A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

“Reina.”

The bright voice was one she knew well. When she opened the door, as she always did, he immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

“My work ended early today. Shall we have dinner outside, for a change?”

She patted his broad back lightly.

“Yes, all right.”

“Let’s go right now.”

“Wait… there’s something I need to tell you first.”

At Reina’s subdued tone, Zephion’s expression stiffened, as if sensing something was wrong.

“What is it? Did someone come? Was it… that man?”

“No, nothing like that.”

She answered quickly, before his words grew any more frantic. Relief washed over his face at once.

“Then what is it?”

“Would you sit for a moment?”

“…All right.”

He obeyed without hesitation, taking a seat at the table. In their small, worn house, it was the only one they had.

Reina looked quietly at him, willing herself to hide the unease tightening her chest. The uncertainty of what she was about to say made his own expression wary, as though he feared what was coming.

“Zephion.”

‘How should I say this?’

Though he already knew of everything that had happened with Kaelid, speaking the words aloud still felt unbearably heavy.

“When I was in the House of Berend… I took medicine.”

“Medicine? What kind of medicine? Do you still need it? Where can I get it?”

Startled by the word, Zephion immediately fired question after question, not giving her time to explain.

“Contraceptives.”

At that, he blinked slowly.

“I took them for quite a long time.”

“…”

“The apothecary told me when I first started… that if I took them too long, I might become infertile.”

“So what you’re saying is…?”

“That I won’t be able to have children. No—”

She cut herself off. An uncertain might not felt too vague. Better to be clear. She didn’t want to plant false hope in him—nor did she want to leave herself tangled in needless thoughts.

“It won’t happen.”

Reina’s voice was firm.
A brief silence fell.
After a few blinks, Zephion asked again.

“So… you mean there will never be a child between you and me?”

“Yes.”

She almost added that it would be the same with any other man, but swallowed the thought. There would never be another man for her now, anyway.

Zephion studied her with an unreadable expression.

“Telling me that… it means you’ve at least thought about a child with me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If you’re speaking so seriously about infertility, then it means the idea of our child crossed your mind at least once. If it hadn’t, you wouldn’t have bothered to say anything.”

Of course, she had thought of it—if only for a fleeting moment, quickly dismissed.

“That isn’t the point.”

Reina’s brow furrowed slightly, but he only smiled—brightly, even.

“It means you’re taking our relationship that seriously.”

“…”

“Even if we never have a child, it’s all right. As long as it’s you, Reina.”

It was the answer she had expected. Still, hearing it aloud brought a small measure of relief. Letting out a faint sigh of ease, she gave a soft smile.

“I do take our relationship seriously—very much so.”

“And yet you still treat me like a child.”

“Do you dislike that?”

“It’s not that I dislike it…”

Zephion scrunched the bridge of his nose.

“But sometimes I worry… that you’ll always see me as nothing more than a boy.”

At that, she burst into quiet laughter.

“I wouldn’t do such things with a child.”

“Then treat me as an adult from now on.”

“Pipi.”

“Reina!”

“I’m the only one in this world who calls you Pipi. Do you really want me to start calling you Zephion instead?”

His eyes widened as though the thought had never occurred to him. He had always bristled and argued whenever she used that nickname—so much so, he seemed to have forgotten who it was that called him Pipi in the first place.

His lips parted, then pressed together again as he frowned in thought.

“Pipi is fine too.”

Reina stifled a laugh.

‘Of course he’d end up saying that.’

“But not in front of other people.”

“Why not?”

“Because Pipi sounds too… childish.”

“You are a child.”

“Does Reina do those kinds of things with a child, then?”

“Of course not.”

“So you admit we’ve given and taken more than that, right?”

“You’ve grown up, Pipi.”

“There you go again—treating me like a child.”

“And there you go again—getting worked up.”

Zephion narrowed his eyes, and Reina couldn’t hold back her laughter.

With a short sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, then clasped her hand firmly.

“You really don’t need to worry about children. I don’t care. As long as I have you, Reina, that’s enough.”

She tightened her grip on his hand. At least she could take comfort in the fact that she had known him since his boyhood. If she hadn’t, she might have longed to see what a child with his features would look like.

The memory of the day she had seen the marquis couple’s portrait flickered through her mind. Back then, she had thought she would never live to see a child grow older.

‘Would he grow to resemble his father?’

Her gaze dropped silently, and Zephion leaned in closer.

“You’re not upset about the child… are you?”

“No.”

She gave a soft smile, and he smiled back. His hand gently cupped her cheek as he lowered his head. Their breaths mingled, lips drawing closer and closer.

She gazed steadily into his golden eyes. When tinted with arousal, they seemed almost beast-like.

‘Just like now.’

Beast-like eyes. That look sent a shiver through her body—not from fear, but from anticipation. A hot breath slipped past her lips. His fingers brushed along the curve of her ear before sliding into her hair, cupping the back of her head with a gentle yet unyielding grip.

“Didn’t you say we were going out to eat?”

“Are you hungry?”

His low voice was already roughened with desire. Their lips were close enough to touch.

“No.”

“I want you right now, Reina.”

Zephion’s rough whisper devoured her, and then so did his kiss. His hand pressed firmly against her nape, holding her so she couldn’t escape, as his damp, supple tongue stirred familiarly inside her mouth.

“Mmh…”

Her palm rested on his chest, feeling the hard, pounding beat of his heart. Without even moving to the bed, he lifted her lightly from the chair and set her down on the table.

Calloused fingers brushed over her ankle, then slid swiftly upward along her calf. Her skirt bunched higher, riding up her thighs.

Loosening the ties, Zephion tugged down the fabric that clung precariously to her slender shoulders. When her br*asts spilled free, he buried his face between the soft mounds.

“Ah…”

The hard surface of the table pressed against her back, but instead of protesting or suggesting they move to the bed, Reina wrapped her arms around his head.

Zephion’s mouth closed around her soft flesh, sucking deeply, leaving a reddened mark with practiced familiarity.

His fingers trailed higher along the inside of her thigh, slipping past the edge of her undergarments. Feeling the already damp entrance, he let out a ragged breath. The moment his fingers sank inside, Reina whispered breathlessly,

“I want you too.”

At her words, a low groan escaped him. Already straining with heat, his tip rubbed against her slick folds, pressing firmly at the parted entrance. His thick p*nis pushed into the wet, clinging depths.

“Ahh—!”

Reina’s hips jolted and trembled. And then, the table beneath them began to shake as though it might break apart.

***

A cool breeze slipped through the cracks of the old window. Half-awake, Reina pulled the thin blanket higher and curled into herself.

She reached instinctively for warmth, but the space beside her was empty. There was still the trace of someone having lain there, yet it had already grown cold.

“…”

Her eyes opened slowly as she looked around. The house was silent.

“Pipi?”

Normally, even the softest call of his nickname would bring a quick, cheerful reply. But now there was only silence.

Reina pushed herself upright.