CH 119

Devil.

It was obvious that she would not be able to control her expression if Chises brought up that word. As Azela swallowed a gulp and looked at his lips, she prayed that the words would not come out of his mouth.

“Dev…”

“What are you doing there?”

Just as he was about to say ‘devil,’ her pupils narrowed and was about to tremble slightly.

Hearing a voice, she took her eyes off Chises and looked over his shoulder. In an instant, Zagnac, who had come in front of her and Chises, grabbed and dragged Azela.

“Oh my, Duke Ferial.”

With Zagnac’s appearance, Chises laughed with an expression of regret.

Azela, hiding behind Zagnac’s back, unknowingly let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, she felt very fortunate that he had appeared. As she glanced back to see his face, fortunately, the devil’s face she saw through the window had disappeared.

“Surely, at that time, I told the Emperor that if that happens, the Imperial Family’s line may be cut off, or the Imperial Palace may be stained with blood.”

“Well, calm down. Nothing like that ever happened.”

Saying so, Chises raised his hands and continued his speech in a mocking voice, claiming innocence.

“Because I never kissed or touched Azela’s skin. Oh, and of course, I didn’t drink either.”

“Your Highness.”

At his giggling mockery, Zagnac gritted his teeth and called out to him in a low voice.

Noticing that he was in the mood to kill him right away, Chises remembered the last incident and hardened his face.

Fear was revealed in his hardened eyes, but he soon regained his composure. Yes, he’d rather reveal Zagnac’s identity here. It was because there were people from Marquis Delter’s residence who would testify here. Chises smiled deliberately to provoke Zagnac.

At the sight, Azela hardened her face. This wasn’t good. When Chises was suspicious of his identity, it was not good for Zagnac if he showed his true self visibly.

She hastily grabbed Zagnac.

“It’s okay. Nothing happened.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, nothing happened… ‘yet’.”

When she glared at Chises, stressing the word ‘yet,’ he shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Zagnac while saying a small ‘See?’ At the same time, his eyes flashed at Zagnac as if searching for something, making Azela uncomfortable.

“Let’s go back.”

She wanted to keep Zagnac away from Chises. Azela tugged at Zagnac’s jacket. Hearing the words go back, Chises hurriedly approached Zagnac and shook his head.

“Oh, why are you going already? I came here to sincerely apologize for what happened that day. Oh. As an apology, I want to finance Duke Ferial’s new project. How about that?”

“No need.”

“Oh, you are rejecting the favor too firmly. I’m disappointed.”

Lightly ignoring his words, Zagnac lowered his head before turning around and walking away with Azela, who looked uneasy. Chises looked at Zagnac from behind and raised his head to see the sunlight pouring down on him.

‘Looking at how well he was doing under the sunlight, he’s not a vampire.’

He waved his hand at Zagnac and Azela, erasing one of the many races he had thought of.

“See you next time, Duke Ferial.”

Let’s meet a lot, very often, in the future.

Chises smiled brightly.

He hoped that the day would come when he quickly confirmed Zagnac’s identity and slit his neck in front of all the people of the Empire. When that day came, he would hang Zagnac’s severed head on the wall where he could see the bed, and he would make Azela cry in front of him on her own.

Just thinking about it, exhilarating pleasure made Chises’ lower legs swell as if they were going to pierce the fabric of his pants.

* * *

“Why are you with the Crown Prince there? I can’t even give him a single blow.”

Zagnac, frowning, spoke in a grunting voice. He was secretly hoping that the next time they met, he would leave a bruise on his face for Azela, who had been through something bad.

“If you did that to the Crown Prince of an empire, it would be the death penalty.”

“Why are you so worried even though I am there?”

“Do you want to live alone in a human world without humans?”

“That’s not bad either. It’s just you and me, that would be fun. It must be like the first human in the book of humans.”

Even though Zagnac spoke in a playful tone and laughed, Azela couldn’t do the same since Chises began to have doubts. She should have managed his expression a little better, but she regretted it. Troubled, she couldn’t help her frown as she glanced at the man in front of her.

“Can devils die, too?”

“So suddenly?”

“…I’m curious. Do devils have life?”

It was a fundamental question. Come to think of it, it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t die. He said that being a devil was like a person who ran errands for God, so maybe he wouldn’t die.

Azela asked in a voice full of anticipation. However, the reply did not satisfy her.

“In our case, rather than having life, we have time.”

“Time…”

Zagnac raised his index finger and circled it in the air.

“Life goes on and on like this. Once one life is over, there is another life, and the next life is over and the next life is waiting. Still, time is different.”

“….”

“If time stops, it cannot turn again. My time just stops there.”

“Therefore… are you saying you could die?”

Zagnac lowered the finger he had lifted into the air and looked away. Just then, the carriage was coming. he raised his hand and escorted Azela into the carriage.

The carriage carrying the two people drove out of Marquis Delter’s residence with the sound of wheels. Looking back, she saw Chises standing in front of the main gate of the mansion, his hands behind his back, staring at the carriage.

“Can you die?”

Looking at Chises, Azela urged him to answer. Zagnac, who flicked his finger, replied with a calm expression without much emotion.

“Rather than death…”

There was an emptiness in his purple eyes. He raised his head towards Azela, but he was staring into the void, not her, exhaling a calm breath.

“I would go extinct.”

“….”

“Nothing left.”

As if a large stone were being thrown into a calm lake, her heart trembled. She thought that there could be no word more terrifying than the word death, but seeing him talking about extinction, she almost shed tears.

“What if I stab you in the heart?”

“If there is no life, there can be no heart.”

“…Then?”

“You should slit my throat.”

Zagnac laughed amusedly as he pretended to cut his throat with a blade. Even talking about his own disappearance, he was being so pleasant.

Azela raised her hand and held his hand.

“What?”

Turning his head and seeing Azela holding his hand, he smiled at her. He seemed to flicker faintly, like a candle about to be extinguished. It was perilous, as though he would soon disappear with one breath.

“…Don’t disappear.”

“….”

“Until I die… until I disappear, you should never disappear.”

“Is that what you want?”

She did not answer his question and only nodded her head slowly. Zagnac quietly closed his eyes at Azela’s nod. It was so quiet that she worried about what would happen if the closed eyes were not opened again.

He opened his lips very leisurely.

“…Yes. Until you die, until you disappear.”

“….”

“I will not disappear.”

“It’s a promise.”

The next moment, Zagnac burst into laughter, seeing Azela holding his hand and giving her strength. The carriage was filled with the sound of his laughter.

“Yes, this is the first thing my contractor wants from me, so I have to listen.”

“….”

“Then, don’t cry.”

As he raised his other hand and softly touched Azela’s cheeks, who looked like she was about to cry, the body temperature touching her was warm. She lowered her head and pressed her forehead into the hand, whispering softly.

“I am your escort knight.”

“I know, because I hired you.”

“I will protect you.”

…So that your time wouldn’t stop, so that you wouldn’t disappear and for your heart to remain alone.