CHAPTER 63……………
“Strange… why are my ears so itchy?”
The voice came from the table beside them.
Lifting his teacup quietly, Asterios frowned faintly as he glanced over.
When he paused his own conversation, he began to notice others around him also scratching at their ears one by one.
“Hm? Sir Hound, you too? I just had the same thing and scratched them raw. Feels so much better now.”
“Someone must be talking about us.”
“Hopefully, it’s Her Highness praising us as promising candidates.”
“Come now, Sir Foren, aren’t you getting ahead of yourself already?”
“Hahaha!”
While the others laughed it off, Asterios raised his gaze seriously toward the man opposite him.
“Izeph.”
“Yes, Duke.”
“Do your ears itch?”
He blinked as he asked.
“No, they don’t. Why do you ask?”
Bewildered, Izeph widened his eyes. Asterios, as if confirming his suspicion, spoke in a low tone:
“I once heard about invisible insects used for spying.”
“…Demons, then.”
Neither affirmation nor denial—but that alone was enough to confirm his suspicion. Izeph lowered his eyelids.
“They may not be able to approach us directly, but they could spy through the eyes and ears of those around us. We should relay anything important through letters instead.”
“Yes, that would be best.”
As the two set down their cups and rose to their feet, Mari suddenly appeared beside Asterios. Her face was grave as she leaned in to whisper something urgently into his ear.
“…I understand, Mari. I’ll go at once. Izeph, wait in your chamber. I may need you.”
At those words, Izeph’s complexion turned pale. He took them to mean that Roziana might require holy power.
Since she had fully stabilized her divine power, the princess had not needed him for some time now. Though he had been glad she was strong enough not to rely on him, it had also left him suffocating with the sense of being useless.
But now—
The thought that she might once again need him made his heart lurch wildly.
Was it worry? Or… joy?
“….”
Izeph furrowed his brow, his chest tightening painfully.
“Haah…”
Back in her chambers, Roziana let out a long, heated breath.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
“Yes. The dizziness is less now.”
Lying down on the bed eased her somewhat. Fiona and Anna came to her side, while Thomas stood guard at the door. Quick-witted Mari had already gone to fetch someone.
Right after the Holy One used his divine power, Roziana had felt something strange in her body. Anxious emotions surged up, swallowing both body and mind, until fever and heat overtook her.
But she couldn’t say for certain it was from the holy power, since the dizziness and pain began right after Asterios had left her side.
‘Was it divine power running rampant?’
She wondered briefly, but dismissed it when the sensation faded. And besides, it didn’t feel the same as before.
Lying calmly, she checked her inner circle. The white divine energy remained still and quiet. Instead, it was her mana—on the verge of reaching the 12th Circle—that churned restlessly.
If it were from divine power, she could call Izeph. But it wasn’t. And what she wanted now was—Asterios.
‘Even though I just saw him…’
Her chest fluttered uneasily. She couldn’t tell why these symptoms arose.
‘If I just held his hand, maybe it would settle.’
She had been fine when he was beside her. Surely, then, it was related to mana flow.
‘But with the contest about to begin, I didn’t want to trouble him…’
As she lay resting, Mari had already hurried to fetch Asterios.
‘She read me like an open book.’
Sigh. Roziana exhaled deeply again.
Then Fiona approached with news.
“Your Highness, Captain Tenebres has come.”
Asterios was already at the door.
Her heart pounded louder.
‘Since he came this far… I’ll see him briefly, then send him away.’
Closing and opening her eyes as if in resolve, Roziana gave her order.
“Bring him in. And everyone else, please leave for a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The three attendants exited, and the sound of footsteps approaching her filled her with an almost childish joy.
“May I examine you for a moment?”
She nodded, and his large hand brushed softly against her cheek and brow.
“…Your mana feels unstable.”
“Mm… but with you touching me, I can breathe easier.”
“When did the symptoms start?”
He had already sensed her unease and fear in the council chamber when Gregorian unleashed his divine power, so he had made sure she was stable before moving away.
“After we left the chamber—right when you stepped away. My head spun, my stomach twisted, I felt like vomiting, and then fever came.”
It seemed her mana was tangled, as if it had clashed with another powerful force.
But she had only been exposed to holy power. Why would that cause it?
If it were divine energies colliding, perhaps—but this felt more like…
‘I could be sure if I connected more deeply.’
Leaning closer, he asked cautiously:
“Your Highness, may I… make deeper contact?”
“Deeper?”
Ugh. Her body shuddered again, nausea rising.
“…Do it.”
Breathing raggedly, she nodded, raising her pale hand to him.
“Pardon me, then.”
Asterios leaned toward the bed. His large hands wrapped around her soft one, and immediately, the tension in her brow eased, her expression softening.
But then—
“Ugh!”
The nausea surged again. Asterios’s golden eyes widened in alarm.
‘No, this isn’t enough.’
The comfort of his touch only made her body crave more, as if demanding greater relief.
‘But tonight he departs for the Secret Fog. I can’t drain him further.’
She couldn’t bear to rob him of strength before such an important trial. And besides, she now knew—it wasn’t divine power, but her own mana spiraling out of control.
Weak though she felt, she tried to slip her hand from his.
“Let go, Asterios… I’ll manage…”
But his grip did not loosen. Instead, his fingers intertwined with hers, enclosing her hand firmly in his warmth.
Startled, Roziana looked up at him. His gaze had deepened.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Her breath came hot, his shadow falling across her face as he leaned closer.
“Did you not say you wished me to focus on the contest and win?”
She had. And she meant it.
“Yes.”
Her voice trembled with heat, her body burning up. She feared she might collapse—but she didn’t want to drag him down with her.
“Then please… allow me.”
His voice, low and raw, cracked with urgency. She could feel his desperation, and it unsettled her. Allow what? To give me more of your power?
“But—”
He tilted his head.
“Don’t push me away.”
The weight in his voice, heavy with concern, crushed her resistance. His golden eyes radiated a heat greater than her fever, glowing with a vivid intensity that left her powerless.
‘When did his lips get so close?’
The thought didn’t last long. His soft lips touched hers, and the fire in her fevered mind twisted into something else entirely.
“Mm—”
Shamelessly, a spark of desire flared inside her. She opened her mouth, pulling at his mana with desperate hunger.
The more she drew, the more she craved. His lips, his strength—she wanted to devour them all.
“Nn…”
Yes. Now she could breathe. Now she could live.
Sweet liquid heat poured into her, spreading through her body.
Ah. Just a little more.
Their lips and tongues tangled, rubbing, pulling forth heat and satisfaction. She couldn’t tell whether it was the mana unraveling or desire swelling—but joy flooded her body, and without thinking, she pulled him closer.
“Mmh…”
More. Just a little more!
‘Huh?’
Suddenly—
Her mind snapped clear, as though waking from a dream. The first thing she saw was Asterios, his strength nearly spent, barely supporting himself.
His long lashes trembled, his eyes closed, and his arms braced around her quivered with strain.
‘What… what have I just done?’
