Slide.

At this moment, Jella gently rubbed Yuphe’s eyes.

Yuphe blinked slowly, following that gentle touch.

In an instant, the gaze that had been piercing through her eyes was blocked.

Flash.

Just as the startled Yuphe was about to grab her to confirm what he had seen moments ago.

“Thank you, Yuphe.”

Whoosh.

Jella nestled into his arms.

In that moment, Yuphe’s body froze.

Taking advantage of this opening, her hand slipped inside his loosely fastened robe.

“W-wait. Jel-la…”

Yupheon tried to stop her, calling her name with a voice he barely squeezed out.

This wasn’t the time. He needed to properly confirm what he had just seen through her eyes.

But the moment those soft fingertips slid across his skin after parting his robe, he immediately lost his will.

“Ah…”

Yupheon let out a quiet m*an and thought.

‘I shouldn’t be doing this. I need to check that thing again.’

But unlike his reason, his body was willingly surrendering to her touch.

“Yuphe, here under your chest…”

“Yes, yes…”

“Your heart is beating…”

“Ye-es…”

Jella murmured, looking at his heart area with entranced eyes.

Amid the stimulation from her touch, Yupheon embraced her clumsily, his head spinning.

‘That thing just now, surely…’

Although the encounter with ‘it’ through her eyes was just a fleeting moment, Yuphe recognized it immediately.

It was definitely Arne.

‘That god bastard who ate my prayers without ever answering them seems to be up to something…’

“What are you thinking about, Yuphe?”

Jella whispered, rubbing his chest.

Yuphe exhaled a heated breath and glanced at her white hand.

That touch that had blocked his vision the moment he made contact with Arne was clearly intentional.

“Don’t think about anything else. Just think about me. Okay?”

And now, her attempts to block his thoughts and redirect his attention were such obvious shallow tricks.

‘…D*mn. That cursed god. When I prayed so earnestly for pretty Jella, you pretended not to hear.’

Arne was clinging to her soul, scheming something.

The god’s intentions were obvious.

‘It seems the god is planning to use Jella to retrieve the heart.’

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come looking for him at such risk.

‘So he noticed. That I like Jella.’

He had been hiding deep inside her, afraid I might discover him.

How foolish. Did he think I wouldn’t notice?

To begin with, Jella… wouldn’t act like this toward me.

She wouldn’t be so affectionate to me.

We’ve already become estranged beyond repair.

I can never again be cherished by Jella as before.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he suddenly felt angry.

He couldn’t fall for such a shallow trick that toyed with his emotions.

‘You dare use Jella to pull this kind of stunt on me? Do you think I’ll stupidly fall for it?’

“Yes, Jella.”

But contrary to his will, a compliant answer flowed out.

Oh no, this isn’t right…

I shouldn’t give in like this…

“I’ll only think about you.”

Even while thinking he shouldn’t give in, Yuphe answered as if entranced by her languid eye-smile.

“Good, you did well, Yuphe.”

Jella stroked his head with approving tenderness.

Yuphe looked at her with fevered eyes and thought.

Even that soft touch stroking his head was too stimulating.

If Niel or Cail had been here, they would have been constantly wary of Jella’s behavior that differed from usual…

But Yuphe didn’t. He just emptied his mind completely and surrendered his body to her.

In truth, he was neither under Arne’s enchantment nor drunk.

He simply lacked self-control.

‘But Jella is being affectionate to me. When it feels this good, how can I resist?’

Resisting such intense stimulation would be more perverse.

In that sense, Niel Alpenhayer, who had been engaged to her for nearly 10 years, and Cail Aleret, who also had permission to enter her bedroom but did nothing, were the true perverts.

How could they do that?

If it were me. If I were them, I could never have held back.

And now that the opportunity had finally come, he had no intention of holding back.

“Jellaaaa…”

Yuphe rubbed his head against her palm like a baby animal, acting cute.

“Good boy.”

Seeing him like this, Jella smiled gently, her eyes curving.

At her praise, Yuphe’s eyes turned red as he whined.

“I’ll only think about you. So, love me more, more.”

“Yes, you’re lovely, Yuphe.”

“Am I lovelier than Niel Alpenhayer?”

“Huh…?”

Jella was taken aback by his sudden question.

“Hurry and tell me I’m lovelier.”

“Yes, you’re lovelier.”

Jella nodded and answered in a slightly reluctant voice. Yuphe grinned and whispered in an even more coquettish voice.

“Love me more than Cail Aleret, too.”

“Cail…?”

At that name, she momentarily blinked and murmured the name blankly. Seeing her reaction, Yuphe’s eyes narrowed…

“Ouch.”

Yuphe bit her hand.

“Don’t think about that man either, you should only love me, Jella. Yes, yes?”

Then he pulled her waist close and nibbled on every bit of her white skin he could see, to prevent her from thinking of anything else.

“I’m only thinking about you because you told me not to think of anything else.”

“Ugh.”

“Why are you thinking of others when I’m right here?”

“W-wait, Yuphe.”

“That’s too mean, Jella.”

Yuphe said in a slightly resentful voice as he pressed against her.

“You’re not an animal…”

Jella slapped his shoulders, but he didn’t yield.

“Why are you biting people like… ouch.”

“Didn’t you know? I am an animal.”

Yuphe retorted mischievously as he bit her collarbone.

“You, stop…”

“Yuphe is an animal. So he doesn’t understand words.”

Clearly, until just moments ago, it was Jella who was holding onto Yuphe and preventing him from thinking of anything else, but somehow the relationship had reversed.

Now it was Jella who couldn’t think of anything else because of Yuphe and had to twist her body.

“Alright. I won’t think of anything else…”

She tried to push Yuphe away, but it was futile.

Jella stretched out both hands and barely managed to cover his mischievous mouth. Yuphe then stuck out his tongue and licked her palm.

His eyes looked slightly crazed as he did so.

“Yuphe, you…”

“I like you.”

“……”

“I like you, Jella. I like you so much.”

“……”

Jella looked at him for a moment and then said.

“Then give me your heart that’s in here.”

“My heart…”

The corner of Yuphe’s mouth curled up crookedly.

Stupid god. Did you think I would willingly give up my heart if you used Jella like this?

“Is that what you want?”

“You said you’d do anything for me. So, you’ll give it to me, right?”

Jella whispered, tracing the heart area on Yuphe’s chest with her finger.

Yuphe followed her finger with his eyes and thought.

Arne’s purpose was already as expected. But no matter how he uses Jella, the heart cannot be given…

“Yes. If you ask for it, I should give it to you.”

Huh? This isn’t right.

Before he could finish his thought, words of agreement slipped out habitually.

Yuphe immediately tried to say that he had misspoken.

“Really?”

But seeing Jella’s face beaming with joy, he momentarily blanked out and just slightly parted his lips.

He should say no, that he can’t give the heart. This is clearly Arne’s wicked scheme.

But Jella’s smile was so pretty that he simply couldn’t say no.

Seven years. It had been a full seven years.

Her smiling brightly at him, her gently stroking his head, her whispering affectionately and softly…

Perhaps after this moment passes, she will never smile in front of me again.

But even so, I can’t give the heart. If I give this, I…

It was then.

“Yuphe.”

As if noticing his hesitation, Jella grabbed his face and fixed it toward her.

The moment their eyes met, his gaze collided with Arne, who was clinging to her soul beyond her eyes.

“Ah…”

Yuphe wanted to drive it out from inside her. But his actions couldn’t keep up with his thoughts.

Because he knew that the moment he drove that thing out, this sweet happiness that had been exciting him would scatter like a brief dream.

So, as he hesitated unconsciously.

Her eyes turned purple, instantly enchanting him.

“We agreed not to think of anything else. We, you and I, agreed to only think about each other.”

The moment Arne’s enchantment, which had always echoed in his mind, flowed out through her lips.

“It’s okay. You give me your heart, and I’ll make you happy.”

An intense impulse wrapped around Yuphe’s body, making his mind turbid.

“Erase all complicated thoughts and do what you want to do.”

“What I want to do…”

His golden eyes, which had always sparkled with a sacred light, became hazy as if bewitched by something.

“What I want is…”

I just want to give it.

I want to give everything.

If Jella wants it, if Jella smiles so prettily, wouldn’t it be okay to just give up the heart?

What does it matter if something happens to me?

Besides…

I love Jella being affectionate to me…

His true feelings, hidden beneath a sliver of reason, suddenly emerged.

He wanted to give her everything.

He wanted to see her smiling face more.

He wanted to stay connected with her like this a little longer.

He wanted to be cherished by her, even for a moment.

That was what he truly desired.

“Here, the heart is here.”

At some point, she began scratching his chest with her nails.

It was exactly where the god’s core was beating.

The memory of the moment when he had embedded it into his soul vaguely surfaced.

Just once. With the thought that if he could see her just once more, he had embedded the god’s core into his soul.

But hadn’t he already seen her far more than once?

His last wish as a human had already been fulfilled many times over, so that alone was enough reward for seizing the god’s heart.

Moreover, he was now enjoying even greater joy.

He had confessed his feelings to her, embraced her, even nibbled on her…

‘So I think it’s okay even if something goes wrong now…’

It was an impulse that he would have suppressed with reason under normal circumstances.

But for a while now, Yuphe had been unable to think properly.

“I’ll give it to you, Jella. So…”

Having made his decision in his clouded mind, he looked at her with a tearful face.

“Don’t do that with your pretty hands.”

He gently took hold of Jella’s hand that was scratching his chest area, then suddenly lifted her up and strode forward.

Entering the bedroom, he placed her on the bed and walked to the drawer, rattling as he searched for something.

“Yuphe?”

Jella was looking at him with bewildered eyes.

He slowly turned around and approached her.

“Your nails, why are they so damaged.”

Crouching down slowly, he fiddled with her fingers and muttered in a distressed voice.

All he could see were her fingertips with droplets of blood from scratching his chest.

He was so upset that her hands were damaged because of that heart, it felt like his heart was being torn apart.

He sobbed, completely unaware that it was actually his own body that was torn and bleeding.

“Listen, Jella. When you’ve loved me a little more and are about to get tired of me. Then.”

The sniffling Yuphe firmly placed a dagger in her hand.

“With this.”

“…?”

Then he gently wrapped her hand and pressed the blunt end of the sheath firmly against his chest.

“With this, cut open this part of me and take it.”

He said, looking at Jella with reddened eyes.