CH 92

Adandito was quite serious, not taking it lightly as he casually retorted, 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Unlike his straight posture, his lips trembled as they met, and his hands, upon contact, were just as stiff, as if he were a fragile dish that would break with a slight touch.

Adandito struggled to speak, his lips faltering several times before he finally managed to utter a few words. 

“It means I liked you as a human. Thank you for earlier.”

I wonder if it’s because I interrupted the chatter earlier. After all, it couldn’t have been painless despite being accustomed to it.

I nodded, cutting off what was about to be an apologetic rant.

“Yeah, I get it.”

In response, Adandito asked with a bewildered expression, 

“Are you admitting it so easily?”

“Well, everyone likes me.”

Nodding as if it were obvious, Adandito burst into laughter. Then he replied with the same audacity, 

“It took us a long time to walk here. Since you seem to have pain in your feet from walking for a long time in those shoes, from now on, I’ll carry you so you can see better.”

‘He’s as blind as someone in prayer.’

I glanced at him, but Adandito didn’t seem to catch on. He urged me once again, 

“Please hurry. We don’t have much time.”

“Okay.”

It was a bit troublesome, and my feet hurt from walking around like it was dawn. As I nodded my head, he immediately lifted me in his arms. He then enveloped me with a sturdy body as if protecting me from something. After only a few steps, he spoke in a serious tone.

“Dianel is dangerous. Please try not to talk to him or be alone with him.”

‘Did he say that just to please me?’

Before I could wonder, Adandito took determined steps. With each step, his tightly clenched jaw loosened slightly. I sighed quietly as I watched him.

‘Their relationship is still not good.’

If you look closely, neither Adandito nor Hierian liked Dianel. It was understandable that Hierian would dislike him since he had caused childhood trauma, but it was surprising coming from Adandito.

‘How did their relationship get worse than three years ago?’

I also had a lot of dealings with Dianel, but now that they were standing like this, I was more concerned about Dianel.

Although I knew that Dianel was an impulsive and aggressive irrecoverable beast… 

‘He has the power of the Demon King.’

It must not have been easy for him to choose to seal himself away when he couldn’t control that power. 

I believed that it was the best effort he could make. That’s why, even though I felt resentment toward what he had done, it quickly melted away.

It was because I had a weak heart that wanted to give him any opportunity to avoid a situation that could be seen as a threat to his principles.

“You’re retreating too much.”

Adandito laughed in response to my murmured words. As if he were mocking me, I lightly tapped my chest, and he spoke with a smile in his voice.

“That’s right. You’re too compassionate, so I’m always worried about you.”

“Don’t make fun of me and let’s go already. It’s getting dark.”

Contrary to his earlier haste, Adandito’s steps became slower. The garden we left was now hidden by the buildings and could no longer be seen.

He looked at the crimson sky enveloped by the layers of buildings and mumbled, 

“To be honest, it was all an excuse.”

“Huh?”

“…If it’s about Debutante, wouldn’t skipping a day of prayer be a good excuse?”

“Oh, you’re saying something I like for once.”

“Is that so? Today, I’ll make five plates of pasta for you. And fried tofu too.”

“Great! Let’s go back to the quarters right away!”

Adandito nodded obediently and changed his pace. He carried me to the bedroom and looked down at me, saying that he was going to cook, and then left the room.

When I came back after washing up, the dining table was full of a sumptuous feast prepared by Adandito. He had made great efforts to accommodate my side dishes, and his cooking skills had improved significantly.

“As expected, Adandito. Have you ever thought about opening a vegetarian restaurant?”

“…Siara, have you forgotten what my main job is?”

“Ahaha, just kidding. Just kidding.”

And so, a pleasant evening began. After making the necessary preparations and lying down, it had already become late at night.

‘Ugh, I’m tired.’

Even just lying down, it felt like sleep would come easily on this night. However, I sensed the presence of an unwelcome guest lurking outside the bedroom. I turned my head slightly to confirm the culprit and whispered,

“Dianel, what are you doing there?”

In the darkness, the red eyes of a cat gleamed. Despite the strange gaze, he didn’t offer any response.

Since I was concerned about Adandito revealing hostility towards Dianel earlier in the day, I casually added some words.

“You barely greeted me when we met at the Debutante ceremony, but I guess you wanted to see me?”

“…”

“I’m still not over the anger I have towards you, but I do have a question. You’re indeed investigating Viscount Leven’s family affairs, right?”

This time, I sat up and looked at Dianel. He responded, wagging his tail. With an accepting tone, I let out a faint laugh.

“With you, the crown prince, looking into it, we’ll quickly find out what’s going on. Thank you.”

“If you’re grateful…”

He stood up. The faint shadow gradually transformed from a cat into a human form.

Reflexively, I shifted my gaze to the sky and observed the shape of the moon. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full moon.

Meanwhile, Dianel approached me with a window sandwiched between us. The curtains hanging on the terrace barely concealed half of his body. I instinctively tensed up and clenched my hands, and a sluggish voice slipped out.

“Could you… caress my head?”

“…You want me to open this window? You just transformed—”

“Do you want me to break it?”

“No. I’ll open it.”

Attempting to have a rational conversation with Dianel immediately after his transformation was futile. Knowing that I had never succeeded in doing so throughout our three years together in the subjugation corps, I handed him the blanket on the bed.

“Wait a moment. Even if you’re not in your right mind, you should at least have something to cover yourself with.”

“When I was a cat, you used to pet me…”

“Hey! Is that the same thing? Ugh, forget it. I won’t say anything to you.”

Avoiding his gaze, I asked,

“Are you covered?”

“The scent.”

“…?”

“The same scent as you.”

“What are you… Hey!”

When I glanced over, Dianel was sniffing the blanket with both hands full, taking in its scent. Although important areas were covered thanks to the blanket…

‘It would be visible from the outside.’

It was necessary to avoid situations where the knights guarding the palace would discover their bare-skinned lord. I shouted like a mother scolding a mischievous child.

“Quick, put on proper clothes! What if someone sees you like this?”

“What would you like me to do?”

“Aggh!”

However, Dianel remained stubborn. It seemed like my words were not getting through to him at all. Eventually, I let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“…If you keep saying different things, I won’t caress you anymore.”

After his transformation, Dianel was purely instinctive. So, if I emphasized that aspect, he would sometimes listen. 

Luckily, it seemed like my plan worked, as Dianel roughly draped the blanket over his body. The blanket was wide enough that even with a hasty placement, Dianel’s entire body was covered. He stuck out his face, resembling a child wearing a cloak, and let out a mischievous laugh.

“Now, please caress me.”

“Fine, ugh, okay?”

I gently stroked his beige hair a couple of times. Then, as if thirsty, he licked his lower lip with his tongue, and his pupils briefly lifted as he spoke.

“…More.”

“No. Wait until you’re in your right mind, then go back to your bedroom.”

“…You used to feed me when I was a cat.”

“But back then, you were a cat.”

“I can still turn into a cat.”

“Ah, you’re transforming again to bother someone. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

After stroking his head a few more times, he let out a satisfied growl-like sound. Even though he had transformed into a human, he seemed more beast-like than when he was a cat.

I was about to remove my hand, but Dianel grabbed my wrist. It wasn’t a strong grip, but it was a grip that was hard to shake off.

“Siara…”

Dianel took my hand and gently pressed it against his head. I could feel a soft sensation like velvet on my palm. But unlike that sensation, his red eyes flickered as if piercing through me.

I had to resist my emotions as much as possible and continue peacefully. I swallowed my saliva and asked,

“Do you like being petted like this?”

“Yes.”

He breathed out lazily and continued speaking.

“I get jealous when someone else touches this hand.”

“…”

“I want to tear apart their limbs and leave no trace of their existence. Hierian, Adandito, even your family. But if I do that, you would be sad.”

“…”

“So I endure it. Because I don’t want to see tears flowing from your eyes anymore.”

Diane murmured, swiping under my eyes.

“I don’t want to repeat the same mistake.”

“…The same mistake?”

Was he referring to when he kidnapped me to the tower? But he didn’t answer.

In the meantime, the tense atmosphere subsided calmly. I waited a little longer, and Dianel released my hand. He seemed to be gradually returning to his senses.

He looked at me for a moment as if he was taken aback, then quickly stepped back. The tightly wrapped blanket barely covered him.

I let out a sigh of relief and said,

“You’ll regret this later if you keep acting like this. Try not to transform when there are people around, unless necessary.”

Upon hearing that, Dianel muttered hesitantly.

“…Because of what happened during the day.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s nothing.”

Dianel turned away from me. After calmly waiting for a moment, he finally answered the question I had asked earlier.

“Don’t worry about Viscount Leven’s affairs.”