Chapter 60. Hug Me One More Time

“Tell me anything. I can buy you whatever.”

Yuelina’s brows furrowed at his persistent attitude.

What I want?

But Yuelina truly didn’t want anything.

After pondering for a while, Yuelina finally opened her mouth.

“In the southern region… is it warmer than here?”

“It should be autumn there.”

“Then, don’t they grow plants there without magic stones?”

“Probably so.”

“Then could you bring me the most vigorous flower from there? No, even a plant would be fine.”

Theo’s expression subtly changed.

“Aren’t there plenty of plants here?”

“…The plants here don’t have any fragrance, perhaps because of the magic stones. They don’t seem alive.”

Theo nodded quietly at Yuelina’s words.

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Theo.”

“Yuna. I’ll definitely bring it for you.”

Yuelina felt increasingly burdened by Theo’s repeated promises to buy it.

Perhaps plants grown without magic stones were extremely expensive?

She even worried that she might have made an unreasonable request.

“Yuna.”

Theo called her name softly. His hand holding hers gradually tightened.

Yuelina gazed into his deep blue eyes. Theo’s gaze trembled slightly.

“So, because I’ll definitely bring that for you,”

“……”

“Because I’ll bring you something fragrant, something not mixed with magic stones,”

Theo spoke while lowering his gaze from Yuelina.

“Until then, you must stay here.”

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her expression.

If by chance her face twisted or hardened, he might stop breathing.

Still, he wanted to say it.

He wanted to somehow ask her not to leave.

“I’ll definitely bring it, so please stay here.”

Meanwhile, all of Theo’s actions seemed strange to Yuelina.

Theo seemed to be assuming that she would run away as soon as he left, as if she were about to leave.

Yuelina, now calm, pursed her lips into a circle before speaking.

“Of course I will.”

“What?”

Theo quickly raised his head at her simple answer.

Yuelina blinked her round, clear eyes.

“I’ll be fine. Even without you, Theo, I’ll tend to the garden and play with Maelyn and Raye!”

“Really?”

“Ah! Raye and Maelyn and I are going to the plaza dessert shop!”

“Ah. Going outside the territory too?”

“Of course! Um… I’m going shopping too! I’ll spend lots of money!”

Theo chuckled.

Even though Yuelina said she would go outside his territory, he foolishly just kept grinning.

But it was true that outside the territory where his mansion was located could be dangerous for Yuelina to wander alone.

Theo opened his mouth with a rather serious face.

“Outside can be dangerous. Especially as winter approaches, there are many thieves.”

Yuelina pouted at Theo’s words, pushing out her lips.

“They say the desserts sold in the plaza are really delicious. I really want to try them… Is it dangerous?”

Yuelina was really cute as she fidgeted with her moist, red lips while speaking.

They say the desserts are delicious.

She wants to eat them.

Shouldn’t she be able to eat them then?

Theo finally nodded and gave permission.

“If there’s an emergency, call for ‘Khan’.”

“Khan?”

“Yes. He’s my guard knight. If you’re in danger, call him and he’ll help.”

“Isn’t that guard going with you?”

“While I’m gone, Khan needs to protect you, so he’ll be here.”

Yuelina nodded shyly.

“Yes. I’ll call him if there’s an emergency.”

“Call him even if someone just talks to you or looks at you.”

“…Even if they just look?”

“Yes. Khan will always be watching the surroundings to protect you.”

Theo’s expression was firm.

Meanwhile, Ulysse gave a hollow laugh.

Shadow ‘Khan’ was Theo’s shadow who operated in complete secrecy.

Few people in the principality knew of his existence.

Yet here was Theo, freely revealing who Khan was.

And what had Theo told him yesterday?

Hadn’t he said he would use Khan to monitor Yuelina’s every move?

Yet he was readily telling Yuelina about the shadow’s existence.

And he had subtly changed the purpose from ‘surveillance’ to ‘protection’.

After having a hard time trying to stop both David and Theo, he struggled even more to calm Theo on his own!

Ulysse had spent sleepless nights worrying about how to turn around Yuelina’s indifferent heart.

He sighed heavily with an incredulous feeling.

Yuelina looked at Theo while watching Ulysse scratch his head.

“Theo, I think I’m holding you up too long. You should go now.”

“No.”

“What?”

“Hug me one more time.”

“What?”

Theo applied force to the arm holding Yuelina’s hand.

Led by his strength, Yuelina’s body drew closer to Theo.

Before she knew it, the distance between Yuelina and Theo had narrowed to barely a finger’s width.

His warm breath touched and left her forehead. Yuelina’s tense body stiffened.

“Earlier, you hugged me instead of patting me.”

“…Y-yes.”

“So now it’s time for a farewell hug, isn’t it?”

“What? I’m already saying goodbye now.”

“When Asarim left, you hugged him.”

Theo pulled his arm with a smirk. In an instant, Yuelina was tucked into his embrace.

Yuelina was helplessly trapped in Theo’s arms.

She couldn’t even take a deep breath, anxious that he might hear her racing heartbeat.

“For over a minute, too.”

“T-Theo.”

“Give me a proper farewell too.”

Theo messed with her hair while holding Yuelina.

Yuelina’s cheeks turned red.

She realized one thing clearly.

That his touch, holding her and stroking her hair, was definitely different from petting a pet.

Yuelina stretched out her arms and wrapped them around his waist.

His build was so large that Yuelina’s fingertips barely met as they encircled Theo’s waist.

“Theo, come back soon. I’ll wait.”

“Yes. I’ll return quickly.”

Theo looked at Yuelina’s face in his arms.

Yuelina touched her heated, hot cheeks.

“Then spend money freely and have fun.”

Yuelina burst out laughing.

“Won’t you be surprised at how much I spend?”

“I’d like that.”

He calmly took in the sight of Yuelina’s bright smile before boarding the carriage.

Ulysse boarded another carriage loaded with Theo’s luggage.

Soon after, the carriages began to leave the vast Phaenyx territory.

They passed through the dense forest maintained by magic stones, through wind-blown dry branches and frozen puddles.

In the principality, it was difficult to see lush greenery without magic stones.

He closed his eyes while keeping the window open. The sharp cold wind entering through the window passed lightly through his body.

Hot.

Was winter really coming?

Theo’s body was burning up.

That moment of holding Yuelina. No, that instant when Yuelina held him kept stirring in his mind.

He thought he should stop somewhere to buy several sets of thin cotton clothes.

To him, the south was like summer compared to the north.

Theo unbuttoned one or two buttons of his shirt. His firm chest rose and fell evenly through the shirt.

I must find the most fragrant flower.

Theo decided to search for fragrant flowers as soon as he arrived in the southern region.

Though no flower could surpass Yuelina’s body scent, it was the first gift she had ever asked of him.

He had one more purpose for heading south.

And he needed to return quickly after resolving his business.

Yuelina had told him to come back soon.

That she would be waiting.

Theo’s mouth twitched.

After his mother died, Theo had gone to numerous wars and left the principality’s seat vacant for years.

Even on the battlefield, he had never thought about wanting to return to the Phaenyx Principality, to his home in the Phaenyx territory.

But now, at the moment of his departure, he wants to return home like this.

Just for that one reason — that Yuelina was waiting for him at the mansion.

He already wants to go home.

Theo smiled wryly at the unfamiliar sentence that rose in his heart.