Edmund gazed intently at my lips, took a sip of water, and lowered his head.
“Mm.”
Soon, his lips pressed against mine. I shuddered as the lukewarm water and his smooth tongue entered my mouth, forcing me to swallow the pill.
Before I could catch my breath, he deepened the kiss.
“Ah…”
My breathing grew ragged, and a longing sigh escaped my throat. The heat of his tongue brushing against my soft palate and delicate inner mouth sent shivers down my spine.
Haa…
After a long moment, his lips finally pulled away.
Dazed, I rested my clenched fists against his chest, panting.
When I looked up at him, his narrowed eyes held a seductive glint.
“If you refuse to take your medicine again, I will use this method.”
Still caught in the lingering warmth, I blinked slowly and mumbled.
“…That might not be so bad.”
“…What did you just say?”
Oh no. That was too careless of me.
I pressed my forehead against his chest and whispered.
“…Ah, nothing. Forget it.”
To avoid his gaze, I quickly turned my back to him and leaned against him.
I heard him chuckle softly, clearly having caught my words, but I shut my eyes tightly, pretending not to hear. Please, just let it slide.
Thankfully, he picked up a plate from the bedside table and scooped up some thin soup with a spoon.
As he brought the spoon to my lips, I clumsily accepted the soup and swallowed.
“…How was the case handled over the past month?”
Edmund’s hand, which was reaching for the plate again, froze. After a brief pause, he stirred the soup gently.
“His Majesty has learned everything.”
“…What?”
Startled, I widened my eyes and turned to him. Did that mean the Emperor had recovered enough to be aware of the situation?
And if His Majesty knew about the case, then surely he also knew about Lunox…
Edmund gave me a faint smile and rubbed his chin affectionately against my forehead.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has informed His Majesty that the monsters appeared due to a gate. It won’t be considered a serious issue. However, I’ve defied the imperial decree to enter the palace under the pretense of caring for you. I can no longer delay.”
What? A chill ran through me.
“…Did you just say you disobeyed a direct order?”
No matter how much the Emperor favored us…
Seeing my pale expression, he gently kissed my forehead and reassured me in a calm voice.
“His Majesty will understand.”
“Well, I suppose…”
I felt relieved by his words but also uneasy, uncertain of how long His Majesty’s health would last.
“Once I’m fully recovered, I should enter the palace. Oh, by the way, what about the ducal estate and the knights?”
“The collapsed parts of the estate are being rebuilt, and the gardens are under construction. Also…”
His expression darkened slightly. He set the bowl of soup down on the bedside table and continued.
“There were few casualties, but we did have fatalities. We held their funerals and awarded honors to their families.”
Ah… right, they…
I briefly recalled the fallen and closed my eyes, feeling a wave of sorrow.
Thinking of the knights who died in battle weighed heavily on my heart.
Sacrifices are inevitable in war. And this wasn’t just personal revenge—it was for the safety of the empire. I had no reason to bear the guilt of their loss, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were enjoying peace at their expense.
We were indebted to them, whether we liked it or not.
Suddenly, I remembered the memorial ceremony for the knights who had participated in the subjugation.
This time, I wanted to pray longer, with deeper respect and mourning for their souls.
I placed my hand gently on Edmund’s as I gave a bittersweet smile.
“And their families…”
“They were devastated, of course. But since they had already said their final goodbyes before the incident, they accepted it with relative calm.”
“…I see.”
Even if their deaths were considered honorable, nothing could lessen the grief of losing a loved one.
“Most of them were the heads of their households, so I’m planning ongoing support to ensure their families can continue living comfortably.”
“That’s a great idea. I should visit the families and honor the fallen in person.”
“Let’s do that.”
Edmund gazed at me warmly as he continued feeding me soup.
Seeing me obediently accept it, he smiled in satisfaction.
“But aren’t you curious about something? You’re not asking.”
I glanced up at him while swallowing. As expected, he’s sharp.
“Aren’t you wondering whether Lunox has perished?”
“The moment he was separated from you, he disappeared from sight. That means you succeeded in sealing him.”
“I see…”
So he already knew.
“Oh, what about the purification stone?”
Edmund picked up a napkin from the bedside table and gently dabbed at my lips before answering.
“I was too focused on saving you to check right away, but the purification stone has sunk into the abyss.”
“So it’s lost forever.”
Edmund gave a small nod.
“It will remain buried there for eternity.”
His lowered gaze and subdued voice seemed strangely lacking in energy.
He probably hadn’t had the time to process his emotions over the past month.
The destruction of the monster he had chased all his life.
The anxious hours spent nursing me as I lay unconscious.
Even imagining it made my chest tighten and my eyes sting. How much more overwhelming must it have been for him?
I stole a glance at Edmund.
‘How does he feel about Lunox’s end?’
Lunox’s death had been miserable.
‘Etricia, you were wrong.’
Even in the end, he refused to acknowledge it.
He had been too afraid to accept that he had caused the death of someone precious to him.
Afraid to realize it.
It all began with the reformation experiments.
Like Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and experiencing shame, Lunox had developed emotions and, with them, a sense of emptiness. He envied what he lacked.
Perhaps, after gaining human emotions, he had desperately wished to escape his identity as a monster.
“Etricia, what are you thinking about?”
His sudden voice pulled me back to reality. Edmund was watching me with a faint smile.
Looking at him, I thought…
Unlike Leticia, I would never forgive Lunox for what he did to Edmund.
Ultimately, the saint’s lineage had ended, and the reformation experiments had ceased. That was a relief.
Humans and monsters were like oil and water—fundamentally incapable of coexistence.
I smiled faintly and shook my head.
“It’s nothing. Just a dream I remembered.”
“A dream?”
“I met Leticia again.”
“You mean the saint who experimented on Lunox to reform him?”
“Yes. Do you still resent Leticia?”
It would be fair if he did. Even I was filled with anger when I learned the whole truth.
He kissed the back of my hand and fell deep into thought. After a while, a faint smile appeared on his face.
“Maybe. I might hate the two of them forever.”
He gave a vague answer, then pressed his forehead against mine.
“But Leticia… she brought me to you. So I don’t think I can hate her for too long.”
“Actually, I feel the same way.”
I turned my body and wrapped my arms around Edmund. I was truly thankful that she led me to this man.
As I hugged him tightly with all my strength, I felt his throat vibrate against my forehead with a soft laugh.
“Are you trying to satisfy your desires while you’re still sick?”
“Oh my, what do you take me for? I’m giving you energy. Take all the love I have to give.”
“If I do that, I might die from being smothered by your love.”
“So you do know? Just how big my love is.”
Edmund chuckled softly and hugged me with one arm. Thanks to that, I was wrapped in his warm embrace, soaked in happiness.
I wished that when the day came for me to rest forever, I could close my eyes just like this, together with him.
“It feels strange.”
“What does?”
He suddenly lowered his head and placed his lips on the back of my neck as he spoke.
His soft breath tickled my neck, and I couldn’t help but giggle and tilt my head.
As if he was teasing, he went deeper and kissed me with a small “chu” sound.
“Haha, what is it—?”
Clinging to him like a koala, I whined, and he let out a small sigh.
“I feel relieved that you woke up, but at the same time, I feel uneasy.”
Surprised, I straightened up and looked at him.
“Uneasy?”
Edmund squinted one eye, trying to understand his own feelings.
Then, with a bitter expression, he gave a small laugh.
“It feels like I’ve forgotten something I needed to do.”
He smiled faintly, lost in an emotion he couldn’t quite explain.
“I don’t know what to do with my life now.”
My heart ached. Even though he hated that person so much, he felt empty now that they were gone.
Maybe that person was the center of his life.
Feeling sorry for him, I cupped his cheek with one hand and gave him a soft kiss.
“I’m feeling a little jealous. I didn’t know Lunox was such a big part of your life. From now on, only I should fill that empty space.”
I poked his chest playfully and laughed.
“Enough.”
He laughed as if he had no choice and grabbed my finger. I leaned my head on his shoulder with a smile.
“You’ve been running too hard for too long. It’s time to say goodbye.”
“Goodbye?”
“Yes. Saying goodbye to your emotions is very important.”
“Goodbye, huh.”
He let out a deflated laugh, then took the hand I was using to stroke his shoulder and brought it to his lips.
“I’ll try.”
“Good. You’ve been holding back all this time, so now, do what you want.”
We smiled at each other happily, and I playfully strengthened my gaze.
“Let’s take this chance to let go of everything and rest properly. We haven’t even had a real date yet.”
I said it in a sulky tone on purpose, rubbing my cheek against his chest. A small wrinkle formed on his stiff shirt from the friction.
Hmm. He let out a soft sigh from his nose and gently pressed my head to his chest with his big hand.
“Then once you recover, let’s go on a date.”
“Great. Where should we go?”
A forest where mysterious fireflies glow in rainbow colors? Or a trail full of autumn leaves where we can feel the season?
As I leaned on him and happily thought about where to go for our first date, he twirled the ends of my hair with his finger and rested his face on the top of my head.
“…But are you really okay with me doing what I want?”
He seemed to have thought it over deeply and asked the question long after the mood had passed.
The delay made me feel a bit uneasy, but I still answered gladly.
“Yes. From now on, do whatever you want.”
“You said it clearly.”
“I did, didn’t I?”
That was when we heard someone hurriedly running up the stairs.
