#100
“Your Highness, you’re already awake.”
Sercil quickly composed his expression and welcomed me with a bright smile.
“Yeah, I thought Sercil might be waiting.”
I answered nonchalantly and pulled his hand toward the table.
Fortunately, it was a table with two chairs, so we could sit facing each other.
He was led along as I guided him and sat in one of the chairs, then looked at me with strange eyes.
‘I’m out of breath.’
There was a reason the Archduke naturally lifted and moved me.
I briefly thought that my condition seemed worse than I’d expected, but I needed to focus on the present for now.
I had enough blood.
“Is it really okay for you to be moving around like this already?”
“Of course.”
After casually answering Sercil, who asked with a probing gaze, I held out my hand.
He just stared blankly.
“Hand.”
“Ah…?”
The strange look briefly faded as Sercil tilted his head.
Then he obediently placed his hand on top of mine.
His hand was slightly cold and moist, so I knew he was nervous.
“Don’t worry, Fairy-nim. I’m just trying to start the curse removal quickly. Even if it’s uncomfortable, please bear with it a little.”
When I spoke in low, slow, soothing tones, Sercil somehow stared at me blankly. Without that probing look from earlier.
‘If he was eavesdropping, he would have heard the conversation I had with the Archduke at the door. Then he would have heard about the curse acceleration.’
He must be anxious.
If he became even more restless here, mistakes could happen, and I couldn’t know what kind of consequences that might bring to Sercil.
“It… can’t possibly be comfortable.”
“Hmm.”
So even if my unusual behavior aroused excessive suspicion, I had to stabilize him.
I spoke in a slightly cold voice.
“Fairy-nim. Let’s be honest for a moment.”
“…What?”
“Ah, I’m not getting angry.”
Of course, only briefly—I spoke to him again in a comfortable tone and voice.
“It’s just that our Fairy-nim seems to like me.”
“…Huh?”
Sercil’s expression went blank.
As if he’d heard something impossible.
“If not, that would be fortunate… but if it’s true, it becomes troublesome.”
“No. Your Highness…?”
Of course I knew. That he would react like this.
It was so-called shock therapy.
I shrugged my shoulders and began using nullification while holding his hand.
However, unlike with Crown Prince hyung, I didn’t take out the blood from my spatial pouch to use it, so blood only pooled in my mouth before being swallowed repeatedly.
Ugh, it’s nauseating.
“Hup.”
“Bear with it.”
Sercil’s eyes widened as if he felt something. He still looked bewildered, but seemed more surprised by the sudden start of nullification.
I spoke firmly and put a clean cloth in his mouth.
“It shouldn’t hurt. But Fairy-nim gets startled easily, so bite down on this.”
“Mmph. Mm…”
“Good boy. Listen in that state.”
Soon, Sercil would probably move.
The reason for doing something I hadn’t done before regression or in the original work was naturally because of me, but if the variables became too extreme, he might become a fairy among the half-demons again.
‘It’s best to be careful about this myself.’
So I said:
“Actually, you know. I knew the moment I first saw you. That you’re a fairy.”
“Mmng…?”
“That look in your eyes saying ‘what nonsense is that after setting up the mood so well’?”
When I chuckled and spoke leisurely, Sercil’s eyes wavered slightly.
“But it’s really true. You have that fairy-specific… sickeningly overly sweet scent that makes me frown.”
“…?”
“Ah, don’t tell me you don’t know that fairies actually exist…? Oh… that’s right.”
“Mmng mmng.”
“They exist. No, they definitely existed.”
I lightly touched his cheek with my fingertips and gently stroked it. As if telling him to calm down.
“No one knows the origin of fairies, but evidence that they existed is actually overflowing everywhere in the world. Though it’s a fact that only those in the know are aware of. The problem is that among those who know, there are also half-demons.”
“…!”
“Fairy-nim, that’s why it would be a big problem if Fairy-nim received curse removal from half-demons.”
If possible, this should sound like a threat.
I needed to stabilize him while making sure he could protect himself no matter what, and simultaneously make him trust my words.
To do that, it would be beneficial for me to reveal my villainous nature.
I continued speaking slowly while swallowing the blood that kept rising.
“Half-demons hate fairies so much. That’s why when I met Yunen, I didn’t let Sercil come anywhere near. In an uncursed state, even half-demons probably wouldn’t know anyway. Just as a precaution? …But it seems like the person involved should know now.”
Sercil spat out the cloth with a “ptui.”
“What is all this about? A fairy? Me? Eh?”
“‘Eh,’ he says.”
I couldn’t help but giggle because he was genuinely adorable, then gathered my laughter and propped my chin with the hand not holding his.
Then I looked at him intently while curling up the corners of my mouth.
“Don’t you feel something moving in your stomach right now?”
“…Ah.”
Only after hearing my words did Sercil seem to notice, looking around his body with surprised eyes.
“It feels like butterflies are flying in my stomach.”
“Ho. Butterflies.”
Not a feeling like worms moving, but butterflies moving?
This definitely seemed more fitting for the original work’s bottom.
“It feels like there are… more of them.”
“Hmm. As expected.”
“Did Your Highness anticipate this?”
He looked a bit confused.
His gaze darkening slightly suggested he was starting to have conflicts about the half-demon situation.
Now he’ll definitely be careful.
“It’s just speculation at best. …Related memories came to mind the moment I saw you. At first I wondered what this was, but goodness, a fairy!”
“Is that also a memory… carved into your soul?”
“Probably?”
“Any other evidence…?”
“Ah, that?”
I grinned and presented the answer I’d prepared.
“Honestly, Sercil, your appearance is close to that of a fairy, and I’ve also looked into your family.”
“My family?”
Sercil’s expression instantly turned menacing.
I was inwardly surprised. In the original work, Sercil was also a kind and gentle bottom, but when I directly got involved before regression, he was a good person who needed to be carefully looked after.
‘But he showed killing intent.’
Though it disappeared quickly, that was also surprising. From experience, it was the kind of skilled concealment I’d only seen from seasoned assassins.
Perhaps I know much less about Sercil than I thought.
I decided to think about that later and soften his nerves before it was too late.
“Our Crown Prince hyung, Marcus hyung, and the Archduke. Those three are people worthy of having such a powerful curse cast on them by half-demons. But Sercil wasn’t like that.”
“That’s true, but… did you conduct a separate investigation?”
“Mm-hmm. I have my own routes, so I looked into it to some extent.”
The route of regression experience, so the accuracy is quite high too.
I answered casually, as if unconcerned by his serious atmosphere. One piece of information about Sercil that had been randomly dug up and revealed after Sercil was exposed as a fairy before everyone back then.
“The Lindea family were descendants of Adnil. If you start with the Lindea family and look into it, you might not know, but when I traced the steps of some representatively known legendary fairies, it came up.”
“…”
“The physical description of Adnil also matches Fairy-nim’s appearance exactly.”
“Hmm.”
“Hard to believe? Still, it would be good to keep it in mind. If nothing else, the curse is probably also serving to seal the fairy’s power for Fairy-nim.”
“…What?”
“Looking at where this ritual was performed, it seems the half-demons still don’t know Sercil is a fairy. I’m not sure why that is though.”
It was probably because Eris handled it independently without bothering to tell her subordinates.
“Anyway, it’s good news. If they don’t know, wouldn’t it be advantageous to keep them from knowing?”
“…For whom?”
Sercil still seemed flustered, but appeared to have regained some composure while listening to my words.
“Well, for us.”
At the words that included even the Archduke who might be listening outside, Sercil glanced toward the door with an “oh” expression.
I watched this with a smile, then slowly let go of his hand.
“Your Highness is also… a half-demon. But you don’t seem particularly interested…”
“I’m not really interested in that sort of thing. I’m much more interested in our Fairy-nim’s cuteness.”
At my playful response, Sercil stared at me blankly.
“Well, that’s all for today. Let’s continue tomorrow. Ah, but Fairy-nim.”
“Yes.”
I leisurely left a final warning.
“Half-demons will be different from me.”
“…How different?”
“Earlier you said it felt like a swarm of butterflies flying around in your stomach?”
“Mm. Yes.”
Did I overdo it a bit?
Cough, I swallowed a light cough along with bloody phlegm while raising the corners of my mouth higher. Then I pretended to pause while cleaning up my mouth before speaking.
“Usually people say butterflies are pretty when they see them, but those who aren’t usual tear off their wings when they see butterflies.”
At the violent expression, Sercil opened his mouth slightly with an expression that left him speechless.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
