#52

“Ah!”

Startled, I instinctively recoiled, but Zerakiel seized the opportunity to push his way into the room. I couldn’t believe he had just called me a flirt out of nowhere.

And his skill at sneaking in had improved significantly.

Before I knew it, Zerakiel was in the room, continuing to press me.

“You didn’t only give it to me.”

“Huh?”

“And it wasn’t the first time, either.”

“What are you talking about?”

Confused by his cryptic words, I protested, and his eyes narrowed.

“You don’t even remember.”

I felt like he was piling up accusations against me.

His gaze naturally fell on the flower. Realizing what he meant, I couldn’t hide my surprise as I asked, “…Are you seriously upset because I gave flowers to other beastmen too? Is that it?”

“…”

Oh no, it is!

I stared at Zerakiel, who had come all the way to my room to protest, completely dumbfounded.

Who would have thought someone like him had such an adorable side?

It turned out he was unhappy because I hadn’t only given flowers to him. Judging by his comments about the order, he wasn’t pleased with the fact that he wasn’t the first, either.

But Zakari had said Zerakiel disliked flowers. This wasn’t the behavior of someone who disliked them, was it?

“Didn’t you say you didn’t like flowers?”

“Who said that?”

Your father.

I couldn’t exactly mention Zakari here, so I just kept my mouth shut. It was clear that Zakari didn’t really know his son.

After a moment, Zerakiel shrugged and said.

“If I had to say, it’s more like I don’t particularly like them. I never really cared about them. But…”

Zerakiel’s eyes drifted to the vase of flowers in my bedroom, flowers I picked and placed there every morning.

“It bothers me that you treated everyone the same.”

I see. Our Zerakiel wanted to be treated specially by me.

Oh dear, I failed to recognize the true intentions of my soon-to-be husband, didn’t I?

I chuckled at the sight of Zerakiel, who looked so out of place being jealous.

Who would believe that this adorable creature before me was considered the reincarnation of the terrifying founder of the Jabis family?

To my eyes, he was just a sulking black lion cub.

As I kept smiling, Zerakiel’s expression turned sullen. I figured it was time to respond before he decided to turn the tables on me.

“I didn’t treat everyone the same.”

“You didn’t?”

“Take a closer look. The flower I gave you is a bit different.”

At my words, Zerakiel stared at the flower. But his face showed he still didn’t get it.

“They look the same.”

“Oh, come on.”

I pulled the flower out of his front pocket and held it up to his face.

“It’s obviously the prettiest one.”

“…”

“I carefully picked out the one that I thought was the most beautiful and gave it to you. You really didn’t know?”

“…Really?”

Zerakiel, who had looked skeptical, took the flower back and placed it back in his pocket.

It seemed like my flimsy excuse had worked on him.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely a lie. The flower I gave Zerakiel had black stamens that resembled tiny sesame seeds, which I found unique and beautiful against the white petals.

“And I thought you wouldn’t like flowers much.”

“Why?”

“Zakari said that, you know. He said the Jabis family dislikes flowers, and you especially wouldn’t like them.”

At that moment, Zerakiel’s gaze seemed to dim, as if the light in his eyes had gone out. His expression became impassive, almost as if he was suppressing his emotions, trying to build a wall around himself.

“That’s just like Father.”

“Huh?”

“There are specific flowers I don’t like. I imagine it’s the same for Father.”

Zerakiel took a step back.

“I don’t know why Father would say something like that to you.”

“Zerakiel?”

I was confused, unable to pinpoint exactly what I had said to upset him. We had only been talking about preferences, but he seemed suddenly angry.

But it was only a fleeting moment. Zerakiel quickly returned to his usual, languid expression, as if nothing had happened.

“Anyway, I don’t dislike the flowers you gave me.”

“Oh? Uh… okay….”

Still, something felt off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt as though Zerakiel was drawing a line between us.

Without thinking, I reached out to him. The moment I did, he quickly pulled his arm back, avoiding my touch.

Our eyes met, and I saw a flash of surprise in his face as he rubbed his arm.

“Oh, I just came straight from training, so my clothes are dirty.”

It didn’t seem like that was the real reason he avoided me.

This wasn’t like the Zerakiel who had been clinging to me just moments ago. The sudden feeling of being pushed away left me unsettled.

So, I reached out again, grabbing the sleeve of his retreating arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were practically glued to me before.”

Why are you being distant now?

My straightforward question made Zerakiel open and close his mouth before he let out a small sigh. Then, he ran a hand through his hair and mumbled.

“It’s just, when I’m with you, I start acting strange.”

“You’ve always been strange.”

What’s new about that?

I pouted, and Zerakiel let out a small chuckle.

“Yeah, I guess I’ve always been strange. But you see…”

Before I realized it, Zerakiel had leaned in close, bringing his face level with mine. I could see my startled expression reflected in his golden eyes.

“When a weirdo starts noticing they’re being weird, that’s when things get really dangerous.”

“…”

“When I’m with you, I keep doing things I normally wouldn’t. And…”

Zerakiel’s gaze drifted to my neck. His golden eyes seemed to narrow slightly, like a predator preparing for a hunt.

A cold sweat broke out on my skin. Zerakiel nonchalantly averted his gaze and said, “I think this feeling is hunger.”

“…”

“What if I lose control and end up devouring you?”

He gave me a warning, smiling as he did so, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

This guy, I swear, if he doesn’t say something outrageous at least once a day, he must feel like he’s missing out.

“Get out.”

I shoved him towards the door, pushing him out of the room.

* * *

“Get out.”

With that cold command, the door slammed shut.

Zerakiel, now standing outside, let his smile fade as quickly as it had appeared. His face turned as cold as ice, a stark contrast to the mischievous boy who had been making jokes just moments ago.

He looked down at his arm, the same one he had instinctively pulled back when Cersia reached out to him. It was as if he had felt that being caught would be the end of him.

She was just a weaker carnivorous beastman, nothing more. So why did he feel like a cornered prey in the presence of a mere herbivore?

The emotion was foreign, strange. It was odd that despite knowing she found him annoying, he kept seeking her out. Zerakiel found himself almost laughing at his own absurdity.

“This is strange. Really strange.”

It was an emotion he had never experienced before, making it all the more unfamiliar. He had simply taken in a ferret that had randomly fallen into his life. It had been nothing more than a fleeting whim.

So how had that whim turned into something he couldn’t stop thinking about?

As Zerakiel was about to return to his quarters, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Approaching from the opposite direction was Zakari, accompanied by Duke and his youngest son, Victor. The fact that Zakari had been meeting with Duke more frequently lately was a sign that his condition was worsening.

“Young master, it’s been a while.”

Victor was the first to greet Zerakiel. It was the first time they had seen each other since last autumn, when Victor had been dispatched to the border.

“I was planning to visit you, but here we are. I’ve just returned from my mission, and it’s fortunate that your wedding is coming up soon. How lucky I am! Hahaha!”

Victor’s jovial manner and easygoing nature made him popular among the members of the Jabis family. He had even lived at the Jabis estate before being sent to the border, where he studied medicine under Duke.

However, Zerakiel’s expression remained indifferent as he looked at Victor.