Chapter 16

Translator: Yonnee

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Chapter 16

When Ares first had a wet dream, it was when a courtesan was called to their family mansion. He was curious about sex, but he was disgusted by the strong smell of cosmetics that would poke at the tip of his nose and the sticky lingering touches over his body. He suffered from red hives all over his body for days and days. The second and third times were the same.

Since then, he never had the desire to have a woman, but he couldn’t properly boast that he still could perform in that department, so he just let people think what they wanted.

In a battlefield full of men, rumors and vulgar talk came out easily. However, even as he was old enough, he was overcome with the urge to blush or cover his ears while running away.

Now, it was something familiar to him to drink lukewarm alcohol that was distributed to soldiers so that their body temperatures wouldn’t drop, pretending to know everything they were talking about around the table.

Still, he wasn’t impatient. He was optimistic that one day, when the right time came, he would meet someone so lovely that his body would heat up and his face would turn red just by looking at her.

And he met her. The lovely woman who made his body hot and his cheeks flush just by looking at her. On his best friend’s bed.

“Heub, hiic, she was so pretty that I thought it was a dream, hiic, so at first I thought she was an angel…”

“Ares, you’re already drunk. Stop drinking.”

“But she, hiic, did that to me…”

“Haa…”

“Where did she go? Huh? Where did my lady go?!”

“……”

‘You saw her earlier. You didn’t recognize her? Are your eyes really just there for decoration?’

Repressing the urge to grab him by the collar and to respond to him coldly with these words, Endymion emptied the glass in front of Ares and filled it with water.

Ares had been searching the palace all day, but in the end, he just shed tears while saying he couldn’t find anyone even remotely similar to her, let alone catching wind of where she really was. Endymion unconsciously touched his lips, looking pitifully at the young man who was so drunk that he didn’t even know what he was saying anymore.

Lily was in Endymion’s embrace while this punk was running around frantically. Endymion thought that Lily was too lovely. As far as they’ve gone with each other, he didn’t think that he would feel this much affection for anyone else in the future.

But at the same time, he didn’t want to monopolize her. Even if Lily spent the night with other men, it didn’t matter as long as she could smile.

Endymion’s feelings for Lily were pure affection. Of course, he definitely had the desire to covet her, to feel every corner of her soft, supple body. Even so, it was also enough for him that he could always stay by her side and watch her smile.

It didn’t matter if he told Ares the truth, but he made a promise with Lily. And the fact that this punk had met her in person like that while shouting she liked her, yet not recognizing her—it was so appalling to see. The best consolation Endymion could offer was to comfort the guy while swearing at him inwardly.

“It, hiic, it was my first time…”

“If you say that one more time, it’ll be the 70th time. I’ve heard it enough, so just stop it.”

Endymion sighed. This guy was so weak that he was far gone after only a few beers. It was annoying to watch him drink like this while he was upset, but as this guy’s eyes and nose got red today, Endymion could still understand what Ares was mumbling about.

As far as Endymion knew, Ares had never even held hands with a woman, and he was just a big, pure kid who was sexually ignorant. If the other person didn’t come onto him first—if a succubus hadn’t approached him—he wouldn’t have had this experience yet.

He was clumsy at everything and his first time was confusing because he could only feel pleasure through his body first, realizing belatedly that she was also his first love.

“I want to see you, my lady…”

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time due to the long-term mission he was in, but even when he was away from the palace, he didn’t feel the need to see her.

But then when he saw her face the first time he got back from his mission, he ran away because he was so flustered, and he couldn’t stand it. He didn’t know if she really existed or not, but they had known each other for three whole years because of that suspiciously missing ring. However, he never thought that she would purposely hide herself like this.

Even though there was only water inside his glass and not alcohol, Ares chugged his glass without noticing and began to shed tears again. It was fortunate that there weren’t any people in the pub because of the night bazaar.

The pub near the gates was often visited by knights and soldiers, and rumors were likely to circulate if he was seen like this.

“Get a grip.”

“Hiic, hiic…”

Endymion emptied his glass all at once after watching as the overgrown child pathetically and miserably sniffled while his head was on the table.

“Eddy, hiic, how about you, are you okay?”

“Well… It’s not that there’s nothing going on, but it doesn’t matter.”

When Endymion first met the succubus, he readily signed the contract because it didn’t matter to him which woman he spent the night with. Then, after meeting Lily, the face of the succubus started resembling her when before her face was only blurry. This made him feel embarrassed.

He was surprised because she realized that his ideal woman was Lily, but when that happened, she didn’t laugh at all at Endymion.

Endymion was well aware that he had a certain charm with women. Even if he did the same things and did the same tricks, his handsome looks would be enough, but for Lily, it never was. From the first time he met her at the library, she had always been uncomfortable around him.

He wanted to bother her somehow. Whenever her gaze would linger on him, whenever her cheeks would turn red, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Endymion did not let go of the fact that the succubus Lilith had visited him after a long time and laughed when she heard about the ‘woman he likes’.

’That wicked woman is in the palace.’

That’s why when he heard this from Odil, he thought of Lily first. Even though there wasn’t actually any link between them, ‘They’re the same person’ was what he thought. What he was worried about was if danger would befall Lily, but considering Odil’s attitude… there wouldn’t seem to be a problem.

Since Endymion liked Lily in the first place, he was also interested in Lilith. Even if he hadn’t realized that they were the same person, it wouldn’t matter to him as long as she didn’t disappear.

“But you’re too much! You met a new girl!”

“New… No, it’s not like that.”

Ares, who had a red mark on his forehead from leaning on the table, raised his face and accused him. Did it seem like they were in that kind of relationship? Endymion waved one hand in denial, but his cheeks were flushed.

Ares blinked his bleary eyes at Endymion’s unusual behavior. He would have usually just said, ‘Yeah, what’s wrong with having such a relationship with more women?’

“…That black-haired maid, hic, aren’t you in that kind of relationship?”

Ares narrowed his eyes and asked Endymion. The lady who stepped away as soon as he saw her also shined even at night. He shed tears and saw only dimly her black hair, but he knew he was acting so shamefully even though he was drunk.

Ares continued to sip, still not realizing that his glass was full of just water, then widened his eyes at the rare sight of Endymion going red until the tips of his ears.

“…Stop saying weird things and just get a hold of yourself first.”

“Don’t wannaaa. I feel like I’m going to die. I’m upset that you and even Odil don’t want to hear me out.”

“Odil…”

He could tell that he was angry right now. They had known each other for a long time already, so even if they hadn’t spoken, he knew it. He had a stiff expression as usual, but recently, he’s being more aggressive and sensitive. Endymion and Ares knew that this was because of the succubus.

“Didn’t he leave the palace today?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“I hope now.”

Ares, who was now sobering up, muttered in a clear voice as though he hadn’t been that drunk just a moment ago.

In this depressed atmosphere, the only sound inside the room was the owner’s languid yawning and the two drinking glasses of water one after another. Ares, whose cheek was on the table as his expression was blank, muttered in a small voice.

“I… I felt this while I was walking around the palace earlier…”

“Just say it.”

“The lady always called our name, but no one knows the name of the lady. I don’t even know how old she is. I didn’t know she was living in the same place, and I’m surprised that I didn’t even try to know.”

“…Is that so.”

What Ares said wasn’t wrong at all. Endymion laughed bitterly, recalling Lily’s actions earlier. The succubus really was Lily. And that’s all Endymion knew. Lily always showed her emotions on her face, and it was clear that she didn’t have confidence in herself, so she neither confessed nor told him the truth.

“Well, Eddy doesn’t care. You’re having more fun with that maid than the lady.”

“……”

Looking at Endymion who was acting awkwardly, Ares reaffirmed that he really was acting unusually. After having sobered up, he recalled the maid he saw earlier.

She had black hair, and this was consistent with Endymion’s taste. With her black hair neatly braided, she was small and petite, so he had the impression that she would fit right into his arms if he hugged her.

However, there was no other similarity other than her hair color. Of course, it’s true that she was a pretty woman like all the other women Endymion had been meeting so far, yet… He couldn’t put a finger on it, but it seemed like the air around her was the opposite? The maid looked like a frightened wet chick for some reason.

“Come to think of it, she had black hair and red eyes, too. Eddy, you’re really…”

Ares smiled deviously, but he gradually trailed off. People with black hair weren’t so common here, but they weren’t that rare either. In the past, Endymion wasn’t someone who would stop a woman from coming onto him, but at some point, he started being more picky. He still wasn’t meeting them for a real relationship though, and they were all purely physical, but he started seeing women with black hair exclusively.

Ares thought that maybe like him, Endymion started giving his heart to the succubus, but because of his long-term mission, he couldn’t ask him.

Thinking this, the red eyes that he saw clearly came to mind. The people of Ciel commonly had blue or green eyes, so Regulus’ topaz colored eyes and Damian’s red eyes were actually quite rare.

Black hair… rare red eyes… porcelain white face…

“Eddy. What was it that you said to me earlier?”

“Huh?”

“You kept getting mad at me while you were with the maid earlier.”

As if frustrated, Ares hit his chest with a fist. Endymion looked at him perplexedly as he clicked his tongue. It couldn’t be helped because even though she was right in front of him, it’s ridiculous that he didn’t even notice her scent, so what’s the use of his nose? Endymion hit his own chest in frustration again after recalling how he had rebuked Ares.

However, even as he thought of this, he shamelessly replied in an infinitely calm manner.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“No way, you said something! You asked me what use my nose is and if it’s just for decoration! What did you mean? Huh?!”

The persistent gaze made Endymion sweat. Ares, who realized that Endymion was flustered, jumped up with a red face. It was due to enthusiasm, excitement, shame, some anticipation and some complex emotions.

“Maybe… Is what I’m thinking right?”

“How would I know what you’re thinking? Stop spouting bullsh*t. If you’re done drinking, let’s just go back.”

“Please, Eddy… Let me know if you know, huh? Huh? I’m right, right? What I’m thinking is right?”

Ares whispered in a desperate, mournful voice. Endymion knew just how much he wanted to find Lily. And he also knew that Ares’ feelings for her were deeper than before. The two were comrades and friends for a long time after all.

He made a promise with Lily, but he made a mistake without realizing it, and he had caused a problem. He wanted to gain her trust, but he lost his chance at it after not even a day had passed.

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