CH 113

As Ophelia called him, Sante turned to look at her. He was sitting obliquely by the windowsill.

Instead of answering, he flicked his dazzling golden wings once, which he didn’t fold yet.

“Not sure. But will my opinion matter? I’m not someone from the magic tower.”

“But you must have interacted a lot with the person staying at the top floor while Alei wasn’t here.”

“Well, that’s true. But I don’t know why you’re asking me about it when you can just talk to that guy Dian.”

“I told you already. Alei’s washing up right now.”

Ophelia’s hair was also slightly wet.

Alejandro summoned wind with magic to dry her hair, but since it was very long, it wouldn’t dry easily.

Besides that, wind magic was particularly difficult to control, so if he raised the gust’s power and he wasn’t careful enough, it’s very possible for him to turn the entire room upside down.

Still, since it was dried this much, Ophelia was satisfied with it.

‘He’s so cute when he’s flustered.’

As she was reminded of how Alejandro was in such a flurry earlier, the corners of Ophelia’s lips tugged up unconsciously.

—W-Why are you all wet…! P-Please, let me dry it for you!

—Why are you so courteous all of a sudden? Just speak to me comfortably.¹

—Y-You’re mistaken. This is comfortable for me.

As he dried her hair, he was so nervous while trying to avoid touching Ophelia’s nape. In his own way, he was very adorable, too.

If, say, you enjoy watching a man who was so good at everything be so flustered and start acting like a fool in this way, would you say that you have a naughty personality?

‘Wait, isn’t that something that a flirt would think…?’

But really, she had no choice.

His bright red face, his trembling fingertips, and his careful touch, which felt so sweet no matter how many times she experienced it.

Besides that, what she liked the most was that, even amidst these soft moments, there were times that he would act the opposite of gentle.

Like when he would be so thirsty that he couldn’t endure it anymore, and when he’d reach this point, he’d be so desperate for her lips.

—If I could, I would have locked you up. So that there’s no one else you’d think of but me, no one else you’d meet except me.

With a grimace that expressed his patience, he spoke of his suppressed desire to monopolize her.

The fact that he was someone who could make all this possible with just one flick of his finger was testament enough to how much he was enduring these urges.

—If I could do that, then I wouldn’t be so anxious anymore. I won’t have any thoughts of losing you again, I wouldn’t need to kiss you so desperately, wouldn’t need to want you so desperately…

Alejandro whispered to her with such urgency as he kissed Ophelia again and again and again.

When she recalled that moment, the back of Ophelia’s neck heated up a little, so she had to brush one hand against it.

She could still feel how he overlapped his lips upon hers. With such ferocity.

Before she knew it, Ophelia started recounting the not-too-distant memory, and because of this, Sante scolded her.

“You young’uns are hopeless, tsk.”

“…It feels strange to hear you call me young.”

“Why? Considering my age, I’d be older than your grandfather.”

Tak. Sante set his feet down on the floor and made a light noise. With only a few steps, the distance between them was narrowed in an instant.

“Or now that I’m here, would you rather we play husband and wife?”

Whispering teasingly, Sante found that the woman in front of him seemed to be worth a bite.

With her waist perhaps only a handspan, and with wrists that looked as if they could be crushed with only a little force.

The woman’s figure, as it could be gleaned from beneath the cardigan, further stimulated the predator.

Originally, sirens were beings who were not familiar with the concept of patience, but there was a reason why Sante could resist temptation.

Ironically enough, it was at the same moment that Sante’s protective instincts dominated his mind.

He just wanted to make sure that she wasn’t hurt anywhere. And whenever the weather was cold, he felt concerned for her.

From some point on, Sante knew at the back of his mind that if Ophelia were to get hurt, he would lose all his rationality.

Perhaps it started the moment he caught her from when she fell down the cliff. Perhaps even before that.

“…I can’t even joke with you anymore. Don’t make that face.”

With a pointer finger, he touched Ophelia’s rumpled brow that was like hard bread. Then, he put his fur cloak over Ophelia’s shoulders.

But of course, he couldn’t stop himself from grumbling these words at her.

It must be because he didn’t like how Ophelia reacted like that as she stood there with a stiff expression.

“You can just think of me as some shameless fellow. If not that, how about something else?”

“…It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

“I suddenly thought that you really suit the full moon.”

Ophelia pointed behind Sante. The full moon’s soft illumination could be seen above Sante’s head.

It was only then that Sante realized how Ophelia viewed him.

Just how graciously did she view him with the kindness within her young gaze? The thought made him chuckle.

It’s amazing that he could feel such emotions just because of one person, and it’s also fascinating how these small feelings could be so precious.

‘Is this what the other species call love, I wonder.’

He thought that the only thing that love did was bind individuals together and make them hurt each other—that love would lead only to misery.

But now, Sante felt like he could vaguely understand what the mermaids, who were so protective of Ariel, felt.

When the thought reached him, Sante brought up one thing that he had forgotten.

“Ah, come to think of it, I’m here to pass on a message to you.”

“To me?”

“Seems like Ariel wants to see you again.”

“I don’t think there’s any more reason for us to meet again. Did something happen to her?”

“Who knows. You’ll find out when you meet again. We just passed each other while I soared over the ocean, so she didn’t tell me any details.”

She wants to talk to you personally.

After adding this, Sante walked past Ophelia and sat on the sofa in the bedroom.

“And about what you asked earlier. My opinion on whether you should watch out for that guy named Meruzia.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I know what you’re worried about, but even while I wasn’t by his side, he was just doing his own research. There’s also that one human who sent a letter from the magic tower to the temporary temple, so I was wondering who it was.”

Even so, there was little progress in that regard.

The siren who delivered the letter could not remember who the sender was, but it’s also true that Meruzia’s mana couldn’t be felt from it.

“That’s why I’m not going to be involved anymore. If it gets more suspicious the more we poke our beaks into it, then it’s our creed not to dig into it anymore.”

If the more they tried to meddle, the more it became more suspicious, it’s bound to feel like it’s something they’re not meant to know because someone might be covering it up.

And usually, if such was the case, you’re bound to be going against providence. That’s why it’s better to just drop it all.

But Ophelia couldn’t just accept that. Especially since the matter at hand was a letter sent to the temple.

“Is that really the best we can do?”

“I know what you’re worried about. But Ophelia, as long as you’re in the magic tower, nobody can hurt you.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“It’s only natural. After all, the magic tower itself is on that guy Dian’s side.”

As it could see everything that happens inside its domain, the Siren Tower could always find individuals with malicious intent.

Even if the lord of the tower was out, there’s no way that the people who’d dare try to hurt Ophelia would be let go easily.

“That’s why Dian’s so relaxed. You don’t have to worry.”

Their conversation ended there. This was because Alejandro had finally come back into the room after taking a bath.

“When did you get here? I didn’t even notice that you arrived.”

“Well, while you were in there, I had a little chat with your fiancée. And you know, I’ve been hearing some noise here and there about Ophelia?”

“That rumor… You heard about it, too?”

“Naturally.”

When Sante smirked, Alejandro’s expression crumpled.

As the two bickered back and forth, Ophelia watched them for a moment.

For some reason, she had a hunch that there would be hardships ahead.

‘The magic tower will be on Alei’s side, he said?’

She heard that the magic tower had a consciousness, but to what extent would it lend its power?

‘Rather, it would be nice if I could meet the magic tower in person.’

As Ophelia continued her contemplation, the night deepened.

And she didn’t expect that, a few days later, this fleeting thought would materialize into reality.

¹ Korean has many speech levels depending on how polite you should be towards the other person: informal, semi-formal and formal. In the current timeline, when Alei hadn’t regained his memories yet, he spoke to Ophelia semi-formally, but in the previous life timeline and now again after he regained all his memories, he started talking to her formally.