Chapter 73
Eleusis turned his head away. His cheeks seemed slightly flushed.
Chanellica’s long, pale-pink eyelashes fluttered slowly.
It was such an unfamiliar sight.
Eleusis was the king of a kingdom. Wherever he was, he always carried himself with his chest and back straight, radiating noble dignity—as though he had been born that way.
Even when Chanellica first met him at the temple, when his clothes were shabby, his natural grace was evident. That was probably why the words “make use of your looks” had slipped from her lips so naturally back then. At the palace, Eleusis had always shown her a soft, gentle side as a man, but that didn’t mean his inherent dignity and majesty as a king were absent.
And yet now, that very man stood before her with his head turned, as if struggling to bear the weight of what he had just said.
Well, no wonder. His words had been weak—ill-suited for a king.
He hadn’t commanded her not to leave. He had asked her, as gently as he could, if she really must go. In those words lay a desperate plea, wholly unfitting for his royal position.
“Lady Chanel.”
When Chanellica gave no answer, Eleusis lifted his gaze to hers once more. At that moment, she swallowed dryly.
In his deep blue eyes burned a resolve she had never before seen.
“Please… give me a chance to remain by your side.”
Each word he spoke was weighted with all of his heart.
Silence followed. Only the owls somewhere in the royal garden hooted now and then.
“Your Majesty…”
Her pretty red lips parted, but she didn’t seem ready to give him the answer he wanted.
“Lady Chanel,” he interrupted, sensing it early on.
“Do you remember the first day we met, when you told me to make use of what I had?”
Chanellica didn’t respond. But Eleusis was sure she remembered—that day at the remote temple when she told him to put his handsome face to use.
“At the time, I just found your words refreshing. Everyone thinks that way, but few dare to say it aloud. And I am a king—no one dares to say such things to me. But you spoke with honesty. And it wasn’t only because you were unusually candid that I found it refreshing.”
“……”
“I never wanted to be the kind of person who exploits what he has to get what he wants. My life has been surrounded by such people, and as king, I believed I must never be like them. The throne is a place only a man of integrity, unswayed by desire, can guard—for the sake of the people.”
“……”
“But you told me—what’s wrong with using what you have? You challenged a belief I held sacred. And do you know how exhilarating that felt? I think that was the moment my heart began turning toward you.”
For the first time, Eleusis voiced what he had kept hidden deep inside.
“And now… just as you said back then, I too want to use everything I have. I want to make an exception to all my principles—for you alone.”
His gaze deepened.
“Whatever you desire, I will give it to you. Whatever you want to do, I will let you do it. Even if it costs me everything I possess, even if it burns my very body away—if it means you will remain by my side… then so be it.”
Desire—he had always believed it evil. Everything a king owned should be used for the greater good, not for himself.
His uncle, driven by ravenous ambition, had killed his own brother without remorse, and even tried to murder his nephew. That man had always placed his desires first, oppressing nobles and making countless commoners suffer.
A king’s personal desires were poison.
So after ascending the throne, Eleusis had drawn clear lines for himself. What he could want, what he could never covet. He set strict boundaries.
But no man is without desire. And so Eleusis had always felt like his wings were broken. Still, he accepted it—if his clipped wings meant the people could live happily, then it was worth it.
But now, things had changed. The line he had drawn so firmly around “Chanellica is only a companion, nothing more” had long since blurred.
For once, he wanted to pursue desire honestly. If it meant keeping Chanellica by his side, he could abandon everything else—even if it broke the boundaries he had sworn to as king, even if it meant giving up fairness and objectivity.
That was how much he wanted her. Enough to shatter his own convictions.
“So please, Lady Chanel. I beg of you. Your heart can take its time. I will do my best. I will win your heart. But… don’t leave me. Stay by my side.”
In the dark center of the royal garden, the man standing before Chanellica was no longer the “king.” He was just a man in love, confessing with all his fervor.
“Ughhh.”
A sigh, half a groan, escaped Chanellica’s lips. Still in the long gown she had worn to the banquet, she buried her face in the bed.
What on earth.
Her body felt like it was breaking apart, and her head was just as much of a mess. She wasn’t fully recovered yet, so she was already exhausted—but now another burden had been added, pressing on her mind.
One being loves another. No—any living creature can love another. Even enough to abandon the beliefs they’ve always clung to.
He had never said the words “I love you,” but everything Eleusis had told her earlier had carried that very meaning.
And it’s not like I was planning to leave right away anyway…
Her sigh sank into the pillow.
She had gone to Eleusis’s birthday banquet today because she thought she couldn’t just stay idle forever. Seeing Lord living normally again made her think she should too.
Of course, she had expected to run into Derwin. But she hadn’t planned to officially declare in front of everyone that there was nothing between them. That had not been her intention.
But when she saw how composed he was, she’d ended up blurting it out without realizing.
It was impulsive, but afterward, she felt lighter. As though she had finally shaken off some lingering attachment to “Derwin the human.”
By the end of the banquet, she had even decided: a few more months, and then she would leave on her journey. She felt guilty for troubling Eleusis, who had cared for her all this time—but even more, she didn’t want to just sit still as Lord wished. She was also sick of watching him pretend to live as “Derwin the human.”
Lord was supposed to protect her, wasn’t he?
Stern had escaped prison, yes—but this time, Lord would protect her. Unlike before, Derwin was now living fully as Lord, bearing every responsibility, with his dragon heart tied to her very life. So when she told him she would leave once she recovered, he would have no choice but to follow her, wherever she went.
Her recovery was slow, but not so slow that she couldn’t manage a leisurely journey. She had no intention of staying in one place until she became a holy dragon.
But then, just as she was setting that warm little plan into motion—she got a confession dumped on her.
She had never imagined Eleusis harbored such feelings for her.
To her, he had always been that perfect man—handsome, kind, wealthy, lacking nothing. And from the very beginning, he had known she was already betrothed. So she had never once considered the possibility that he might fall for her. Even at the palace, he had always treated her as a “companion,” a “friend.”
And besides… she had been too preoccupied with “Derwin the human” to notice anything else.
Everything Eleusis had done for her—she had always brushed it off as simply part of his nature. Yes, he was kind and warm, but she had never doubted that was just who he was.
It was different from the confession she had once received from Derwin. Hearing such words from someone you never expected—someone at the very top of human society, the king himself—spoken with such trembling determination… it was shocking. Especially when he said he wanted to make her the one exception to all his long-held beliefs.
Am I really worth that much to him?
More than gratitude, guilt welled up in Chanellica’s heart.
She could not accept Eleusis’s feelings. Even if this was just a “game,” her life here had an end—when she became a holy dragon, perhaps half a year from now.
Better she remain a passing breeze in his life. For her, this was a span of ten thousand years. For him, it would be less than a hundred.
There was no undoing the feelings he had already grown. But at the very least, she could make sure he held no hope.
With her mind made up, Chanellica closed her eyes.
This life will end soon, and I already have a mate. It can’t happen. I’ll reject him and go travel with Lord, and then…
Her eyes snapped wide open.
