Chapter 137

In Caldeon’s memories, there was Enria—someone who, at a certain point, had clearly become a different person.

 

Strangely enough, everything about her felt different from the time he had brought her in to suppress his rampages: her face, her personality, all of it. But since he had never kept her close except during those periods of rampage suppression and recovery, he had dismissed the feeling as his own misunderstanding.

 

‘So she was possessed, then.’

 

It was difficult to believe at first, but given that gods were constantly intervening in this world, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

 

He didn’t know for what purpose the god had brought an Enria from another world into this one, but as Enria herself said, there must have been a reason compelling enough.

 

Perhaps, in order for Hayden—who was part of a god—to be born, a child had to be conceived between Enria’s body and himself. And for that to happen, the god might have deliberately caused someone he couldn’t help but fall for to possess Enria’s body.

 

The exact truth was known only to the god. But the fact remained that he, who had shown not the slightest interest in women since childhood, had suddenly begun to notice the changed Enria—and had fallen in love with her.

 

At this point, he even wondered whether his rampages themselves had been a fate crafted by the god.

 

Had it not been for the need to recover from his rampages, he would never have allowed a woman into his life at all. And had Enria not possessed the ability to suppress them, she would never have set foot in the Grand Duke’s castle.

 

At first, far from feeling affection for the only woman he had taken in, even bringing her into his bedroom purely for rampage suppression had required considerable patience and restraint. He had never once imagined that he would come to love Enria.

 

‘But after she became a completely different person, my eyes kept going to her.’

 

At some point, he began to observe Enria more closely as her behavior changed. Thoughts followed one after another—‘Was her face always like this?’ and ‘So this is her personality.’

 

There was no doubt about it. The god had scoured the entire world and possessed Enria’s body with someone he was bound to lose his heart to.

 

At the thought of “a human who would steal my heart,” Caldeon found himself staring straight at Enria.

 

Her face, her eyes, her actions.

 

She was undeniably different from the saintess he had first brought to the Grand Duke’s castle.

 

If she had looked like this back then, he would have locked her away in his bedroom from the very moment she arrived.

 

Recalling the vague image of Enria from that time, Caldeon found it strange that he hadn’t noticed such a drastic change in her appearance sooner.

 

“Wait—are you really believing what I just said?”

 

At that moment, Enria asked, her eyes widening as if they might pop out.

 

She was flustered by Caldeon’s expression, as though he had accepted her drunken rambling without question.

 

“I believe you.”

 

The way he looked at her—as if she had asked the most obvious thing in the world—only made it worse.

 

Without realizing it, Enria stared at him, her mouth hanging open.

 

Caldeon gently lifted her chin and closed her parted lips with his fingers, smiling.

 

“Why are you so surprised? Was it a lie?”

 

At his question, Enria instinctively shook her head hard, then asked him instead, “You really… really believe me?”

 

“I do.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Why? If I don’t believe you, who would I believe?”

 

At those words, a strange joy settled over Enria’s face.

 

Yet despite her happiness, her mouth moved busily, concern evident.

 

“That’s not good, Lord Caldeon—no, Jagi. You really shouldn’t believe people so easily. Honestly… the more I think about it, the more you seem like the perfect man to get scammed.”

 

She muttered that if she didn’t keep her eyes wide open and watch him constantly, Caldeon would surely run into a con artist somewhere and get taken for everything he had.

 

Caldeon let out a quiet laugh.

 

There was no one in the world foolish enough to try to scam him.

 

Everyone but Enria would find the idea absurd.

 

“Then stay by my side and keep watch.”

 

He said it lightly, rubbing her chin with his thumb.

 

Enria nodded firmly, agreeing that was exactly what she should do, and told him not to leave her side for even a moment.

 

Caldeon asked her to promise the same.

 

“Of course. I have to protect my innocent Jagi from scammers—how could I ever leave you?”

 

“Haha. How reassuring.”

 

With a low laugh, Caldeon lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips against Enria’s in a brief kiss.

 

As he moved to pull away, his collar was suddenly grabbed.

 

“More.”

 

Enria pressed her lips back onto his.

 

At that, Caldeon’s pitch-black eyes gleamed like a serpent’s.

 

He cupped Enria’s head with his large hand, twisted his head, and swallowed her lips whole.

 

 

***

 

 

“Have you seen Enri?”

 

A slightly tipsy Roseanne asked as she looked at Belona.

 

Belona, who had also drunk quite a bit of wine, felt the warmth rising in her head.

 

“Well, Grand Duke Jupiter probably carried her off.”

 

She shrugged casually, as if it were only natural.

 

Roseanne let out a short sigh and grumbled about how quickly he monopolized her.

 

“And what about your lover?”

 

At Belona’s question, Roseanne pointed left with the hand holding her wine.

 

On the innermost sofa to the left, Tearen and Rahar sat side by side, deep in conversation.

 

Seeing them, Belona smiled faintly.

 

“So your lover’s been stolen by your brother.”

 

“Then why aren’t you talking with my brother, Belona?”

 

“Well… I don’t really have much to say to him.”

 

“I thought you’d gotten closer to him?”

 

At Roseanne’s question, Belona’s expression shifted subtly.

 

She stared at her wineglass for a moment, then looked back at Roseanne.

 

“Could you listen to my story for a bit?”

 

Roseanne nodded naturally, and Belona moved toward the chairs by the window.

 

As Roseanne followed, she glanced once toward Tearen.

 

Rahar and Tearen both looked serious, their expressions slightly tense, as if discussing something heavy.

 

“I’m not sure if this is something I should say to Rahar’s younger sister…”

 

Belona said as she sat down by the window and set her wineglass on the table.

 

Roseanne sat across from her and nodded.

 

“It’s fine. You can tell me anything.”

 

“…It’s about Rahar and I.”

 

“Yes, I kind of guessed.”

 

At Roseanne’s nod, Belona fell silent for a moment.

 

She lifted her glass and took another sip, as if her mouth had gone dry, then let out a long sigh.

 

“From a younger sister’s perspective, I must seem pretty unpleasant, don’t I?”

 

“…Well, not unpleasant exactly, but…”

 

As Roseanne trailed off, Belona gave a bitter smile.

 

“I understand. If it were me, I wouldn’t want my sibling to be with a woman who’s still suffering over a man she can’t forget.”

 

“….”

 

“That’s why I’ve been thinking a lot. Right now, I’m using Rahar’s feelings.”

 

Belona murmured as she gazed out the window.

 

Roseanne looked at her seriously.

 

“So… does that mean you don’t have any romantic feelings for my brother at all?”

 

“I like him as a friend.”

 

“….”

 

“You know this too, Roseanne. I can’t forget Groen.”

 

She added that she might never be able to forget him for the rest of her life. At first, she had even despised herself for trying to lean on another man.

 

“Because half my soul is gone, I need Rahar by my side to feel stable. That’s why he’s special to me—it’s true. But…”

 

Roseanne spoke then.

 

“I think relationships between people are something no one can define.”

 

“…?”

 

“I mean, who likes whom, who falls in love and becomes lovers, who once loved each other desperately and then suddenly grows cold—all of that is unpredictable.”

 

“…That’s deep.”

 

Belona laughed awkwardly, as if she didn’t quite understand.

 

Roseanne continued, looking straight at her.

 

“Right now, you might feel conflicted because it seems like you’re using my brother—keeping him close because he’s comfortable and because you need him. And you’re still hurting because you can’t forget Groen. But as time passes, wounds grow dull, and new love eventually comes.”

 

“….”

 

“Of course, that’s not true for everyone. Not everyone is the same, and—”

 

“I understand what you’re trying to say.”

 

Belona cut her off gently and nodded once.

 

Roseanne smiled softly.

 

“So maybe instead of worrying too much, you could just leave it to the flow of time?”

 

“…The flow of time.”

 

“Yes. Forgetting someone, accepting someone—just let your heart flow naturally.”

 

At Roseanne’s words, Belona slowly nodded and looked toward Rahar.

 

She stared at him for a moment, then deliberately brightened her expression to change the mood.

 

“This is a bit random, but your brother really does deserve the title of one of the Empire’s three great beauties.”

 

Roseanne said Rahar only got called handsome because he was always grouped together with Caldeon and Tearen.

 

Belona shook her head.

 

“No, objectively speaking, that’s not true.”

 

“…?”

 

“You don’t see it because he’s your brother. Unlike the very masculine Grand Duke Jupiter or Marquis Gradei, Rahar has a pretty, almost delicate look—so comparatively…”

 

“My brother? Pretty?”

 

Roseanne’s face twisted instantly.

 

She said that if anyone deserved to be called pretty, it had been Groen—then abruptly stopped, realizing her mistake.

 

Belona smiled bitterly.

 

“It’s fine. Groen was closer to pretty than handsome too. Rahar is the same. Sometimes when I look at him, I think he’s prettier than most women—”

 

“Who’s prettier than a woman?”

 

At that moment, Rahar, who had approached the table with Tearen, asked with a puzzled expression.

 

Belona and Roseanne’s gazes snapped to him at the same time.