84
The fact that their previously unclear relationship had been definitively named and connected as one was an overwhelming experience for both of them. Rohan, who had been mumbling “I love you” while embracing Arpel over and over again, only released him from his arms after a much longer time had passed.
Of course, while he released him from his embrace, he didn’t let go of his hand. Throughout their journey back up the now sparse streets as the festival was winding down.
Seeing the stalls being tidied up and the street lights dimming, there was a subtle regret for the fireworks that had passed in an instant. Except for when they first started, he had been focused on other things, and by the time he came to his senses, they were already over.
‘That seems to have been the ‘romance’.’
The regret didn’t stem from not seeing the magnificent and splendid fireworks adorning the sky. On second thought, there probably wouldn’t have been a moment more fitting for the “romantic atmosphere” the Demon Sword had spoken of.
In that optimal moment, with his mind going blank, he had uttered words closer to incoherent babbling than a confession. Though deep regret swelled within him, it wasn’t as if there wouldn’t be another chance.
If another day came to enjoy the capital’s festival, he would make sure to achieve that “romantic confession” he had been preparing for. As if determined not to forget the few lines the Demon Sword had taught him, he stacked them neatly in his heart.
Although it was actually fortunate that his memory of those unnecessarily cheesy, outdated lines – which were more like useless advice than actual help – had completely vanished, Arpel was unaware of this fact.
Somehow, the journey back to the imperial palace felt particularly short. It should have been no different from usual, but something was different.
Time seemed to flow quickly, the distance felt short, and even up until they returned to their room, washed up, and prepared for bed… strangely, every moment felt new.
Despite always feeling the weight of the person next to him when they lay side by side in bed, something in his heart felt tightly filled.
“Arpel… are you asleep?”
He felt fingers carefully approaching, fidgeting. Arpel opened his closed eyes and turned to the side, unable to help but smile slightly at the face with a clearly visible blush, even in the darkness.
“No, I’m not sleeping.”
“Can I hold your hand while we sleep?”
“Yes. Do as you like.”
“…Can I hug you while we sleep?”
“Sure.”
“……Can I kiss you?”
Arpel couldn’t help but let out a low laugh at the endless questions. It seemed like Rohan was trying to gauge his reaction, or perhaps using aegyo to finally get what he wanted.
When Arpel simply nodded his head, Rohan’s face brightened as he leaned his head closer. Soft lips buried themselves in Arpel’s cheek for a moment. It would have been a warmth that quickly disappeared if his nape hadn’t been gently held in the middle.
“…Arpel?”
“Now you don’t have to make wishes like that anymore.”
It was a very faint murmur. Just like how Rohan had once made a wish and shared a brief kiss under the pitch-black night sky, once again their lips met.
Rohan froze in place, not thinking to move. He looked as if one could believe time had suddenly stopped for him.
Somehow, the reaction was different. Arpel, who had been narrowing his eyes as if observing him, suddenly bit Rohan’s lower lip. It was just a very weak force that could have been mistaken for a nibble, but to someone, it was close to a tremor that made their whole body shiver.
The tip of the separating lips somehow felt sweet.
“Rohan.”
Arpel unhesitatingly placed his hand on the person who was standing still as if suffocating. His touch continued endlessly, caressing the cheek and fondling the lips he had just kissed.
Joy and love, perhaps a strand of desire. The feast of all these things intertwining and pouring down made Arpel feel dazed. The feeling of his mind heating up was quite addictive.
Eventually, what he uttered was quite out of the blue.
“Bite it.”
As he held out his finger and spoke, Rohan exhaled the breath he had been holding. His round eyes were those of someone who had heard something unexpected.
His gentle eyes blinked several times before biting the tip of Arpel’s finger. Arpel, who naturally thought he would let go as soon as he bit, shuddered slightly. It was because of the squishy sensation that followed.
“…I didn’t say to lick it.”
Seeing Rohan just smiling broadly at those words, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. In the end, Arpel had to offer his finger until Rohan was satisfied.
When he casually moved his finger, which gave him a strange feeling, he belatedly remembered what he had originally wanted to say. The reason he had told him to ask was all for the story he wanted to tell him afterwards.
“When I’m with you… even though I’m just a sword imitating a person, I feel emotions. I fall asleep even when I don’t want to, sometimes I even dream, and there are times when I feel pain.”
Arpel was simply amazed. The moments when he, who was merely imitating, felt as if he was truly becoming human. How could he not consider Rohan special? His eyes were filled with affection as he looked at him.
Although it was just a short impression, Rohan seemed to focus on something else. His expression became strangely worried. It seemed he was distracted by the word ‘pain’.
“Did it hurt?”
“…No. It just stung a little.”
“I’m sorry….”
The bitten finger was quickly taken by Rohan. His touch was excessively careful as he cradled the hand with faint teeth marks. Arpel, who just let out a faint laugh, stroked Rohan’s head with his other hand.
“I just wanted to tell you that you make me feel like a person. That’s what I wanted to say.”
After a very brief silence, Rohan’s hand moved quickly. Their bodies, which were already close enough, were now buried tightly without any gap.
No one spoke any more words, but with all sorts of emotions pouring down like shooting stars in the sky, Arpel closed his eyes gently. His hand patting Rohan’s back was slow, and at the same time, full of affection that he himself had not yet recognized.
“Thank you……”
The voice tinged with faint tears seemed happier than anyone else’s.
***
On the late night when someone finally grasped the happiness they had longed for, someone else was moving towards their own goal.
A few hours earlier, precisely before the fireworks started, Evelyn was out on the festival-filled streets just like the two of them.
Of course, no one recognized her. Not only had she found and worn shabby clothes that didn’t suit her at all and obscured her face strangely, but she had also tightly tied up her most noticeable hair and hidden it under a hat.
Although it was a sudden outing, no one would find it strange. Because she was closer to a tomboy than being elegant and graceful, it was not uncommon for her to sneak out during festival periods.
‘Father probably knows too…’
Rather than being caught sneaking out, it would be closer to predicting it based on knowing her nature. Anyone who had been around her would know that she wasn’t the type to stay quietly inside the imperial palace with a festival happening right in front of her.
– If you’re going out, take a knight guard with you.
How surprised she had been to hear those words on the day she had secretly gone to the festival and come back. At that time, her heart had pounded fiercely, but now she didn’t feel particularly that way.
Because she knew it was concern as a ‘father’. He wasn’t someone who took care of his family devotedly, but he wasn’t an insensitive person either.
A bitter smile spread across Evelyn’s face. Whenever she recalled this fact, she used to feel a strange emotion.
Because she was considering overthrowing her father and, if unavoidable, even killing him, she felt a sense of dissonance whenever she felt his affection.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t overlook his wrongdoings. That was the reason why she was standing here now.
“Your Highness. This seems to be the last one.”
“Good work.”
What shook off that feeling was when the knight guard who had come out with her threw a man tightly bound with rope onto the floor. As Evelyn briefly commended him, a man wearing black gloves slowly walked up beside her.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done an interrogation.”
It was a rather cheerful voice for someone dealing with those collapsed and trembling on the floor.
The ‘interrogation’ took place in a small warehouse attached to the side of the cabin where they were situated. The sound of those tightly bound with rope being dragged away and muffled screams gradually faded.
The man’s ‘interrogation’ didn’t take long. Evelyn, who had been standing guard with her arms crossed and legs crossed, without a trace of dishevelment, turned her gaze towards the figure emerging from the darkness.
“Oh, they’re doing fireworks.”
Bang, bang. The sound of something exploding seemed to come from very far away, but the colorful lights settled through the small gap in the window. After briefly looking out the window, the person added with a slight smile.
“I’m done now, so you can clean up.”
As he carelessly took off the leather gloves on his hands and threw them on the floor, something darker than the dark wooden floor stained it. Unlike the dust-covered black gloves, a slender, fair hand brushed back jade-colored hair.
Lexia, who had just emerged from the small warehouse attached to the cabin, had a face full of smiles. At a glance, it was such a clear smile that one might mistake it for looking refreshed.
But Evelyn, who had seen that face many times, could clearly tell. That he was, right now, in a considerably angry state.
Averting her gaze from the floor beyond, sticky with red liquid, she nodded her head once. It was a silent urging to speak quickly.
“For now, it doesn’t seem to be directly related to the church. What’s unusual is… that the people who were instigated for this job all have poor family circumstances, or have severe inferiority complexes and are very greedy.”
As Lexia waved his hand once in the air, the person standing like a wooden statue beside him handed over a document. On the fluttering paper, information about those who had accepted the instigation and committed heinous acts, and were now sprawled inside the warehouse, was neatly listed.
