“The expression doesn’t seem like that. Surely you don’t hate the gift, do you?”
He put forth the possibility I had thought of earlier, in response to his odd reaction: that I picked an odd gift because I didn’t like Laurendo.
But Ban shook his head sharply.
“I like it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Keep it as a keepsake.”
Hmph, he shook his head, but it was clear he didn’t like it. He hadn’t even considered trying it on and treated it as a family heirloom to be kept for generations.
‘Dare you lie to me?’
Wanting to tease him for no reason, I rested my chin on my hand and grinned slyly.
“It’s not expensive enough to be a heirloom. Just wear it around.”
As I kept pressing him mischievously, he wore a flustered expression.
“How about you try it on right now?”
“…I didn’t pierce my ears.”
“Then why did you want it?”
“Because… that is…”
“Hmm…”
Not finding a decent excuse, he swept his dark hair aside and avoided my gaze.
I hadn’t expected it, yet that reaction was amusing. I pretended to be sulking as I pulled the gift back toward me.
“Or maybe you’re upset that I gave it to you? Well. Even last time at Nextris’ shop, you said you didn’t like what I saved for you—”
“Listen to me until the end.”
But he cut my words off and placed his large hand over mine, preventing me from taking the gift away.
“Do you not know what ‘keep it as a heirloom’ means? It means you like it.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
You’re cute.
Thinking I should stop teasing him, I pulled out another gift.
“Actually, there’s another present.”
“…Another one?”
“Want to try it on, perhaps?”
It’s the gloves.
I had hesitated about buying these gloves. Gloves would continue to feed his trauma of touching white creatures. Who would gift something that sustains a trauma?
But for him, the gloves were something he wouldn’t be able to part with anyway. Trauma doesn’t vanish in an instant.
‘So, better to…’
I approached him and pressed a gloved hand into his.
“Ban, throw away the gloves you’re wearing right now.”
If you’re going to wear them, it’d be nicer to wear brighter, prettier ones, right?
“What is this…?”
When Ban looked at the gloves in his hand in confusion, I emphasized once more.
“They don’t suit you, and they look worn. And would you wear such thick ones in everyday life? You should wear these when you’re fighting.”
“…”
After a moment of quiet, his heavy lips opened.
“You may not know this, but I spent most of my time in combat. It’s far from the peaceful days of the nobles. So I never took off my gloves.”
“…”
“And bright colors are a hassle because you have to change them often when blood soaks them.”
He seemed to be trying to unsettle me, to chase away any concern about the gloves. But I wasn’t afraid at all. I already knew that fact.
I snorted softly and quickly snatched the glove that had been on his hand.
“In that case, just wear them often. Live a little cleaner.”
This left Ban with a surprised look. He hadn’t expected me to say something like that.
Soon he regained his senses and made a feeble attempt to take the glove from his own hand, but I slapped his hand lightly—no pain—and his hand flinched in the air.
“Sovereign, you wouldn’t happen to be hitting me now, would you?”
“No. No. Do not touch it.”
A hollow laugh escaped his lips. I didn’t miss the opportunity to ask quickly.
“Ban, do you really have to wear gloves? You don’t have to wear gloves when you’re in the Lycans’ fortress, do you?”
“…”
“Being by my side means you don’t have to fight. You can at least live peacefully.”
With each thing I said, his crimson gaze gradually settled. The now pitch-black eyes turned to the worn gloves and then looked back up at me.
“Fine. I don’t need to wear them. But…”
“But?”
He paused lightly. After a moment, he opened his lips again.
“Only as a dependence.”
“Dependence.”
“Yes, the will not to forget the purpose my life saved—”
A blue-tinged gold glow flashed in his eyes. It was certainly a light of revenge toward his half-brother who betrayed him. That’s why my resolve to urge him to throw away the gloves faltered.
A little silence passed between us, and Ban spoke first.
“What will you do with that glove?”
“The glove you were wearing?”
Hmm. I’d like to just throw it away, but the Zeroth story came to mind, so I couldn’t.
I remained silent, but stubbornly eyed the glove on the circular trash bin in the corner of the terrace. Then Ban cracked a small smile.
“You seem to want to discard it, so do as you please. And the new gloves will be…”
He picked up the gloves and wore them on bare skin.
“Thanks for wearing them.”
My eyes widened.
Really? Could I really change gloves in an instant like that?
In the part I read, from killing Zeroth to becoming emperor in Part 1, he had stubbornly worn gloves at every moment. Even when Ayla, who looked best in them, suggested discarding them, he refused. Yet now he discards them so decisively?
I could hardly believe it and nodded blankly.
“Oh, yes.”
A remarkable night was passing.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Ishel decided to leave first.
In the quieting garden, Ban’s gaze drifted across the calm surface.
Red eyes linked to the blue water through the white gloves on his hands.
“…”
The silk gloves were perfectly different from the leather masses he had worn just hours before.
They were so soft that it would be a shame to wield a weapon with them. Perhaps if he were to escort and hold a small, white hand.
“…I wonder what he’s thinking.”
Ban’s lips pressed into a slight smile and then curled into a small laugh.
White gloves, for a girl who doesn’t know what the meaning of ‘dark-colored’ gloves holds.
As a child, a coward boy who was abandoned for being black wore gloves because he didn’t want to touch white creatures.
Now that he has surpassed his twenties, there was no need for that, but trauma had become a habit, and habit had become daily life.
“I never thought I’d be able to discard them…”
Just one word and he could throw them away.
The pink tremulous eyes seemed to know my dark past.
It’s ridiculous, but that’s how it felt. And the warmth in his hand seemed to urge him to shed that dirty past. So perhaps he could have discarded them.
And, remarkably… there was no regret at all.
‘…Surely you bought them at a certain center store.’
The thought led to the source of the gloves.
While I was glaring at Lorenzen, I must have secretly bought them.
Thinking of him glancing at me with that small frame, I could not help but smile again.
Round eyes would have trembled; his feet would have shuffled; his hair would have tangled; and he would have bitten his lip unknowingly.
Red lips, full of moisture.
“…”
Another stern thought rose. But this time I wasn’t surprised or flustered. The heartbeat in my ear was familiar.
“Is it time to die at last?”
Ban, who had laughed bitterly, struck his chest with a fist that wouldn’t have hurt him.
He punched his chest several times, but of course the heart did not stop.
Finally he lowered his fist, caught his breath, and rubbed his rough face with his large hands.
In truth, he already knew what this symptom was.
Why something like Lorenzen or whatever else irritated him. Why he suggested the strange earrings disappear. Why he discarded gloves the moment the sovereign asked.
There was a reason for everything.
“…Damn it…”
He cursed and sank back to his seat.
He could not accept it. Believing in someone again after being betrayed so completely was something a person could not do again.
Even if it were possible, the Sovereign is the noblest of nobles. Even if the heavens split and the earth cracked, she would not turn away from me.
His clenched fist tightened.
Ban thought he had no selfish desires. He had given all honors to Zeroth and asked for nothing in return, and even if many rewards were offered, he would have refused. Gold, silver, and titles were trivial.
But for the first time in his life, he desired something.
“…I’m going insane.”
People say you desire what you cannot have. That statement was true.
I want it.
I’m going to go insane with wanting it. If possible, I’d bind him tightly, abduct him to some place no one would know, and just look at him.
My brother, wet nurse, maid, guard, friend—remove them all and sever ties with everyone to possess that smile completely.
I wanted her from head to toe, to swallow her completely.
Of course, with Ban’s ability, he could secretly abduct Ishel and hide her. But then the Sovereign would die of starvation.
The sweet smile would freeze over and the eyes of joy would twist.
So he gave up that option.
Instead, for the first time in his life, he blamed God. Felt sorrow for being born not in gold but in black. He was like a child again for a long time.
Ban, who had been hesitating for a long while, slowly stood up. He looked intently at the Lycans’ symbol on the table and murmured.
“…I think it’s time to go to Zeroth.”
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released on October, 24.
See you then!!
