Chapter 142

If only such pleasant moments could last.

But soon, hazy worries and guilt began to emerge from behind the bubble, grabbing at her floating ankles.

‘Esadien is also staying at our house… Is it okay for me to be with Ramande already?’

And also, the fear of hurting Ramande.

Ramande knew Minuelle, who seemed simple but was full of minor worries. He gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb and slowly pulled his head back.

Smack, their lips parted with a wet sound, and Minuelle opened her eyes a beat late.

To Ramande, she looked like a slow-motion playback.

The sky-blue eyes slowly revealed from behind her pink eyelashes, which went up so slowly… were like the sky seen through the branches of a flowering tree swaying in the wind, and his heart went wild again.

‘How can a person be born looking like this?’

Was Minuelle, in fact, an entity born from the descent of Plendena’s kin? A spring-opening angel, perhaps.

His mind was thinking that, but his lips curled up mischievously.

“Looks like you did want to.”

At his teasing tone, Minuelle flared up again.

‘He was so gentle when we kissed!’

It was completely unfair that he was trying to brush it off so lightly the moment it ended. Any bit of guilt she had felt vanished instantly.

“Hey!! You did it!”

“Of course I did.”

“…Huh?”

While Minuelle paused at his honest and sudden statement, Ramande forcibly opened his mouth again, feeling a premonition that if he didn’t say it now, he might not get another chance.

‘Chaos is about to erupt in the Imperial Palace.’

Esadien would cling to Minuelle again, as if throwing his pride to the curb.

If that happened, the meaning of his time travel would be lost. He didn’t want her to suffer between two men either.

“It’s getting hard to hide it now. My feelings for you.”

Minuelle’s eyes and mouth opened at the same time, as if searching for words. On the other hand, once the floodgates were open, words poured out of Ramande.

“I should have said this first… I’m sorry. Liking you is just so natural for me. You might think it’s an excuse, but it was hard to talk about precisely because it felt so obvious.”

“Ramande…”

All the thoughts and imaginings she had ever had about him flashed through her mind simultaneously.

But Ramande’s sincerity felt clearer than anything else.

In the tightly clasped fingertips. In the slight tremor of his voice that he couldn’t hide. In his unblinking violet eyes.

“I like you. I’ve liked you for a very long time.”

She was hearing it with her ears, but it felt like a direct impact on her heart.

Minuelle spent a long time trying to choose her words, but eventually gave up, lowered her gaze to the floor, and mumbled, “…Your ears are red.”

Ramande chuckled softly.

“Do you only see my ears? What about elsewhere?”

“E-elsewhere?”

“Anywhere.”

Although he said ‘anywhere’, Ramande subtly moistened his lips. A seductive eye-smile was an added bonus.

Although he had been overshadowed by Esadien because of their friendship, Ramande had risen to the position of Plendena’s High Priest. It was impossible not to be charmed when such a beautiful man was being so overtly alluring.

Minuelle, who was watching him blankly, suddenly snapped out of it and said in a trembling voice,

“Hey, you… why are you like this? I can’t get used to it.”

“I told you I can’t hide it anymore. I’m… trying to seduce you right now.”

“Eek… That’s so weird, seriously.”

Ramande laughed a little longer than before at her reaction, which was somewhere between disgust and embarrassment.

‘It feels so refreshing after saying it.’

And Minuelle felt even more lovely. But why was he just feeling jealous by her side before? He was utterly pathetic.

Vowing never to act like that again, he took Minuelle’s hand and placed it on his chest.

“Can’t you hear my heart beating?”

Minuelle flinched at first, then quickly concentrated her attention on her fingertips with enthusiasm.

“It’s beating too fast… isn’t it going to burst?”

Minuelle’s face was as red as if it were about to burst, as if it had never calmed down.

“Are you really worried? Why are you blushing.”

“…”

Minuelle couldn’t answer easily, but Ramande could clearly see what she was thinking. ‘Was his chest always this firm?’ she was probably thinking.

Just as he was about to kiss her forehead, unable to contain his affection, a completely unexpected answer came back.

“…Mine feels like it’s beating that fast too.”

Ah.

It felt like something snapped in his head. Ramande immediately opened the door and pulled Minuelle’s wrist inside the room.

“W-why suddenly…”

“Let me hear it too. The sound of your heart.”

Minuelle, who was weakly pulled along, nestled right into his embrace. Ramande grinned and added,

“For a long time.”

There were no more words. The door closed with a thud.

* * *

Looking back… it was never going to end with just listening to heartbeats.

“Are you okay?”

“Mmm…”

Minuelle answered in a slightly hoarse voice and burrowed into Ramande’s arms. The sun had already set, and the room was dark.

She wanted to stay like this, but it would be troublesome if she caught a cold from the chill.

Ramande wiped the languid Minuelle with a warm towel and then wrapped her tightly in a blanket.

“It’s hot.”

Minuelle complained a little, but Ramande cut her off coldly.

“What if you catch a cold?”

“You can just heal me.”

Could he, though?

Minuelle, who was on the border of sleep, didn’t seem to realize it yet, but Ramande had violated his priestly vows.

‘I still have things to do.’

There were many obstacles that Minuelle had to overcome to achieve complete peace, and what if his divine power disappeared?

Ramande anxiously reached out his hand.

‘Please… Lord Plendena.’

Was it due to his desperate wish? A faint blue light shimmered on his hand where it touched Minuelle’s shoulder and soon permeated into her.

“Haah…”

Only then could Ramande exhale the breath he had been holding.

‘Maybe he’s still giving me a pass.’

Minuelle, who had regained her vitality thanks to the divine power ‘shower,’ sat up.

As her dazed mind cleared, she belatedly realized the reason for Ramande’s worry, and her face was also full of concern.

“Does it only matter if we get married?”

That wasn’t it. Minuelle, who wasn’t interested in temple gossip, wouldn’t know, but Ramande had seen several cases where priests who fell to temptation instantly lost all their power.

However, a mere human cannot deduce the mind of a god.

Deciding to simply be grateful and casting aside his worries, Ramande shrugged and said lightly,

“That’s a relief. I don’t want to become useless to you.”

At that, Minuelle stared intently at Ramande without saying a word. Enough to make him flinch.

Although faint light entered the room, it didn’t reach Minuelle.

She was right in front of him, and he could hear her breathing, but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He hadn’t realized before how agonizing it could be not to see her expression.

Just as Ramande, unable to wait any longer, was about to call Minuelle’s name.

“Ramande Plendena. You keep saying that you’re only useful to me if you’re a priest… but I know, you know. That you learned estate management.”

Ramande stiffened completely.

Minuelle openly raising her voice and getting angry? That was a somewhat manageable level.

But when her voice was icy cold, like it was now… then he was in real trouble.

Furthermore, ‘How did she know that?’

Back when he was still living in Sermender.

The Grand Duchess of Karnian, who noticed Ramande’s feelings faster than anyone, assigned him a tutor to teach him estate and family management.

Of course, he initially refused.

He was scared that his feelings had been discovered, and he didn’t like getting ahead of himself when Minuelle herself wasn’t interested in him.

‘I… I’m fine, Your Grace.’

‘No one knows what the future holds. Even if you don’t end up with Minuelle, there might come a day when you take off your priestly robes.’

‘That won’t happen.’

‘Learn whatever you can. I’ll keep it a secret from Minuelle.’

He had learned it because the Grand Duchess had promised that.

But how she knew wasn’t important. What was more important was the anger right in front of him.

“You say you like me, but then you try to pull away, how am I supposed to trust you?”

“…Minuelle.”

It felt as if the ground had opened up beneath him. He managed to call her name with a dry throat, but Minuelle had already kicked off the blanket, gotten up, and was picking up her clothes.

“Minuelle, I…”

But Ramande couldn’t say more, even as he grabbed her arm.

Was it okay to tell her why he absolutely needed his divine power right now? What if she didn’t believe him? What if she didn’t believe he had traveled back in time?

Unable to wait, Minuelle sighed and gave him one more chance.

“What is it? Tell me clearly.”

“…I can’t tell you right now, right this instant…”

But he couldn’t even manage to say the words, ‘just give me a little time’.

Swat.

Minuelle shook off his arm and turned away coldly.

“If you follow me now, you’ll regret it.”

No one knew better than Ramande that she meant it.

The light that streamed in through the open door cut across his face and then disappeared with a bang.

“…”

Ramande slumped onto the bed like a puppet whose strings had been cut and buried his face in his hands.

It was a thousand mercies that his face, contorted by self-reproach, was hidden in the darkness.

“I thought we were finally together.”

But he had no one to blame. He had ruined it himself.

It seemed he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight either.

* * *

A night spent in misery, not excitement, left dark circles under his eyes. But Ramande didn’t even notice them.

He didn’t even think about looking in the mirror, barely washing his face and rushing out the moment it was time for Minuelle to wake up.

His destination was, of course, Minuelle’s room.

He had thought a lot throughout the night, but the conclusion he reached was this.

‘I have to tell her what’s going to happen. And I have to confess again.’

Tell her that his love for her hadn’t changed.

But that he wanted to use this power to help her until everything was resolved.

Minuelle wouldn’t treat him like a lunatic just because he told her he had traveled back in time.

‘…Probably.’

Ramande desperately hoped that Minuelle would just assume he had received some kind of divine oracle.

The memory of Esadien being treated like a lunatic by her made sweat run down his back.

‘No. Let’s not think about the Prince.’

If you worry about him, you lose.

He muttered the words Minuelle had taught him a long time ago and knocked on her door.

Knock, knock.

“Minuelle.”

“…”

But there was no reply.

It was strange to be knocking on the outer door when it wasn’t even their bedroom.

Ramande waited for a moment and then cautiously opened the door and entered. Minuelle wasn’t awake yet; the sofa was empty, and there was no sign of her from the dressing room either.