Zion was a person skilled at hiding his expressions and emotions.
But in front of me, he had no way of turning back when it came to expressing his emotions. He was relentless, like rushing down a straight path.
He didn’t seem to want to hide, nor did he seem to have the heart to hide. He was brutally honest in his expressions, as if he would die if he didn’t spit out the truth.
Arundel ignored the thumping sound of her heart. She couldn’t be swayed by him anymore. A cool voice flowed out.
“…It’s late at night. If you have no business, please go back.”
Arundel felt Zion’s gaze on her, but she deliberately avoided his eyes.
“As I said, I just came because I wanted to see you.”
When Arundel didn’t say anything, Zion reached out and pulled Arundel’s chin.
“Where are you looking?”
“…”
“…What’s wrong?”
Zion seemed to realize that Arundel’s atmosphere was different, and asked in a subdued voice.
Arundel said, removing his hand from her chin.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. Did I make a mistake?”
Anxiety was evident in Zion’s voice. Ironically, it was Arundel who felt her heart crumbling.
“Just… I’m not feeling well.”
In the end, she spoke as if making an excuse. Zion visibly relaxed.
“I was worried. What’s wrong with your body? Should I call a doctor?”
Zion quickly spat out words. His worrying emotion touched Arundel’s heart.
“No. It’s just that I’m not in good physical condition.”
“…I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
Zion said, blaming himself.
“It’s my fault for not wanting to leave you alone.”
Ah, the wall of my heart that I had built is crumbling.
After all, it was too much to push him away all at once. He reacts sensitively to even trivial things. My heart is melting.
Arundel smiled faintly and held Zion’s hand. His white hand was bulging with veins. The tension was palpable.
“I wanted to come here. I just think the situation is more serious than I thought, so I think I’m stressed.”
Zion opened his eyes wide for a moment and then narrowed them affectionately.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about. I came here to solve it.”
Arundel opened her eyes wide and asked.
“What are you solving…? The plague…?”
“Yes.”
Zion, as if finding the surprised Arundel lovely, pulled her hand holding his and kissed it.
“I thought you came for political reasons…”
To solve the plague directly… Zion, who saw Arundel’s confused look, added an explanation.
“Let me explain a little more. The reason I came to the temple is to build a power base.”
“Power base?”
“We don’t need a close relationship with the nobles, but we do need a support base.”
At the sudden political talk, Arundel turned her stiff head.
“With the fall of Duke Hellen this time, the nobles who were tied around him scattered.”
As Zion said, with the fall of Bianca’s father, Duke Hellen, Zion’s opposition completely collapsed.
Then, is he trying to absorb that collapsed power…?
“We don’t need a power base that has become rubble.”
Zion looked at the breadcrumbs that Arundel had spilled while eating. Arundel’s cheeks flushed as if she had been caught not eating cleanly.
“I don’t like what someone else has used. So I looked for a new power base that would support me.”
“New power base…”
“Irina, do you know why your stepfather disowned you?”
“Yes.”
Arundel obediently nodded her head. Not long after meeting Zion, he disowned her, and Zion said it was to torment her.
Of course, thinking of Zion at that time, her teeth were grinding, but what was more despicable was Irina’s stepfather, who had offered his daughter outright.
“As you know, the eastern region suffered a lot of damage from the tsunami this year. So I ordered the western nobles to support, and your stepfather, who had a big debt from gambling, didn’t have the strength to do so, so he sold you to me.”
It was a story I remembered, though it was faint like an old, faded photograph.
“The policy I implemented at that time increased the support base of the eastern nobles. Of course, it seems that the fear is great now.”
Zion lowered his eyes and spoke calmly.
The word ‘fear’ from his mouth and his beautiful face created a strange dissonance.
The random execution that took place after Arundel ran away also brought many variables to Zion.
Because it was an emotional thing that had to find Arundel without any prediction or design for the future. That’s why there are still quite a few people who criticize Zion.
Of course, as time goes by, the royal power will solidify again, but for now, a process was needed.
In the process, the first step was to bring in the eastern nobles as a support force. It wasn’t a difficult task if their plague could be solved.
“Fear can easily turn into respect. Just a slight change in direction. By solving this plague, they will become my new supporters.”
Arundel admired his excellent strategy anew, but on the other hand, she also thought it was a tough life.
He had to constantly read people’s emotions and thoughts, predict the future, and find ways.
He must have lived his whole life like this.
Of course, it would be familiar to Zion, but Arundel felt a little down reading how hard a life he must have lived.
She couldn’t go back to the past to help him. All she could say now was this much.
“I’ll help if there’s anything I can do.”
Contrary to Arundel’s thoughts, Zion had a slightly bitter expression.
“I told you. I don’t want to use you politically or pull you in.”
“But…!”
“This time it could be quite dangerous. It doesn’t seem like a simple plague.”
“I can be of help too.”
From the moment she heard the word ‘plague’, Arundel had no intention of staying still.
Her thoughts hardened through the conversation with the Pope.
Even if she couldn’t help right away, she thought of treating patients. With divine power. While controlling the power so as not to be noticeable.
“You know, right? That I can use divine power.”
“Irina.”
Zion’s voice was firm.
“I’ll grant all your requests, but not this time. It’s too dangerous. There’s no guarantee that you won’t get the plague.”
“That’s the same for Zion.”
“I’m not.”
Arundel frowned.
She couldn’t agree with his words without any explanation before and after. All humans are at risk of getting the plague. Unless it’s a demon like Hills.
“I don’t get it. I just feel that way.”
It’s not like the usual Zion. There was no reason or basis for his words.
“Just wait here for a few days, and I’ll solve it soon.”
Zion briefly kissed Arundel’s lips and pulled away.
“Stay put.”
How can you say that so sweetly…!
But she couldn’t back down easily.
Arundel recalled the conversation she had had with the Pope before they parted.
[I’m worried. The priests might get the plague too.]
[Ah, you don’t have to worry about that, Your Majesty the Empress. The priests won’t get the plague. To be precise, this plague.]
[Yes…?]
[Despite the fairly high infection rate, none of the dispatched priests have contracted the disease.]
When she heard it, she just thought it was fortunate.
It was selfish, but she didn’t want the few priests of the Elbis Temple to die of the plague.
Do they have some special antibodies? Or do the priests have high immunity? The reason is unknown, but the important thing right now is that it makes a good excuse.
“Do you know that, Sion?”
When Arundel asked with sparkling eyes, Zion stared at Arundel quietly.
“That those with divine power do not get this plague.”
Of course, the Pope said that the priests do not get the plague, not that those with divine power do not get the plague.
But isn’t that the reason…?
Arundel spoke firmly as if her own speculation was a fact.
“I haven’t heard such a thing.”
Zion frowned at her words. Arundel’s words, which had a blatant intention, did not seem to please him.
“So, I also…”
“No.”
Zion cut her off. Arundel’s voice of dissatisfaction burst out.
“You’re trying to control me again.”
Zion brushed one side of his face as if he was troubled.
“No.”
He looked a little confused. Arundel did not rush him, but waited until he opened up his true feelings.
Before long, Zion slowly spat out his words.
“Actually, I’m not so much worried about you as I am scared of being swayed by you.”
“…”
“If you’re involved, I can’t act rationally. I have a bad feeling that if something happens, it will be uncontrollable.”
Arundel understood what he wanted to say, but his negative attitude felt a bit excessive.
As Zion said, when she was involved, he acted without thinking.
For example, on Zion’s birthday, at the welcome party for the Crown Prince of Shalbon Kingdom, and the day she ran away from the Empress’s Palace.
Zion, who was meticulous and calculative, destroyed everything with his own hands.
She understood that he was worried about whether such a situation would happen again this time, but when she saw his troubled look…it seemed like there was another reason.
“Do you…have something going on?”
Zion stared somewhere else as if organizing his thoughts. Soon, he slowly turned his head and took Arundel in his eyes.
“I’ll tell you when the time comes, not now.”
Zion’s voice was weak as he said that, so Arundel didn’t ask any further.
‘Hmm…’
However, Arundel was in thought.
In fact, she didn’t have to follow to the territory of Duke Lillit.
As always, Zion will solve the problem cleanly and come back. He will be safer with Hills by his side.
Even if she follows right now, all she can do is treat patients. She may not be able to help much because she can’t show a lot of divine power.
Above all, she had made up her mind to distance herself from him,
But,
“So I have to go. Zion, I can’t leave you struggling alone. Nothing bad will happen. I promise.”
Why is she so anxious?
Arundel hid her anxious emotions with a bright smile and held out her pinky finger.
Zion looked at her finger blankly.
Her pinky finger should be wrapped around, but only a hot gaze touches it.
Feeling awkward, she slowly lowered her finger, then suddenly Zion grabbed her wrist and bit her finger lightly.
There was no pain, but Arundel, surprised, put her hand in her bosom and looked at Zion like a rabbit.
“It’s a punishment. Because you don’t listen.”
“…Even though you bite.”
“Let’s go together.”
How can I beat you?
Zion swallowed the rest of his words and looked at Arundel, who was happy, as if resigned.
