Pounce… what?

I must be feeling weak. I thought I just heard something strange…

“I am ready.”

Ready? Ready for what?

“Ready to be pounced on by you.”

Just as I was crying out in my mind, he answered as if he had heard my inner thoughts with perfect timing.

At that moment, I realized he was giving off a dangerous aura slightly different from his usual self.

Whether it was because of his wet hair clinging to him despite having buttoned his shirt all the way up, or because of his rough-looking eyes from not sleeping all night.

He smiled mischievously with that strangely decadent look and gently stroked the inside of my wrist where the veins ran with his thumb.

“If you’re not ready yet.”

“….”

As a ticklish yet chilling and strange sensation spread throughout my body through my veins, I stared at him while holding back even a single breath that threatened to escape.

“Give me your command. I’ll help you prepare.”

He said while rounding his blue eyes.

With such a devout attitude as if he were a subject waiting for his master’s orders, yet containing such secretive and precarious content.

‘So that preparation he means now is…’

He meant he would help me prepare to pounce on him!

“W-why would I need such preparation?”

“You were looking so intently, I thought that’s what you wanted. Was I mistaken?”

Cail asked, tilting his head slightly.

Well, I did unconsciously look at his chest a bit closely, but…

“Not at all!”

My face turned bright red in an instant, and I ended up pushing him away with all my strength.

***

Water dripped from Niel’s freshly washed hair.

He went to his desk wearing only a light robe.

He took a sip of the warm tea the head butler had left and double-checked the documents on the desk.

Although he hadn’t slept all night organizing yesterday’s event and handling various matters, he still maintained his elegant and flawless appearance.

The Saint’s resurrection, the collapsed altar, the blood-spewing Pope, and the sudden appearance of monsters – the final ceremony of the Kingdom’s Foundation Day celebration seemed to have been ruined by all the chaos.

However, the Imperial Family had handled everything cleanly to prevent any rumors from spreading, and as a result, not a single complaint about the Foundation Day celebration appeared in any newspaper that arrived this morning.

Rather, they were praising the Imperial Family for handling the sudden situation with such flexibility.

Though because of this, Niel and his aides had to work through the night.

It was also his responsibility to entertain foreign guests until the last night so they wouldn’t feel neglected due to the absent Empress.

As a result, Niel hadn’t slept at all and couldn’t go see Jella.

Even amid his troubled thoughts as her face occasionally came to mind, he maintained his position.

He paid off and sent away the actor who had neither tact nor acting skills.

It was his mistake not to realize that the theater troupe had failed because of those poor acting skills.

Niel closed the document folder with the final report about a suspected contagious disease that had simultaneously broken out among young women in the capital last evening.

Suddenly, one of the letters on the tray caught his eye.

“….”

As if under a spell, Niel reached out and opened the envelope.

Out popped a threatening reminder saying that if he didn’t write a review by today, he would be added to the list of problematic customers.

The fancy, round handwriting was Jella’s.

As soon as he saw it, all of last night’s fatigue vanished.

Niel lowered his head over the letter with a faint smile.

He was savoring the moment, trying to catch even a hint of her scent that might linger on the thin paper.

“Your Majesty.”

The head butler’s voice came through.

Niel’s expression turned as cold as a winter wind, disturbed from his moment of thinking about her.

However, as soon as the head butler entered the room, a warm smile like spring sunshine appeared on his face.

“What is it, Alex?”

“A guest has arrived.”

“At this hour?”

It was too early for visitors. If it had been an ordinary guest, the head butler would have turned them away on his own.

Niel noticed subtle excitement and anticipation on the head butler’s face.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Lady Yuria…!”

A pause.

Niel’s eyes flashed sharply at the completely unexpected name.

“Lady Yuria has come to see Your Majesty!”

“…Ah.”

Niel responded half a beat late. Then he smiled and said, “I see. Please escort Yuria to the reception room.”

Though his reaction was quite composed for a man reuniting with a long-lost lover, the head butler didn’t notice anything strange and replied with a beaming smile.

“Yes, Your Majesty! I’ll prepare right away!”

At the head butler’s direction, servants entered to help him change.

The excited servants tried to suppress their emotions as they brought out various accessories.

“Your Majesty, how about this jewel? It matches Lady Yuria’s eye color…”

“That’s fine.”

“But this miraculous reunion with Lady Yuria…”

“I said it’s fine.”

The servants flinched at his suddenly cold voice.

Niel realized his mistake but didn’t try to smooth it over.

They would think whatever they wanted regardless of how he reacted anyway.

Heading to the reception room, he warned the head butler.

“Alex, make sure no one enters this room for a while. No matter what sounds you hear, do not enter.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The head butler answered with a pleased expression. As he stepped into the reception room, the door closed behind him.

“N-Niel…!”

The woman who had been sitting anxiously in front of the large table jumped to her feet.

“I-it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

Yuria laughed awkwardly while forcing a smile. Niel smiled back at her.

“I was disappointed when you disappeared like that yesterday.”

He took a bold step toward Yuria.

“And now you’ve come to see me personally, Miss Yuria.”

Flinch.

Yuria almost stepped back unconsciously as he approached.

However, remembering ‘that man’s’ strong grip around her neck, she forced herself to stand firm.

Niel had already come right in front of her.

Their gazes met directly.

Niel’s green eyes blinked slowly.

Yuria bit her lower lip as she stared straight into his eyes.

At that moment, an enchanting voice echoed in Niel’s mind.

-Embrace her. Kiss her.

It was a sweet and seductive voice.

So dizzying and enchanting that he felt he couldn’t resist pulling the woman before him into his arms and kissing her.

-She’s waiting for you. Hold her now.

Niel’s lips curled up gently.

“How strange.”

He reached out toward Yuria. His cold glove brushed against her eyes.

Startled.

Yuria flinched back with a frightened face.

“Ever since before, whenever our eyes met, I kept hearing strange voices in my head.”

She tried to pull back but was immediately caught by the fierce grip on her jaw.

“They keep giving me strange commands. Telling me to embrace you and kiss you.”

“Ugh… N-Niel…”

“And every time I hear these voices.”

His lips came close as if about to kiss her, but instead moved past to whisper softly in her ear.

“I want to kill you.”

“Kyaah…!”

Yuria pushed Niel away and fled, struck by the chilling murderous intent that pierced her eardrums.

However, there was nowhere to escape in the closed room.

Niel knew this too and watched her flee to the corner with the expression of a satisfied predator.

Cornered, Yuria collapsed to the floor when she realized there was nowhere left to run.

Niel looked down at her with mechanical eyes and asked.

“Have all of them fled?”

“Ah, ah…”

Step, step.

Niel slowly walked toward her as she trembled like prey.

“W-why…”

Shaking, Yuria gathered all the strength she could muster and poured it toward him.

-Stop.

-Don’t threaten her.

-Stop right now.

-Stay where you are.

A symphony of sweet voices filled Niel’s mind.

But he didn’t stop.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Having reached her, Niel bent down. With elegantly curved eyes, he asked in a gentle voice.

“Do you know something, Miss Yuria?”

He reached for the vase on the table.

“From a very young age, I was raised and educated as the heir of Alpenhayer.”

Crash!

The vase shattered.

“My late grandfather always emphasized the weight that comes with the Alpenhayer name, and warned me never to be swayed by temptation.”

He calmly sifted through the broken vase pieces, unconcerned about his cut and torn hands.

“Alcohol, tobacco, women, drugs… That’s why I keep away from such things.”

The sharpest and most pointed piece was held in his hand.

T/N: Can we just take a moment to appreciate that these 3 men can resist that voice? And every single time? Other male leads could learn a thing or two from them. Just saying. 😏