# Chapter 83
“Poison doesn’t work on me.”
“I know. Above all, I would never feed Levi food with poison.”
Levi, who had been glaring at the bitter-looking Ion with even more confusion, sharply pulled his black hand away from Ion’s grasp.
“I’m different from you people. I don’t need to eat things like rice.”
“Not needing to eat means it’s fine if you do eat, right?”
Levi frowned at Ion who smiled brightly.
“You’re strange.”
“Why?”
Why, he asks.
The answer was so obvious that Levi was at a loss for words.
He couldn’t understand why Ion was being so kind now, when just before he had tried to kill him through his subordinates. Every glance and touch was warm, as if looking at something precious, and he showed no sign of pain despite being stabbed with a glass shard.
Not only that, but he even placed the dangerous glass shard nearby and told Levi he could swing it again if he wanted to. He even added that Levi should be careful not to hurt his hand while swinging it.
The magnificent and luxurious room, comparable to Raziel’s bedroom, was in a good location with warm sunlight pouring in, and the soft bed sheets and blanket were surprisingly comfortable. It was filled with high-quality fragrances and fresh flower scents that could instantly erase the slight smell of blood.
At this point, it was understandable to be confused. Was he here as a prisoner of war, or as an honored guest receiving lavish treatment from Ion Verdit, the Grand Duke of a nation?
Of course, the shackle on his ankle made it clear he was a prisoner.
So when Ion asked “why,” Levi wanted to counter with “Why are you treating me like this?” He also wanted to add that he wouldn’t be fooled anymore, so Ion should stop this useless act.
But when he faced Ion’s cheerfully smiling face, different words came out of his mouth first.
“Why do you keep smiling?”
It strangely irritated him. It felt like something was gently tickling his heart, and he wasn’t sure if it was good or bad.
Ion smiled more deeply, as if trying to enchant Levi.
“Because I’m happy.”
The response made Levi even more puzzled.
“Having Levi in front of me… makes me so happy.”
Ion’s golden eyes trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Levi’s hand moved on its own.
His black hand, which had only known how to take human lives and absorb blood, naturally brushed Ion’s eye area.
Ion wasn’t the only one surprised by this. Levi, belatedly realizing what he had done, flinched as he withdrew his hand and averted his gaze.
‘I thought he was crying.’
As if the great Ion Verdit would ever cry.
Even if he had cried, why would Levi try to comfort him?
His tickling heart pounded as if being struck by something. Since this was a phenomenon that occurred whenever he faced Ion Verdit, the agitation of his heart wasn’t unfamiliar now.
Realizing that it wasn’t just Ion Verdit who was strange but himself as well, Levi hesitated before quickly picking up the glass shard. As soon as he pointed the tip, a flash of anxiety appeared on Ion’s face.
That’s more like it. Was he tense about being attacked?
“Be careful not to cut yourself. When stabbing or slashing, you should relax your grip a bit to avoid injuring your palm… No, I’ll just bring you a proper dagger with a handle.”
Levi felt the strength drain from his arm as he watched Ion, who seemed worried that Levi might hurt his own hand. This situation, where Ion would even kindly provide a dagger because holding a glass shard was dangerous, seemed absolutely abnormal from any perspective.
‘Is this really… Ion Verdit?’
He couldn’t tell which was his true face.
As Levi just stared blankly, unable to stab Ion, Ion suddenly lowered his eyes with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry.”
The abrupt apology was enough to make Levi look at Ion even more strangely.
“I hurt you. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you earlier… and I’m sorry I was late in finding you.”
Like making a confession, he regretfully uttered each word in reverse order.
“I should never have let him take you. I shouldn’t have let go of your hand… No, I should have held onto you and never let you go anywhere when I met you again.”
Ion’s hand reached out toward Levi’s black hand holding the glass shard. His fingertips, full of warm heat, carefully caressed the slightly cool black hand as if soothing it.
“I’m sorry.”
The golden eyes that had been lowered now gazed tenderly at Levi, who couldn’t readily understand Ion’s words. After engraving every part of Levi’s face into his memory, Ion voiced what he most wanted to apologize for.
“For not being there… when you opened your eyes again.”
Those words struck Levi’s heart with considerable weight. In his mind, the memory of a hazy boy whose face he couldn’t remember swept by like the wind.
“I’m sorry. I said such terrible things… I’m truly sorry.”
“It wasn’t sincere. It was just something I said in anger, so don’t worry about it.”
That boy, like the Ion before him, would also apologize for what he had done wrong. Come to think of it, even their manner of speaking was similar.
For Levi, the boy in his hazy memories was absolute. The few fragments of the boy’s words that remained clear enough to ruminate on had enough power to control Levi’s thoughts and actions, if only momentarily. Some acted like the most powerful form of brainwashing.
It was natural that when Ion made sounds similar to that boy, the vivid hostility Levi felt toward him became diluted, as if water had been added.
Ion quietly looked at the confused Levi, smiling gently, then turned his gaze to examine the white ankle bound with the shackle. He tore a clean part of his cape with his hands and carefully filled the space between the shackle and ankle.
“I used the lightest material possible, but it’s still uncomfortable, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”
“Then remove it.”
“That I cannot do.”
A deep, dark emotion lingered in Ion’s eyes.
“I’ve only just found you again.”
His red lips pressed together as if trying to compose his emotions.
As if nothing had happened, Ion returned to his bright expression and stood up.
“I’ll prepare something to eat right away.”
“I’m not hungry. I won’t eat.”
For Levi, who didn’t know “hunger” as humans experience it, the food Ion was about to bring seemed pointless.
The “yang food” that could satisfy his hunger was fundamentally “life.” Anything else made the act of eating itself meaningless.
Ion reached his hand toward Levi’s head. Levi thought Ion might grab his hair roughly and prepared to strike his hand away immediately.
But Ion’s hand merely caressed Levi’s head gently.
“I had planned to make lots of delicious things for Levi when you returned.”
Both Kalvern and Raziel had also stroked his head, but this touch felt so warm and soft that it made him forget the sensation of their hands. And along with it came a strange nostalgia.
‘When I returned…?’
It sounded as if there had always been a place designated for him. He wasn’t sure if Ion was referring to a place that could be called “home” or to himself.
“It was difficult to make tasty things there no matter how hard I tried.”
Levi felt like he might know which “place” Ion was referring to. Simultaneously, his mind became enveloped in vague confusion.
Levi grabbed the hem of Ion’s clothes as he turned to leave, saying he would be back soon.
What came to mind then was Raziel’s admonition.
“You must not believe anything Ion Verdit says.”
During his time with Raziel, he had repeated the same thing countless times.
“He was born to kill both you and me.”
The pure white fabric slipped through his fingers.
Ion’s face, which turned around kindly asking “What is it? Do you need something?” became overlaid with Raziel’s words.
“So for us to survive, he must die.”
Levi’s heart, which had been swept up in Ion Verdit’s warmth and kindness, finally began to calm down.
Several scenes he had almost forgotten came to mind.
Ion Verdit infiltrating with a mask to try to kill him and Raziel, endangering them in the Black Forest, taking away the Black Forest that was like a sanctuary and hometown so they couldn’t even approach it, and the immortal soldiers who were desperate to kill him.
Levi’s black eyes sank deeply.
Whatever Ion Verdit was thinking, it was clear he intended to kill Levi. This time too, he would suddenly try to kill him at some point.
He had no intention of being killed helplessly.
Not only was Ion Verdit not trying to kill him immediately, but he was kindly leaving things that could be used as weapons, so it would be good to seize an opportunity to aim for a fatal wound.
Recalling his time as an assassin rather than a commander in war, Levi judged that taking advantage of the night would be far more advantageous than moving immediately.
When night fell, he planned to break his foot to escape the shackle, and as soon as he recovered enough to walk, he would invade Ion Verdit’s bedroom. Judging by the scenery outside the window, this was certainly Grand Duke Verdit’s mansion, so he had a rough idea of where Ion’s bedroom might be from his previous assassination attempt.
Levi decided to focus solely on “assassinating” Ion instead of entertaining complicated thoughts.
That night.
“…”
Levi, who should have escaped from the shackle long ago according to his plan, was still lying on the bed.
And he was with Ion Verdit, who had fallen asleep in a completely defenseless state.
