CH 126

The kiss soon stopped. Like rain. 

“If you get a proposal… Which place would you like the best?”

“Well, anywhere. It doesn’t matter.”

Charlize slowly answered the sudden question.

Dylan stared at Charlize’s lips, then moved away.

It was his eyes that had been half-crazed with passion seething just before her. He seemed to be trying to somehow control himself now.

‘Does jealousy make people like that?’

She said she’d stay away from Kahu, so she would keep it.

She hopes he doesn’t have to worry too much.  Dylan looked as if he was worried that Charlize might be taken away.

“I’m sorry. I just realized how rude it is to hold Master with my anxiety and jealousy.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m not okay with it, Charlize. You are the most precious person and you deserve to be treated accordingly.”

Dylan looked up at Charlize politely.

The words were beautiful. A boy from the past seemed to overlap for a moment. Charlize finally laughed.

“What is the proper treatment?”

“Doing it outside is a bit…”

“It’s okay because it’s fresh outside.”

He has never done it outside. 

When he got rough on the bed, there was no tyrant, and Dylan’s ears turned red at Charlize’s words.

Whether he’s a prude or really naive. 

She had seen it from an early age, and although she had a vague knowledge that Dylan was by no means gentle, she often wanted to be fooled.

To be honest, sometimes it’s cute.

‘Because it’s only in front of me.’

When he’s nice in front of Charlize, he doesn’t know how others are freaking out and looking at Dylan. 

She knows that the temperature of the emperor is very different when Charlize is present and not present. 

It’s good though.

After all, isn’t it an effort to be loved?

“I love you.”

“…I love you.” 

Said Charlize, holding Dylan’s hand. 

As they looked out of the cave together, for a moment it felt like Dylan was going back to his childhood.

Is it because it’s raining? That he gets a little sentimental. Even then, he was a genius.

A boy who was as formidable as Charlize, who had 400 years of experience.

“…I used to think of three words when I called your name.”

The emperor spoke quietly.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the similar pronunciation, or if it’s the best match with those three words or both.”

“What word is it?”

The rain slowly started to stop.

As Dylan said it, it rains.

Ray chewed on some wet grass from the rain while playing. It was a peaceful atmosphere.

“People, life, and love.” 

Charlize’s heart was touched by that simple tone.  

Is it like that?  

She was never conscious of it. Her name and those three words have similar pronunciations. But thinking back, it really was.

Because S and R are words that are repeated one after another.

“Charlize, you are my person, my life, and my love.”

“…” 

It’s a poetic expression. 

She wanted to say something, but nothing came out. 

Because Dylan said that, it seems like her name has become the most beautiful word in the world. 

Look at the same place with Dylan. Charlize held her breath and couldn’t move. 

Charlize can only feel Dylan’s strength in her hand.

“In the first period of language birth, perhaps the ancients already knew.” 

“What?”  

“A person’s life cannot be discussed without love.”

She doesn’t know. 

To be honest, Charlize had never felt love other than Dylan. 

But she understood logically.

The essence eventually comes down to three words. But it was only four words for Dylan, he was confessing. 

“I thought that the most painful moment for a person is when they are not even treated as human beings. When they are viewed as objects rather than as individuals, their soul is hurt.”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t want to hurt Master anymore. I can’t deny my possessiveness. It could be because I was dyed so black, or it could be my birthmark. That’s why I always want to put it down.”

Dylan grabbed Charlize’s hand as if she was more precious. 

Those words touched the essence of Charlize.

“My life has always been painful…”

“Didn’t Master always live your life with love?”

“I am?”

“When you were able to look away, you established an orphanage and looked after it, you saved the victims of the Kiera Project, and you were always kind to the weak and the servants.”

Payne, Lucy, and now Dylan.

Everyone must have liked Charlize too much.

But it is not wrong. How can you say only love between lovers is everything? 

“Charlize, I love whoever you are. I love you no matter what you do to me. Still, when I express my feelings to you, I want to refine even my own thoughts. And it doesn’t work out well.”

Dylan is sometimes surprisingly honest.

Whenever that happens, her heart trembles. That’s probably the closest thing to Dylan’s essence.

Charlize finally turned her head to look at Dylan. A close distance. He was still handsome enough to be embarrassed.

“When the rain stops, will you go back to the mansion?”

“I suppose so.”

“Can’t we go back to the Imperial Palace?”

“…”

“This time as the empress and emperor, not as the emperor and the grandmaster.”

Dylan turned his head and stared at Charlize.

He spoke from a distance close enough to kiss.

However, he did not kiss, and the emperor confessed like a simple confession. 

“I want to be your companion. Master’s. Whether married or engaged, I want to do it all.”

The rain has completely stopped now. 

It’s just the silence of nature. A starry night sky. The occasional sound of valley water and birds only breaks the silence. At the moment when Dylan’s voice is heard loudest.

His heart raced, Dylan looked at Charlize, and his breath stopped slowly.

“I want to leave three words that I want to describe only to Master for the rest of my life.”

People, life, and love.

Why are you always so pretty without any notice? 

***

[Will you marry me?] 

It was Payne’s voice that woke Charlize from her thoughts.

“Leader!”

“…Ah.”

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” 

She was just wondering if anyone got a proposal in the cave? Of course, Charlize answered first that it doesn’t matter where they propose.

‘But you’re really going to propose right away.’

Charlize asked blankly. 

“Payne, where does everyone usually propose?” 

“In a fancy restaurant or something, a garden full of roses, fireworks, a lot of humans, and diamond rings. I remember something like that.”

Well, there’s no reason to insist on a general proposal. 

Charlize blinked her eyes. 

First of all, it was the office of the mansion. Marriage? Okay. Dylan is the Emperor, and he needs the Empress for the stability of the country, so he should get married someday. 

Since Dylan has no reason to marry another young noble lady by arrangement, it would be natural for him to propose to his lover, Charlize.

There was no surprise. Naturally, she should have guessed ahead of time. But why is she so absent-minded?  

“Oh my god! Did you get a proposal, leader?”

“What, who? Honey!?”

She doesn’t know where she was eavesdropping, but Lucy suddenly popped out of the window.

The clothes that highlighted the body looked a little cold.

Payne couldn’t keep his mouth shut and looked freaked out. It was astonishing, almost like, ‘Does that crazy psychopath know how to create a romantic situation??!’

“It’s private.”

“Did you refuse? You refused, didn’t you!? You’re a thousand times too good for Dylan!” 

Lucy looked the most shocked for some reason. 

It was a slightly different trajectory from Payne’s astonishment. 

Charlize opened her eyes coolly with an expressionless face. Payne, who was quick to notice, closed his open jaw. Lucy seemed to cry a little even though she hesitated.

“That, that, that’s ridiculous.” 

“Don’t talk publicly. Payne, weren’t you reporting to me?”

“Oh, right! Well.”

Payne scratched his philtrum with his fingers in embarrassment. 

Lucy kept muttering to herself, ‘No way,’ but Charlize didn’t care. 

She’ll end up like that. 

“I don’t think we can find the base by tracking. Because the secret magic tower is hidden. Last time, there was a logic that it was easy to hide because the imperial people were reluctant to approach the leper village, but this time it seems to be completely random.”

“Then?”

“We have to find another way.”

Payne soon pulled out three little dolls from his arms. It looks like it was made with boredom, but the skill was poor.

Payne placed the three dolls on the table.

But she could recognize it. 

A blue-eyed black-haired man, a blonde-green-eyed man, and a golden-silver-haired woman with blue eyes.

They were Dylan, Kahu, and Charlize in that order.

“Ah, but you have to keep this a secret!”

Because Payne was embarrassed, Charlize called quietly.

“Lucy.”

“Yes?”

“Get out.”

“Sob… You’re so mean!”

Like a tragic heroine, Lucy was upset, but she did follow Charlize’s will. 

The window closed again and Lucy disappeared out of the office.

Charlize leaned back deep into the chair, looking at the office room where the sunlight was coming in.

“Explain.”

Charlize crossed her legs and said.

Payne was embarrassed at first because Charlize was too enchanting, but it was a fleeting moment. He said, pointing to the Dylan doll.

“From my point of view, the secret magic tower knows that the evil god exists, but does not know who the evil god is. Here are some questions, and the first question is, what about the clues we’ve seen? According to the clues found near the base, it was written correctly that Kahu Delmon is the evil god, right?”

“The young duke is the evil god. I guarantee it.”

“Therefore, leader. -But strangely, the secret magic tower doesn’t seem to know the clue.  Whatever the reason, it’s not important right now, so let’s pass it on.”

Payne pushed the Dylan doll forward.  

“I don’t want to dig deep into the psychopathic mind. Knowing the existence of the evil god, the reason why they’ve been continuing the Kiera project is purely ‘fun’. Anyway, they approached Dylan assuming that he might be the evil god. They recently concluded that he wasn’t.” 

“…”

“I think they are looking for a new candidate right now, and they guess Charlize Ronan. It seems that the leader has emerged as a candidate for the evil god.”

Payne said this time pushing Charlize’s doll forward.

“Recently, strange flows are being detected everywhere around where the leader is staying. It’s kinda weird. I can read a lot of magic traces. Traces of mixing evils.” 

A magic cast will always leave traces of a wave using the flow of mana. 

That was what Payne pointed out.

Charlize finally understood Payne’s words.

It’s impossible to trace the secret magic tower. Then all that’s left.

‘It’s just to lure them out of here.’

To convince them that Charlize is the evil god so that the secret magic tower will approach her first.

The timing is good, too. They are now watching Charlize from afar.

Charlize and Payne’s eyes entangled in the air.

In an instant, Charlize’s mood became as sharp as a sword.

“I’ll take a look.”

“How?”

“The role of the evil god they are looking for. I will take it.”

Should we have some fun?

Revenge is not far off.