‘If this continues, am I going to die along with him?’

My hand that was holding the fork trembled.

Why did the coal say such things, making things so difficult for me?

‘Does he mean to take me to the afterlife with him, as his mate from the underworld…!’

Fortunately, it seemed the time hadn’t come yet.

Gradually, the chill subsided, and Iscallion returned to his usual innocent self.

“I like that title. From now on, I’ll call you that. Throw away that ugly stone and play with me, sister.”

“No. I told you it’s my mate stone. I adopted it carefully. There’s no way I’m giving it up.”

“Then can’t you just raise me along with it? I’ll be more fun than that stone.”

That probably meant he’d push me to the brink of death, making my adrenaline rush like crazy.

Iscallion’s pros and cons were adding up.

Pros: Could improve cardiovascular functions.

Cons: Could die from a heart attack.

‘High risk, high return, huh.’

For someone like me, who’s not very capable, he was too much to handle.

“You also have to take responsibility for your territory and family in your own country. And I hate troublesome things. That’s why I adopted a stone instead of a pet. You should get a mate stone too. It’s good for mental stability.”

“Aha.”

Iscallion snorted.

“I know it sounds crazy, but when you say it, it sounds plausible.”

‘So, does he think his usual behavior is normal?’

“Then what’s your mate stone’s name?”

“You don’t deserve to know my name, boy.”

Iscallion lightly ignored the coal’s words.

“If it doesn’t have one, should I name it?”

I was the same.

“He has a name. It’s Shahar.”

“Sha… what? That’s a bit hard to pronounce.”

As expected of a Grand Duke from the North, who had a troubled childhood, he lacked common knowledge in many areas.

“Why give a stone such a difficult name?”

But Iscallion wasn’t ashamed of his ignorance. Therefore, he had no inferiority complex.

He exclaimed innocently.

“Is it because you’re my sister that you know so many difficult words?”

“Well, uh…”

“But don’t just adore the stone. If you do, I’ll get jealous of it. Hmm, wait. Would it make me look special if a pretty boy got jealous of a stone?”

‘No, you’d just look like a crazy person.’

“What are you doing tomorrow, sister? Want to go on a date with me?”

“Tomorrow is difficult. I’m leaving for the Holy Kingdom with the stone. We’re going to officially go through the adoption process at the temple.”

I had decided to accept Gined’s suggestion to have the coal investigated at the temple. The condition was that I’d go to the Holy Kingdom with it.

Although the coal didn’t seem to be lying, its appearance made it hard to trust. I also wanted to ensure it was safe for the coal to stay in the human world. I hadn’t realized I was such a prejudiced person.

“Really? Then I’ll go with you.”

“No, you need to return to your homeland. A lord can’t leave his territory for too long.”

“My territory is fine. Thanks for worrying.”

He gave a strangely twisted smile.

This time, even without revealing his energy, I felt a chill down my spine.

“I’ve never been to the Holy Kingdom. It’ll be fun going with you, sister.”

It seemed Iscallion was determined to follow me.

‘Well, it’s better if he causes trouble in front of me…’

I reluctantly agreed.

After finishing our meal, I took Iscallion back to the mansion.

My parents welcomed him even more warmly than before.

After breaking off the engagement with the Crown Prince, my parents were desperate to match me with any decent man they could find.

Although their standards were so high that only Gined and Iscallion passed.

They were determined to find me a new fiancé before the Crown Prince did, and they persistently questioned Iscallion about everything.

Before I knew it, it was time to sleep.

I returned to my bedroom.

Unlike yesterday, when I casually placed the coal on the desk and went to sleep, I held it in my arms as I lay down. I had a good idea after seeing the coal transform into a massage ball yesterday.

“Shahar. If you can change shapes, can you adjust your size too?”

“Yes.”

“Then can you transform into something long like a log?”

“Of course.”

The coal wobbled like clay dough and soon elongated into a small log. It was still made of coal, though.

“Wow.”

— Not only his appearance, but he can also adjust his size.

I suddenly remembered Lina, who shyly boasted about Enril’s abilities.

Now I understood why she was so happy about being able to adjust the size, despite the great powers of a dragon.

The coal, now larger, was an excellent bolster pillow.

I hugged it without hesitation.

The coal hesitated slightly and spoke.

“…Though we are mates, we have not yet formally wed.”

‘Why is this coal so shy?’

But I wasn’t about to give up this coolness.

“So what? Let’s just sleep together as mates.”

Just as I was about to fall asleep hugging him, someone knocked on the door.

I quickly hid the coal under the blanket and opened the door.

“Sister.”

It was Iscallion.

“What’s up?”

“Thinking about it, I want to get to know your mate stone better too.”

“What?”

He had been glaring at it so fiercely earlier.

I looked at Iscallion suspiciously.

“I’m serious. I want to build a friendship with the stone by sleeping with it tonight. And to apologize for what happened during the day.”

“The stone hasn’t been here long, so it’s probably not yet adjusted to the mansion. I plan to stay with it for now.”

I had grown somewhat attached to the coal, treating it like a real pet.

“My mate. I will follow the boy.”

The coal spoke from behind me. It had returned to the size of a fist.

“Even so, it is not proper to share a bed before marriage, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

“I don’t mind. No one would criticize me for sharing a bed with Shahar, you know?”

“I do not care about the thoughts of others. I simply do not wish to treat my mate carelessly.”

‘Tch, it was nice having you as a bolster pillow.’

I caressed the coal with a lingering touch.

‘What if Iscallion changes his mind and breaks the coal? But if it’s really the king of the underworld, it should be fine, right?’

As if reading my mind, the coal spoke.

“Do not worry, my mate. He cannot harm me.”

With the strong wills of both men, I eventually handed the coal over to Iscallion.

“Goodbye. Sha, what’s your name again? Anyway, I’ll take good care of the stone.”

Iscallion greeted the coal and petted it just like I did.

Just when I felt a bit reassured by his cheerful voice, the coal sternly spoke.

“Do not dare to pet me, boy.”

“……”

Could any semblance of friendship possibly blossom between those two?

I watched Iscallion’s retreating back with concern.

***

Back in his bedroom, Iscallion placed the coal on the table with a thud.

“You, what are you?”

“……”

“How do you know me?”

Of course, it was a secret that Iscallion was the Grand Duke of Pontos.

But he wasn’t just surprised that Shahar knew his identity.

The process by which he became the Grand Duke was unknown to the public. Until he became the final victor, endless internal strife occurred within the Pontos Grand Duchy.

The death of Iscallion’s father, the previous Grand Duke of Pontos, while fighting monsters at a young age, was the beginning of all the events.

By law, Iscallion, his son, was the rightful successor, but his uncle, who coveted the title, staged a rebellion.

Iscallion’s mother barely escaped Pontos with her young son.

However, living in hiding away from their homeland was extremely harsh, especially for a young noblewoman and a child who knew nothing.

The two wandered the world and eventually ended up in Arcadia.

Iscallion’s familiarity with Arcadia’s geography was due to that experience.

In the splendid capital of the empire, Iscallion’s mother worked herself to death doing all sorts of menial jobs.

Left alone, he became a mercenary, wandering aimlessly across the continent until he accidentally discovered his true heritage. After that, he killed his uncle and his family and reclaimed his house and territory.

He wasn’t ashamed of his past. But he didn’t want Lou to know. Everyone who knew about his past avoided him.

‘A mere stone…’

“Well, fine. I don’t care how you know. But if you tell sister, I’ll grind you to dust.”

Iscallion, who had been threatening fiercely, suddenly shook his head.

“No, I should just break you now.”

He gripped the coal tightly. If it had been an ordinary stone, it would have been crushed instantly under his strong grip.

The coal, or rather Shahar, watched Iscallion silently.

Shahar still had no intention of conversing with him. Dealing with a reckless human boy would only waste time and effort.

He was simply curious.

‘So all descendants of the wolf are like this.’

The legendary wolf who killed the mother of the gods. Those who inherited his blood were all extremely belligerent and prideful.

While the descendants of the Sun God tried to mitigate their sins with cunning and eloquence, the descendants of the wolf refused judgment and walked into hell on their own. Like the wolf still cursing the gods from the abyss.

Iscallion, who had been squeezing the coal with all his might, suddenly fell into deep thought.

“What if sister gets angry…?”

His contemplation didn’t last long.

He quickly came to a decision and grinned.

“I’ll think about that later.”

The moment he genuinely decided to break the stone, a sudden excruciating pain struck him.

Iscallion immediately dropped the stone and clutched his head, gasping for breath between his clenched teeth.

Instinctively, he moved towards the door.

“Lou…”

It was fortunate that the person who could alleviate his pain was nearby.

Just as he grabbed the doorknob, Shahar spoke for the first time.

“You cannot leave this place until morning.”

His voice was chillingly cold.

As soon as he finished speaking, black smoke filled the room.

Instinctively sensing danger, Iscallion tried to hold his breath and cover his mouth and nose, but the intense pain made him breathe heavily.

In the end, he inhaled the smoke.

His vision blurred immediately, and he felt faint.

“You damned stone…”

‘This damn stone.’

Swearing never to keep a mate stone again, Iscallion passed out.