A tranquility that surged like flooding waters, a calm like a quiet but deep and vast lake that instantly extinguished his violent urgency that had risen to its limit.

Yet it was warm.

Warm tranquility. How terribly wonderful.

‘Just… just a little more.’

After kneading that nape for a while, at some point all he could see were her lips.

Constantine moved toward them. He knew. How those lips felt. How soft they were. How sweet they were. How moist and hot that mouth was inside.

“Mmm.”

And he knew what sweet sounds leaked out when he parted those lips and sucked inside.

He tilted his head and pushed his tongue in deep, trying to taste more of that inside. He licked and tasted every direction inside her mouth, not missing any spot.

“Don’t go… Stay here…”

The Saena in his dream was completely his. Even if it was just the afterimage of a dream, he wanted to savor this moment. He wanted to possess this time for even a little longer.

Wishing this dream would last just a bit longer, he made that wish. He murmured as if making a wish.

“Don’t go…”

Don’t go, be mine.

Stay by my side.

Long ago, in his childhood when he could still smile with the expectation of sweetness…

Like when making a wish while blowing out birthday cake candles, he breathed into the space between Saena’s lips and wished, just like that.

* * *

— Master! I remember when your great-grandfather attended this meeting. Back then too, the prince was causing lots of trouble. But at that time, Hebeta…

Back to the present.

Constantine suddenly snapped out of his reverie while savoring and dwelling on the sweet memory.

— The current prince seems similar, right? Master? Are you listening to me?

It had been difficult for him to become something like lovers with Saena.

He still felt anxiety that she might bounce away the moment he took his eyes off her. He was still paying attention to many things to avoid being shaken off by her.

— So let’s just give her up. Good for the prince, good for that woman, good for the empire, good for me too. Right? Master? Master?

But the prince? Making her a mere Hebeta?

That’s absolutely impossible.

— Master? Hey, Master!

His heart grew urgent. He felt he needed to end the meeting quickly and see her.

“We’ll proceed with understanding the approval of Hebeta’s engagement cancellation as such.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Everyone nodded at Duke Rosedale’s words.

“Hey? What are you doing?”

Duke Aberdeen asked incredulously, watching Constantine tear off a small corner of the meeting minutes to make a note and feed it to a messenger bird.

“Are you sending a love note right now? …During the meeting?”

“……”

“Are you really Constantine Kramer? Really? You’re not someone else wearing his skin?”

“Get your face away.”

Constantine said with an annoyed expression to Duke Aberdeen who kept coming closer in disbelief.

“Wow– this is shocking. Really.”

“……”

And then Lucas Aberdeen, who had briefly gone quiet, suddenly straightened up and started chattering again.

“Well, I also have a woman I’m interested in these days.”

I don’t have the slightest interest in your love life. I wish you’d just be quiet.

“She looks really haughty but the aura she gives off is like, how should I say it… really comfortable? It’s a feeling I’ve never seen before but strangely very familiar.”

“……”

“But she’s also cute. Her way of speaking is cute. Even her somewhat wall-like attitude is cute, you know?”

“……”

“Ah– I want to see her again. Hey Kramer. What’s your lady like? Is she cute? Pretty?”

“Turn off your interest.”

Though he spoke coldly, Constantine flinched internally for a moment.

Hadn’t he also first noticed her because of her unique aura? If Constantine could sense that aura, Lucas Aberdeen would have been able to sense it too.

If Lucas hadn’t asked him to substitute for the parade…

Constantine stared blankly at Duke Aberdeen’s face, mulling over the ‘what if’ scenario.

“Hey, why, why!”

Unlike Constantine, Lucas was quite skilled at approaching women and leading conversations. Though it was a face he didn’t particularly want to look at, he knew women quite liked that bastard’s pretty face.

Imagining Lucas smiling at Saena with his eyes and approaching her with courtship,

“……”

“Hey, why are you acting like that!”

He frowned as his mood turned so sour it gave him goosebumps.

“Your face…”

“…Is handsome?”

“Is asking for a punch.”

“No, Kramer. Why is your personality so bad? Did you fight with your lover?”

Sensing killing intent like he might get hit any moment, Lucas shuddered and backed away. And using that killing intent as an excuse, Aberdeen’s horse-like mouth spewed more spit again.

“Hey! Why did you come out! Go back in!”

“Hah…”

While clenching his fist that kept wanting to fly out, Constantine took the messenger bird in hand and went to open the door to one of the terraces.

He briefly watched the bird flutter away before turning around.

Time to finish the rest of the meeting.

* * *

After the meeting, Constantine went to his room provided by the imperial palace.

Given the timing, she would be participating in the treasure hunt, so he likely wouldn’t be able to find Saena immediately even if he went to the banquet hall.

‘I didn’t get to see her in her moonlight ball attire.’

Though she was always pretty, she must have looked even prettier dressed in formal evening wear.

Constantine was in formal attire but not suitable for the banquet. That’s why he briefly stopped by to change clothes.

He wore the white leather gloves she had gifted him. He put on new boots and combed his hair again. While looking at his reflection in the mirror, that thing nagged him endlessly again.

— What’s this, why are you dressing up so much today? Want to look pretty? Going to mate soon? Humans mate to have children, right?

“Shut up, Caligo.”

— I don’t really like that miss. Can’t you mate with another woman? Hey, master. Master! Answer me. Huh?

“Hah.”

Trying his best to block out that voice in his head, he looked in the mirror again. Though he had shaved in the morning, it seemed a stubble had grown slightly under his chin. While stroking his slightly rough chin, he contemplated before entering the bathroom.

Meanwhile, he slightly opened his power to summon the black bird.

‘I should shave again.’

While mixing shaving cream in a small bowl, he examined under his chin. He quickly spread the cream with a round brush, then picked up the razor with precise movements.

Scrape. Scrape.

Following the direction his fingers pushed the blade, the short stubble was quickly cleared away.

— Are you prettying yourself up, master! Going to do a courtship dance? Getting married? Can’t it be with another woman?

Pretending not to hear, Constantine focused on shaving. After finishing the quick shave, he thoroughly wiped his lower face with a towel.

He carefully wiped his face again with a prepared wet towel from the other side and finished with toner. He swept back his hair with his fingers and gathered it to tie at the back.

Going out and putting on his cloak completed his preparations for heading out.

Just then, the messenger bird returned.

“Seems you found her well.”

It was set to track her using Hips’s energy that he had previously planted in Saena’s shadow. As long as the distance wasn’t too far, there was no problem finding her.

— Is that the woman? The one you secretly planted Hips in? Isn’t that stalking? She’ll curse at you if she finds out? Mating failure! Master, let’s find another woman!

This is insufferable.

Since inheriting this damned thing, Constantine literally had to listen to its chatter all day long. Since it was a direct thought transmission that bypassed his ears and went straight to his mind, he couldn’t cleanly block it even if he wanted to.

‘This is nauseating.’

When would he be able to end this kind of life?

Usually, one escapes by having an heir quickly and passing on the Guardian Spirit, but Constantine didn’t want to marry just anyone for that purpose.

If he had wanted to marry just anyone and have children, he would have done so long ago.

Honestly speaking, he had strongly considered cutting off the Covenant in his generation, to hell with the empire’s peace and everything else. His thoughts had actually leaned heavily in that direction.

‘Saena…’

But then Saena appeared.

She appeared with options he had never thought of or imagined.

She awakened emotions he didn’t know he had, awakened desires, awakened yearnings.

He wanted to see that porcelain-white, delicate face soon. He wanted to touch and kiss that warm, soft skin. He wanted to dig deeper and never let go.

Only barely holding back because she wasn’t very willing. If it were up to him, he’d lock her in a room right now and…

Kuaek.

Just then, the black bird regurgitated something.

The runaway fantasy fortunately broke off.

‘…A leaf?’

Just a leaf with no writing or markings on it. The reason for sending this in response to asking where she was…?

‘Ah, must be there.’

Constantine hurriedly left the room and exited the building. Darkness had already settled outside.

This kind of time made it easier for him to move.

“Caligo.”

With a brief call, he spread the Guardian Spirit’s power. Black energy leaked from behind him and swirled around his body.

He lightly kicked off and melted into the darkness. He moved quickly without being seen by people’s eyes. Using Caligo’s abilities, he could easily hide in places without light and hide in shadows. Since these were abilities others would greatly dislike and avoid if they knew about them, he used Morev as an outward shield.

Though people were popping up here and there looking for treasure, he was able to advance to his destination without much interference thanks to this.

‘…Hips?’

Just then,

The one he had planted in Saena detected something.