“Hoho, when you cut through the thick skin, you’ll find white flesh inside.”

“Ah, so you don’t eat it whole.”

Encouraged by this information, Rael reached for the eye fruit.

“Ack!”

…Only to quickly withdraw her hand to her chest.

“Th-th-th-that thing!”

She had tried to pick up the fruit, but suddenly it opened its eyes.

How can a fruit open its eyes?

“Oh my, you seem startled. That’s normal. It’s not actually alive, so there’s no need to be afraid. Hoho.”

It truly opened its eyes just like a person or animal would lift their eyelids. And there were so many of them. At a glance, there appeared to be at least a dozen eyes opening all at once, creating an incredibly eerie sight.

“…Whoever wants it can have it.”

She couldn’t bring herself to consider eating it. She’d be lucky if she didn’t throw up what was already in her stomach.

“Hmm, but it seems Kali brought it as a gift for you, Lady Rael.”

“What?”

[Ack! You mutt! Let go!]

Joseph’s wing, which had flown toward the fruit, was now caught in Kali’s mouth. Kali apparently didn’t want to give the fruit to anyone else.

“I don’t want to be bitten, so I’ll pass.”

Esh was too busy cackling at Joseph’s predicament.

[Human! Hurry up and get this beast off me! Ugh! It’s getting saliva all over me!]

Kali was chewing on Joseph’s wing like a toy. What a chaotic duo.

“Ah, Yuswen. Are you finished?”

The smoke that had been rising from the corner of the garden began to subside, and Yuswen appeared to have completed his task. Noticing him, Rael waved her hand.

“It seems human plants don’t suit this place.”

His face was shadowed with gloom.

“I never actually said I wanted to see them…”

Seeing Yuswen so depressed made Rael feel somehow guilty, though she couldn’t understand why.

“Just don’t plant strange things, okay? Haha.”

“Haah…”

Sighing deeply, Yuswen noticed the fruit that had fallen to the ground during the commotion. He bent down and picked it up, seemingly unbothered by the blinking eyes on the fruit’s surface.

“Ah, give that to Lady Rael if you don’t want to end up like Joseph here.”

Esh pointed at Joseph, who had finally escaped Kali’s mouth and was going to wash off the saliva. Yuswen obediently placed the eye fruit on the table in front of Rael.

“…”

Once again, Rael had to face those blinking eyes, and at quite a close distance. This time, she didn’t even scream.

“…Could someone please cover it with a handkerchief?”

Frozen in place, Rael stared at the numerous eyes directed at her while making her request to Yuswen.

“Ah, yes.”

Yuswen covered the fruit with the handkerchief that had wrapped the bread, allowing Rael to finally exhale the breath she’d been holding.

“Phew.”

Why did even a simple fruit have to be so unsettling in this place? It truly wasn’t good for her mental health. This was definitely not a place where humans should be.

“Ack! Stop shaking water again!”

Joseph, who had returned after washing off the saliva, shook himself vigorously, splashing water everywhere. Esh, now soaked again, tried to catch him, but the nimble Joseph dodged her easily.

[You’re too slow to catch me!]

“What? This slowpoke teddy bear is mocking me? Fine. Just wait until I catch you today.”

Esh rolled up her sleeves.

“…Here they go again.”

Yuswen clicked his tongue at the two while feeding bread to Kali.

“Pfft.”

For some reason, Rael found herself laughing at the scene. Her mind had been complicated and her nerves on edge for days, feeling like she was in a precarious tug-of-war, but today she felt much better.

‘I guess having them around does provide some comfort after all.’

Watching Joseph and Esh running chaotically around the tea table, Rael thought that while it seemed crazy, it wasn’t so bad.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Ah, that was until she heard that low voice.

“Rubellan.”

It was impressive how he always appeared like a ghost to throw cold water on her mood just when things were starting to feel better.

“Uh… well, we’ll be going now.”

Esh, Joseph, and Yuswen were hurriedly leaving the area.

“Where are you going?”

Rael was bewildered as they hastily gathered up Kali and disappeared, treating her like a plague patient.

“Unlike you, senior, they’re quick to read the room.”

They had already vanished into the distance. Rubellan sat down across from Rael with a graceful movement. Conveniently, a teacup with the perfect amount of tea was already placed in front of him, apparently prepared in advance.

The scene looked so natural that it felt like the tea table had been set for just the two of them from the beginning. At times like this, Rael suspected that Esh knew everything and prepared accordingly.

“It’s nice to see you smiling after so long.”

“Was I smiling? Me?”

Even to herself, it seemed like a screw had come loose in her brain.

“It reminds me of the old days. You should smile more often.”

“Huh?”

She was so dumbfounded she could hardly breathe.

“Old days, you say.”

For a moment, she recalled their Academy days, then immediately frowned. Rubellan, who had been observing Rael over his teacup as he sipped his tea, snickered.

“Not good memories, I take it?”

“Good memories?”

“You’ve already forgotten our good times together.”

Seeing Rubellan talking nonsense in broad daylight made her chest feel tight again.

“I still get butterflies when I think about those days.”

Rael gave him an incredulous look as he smiled wistfully, like someone reminiscing about their first love on a spring day.

“Why don’t you take off that hypocritical mask?”

“I must not be a very skilled actor if that’s how you feel, senior.”

There it was again. That disgustingly gentle smile.

“I suppose not.”

“I’ll try harder.”

What exactly was he trying to do? She was tired of being manipulated by a demon. While Rael was lost in thought, Rubellan savored his tea. She observed him slowly.

On the night of the red moon, he had seemed unstable. He had also looked quite ill.

After disappearing that night, he was showing his face again after several days. Now his complexion and demeanor had returned to normal.

‘Does something happen to his body when the red moon rises?’

Rael moistened her parched throat and made her own conjectures. Demons who consumed the golden apple gained immortality but suffered tremendous pain, and on nights when the red moon rose, demons’ magical power increased. Perhaps when their power grew, so did their suffering.

How did that connect to why Rubellan had sought her out after three years?

Rael looked down at the eye fruit next to her teacup, covered with a handkerchief.

Should she eat it?

And then ask him. What was the real reason he was keeping her here?

But what if—really, what if—he said something ridiculous like “love”? That would be a damned situation in its own way.

Tap. Tap…

Unconsciously, Rael drummed her fingers on the table. Rubellan’s gaze fell on her fingertips.

“What’s that?”

His question startled Rael out of her thoughts.

“Ah, what?”

“Next to your hand, that.”

His gaze was fixed on the handkerchief. Rael had wrapped the fruit tightly in it.

“Nothing. Just some fruit Kali brought.”

“Are you taking it with you?”

“Yes. As a memento. My first gift.”

At her answer, Rubellan didn’t ask anything more about it. He simply stared at Rael intently as he drained the remaining tea in his cup.

“You should treasure it then. Since it’s your first gift.”

“I intend to.”

Rael tucked the handkerchief-wrapped fruit into her pocket. Though she felt the eyes touching her skin through the handkerchief, making her hair stand on end, she didn’t show it.

“You seem to be feeling better?”

Having been lost in her own thoughts, she belatedly inquired about Rubellan’s condition.

“Thanks to your concern.”

She hadn’t particularly been concerned… but there was no need to make an issue of it.

Rubellan appeared completely normal, showing no signs of what had happened. Now that his usual composed demeanor had fully returned, she felt embarrassed for having worried about him even a little. After all, who should be worried about whom in this situation?

“The garden was on fire.”

“Yuswen planted roses, but they turned into something strange.”

“I missed an interesting sight.”

“It wasn’t particularly interesting. They were spitting poison.”

She almost laughed again at the memory.

“You seem quite accustomed now.”

“Hmm?”

“To life here. Have you become close with everyone?”

“Close… not exactly…”

It seemed too strange to say she was getting along well with demons while being held captive.

“Don’t get too close to them.”

“What?”

What was this demon’s angle now? Wouldn’t it be better if a kidnapped human adapted well?

“I might get jealous.”

That response drew a laugh of disbelief from her. This was truly a laugh of incredulity—a laugh born from absurdity. Where had the demon who fiercely cornered her gone? Now he was throwing out such unfunny jokes. He was truly a master of inconsistency.

Rael didn’t bother to respond, hoping he would realize on his own that his words weren’t worth acknowledging.

‘At least he’s not so sharp-edged now that he’s not in pain.’

A cool breeze blew past them. Strangely enough, this moment felt quite peaceful. Just sitting here, sharing tea across from each other, he almost seemed like an ordinary person.

“Hmm.”

“Senior.”

“What?”

Rubellan leaned forward. Thinking he might have something secretive to say, Rael also leaned in.

“I love you.”

Insane.

Rael quickly pulled back. Rubellan merely narrowed his eyes at her intense reaction.

What was he doing, suddenly making such a soft confession? Was he mentally ill?

But the real problem was that her heart was racing at those words, which could be either sincere or a joke. She covered her flushing cheeks with her hand and turned sideways.

It was clear that this demon was going as mad as she was.