While Cedric commanded the people as the Crown Prince, soldiers moved about in perfect order, and the suspicious gazes that had been directed at us were immediately withdrawn.
‘It worked!’
Cesare, who immediately snapped and broke the ropes binding his wrists with magic, rubbed the scarred marks while glaring at the guard. The poor guard couldn’t say a word and stood at attention to let him go.
“Tsk. We wasted time over something trivial.”
“It wasn’t trivial, Cesare. Senior got hurt. Ahaha….”
I quickly glossed over his impudent remark calling the Crown Prince’s attack trivial, lest anyone hear it. Well, it seemed too late to hide that Cesare was a bad seed anyway.
“Cain. I told you to protect only Lionel. Lionel, you… Are you planning to get disciplined again?”
“Rye ran out recklessly! Crying that regicide only gets the death penalty!”
“Don’t lie! I didn’t cry! But I came and cleared your suspicion!”
“There was no evidence, so it would have been enough without you.”
“Ah, I’m hungry. Did anyone grab some food? Protein would be good.”
“How can you think of eating in this situation! My heart almost fell out!”
As we bickered, Princess Françoise approached from behind us. I awkwardly paid my respects to her.
“Uh… Oh. I greet Your Highness the Princess…. Thank you so much for helping us!”
“It’s my honor to help clear your false accusations.”
When I moved my lips slightly to mouth ‘Lucy?’ the Princess smiled brightly and nodded. Thinking Lucy must have helped after all, I quickly approached and whispered softly.
“Is Lucy here too? She said she wasn’t coming today, is she okay? She’s very timid so she must have been terribly shocked….”
“……”
After hearing my whisper, she tilted her head with a confused expression. Then soon she smiled broadly and politely held her dress hem.
“She is fine. As I’ve heard, Mellans-kun is truly a thoughtful and kind person.”
“Oh, no. Not really.”
“I must go now. I look forward to meeting you again next time. Lionel Mellans-kun.”
The Princess shook off her dress hem as if the splendid dress was cumbersome, then walked toward where her ladies-in-waiting were.
And before I could collect myself, someone ran over and hugged my back tightly. Even without turning around, I could tell from the soft and warm embrace that it was Aunt Belitia.
“Aunt!”
“……!”
My heart finally felt at ease as Aunt, with tears welling up, kept touching my cheeks.
“Really, Aunt. Am I a child?”
I felt a bit embarrassed and smiled awkwardly because Aunt was cradling me like a baby in front of my friends, then my eyes met with Cesare who had his arms crossed.
His eyes, whose thoughts I couldn’t read, were beautifully curved as he smiled at me. I felt no malice, no mockery, no sneer. Truly… it was a beautiful face.
‘Cesare’s smile is really pretty….’
Looking at him, I felt something tickling rising from the pit of my stomach. At least for this moment, I didn’t want to think this fresh sweetness was because of the Addiction. But this was clearly a fabricated emotion.
‘I have so many things to protect.’
Aunt and Grandfather who truly worry about me, and the Mellans Trading Company that my late parents worked hard to build. I didn’t want to endanger the family here who awakened in me the warmth of family that I never had even in Korea.
That’s when I decided. Since I couldn’t refuse him, I would defend myself more aggressively.
If I couldn’t escape from him, I would make him distance himself from me—that’s what I decided.
I would show this damn feudal society bastard the hot-tempered and impatient K-mindset.
* * *
It was late at night past midnight, but the Grand Hall was still in disarray. The VIP guests including Aunt had been investigated by the imperial knights and had barely returned to their lodgings, and only the students who were next in line remained to be investigated or receive care for their shock.
“Take this. They were handing them out downstairs.”
“Oh, cocoa!”
As I was looking down below through the window from the upper terrace of the Grand Hall, a cup of cocoa was offered to me. It was Cesare. As I took the cup with white steam rising warmly, Cesare sat down next to me. He let out a sigh and spoke.
“Today was really a hectic day. It’s a wonder I haven’t gone crazy.”
“Hmph. That’s right.”
“The faculty is also investigating, so classes are suspended for the time being.”
“We got time to study for exams. Still, I’m really glad you weren’t arrested.”
I let out a sigh of relief as I took a sip of the sweet cocoa. It was late so the moon had moved far away, and it was a calm dawn with only night insects chirping. The cold dawn air mixed with the cocoa scent, creating a strange heat that touched my cheeks.
I felt Cesare staring blankly at me from the side. Feeling somehow embarrassed, I avoided his gaze slightly and asked.
“Why are you staring?”
“Now that I look, I was thinking your eyelashes are long. Or is the transformation potion not fully worn off, Lady?”
“Ugh. Don’t tease me…. I had no choice if I was going to grant your request.”
“You were pretty. Everyone was only looking at you.”
“…How did you realize that woman was me?”
Cesare blurted out as if I was asking the obvious.
“Anyone could tell it was you.”
“…Me? But I cast confusion magic so you shouldn’t have recognized me.”
“Your gait, your cheeky way of speaking. That you like chocolate crepes.”
Cesare continued with a laugh.
“That strange ‘hmph’ interjection, and when dancing you were probably sticking your tongue out about halfway like this? It’s a habit that comes out when you’re concentrating.”
When Cesare tilted his head while sticking his tongue out halfway in imitation of me, my heart pounded heavily as if a stone had dropped in my chest from the lethal dose of cuteness. Whether I reacted or not, he excitedly explained.
“The way you shake your head, how you’re bold in strange situations but when you’re anxious you just roll your eyes in a timid manner—everything was the same. I thought I’d cleverly found the perfect ideal type, but it was you, Lionel—isn’t that really ridiculous.”
“I just didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“I know. You’ve always been that way. I’ve never been dissatisfied. Today too.”
Cesare chuckled and leaned comfortably against the building’s outer wall. His exposed wrist with crossed arms was swollen red. It was a wound from when he was bound earlier.
Cesare was strangely meticulous about other matters, but didn’t really worry about his own body, as if he thought he was immortal. Worried, I pulled and grabbed that hand.
“Give me your wrist. It’s red.”
“It’s nothing. That guy just tied the rope too tight so it swelled a bit.”
Even as he said that, Cesare obediently handed over his wrist. I took out one of the ointments distributed as relief supplies downstairs earlier and applied it to his wrist. Because his skin was so white it seemed like it would be smooth, but Cesare’s skin was unexpectedly manly, covered with lean muscles.
“Cesare. You curse in all sorts of ways when I get hurt, but when you get hurt you say it’s nothing.”
“That’s because when you get hurt, you always get hurt stupidly.”
“I’m not stupid. You’re just too smart.”
When I stuck my lips out slightly and answered sulkily, Cesare kept giggling beside me for some reason. Thinking this was the moment, I threw bait to execute my plan while massaging his swollen wrist.
“You know. Cesare. Will you keep me by your side even though I’m this pathetic?”
“I’ve called you stupid but never said you were pathetic.”
“I mean, um… even if I do something stupid. Even if I do something that makes you angry, will you still keep me by your side?”
At my question, his eyes holding a mysterious reddish light turned toward me. I swallowed dry saliva at the somehow tense feeling. Then Cesare’s hand rose up above my head.
“Lionel. It was only you.”
“Mm?”
I was startled for a moment, but soon looked at him intently at the touch that patted me like praising a puppy.
“When the Crown Prince was attacked earlier, everyone suspected me. Even Cain asked me right away if I had hired someone to do it. But you… even without knowing anything, you came to prove my innocence.”
Come to think of it, I had naturally assumed Cesare wasn’t the culprit. As Cain said, there was also the possibility that he had someone else attack Cedric.
‘I didn’t even suspect this trash personality bastard did it!’
“You looked quite entertaining barking at Jayden Fellox?”
Barking! Am I really a dog…?
“Ugh. That’s because of course you wouldn’t have done it!”
My cheeks burned as I remembered shamelessly fighting with Jayden in front of everyone. As I finished speaking vaguely, Cesare laughed with a deep sigh and crossed his arms.
“Lionel. What’s natural for you seems to be difficult for others.”
Cesare, speaking with a faint smile, looked a bit tired. He looked straight at me and spoke with a confident expression.
“Will I keep you by my side no matter what you do? I swear on the name of the Yanox family, Lionel. No matter what stupid thing you do, I’ll keep you by my side. Because you proved it today.”
“……”
“That you’re an important person to me.”
I knew what he wanted was only my money, but just for that moment, I really. Really. Wanted to distort it to mean he cherished me.
But I knew all too well that the bigger the sweet dream grows, the more bitter reality becomes. Barely swallowing the hot thing rising up in my throat, I bowed my head deeply. Then I opened my mouth with difficulty.
“Sorry… Cesare.”
“Why the sudden apology?”
“I’ll apologize in advance, but don’t forgive me.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed Cesare by the collar. Then I immediately kissed him.
“What… mmph!”
As soon as his defenseless lips touched mine, a thrilling shiver flowed through my entire body. After that, with no time to calculate or think about anything, only instinct moved my body.
I sucked in Cesare’s breath that was sharply inhaled with a gasp, and deeply pushed my tongue in.
“Rye, Rye…? Nngh!”
I pressed down with my body on the startled, squirming Cesare and roughly pushed him toward the wall. Then I placed my hand on his firm chest, twisted my head, and forcibly intertwined our floundering tongues.
‘Sweet. Maddeningly sweet.’
The sweet cocoa scent rose through the gaps between our teeth. Stimulated by that sweetness, I moved my tongue more intensely as if punishing Cesare for all the times he’d played with me until now. I thoroughly swept the inside of his mouth and pressed my body close. A desire to show him everything down to my deepest parts echoed deep in the pit of my stomach.
“Haah…! Mmhnn.”
I was becoming more impatient at his heating breath. I was clearly the one who took the lead, so why did it feel like I was the one pleading? Thinking he might push me away, I first grabbed the back of his head and roughly climbed on top.
Sitting on top of his firm thigh, I wrapped one arm tightly around his neck and mercilessly bit his soft lips with my teeth bared.
“Cesare, Yanox. Even like this… even like this will you… keep me by your side….”
