“You know, Leon.”

“Yeah.”

“I couldn’t tell you because things were so hectic, but our situation isn’t very good right now. It’s not serious, but, ugh… Actually, it is serious…”

“Why? Is the stone not getting adopted?”

“No, that’s not it… Let me explain briefly. You can see it too, right? Shahar is a very special stone. But not everyone welcomes special beings. Especially conservative groups like the temple. So, until Shahar’s adoption is confirmed, the priests might be on edge. Even if I’m not around, don’t lose your temper and behave yourself. Got it?”

“Did those priests lock you up here? Is this place like a prison?”

“Well, something like that.”

He was truly a remarkable boy in many ways. Both from realizing it now and figuring it out with just a hunch.

As I was taken aback by his accurate guess, his youthful face quickly turned fierce, and he grabbed my hand.

“Let’s get out of here, sister.”

“No.”

“Why? Are you scared of jumping out the window?”

“I’ll be released in a few days. There’s no need to cause trouble by leaving now.”

“But you didn’t do anything wrong, and you’re locked up.”

“Even if I’m not at fault, I’m still responsible. It’s related to my mate stone.”

“Can’t you just throw it away? Why are you so attached to an ugly stone?”

Iscallion looked completely baffled.

I was equally astonished. No matter how young he was, a ruler of a large principality should have more sense of responsibility…

“I told you before. I won’t abandon him.”

‘What kind of punishment would I receive if I abandoned the King of the Underworld and died?’

I firmly let go of his hand.

“You’ll listen, right? I hate kids who don’t listen.”

Iscallion, who seemed ready to drag me out immediately, froze in place.

He bit his lip as if he was holding back his anger and spoke roughly.

“Then what should I do?”

“Just wait a few days. Can you do that?”

“Then give me a kiss as a reward.”

Iscallion puckered his lips. I was too dumbfounded to even get angry.

I blocked his approaching lips with one hand.

“No.”

“Why?”

“You’re a minor. Because of that, I have a duty to protect you from harmful things.”

I pushed his face away with my arm. Up until then, it was no different from teaching a younger sibling.

But when he lowered his head and pressed his lips deeper into my hand, the atmosphere changed instantly.

“You’re not harmful, sister.”

Iscallion mumbled with a muffled voice. His breath tickled my palm.

Although it wasn’t the first time we had this kind of contact, maybe it was because of the darkness, but the soft and moist sensation felt more pronounced than usual.

He was a boy younger than me in both age and mental maturity. However, his overwhelming physique and the intense gaze with which he looked at me made that fact irrelevant for a moment.

“Isn’t that right, sister?”

My face flushed, and my heart pounded wildly. All sorts of lewd fantasies flooded my mind.

‘Get a grip, he’s a minor!’

I hastily withdrew my hand and stepped back.

Iscallion, unaware of the dangerous situation he was in, followed me as I retreated.

Before I knew it, my back was against the wall. I opened the nightstand drawer with my other hand and fumbled inside.

A cold, sharp gem caught in my hand. Without hesitation, I grabbed it.

It was the necklace Lina had given me. The heavy weight brought a sigh of relief.

“O-Of course, I’m not harmful. But physical contact with me is harmful.”

“This is just a greeting. You taught me that, sister.”

Iscallion whispered. His golden eyes stared intensely at me.

I closed my eyes tightly and gripped the pendant harder.

‘Think pure thoughts, pure thoughts…’

Given that he was young, naive, and had feelings for me, it was a miracle I hadn’t already pounced on him. It was pathetic to worry about morals when the world was in crisis, but wrong was wrong.

Just because his body was big didn’t mean his mind was mature.

Moreover, Iscallion’s mental age was even younger due to his lack of education.

On the other hand, I…

‘If you combine my past and present lives, I’ve lived twice as long as Iscallion…!’

The combined effect of the necklace and my self-reproach quickly cooled my chest.

Perhaps Lina had foreseen this situation and given me the necklace.

In any case, it wasn’t the male leads who were in a hurry, but me.

Whether it was Pinion, Gined, or Iscallion, they would rather destroy the world than spend the night with a woman they didn’t care about.

‘Well, except for Pinion.’

He was the type who would sleep with his archenemy if it benefited him.

But even Pinion didn’t enjoy physical contact with women. He only touched me when absolutely necessary.

Anyway, all three were very different from me, who couldn’t resist handsome men.

“What are you thinking about?”

Iscallion, who had moved closer to me, asked.

He lowered his face so close that he could kiss me with just a slight rise. I could feel his breath mixed with a fresh scent like a green apple.

Although I didn’t feel any more emotional turmoil, if it weren’t for the necklace, I might have pounced on Iscallion.

Thinking my values were shaken was a complete misconception.

“Anyway, no kisses. So go back before you get caught.”

When I firmly insisted, he finally backed off with a face full of regret.

“I don’t get it. If it’s harmful, how can it feel so good? Do you hate me, sister?”

“I tried to be patient for my mate’s sake, but I can’t tolerate your whining anymore. Don’t disturb my mate with your sly behavior.”

As I was pondering how to explain this to a boy with little common sense, the coal finally intervened.

Iscallion retorted without backing down.

“What does a stone know? You don’t even have lips to kiss with.”

Suddenly, a dark aura began to swirl around the coal.

“Both of you, stop it! Shahar, you’re not blameless either. Who do you think caused all this mess? And you, Leon, stop making a fuss and go back to sleep.”

“……”

Iscallion still didn’t budge. He seemed angry that things weren’t going his way.

“Fine, do as you please. But I’ll do as I please too. I’ll never see you again. I’ll ignore you even if you come to find me.”

“What? You can’t do that.”

“Instead, if you listen to me, I’ll kiss you as soon as you become an adult.”

“You’re joking, right? It’s still half a year until I become an adult.”

“If you don’t like it, forget it. The kiss will never happen, and we’ll cut ties.”

“…I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”

Despite grumbling, Iscallion eventually gave in.

Even after striding to the window with his long legs, he didn’t forget to make a final plea.

“Promise you’ll keep your word. Okay?”

Iscallion’s lips were pouting.

His sulky face made him look even younger than his actual age, despite his large physique.

Feeling like a pathetic piece of trash for almost losing my mind over such a kid, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

Misunderstanding the meaning of my smile, Iscallion spoke in an annoyed voice.

“Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“You’re laughing right now.”

“When did I?”

Feigning innocence, I approached Iscallion and lightly brushed his hair.

He stiffened for a moment.

“Sweet dreams, Leon.”

Iscallion, who had been staring at me with an indecipherable expression, turned his head away to avoid my gaze.

“You probably know this already, but I’m not very patient. If you’re not released within three days, I’ll take you away from the Holy Kingdom no matter what.”

Before I could even respond, he leaped down and disappeared.

Even after Iscallion left, I couldn’t sleep for a while.

I spent most of the night with my eyes open, and it was almost dawn when I finally fell into a light sleep.

Someone knocked on the door.

My foggy mind quickly snapped back to reality.

“Come in.”

The person who entered was an elderly priestess.

Her stern and unemotional appearance was even more intimidating than Gined’s, making me feel small.

“Please follow me quietly.”

I quickly threw on some clothes, grabbed the coal, and followed the priestess out of the room.

“Is His Holiness alright?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

Her vague answer only made me more anxious.

‘That Pope, he didn’t really cross to the netherworld, did he?’

While obediently following her, I had all sorts of thoughts. I regretted not escaping with Iscallion when he came last night.

‘Maybe it’s best to knock this priestess out and escape with Iscallion…’

Although I was smaller in stature, I might have a chance if I used the coal as a weapon. Being from the underworld, it would likely be sturdier than an ordinary stone.

As I was watching the back of the priestess, trying to gauge how much force to use, she suddenly stopped and turned to face me.