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Unlike the latter, which was quite intuitive, the former was a word whose meaning could change depending on the listener’s subjective interpretation.
He knew it referred to a sweet and warm atmosphere. However, he only knew the ‘definition’, not having truly experienced romance. It wasn’t easy to understand such a poetic word when he was just learning about emotions.
Meanwhile, Rohan was staring at Arpel with narrowed eyes, as if seeing through the layers of confusion in his mind.
Even without being as attuned to emotions as Arpel, he could tell that Arpel was distracted and confused by the current situation. After all, Rohan had been watching Arpel since they were very young.
Even with an expressionless face, there were changes, and these changes were more noticeable when dealing with him. Apart from being quite satisfying, this allowed Rohan to grasp Arpel’s moods more quickly.
“Arpel.”
A soft word caught Arpel’s attention. The voice was as firm as their clasped hands.
And then…
“You’ve been muttering the word ‘romance’ for a while now…”
He finally voiced the culprit that had been confusing Arpel. Seeing the purple eyes widen, he barely suppressed the corners of his mouth from rising involuntarily.
“Did I say that?”
“Yes. Something similar.”
He hadn’t spoken it out loud. His moving lips had simply conveyed that word. After noticing the repeated pattern of his mouth movements, Rohan realized that he was repeating the word ‘romance’.
He answered lightly without explaining the process, but his gently curved eyes showed no sign of letting go until he got an answer.
Arpel’s expression clouded instantly. Not only had he failed to pay proper attention to Rohan due to being distracted by the Demon God’s words, but he had also been caught showing it. His mood sank automatically at the hint of disappointment wafting through.
At that moment, a unique noise spread throughout the capital.
Whoosh- Bang!
The sound of something flying high into the sky and exploding. Unconsciously turning their heads, they saw the sky sparkling with colorful fireworks.
Dazzling silver, similar to the color of the moon, as well as red and blue flowers instantly adorned the night sky. Even the starlight seemed to pale in comparison to the overwhelming brilliance.
However, that too was brief. Because when he belatedly turned his gaze, he saw Rohan still staring at him with unchanged eyes.
Every time a firework rose into the sky with a faint noise and burst, multicolored light fell on his face.
Nevertheless, Rohan’s gaze remained steadfast. Although he was the one who had brought Arpel to this spot with a good view, it seemed as if the fireworks weren’t included in his current interests.
Blinking slowly, Arpel quietly admitted. That at least this atmosphere probably wasn’t the ‘romance’ the Demon God had mentioned. Slowly pushing away the worries that had been clouding his mind, he squeezed the hand that was still holding his.
“Would you like it to be a romantic atmosphere?”
Unfortunately, the attempt to cut off his thoughts ended in just an attempt. Rohan’s voice, picking up that word again, made his fingertips twitch.
The unwavering gaze urged an answer. The noise of bursting fireworks and the cheers of people below gradually faded away. After hesitating for a moment, his lips moving slightly, Arpel finally nodded.
“Why?”
“…Just because.”
“That’s a lie.”
His mouth opened slowly, but no sound came out. The subtle disappointment that had leaked out was suddenly tinged with dazzling joy.
The moment he recognized it, what had been like dewdrops only dampening his collar began to pour down like a heavy rain. The warm emotion finally blossomed into ecstasy.
“You have something you want to say to me, don’t you?”
His golden eyes were sparkling more than the fireworks adorning the sky. His small voice was tinged with laughter, quite playful, but Arpel read the deep longing contained within it.
The slight tug on his hand seemed to be a silent urge to speak quickly. Perhaps unable to hide the elation of being on the verge of getting what he wanted, Arpel couldn’t shake the thought that it resembled a child’s whim.
Although he was full of hesitation, wanting to give up and put it off, he couldn’t bring himself to ignore Rohan, who seemed so expectant.
“I…”
He managed to open his mouth, but that was it. All the advice the Demon God had left had evaporated. Everything had turned completely blank, and he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to say or even what he had been thinking just moments ago.
As this was a phenomenon he had never experienced before, Arpel froze in place as if he had malfunctioned. He felt as if his mind was becoming distant and his ears were becoming dull.
A long silence followed, but Rohan waited patiently without urging. By the time Arpel struggled to open his mouth, the last firework had long since burst, signaling the end of the festival.
“Because I’m not human… I thought I had to act like a human.”
What he finally uttered seemed quite out of the blue at first glance. Arpel was acutely aware of this fact. Having forgotten all the various pieces of advice about confessing, he had simply opened his mouth with whatever came to mind.
“…Is that so?”
“That’s why I rejected you. I thought I was like a parent to you… and according to human logic, I couldn’t give you the relationship you wanted.”
What he was quietly confessing was clearly sincere.
There wasn’t even the slightest tremor in the eyes he was facing. Now that the fireworks were over and only the large moon in the sky was illuminating them, Arpel thought that Rohan’s eyes seemed to hold a soft moonlight.
“Arpel.”
The voice, still tinged with a faint smile, called to Arpel.
“I’ve never once thought of Arpel as human.”
Along with these quite shocking words.
The deep breaths he had been taking to calm his heart, which was asserting its presence more than usual today, suddenly stopped. His rapidly blinking eyes held a slight bewilderment. Although he hadn’t wished to be thought of as human, Rohan’s words were too resolute.
“I loved you knowing full well that Arpel isn’t human. It doesn’t matter to me what kind of being Arpel is. Because I chose to love Arpel.”
The eyes he met were firm, without a single common fluctuation or wavering. Perhaps that’s why they felt even more beautiful. As if caught in an inescapable snare, Arpel couldn’t take his eyes off Rohan for a while.
When Rohan’s eyelids closed and opened again.
Only then could he finally admit it.
How fortunate it was that you loved me.
Arpel couldn’t help but break into a bright smile. Faced with this clear change, it was Rohan’s turn to become dazed.
A gentle voice began to speak. Although it had been a problem that had made him worry for a very long time, now he was glad that he could give Rohan the answer.
“Rohan, as you know, I’m not good at understanding emotions. So I can’t return your ‘I love you’ right away, but…”
“…”
“Still, I want to be by your side forever. I hope you’ll stay by my side forever. I… like the feeling of being loved by you.”
Rohan’s lips moved, and his eyes gradually filled with moisture. As if he already knew what Arpel was going to say next.
“So… will you teach me what love is?”
An indescribable emotion welled up to the tip of his throat. Perhaps because of that, he felt as if his head had turned completely white while speaking. His heartbeat was particularly loud, and he felt heat rising to his face.
Everything was unpredictable, but still, he liked Rohan’s eyes that were pouring out countless emotions. Weren’t they whispering that he was happier than ever before?
His hand was grasped and pulled. In an instant, his body was drawn forward and touched a firm chest. He could feel an excessively strong heartbeat from the body pressed against him.
“I’ll keep… keep teaching you. I can teach you.”
An overwhelmed voice scattered.
Thank you. I love you. Rohan repeated these two phrases over and over. Arpel, who had been silently nestled in his embrace, slowly moved his hands. Both hands lightly embraced Rohan’s body.
Ah. Arpel soon let out a small sigh.
The incessant sound of a heart about to burst, the happiness and affection pouring out endlessly as if to fill the whole world, the voice confessing love over and over… He thought that if someone else had gotten these instead, he might have ended up killing that person.
It wasn’t a guess, but a certainty. He didn’t want to lose this. He absolutely didn’t want to lose all these things Rohan was giving him.
It was a rather cruel conclusion, but Arpel knew his own nature. Having already acknowledged his abnormal obsession and impure desires for him, it wasn’t difficult to acknowledge this thought that suddenly occurred to him.
A voice whispered in his heart. That it was rather fortunate. That because he wasn’t human but a Demon Sword, because the personality tied to his soul by the specters had dulled, he was free from human standards…
If it weren’t for all of that, Arpel might have accepted Rohan’s confession but still been unable to shake off a faint sense of guilt.
But not now. What Arpel was feeling wasn’t guilt, but satisfaction. A satisfaction that might be called base, coming from the fact that all these aspects of Rohan were solely for him.
“Thank you.”
Arpel whispered softly. It was a voice filled with clear sincerity.
