‘No way. During the acts that continued all night…’

His mind became dizzy at the passing hypothesis.

It was obvious who had taught her such a wicked method without even asking.

Helasio, that damned dragon’s doing.

“What’s wrong, Cail?”

Jella tilted her head and reached out her hand toward Cail, who had suddenly stiffened.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch Cail’s cheek.

Swish.

Cail pulled his body away, avoiding her hand.

“No, Jella.”

“…?”

Jella looked at him with a puzzled face at the sudden rejection from the man who had been embracing and kissing her until just moments ago.

Cail bit his lower lip hard and hesitated with uncertain eyes as he looked at her, then finally opened his mouth.

“…This isn’t right. Don’t try to take away my pain.”

Jella, now realizing why Cail had stiffened, let out a small laugh.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt that much…”

“That’s a lie.”

Cail cut off her words firmly and contorted his eyes.

“I know that pain, so why are you lying that it doesn’t hurt?”

“It’s true. Just now, when I kissed you, it really didn’t hurt.”

It wasn’t something she said just to comfort Cail, but the truth.

Because his body was clean inside after she had taken away all the magical energy last night, it didn’t hurt at all. And last night…

“I think it hurt a little last night. But you pushed me so hard that I don’t remember the pain well. The, um… joy you gave me was greater than the pain.”

Jella paused briefly to choose an appropriate word before adding.

Cail in bed was so aggressive, fierce, and uninhibited that it was hard to believe he was the same innocent and kind man she had known all this time.

And he was so… amazing.

Recalling last night made her feel a tingling sensation in her toes and heat rising, so Jella slightly lowered her gaze.

Then, suddenly feeling the silence, she raised her head and discovered that Cail’s face had turned as red as it possibly could.

“I pushed you…”

Mumbling blankly, he couldn’t finish his words and instead tightly gripped the innocent bed sheet.

The veins bulging on the back of his hand gave a glimpse into his troubled mind.

Jella carefully held the back of his hand and asked.

“Cail… are you okay?”

“I’m sorry, Jella.”

At the unexpected apology, Jella quickly raised her voice.

“Sorry? What are you talking about! It was so good!”

“What…?”

For a moment, Cail looked at Jella with bewildered eyes.

After briefly not understanding Jella’s words, he belatedly realized and let out a shallow exclamation.

At this, Jella’s face turned as red as Cail’s.

“Ah, no, what I mean is…!”

Jella internally screamed at what she had just said.

‘I’m crazy. What on earth did I just say?’

But outwardly, she pretended to be nonchalant and quickly changed the subject.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. When you say that, it makes last night feel like a mistake.”

Just as Jella succeeded in naturally changing the subject and was about to catch her breath.

‘Good, that was natural… wait.’

Suddenly her eyes sharpened.

“You don’t actually think it was a mistake, do you?”

“I…”

Cail opened his mouth in confusion at her seemingly angry voice, but suddenly stopped.

She was glaring at him fiercely, as if she wouldn’t let it go if he answered yes.

Finding her consistently lovable—someone who was actually kinder than anyone but deliberately acted like a violent tyrant—his stiff eyes curved gently.

Cail slowly shook his head and answered.

“How could it be?”

The memory of last night, which had been becoming clearer as time passed since he opened his eyes, was an ecstatic night that would never happen again in his life.

He didn’t want her to take away his pain, but he didn’t want to deny the fulfilling joy that night had given him either.

“I really enjoyed it too, Jella.”

So Cail looked straight at her and said.

That he, too, had enjoyed it.

That last night, when he could embrace her warmth that he had always wanted to touch, had been achingly good for him too.

“It was really, really good. Good enough that I would exchange my entire life for that one memory.”

“Why do you have to say it so grandly?”

Jella said this out of embarrassment, but she didn’t feel bad.

To hide her reddened cheeks, she slightly leaned her head against his chest. Then he firmly embraced her again.

Jella whispered in his arms.

“And about what we were talking about earlier. I really wanted to tell you that helping you wasn’t hard for me at all.”

“…It still shouldn’t be done. That you’re in pain because of me.”

Cail spoke calmly with a slightly softened voice, but still not yielding his stubbornness.

“Then are you saying I should just watch you suffer like yesterday and not do anything?”

“Yes, Jella. Please just leave me be. It’s something I have to endure. Above all, it’s just a temporary measure, I can’t keep getting help from you like that forever…”

Jella, who had been listening quietly, raised herself from leaning against him and asked.

“Why not? You helped me, too.”

Cail’s eyes hardened again as he looked at Jella, who was asking as if she truly didn’t understand.

“How can you and I be the same?”

“What’s different?”

“I was raised to protect you, and you…!”

Because of her repeated questioning, Cail ended up raising his voice without realizing it.

“I want to protect you, too. It’s a natural desire to want to protect someone you like.”

But with Jella’s following words, Cail’s mouth closed.

She looked up at Cail and asked.

“Let me protect you, too, Cail. Okay?”

The added “Okay?” echoed faintly in his ears.

This isn’t right.

That she’s in pain because of him. That’s really not right.

Nevertheless, those red eyes looking up at him were so lovely and precious…

Cail tightly closed his eyes and opened them again, speaking as if he had surrendered.

“When you make that face and speak like that, I can’t refuse you.”

Why did his heart tremble so much at her words about wanting to protect him?

That you, who once grew up with the noblest body in the world, would protect me with those hands…

“I want to protect that heart of yours that wants to protect me.”

He decided not to think anymore about whether his desire to protect her heart was presumptuous for someone like him.

Because belittling the man she loves would be an insult to her precious heart.

“But I don’t like you being in pain, so I’ll definitely find a way for that too. A way for me to stay by your side.”

It was the moment when a change occurred in Cail’s mind, which had always been negative toward his life.

“Jella.”

Cail slowly reached out and held her left hand.

“I can’t make such a wonderful proposal like Niel Alpenhayer. I don’t have an empire to offer you, nor have I prepared even a pretty ring.”

Then he pressed his lips onto her ring finger.

A hot sensation spread from where his lips touched.

“But if you’ll accept me.”

Cail raised his head again and looked straight into Jella’s eyes as he spoke.

“I want to keep being by your side.”

At those words, Jella, who had been quietly looking at him, had the corners of her mouth curve upward.

“I’ve already accepted you long ago.”

“It’s different. This is… a proposal. A confession containing my desire to be your companion.”

“Yes, it was the most romantic and barbaric proposal in the world, Cail.”

Jella showed her ring finger with Cail’s clear red mark on it and waved her left hand gently.

As she did so, a clear laughter burst from her lips.

***

Helasio was sitting on the castle roof with a gloomy face.

‘It’s all because of me.’

If only I hadn’t stupidly been caught by Arne and the first Emperor and had my body taken. If only I hadn’t become a parasite in a human heart…

Since overhearing the conversation between the two that day, he kept thinking such thoughts.

That if it weren’t for him, the two wouldn’t be suffering so much.

The original Helasio wouldn’t have had such sentimental thoughts.

He would have just scoffed, thinking, what did he care about humans’ circumstances?

But seeing how he kept having depressing thoughts and blaming himself these past few days, it seemed he had given too much of his heart to Jella and Cail.

‘Both of them would be happier without me.’

Just as Helasio was thinking this and letting out a deep sigh.

Meow! Meow!

The cats that had been prowling around the roof began to cry.

[Hey, be quiet! Can’t you see I’m in the midst of very serious contemplation?]

Meow! Meooow! Meow!

But the cats continued to cry, undeterred by Helasio’s threats.

[These lowly creatures really…!]

Just as Helasio, unable to bear it any longer, was about to burst out in anger.

Helasio discovered that the necklace around his neck was emitting a bright light.

[Uh…?]

As he blinked his eyes, wondering if he had seen wrong, suddenly the necklace floated up, and his body was lifted into the air along with it.

And then, Helasio’s small body was pulled by the necklace and flew somewhere.