious why you started to dislike touching people.”
Zion seemed hesitant to talk.
“It could be an uncomfortable story for you.”
“But I still want to know.”
Arundel realized what Zion was worried about.
After all, the reason Zion and his mother had to live miserably was ‘Irina’s father’, so it was bound to be an uncomfortable story from Irina’s point of view.
But Arundel wanted to know and understand more about Zion.
[I lived like that, and I had to live like that.]
That’s what Zion said.
His pitiful expression came to mind, and that phrase kept bothering her.
Although a short conversation couldn’t fully understand his life, she wanted to know at least a little.
She wouldn’t have dared to ask about Zion’s past before, but now it’s different.
Arundel’s prepared eyes urged Zion.
“As you know, I was born and raised in a brothel.”
Zion’s calm voice came out.
“My mother, who grew up in luxury, had no way to survive in a strange foreign country, and the person she met while wandering the streets was the madam of the brothel.”
“…Yes.”
“The madam took pity on my mother and let her work in the shop, and my mother mainly managed the women and cleaned the shop.”
Zion continued the story calmly.
“Meanwhile, I was born, and unfortunately, I didn’t adapt well there.”
“…”
“When evening came, the high cries of the women could be heard, and every time, I felt like vomiting.”
Zion frowned as he thought about that time.
“There was no emotional exchange to be found. They were just beasts that coveted each other’s bodies, nothing more or less.”
“It must have been traumatic…”
“But when I see you, all that is forgotten.”
“…”
“I wonder if I was brainwashed without knowing it.”
Zion laughed lightly. As if it was nothing. But on the contrary, Arundel’s face was getting darker.
His life was never smooth. His twisted personality couldn’t be justified, but now she just felt sorry for him who had walked a hard path.
“I didn’t want to talk about it because you might make that face.”
“…Zion.”
“From my point of view, I should be grateful. You showed me that human body temperature is so warm.”
Zion kissed Arundel’s hair.
“So don’t make that face.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Arundel’s dark expression finally relaxed. Arundel laughed with a lighter heart.
Seeing this, Zion approached Arundel closely.
“When you smile like that.”
Zion, who carefully held Arundel’s chin, smiled languidly.
“I want to do it again.”
are you like that?”
“Just because you’re staring so intensely.”
“Well, I’m sitting across from you.”
“Even so…”
“If you don’t like it, you can sit next to me, or on my lap?”
“Pfft-!”
At Zion’s teasing words, Arundel spat out the tea she was drinking. Zion, seemingly amused, kept a smiling face throughout the conversation.
Although it was uncomfortable and awkward, Arundel didn’t dislike this soft atmosphere.
While blankly staring at her teacup, struggling to handle Zion’s attitude, she remembered Bianca’s words.
[His Majesty the Emperor risked his life to save the Empress.]
She came here because of Hills, but she wanted to express her gratitude to Zion as well.
When Arundel got a little used to the atmosphere, she opened her mouth.
“I am grateful to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard it from Bianca. You were the one who got rid of the parasite.”
“…..”
“I know it was a dangerous thing for you too.”
The smile faded from Zion’s face.
“I don’t really want to talk about that time.”
His face, bowed down, was shrouded in shadow.
“When I think of you vomiting blood, I feel dizzy.”
He seemed to be really struggling. He covered his face with his palm, but his pale complexion was apparent.
Arundel felt like she had brought up the topic unnecessarily and hurriedly changed the subject.
“And then…!! You saw the man with purple hair!”
She unintentionally jumped straight to the point.
Arundel had lost consciousness and hadn’t seen Hills, but the only person who knew how to get rid of the parasite, besides herself, was Hills.
So, Zion must have seen Hills. Zion briefly opened his eyes and spoke.
“That man taught me how to save you.”
As expected, Zion had met Hills.
Arundel nodded and glanced at Zion. Next, she had to ask about Hills’ whereabouts, but Zion’s expression was not very good.
“Who is that man?”
“…A homeless man I met on the street.”
She blurted out whatever came to mind.
Honestly, it wasn’t a lie. The demon didn’t always sleep on the bed, and he seemed to sleep well in the trees.
But isn’t a homeless man too much…?
“Hahaha, I’m kidding. Just…I met him. By chance…”
“You have a lot of secrets.”
Zion didn’t seem to like Arundel’s vague answer, but he just elegantly drank the tea in front of him.
He didn’t seem to want to pry any further.
At that, Arundel blinked.
He had really changed.
In the old days, he would have tried hard to find out Hills’ identity with a fierce expression.
As if reading Arundel’s thoughts, Zion put down his tea and spoke.
“Let me say it again, I have no intention of prying into what you don’t say.”
Arundel breathed a deep sigh of relief. She didn’t have the confidence to hide it perfectly if Zion decided to dig. She would have definitely been caught in a small trap.
“But it’s strange.”
“…Yes?”
“Sometimes, it doesn’t seem like the Empress Irina I knew. As if her soul has changed.”
At Zion’s sharp words, Arundel gasped for a moment.
“The woman I knew wouldn’t have thought of making a deal with a demon. She didn’t seem to have the guts.”
“…”
“Moreover, she didn’t seem to be sociable enough to be friends with a crown prince from another country.”
He was talking about Hills, who was in the body of the crown prince of the Shalbon Kingdom.
“Moreover, that crown prince was actually a great magician. If he was that skilled, he wouldn’t have hidden inside the palace.”
Zion calmly explained with his eyes narrowed. There was nothing wrong with it, and Arundel was on the verge of suffocating.
“And this time, there’s that suspicious man…”
“….”
“It’s annoying. I only saw him for a moment, but he strangely resembles someone.”
Zion muttered to himself.
And with his eyes downcast, Zion, who had been quietly lost in thought, looked at Arundel as if to warn her.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If he happens to harbor other feelings for you, then.”
“…Then?”
“He’ll disappear without a trace.”
Zion’s expression was cold as he spoke. At his chilling words, Arundel flinched for a moment.
It was definitely not a joke.
“He is…”
“I think we can stop talking about other men in front of me.”
Arundel wanted to ask about Hills’ whereabouts, but Zion frowned and showed his displeasure.
In the end, it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to achieve her purpose of coming here.
“And.”
Zion spat out a word and paused for a moment. Uncharacteristically, he seemed hesitant to speak.
But that was only for a moment, and he looked at Arundel with dissatisfaction.
“Why do you call me ‘Your Majesty’?”
“…What?”
Arundel questioned. He didn’t understand what Zion meant.
What’s wrong with calling him ‘Your Majesty’… or is he picking a fight again?
Arundel stared at Zion with pure eyes, as if she really didn’t know.
The more she did so, the more Zion seemed strangely flustered. As the silence lengthened, Zion murmured in a low voice.
“Zion.”
“…Zion?”
“Yes, my name is Zion.”
Zion complained quietly. His ears were redder than his original skin color.
Only then did Arundel realize what Zion meant.
And Arundel laughed wickedly.
‘He must have enjoyed teasing me.’
A wicked idea appeared in Arundel’s heart.
She was always the one being teased. He always laughed leisurely, creating awkward situations and enjoying the surprised and embarrassed reactions.
‘Hehe. It’s my turn now.’
At the sight of Zion, who seemed somewhat embarrassed, Arundel smiled mischievously and spoke.
“Do you want me to call you Zion?”
“…”
“Rather than ‘Your Majesty’?”
“…”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll keep calling you ‘Your Majesty’.”
Arundel was so excited about the situation that she felt like she could die. Who would dare to tease Zion?
Remembering the awkward situations she had experienced so far, Arundel smiled contentedly.
Arundel crossed over to Zion, who was sitting across from her, and approached him. Arundel gently stroked his chin.
“Aren’t you going to answer? Your Majesty?”
“…”
“Hmm…It seems you want me to call you ‘Your Majesty’.”
“…”
“If you really don’t answer…umhp”
Arundel had to stop speaking for a moment.
She felt a strange sensation on his lips.
Zion, who suddenly rushed in, was passionately kissing Arundel’s lips as if to devour them.
The desperate breath and soft touch between the hot lips.
Even though Arundel’s mind was dizzy, she remembered another memory for a moment.
He had kissed her before. The forced kiss before she was trapped in the Empress’s Palace again. He had no consideration or affection when he kissed roughly.
But now it was definitely different.
As she quietly received his breath, her heart became fluffy, her body twisted, and her mind blurred.
‘…Is this okay?’
Arundel suddenly had doubts about this situation, but she didn’t want to refuse.
No, there was no chance. Her mind was focused on the unfamiliar sensation of stirring inside her mouth.
When her breath quickened, Zion’s lips moved away.
“Haah, haah.”
Arundel exhaled the breath she had been holding.
Arundel’s pupils were dazed. Zion seemed to be no different. His eyes were languidly relaxed.
Arundel, who came to her senses first, asked Zion.
“…Why did you kiss me?”
The sudden kiss made Arundel’s face blush and she was embarrassed, but she was curious.
It wasn’t the first time their lips had met, but the feeling was definitely different now.
She knew that Zion was obsessed with her, or to be precise, with Empress Irina, but now it was different.
He wanted to hear Zion’s honest feelings.
Zion looked straight into Arundel’s eyes and answered.
“Because I wanted to.”
“…”
“Even now, I want to touch you.”
At his direct expression, Arundel’s face turned red for a moment.
There were no sweet words to win a woman’s heart. It was a plain statement, but sincerity was embedded in it.
There was no lie in his eyes.
Zion just seemed unable to define his feelings accurately.
His gaze blindly chased Arundel. He stared at Arundel without blinking, as if she was about to disappear at any moment.
Seeing this, Arundel was more confused.
‘Could it be…Zion likes me…’
When that thought crossed her mind, Arundel’s heart pounded for a moment. But that was only for a moment, and soon a sense of depression overcame Arundel.
After all, she was a person of heaven.
She couldn’t forget her mission.
The right ending was to change him so he wouldn’t become a tyrant, and as an archangel, she should return to heaven.
If he really liked her, that would be a problem.
Arundel’s expression gradually darkened at the unexpected worry.
“What do you want to talk about?”
As Arundel’s expression got worse in real-time, Zion asked, wrapping Arundel’s cheek with his palm.
But Arundel forced a smile and spoke playfully.
“The one who told me not to touch him before, always rushes in like this.”
“Well, I don’t know why I’m like this.”
Zion, who pretended to ponder with his eyes downcast and stroking his chin, laughed and spoke.
“I think I need to do more to know.”
‘This guy is really…!’
He was a person who liked to tease and mock others, but she didn’t know he was so teasing.
As Arundel was blushing and giggling, Zion burst out laughing and spoke.
“It’s a joke.”
“…”
“But it’s really strange.”
Zion, who had stopped laughing, spoke with a rather serious expression.
“I used to get goosebumps on my arm just by touching someone.”
Zion muttered, looking far away. Arundel didn’t miss the opportunity and asked a question she had been curious about.
“…I’m curious why you started to dislike touching people.”
Zion seemed hesitant to talk.
“It could be an uncomfortable story for you.”
“But I still want to know.”
Arundel realized what Zion was worried about.
After all, the reason Zion and his mother had to live miserably was ‘Irina’s father’, so it was bound to be an uncomfortable story from Irina’s point of view.
But Arundel wanted to know and understand more about Zion.
[I lived like that, and I had to live like that.]
That’s what Zion said.
His pitiful expression came to mind, and that phrase kept bothering her.
Although a short conversation couldn’t fully understand his life, she wanted to know at least a little.
She wouldn’t have dared to ask about Zion’s past before, but now it’s different.
Arundel’s prepared eyes urged Zion.
“As you know, I was born and raised in a brothel.”
Zion’s calm voice came out.
“My mother, who grew up in luxury, had no way to survive in a strange foreign country, and the person she met while wandering the streets was the madam of the brothel.”
“…Yes.”
“The madam took pity on my mother and let her work in the shop, and my mother mainly managed the women and cleaned the shop.”
Zion continued the story calmly.
“Meanwhile, I was born, and unfortunately, I didn’t adapt well there.”
“…”
“When evening came, the high cries of the women could be heard, and every time, I felt like vomiting.”
Zion frowned as he thought about that time.
“There was no emotional exchange to be found. They were just beasts that coveted each other’s bodies, nothing more or less.”
“It must have been traumatic…”
“But when I see you, all that is forgotten.”
“…”
“I wonder if I was brainwashed without knowing it.”
Zion laughed lightly. As if it was nothing. But on the contrary, Arundel’s face was getting darker.
His life was never smooth. His twisted personality couldn’t be justified, but now she just felt sorry for him who had walked a hard path.
“I didn’t want to talk about it because you might make that face.”
“…Zion.”
“From my point of view, I should be grateful. You showed me that human body temperature is so warm.”
Zion kissed Arundel’s hair.
“So don’t make that face.”
“Thank you for telling me.”
Arundel’s dark expression finally relaxed. Arundel laughed with a lighter heart.
Seeing this, Zion approached Arundel closely.
“When you smile like that.”
Zion, who carefully held Arundel’s chin, smiled languidly.
“I want to do it again.”
