Chapter: 21
Caliers, who had been muttering under his breath, slowly pushed himself up from the bed and stood in front of her.
Through his sweat-damp hair, his red eyes stared straight at Renia.
That gaze was so captivating that she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
“…Alright. But you have to keep your promise.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
With a faint smile, Caliers quietly pulled her into his arms.
A subtle scent of earth mixed with blood seeped deeply into Renia’s lungs.
Feeling the heat gathered in his body rush toward her, she tightly shut her eyes.
“Haa… I feel like I can live again.”
A hot breath, almost like a sigh, spilled onto the back of her neck.
If she stayed like this any longer, she felt like she might lose her mind, so Renia decided to say whatever came to mind.
“Do you know you’re really strange? You’re like a sick person who wants to hug a comfort doll. Why don’t you just pet a cat or something?”
“That doesn’t sound bad. Maybe I should raise a cat when we get to the capital.”
“You? I think a dog suits you better. Especially with how you’re acting right now.”
“Anything is fine, as long as my wife likes it.”
As Caliers nuzzled against her neck like he was acting spoiled, she let out a small squeak and pushed his upper body away.
He really did look like a dog begging its owner for love and attention—
A loyal dog that wouldn’t even glance at anyone except the one it had chosen as its master.
“…Can I kiss you, Renia? Just a little.”
“…Do you even have the strength for that right now? You looked like you were about to die.”
“Yeah. I feel like I’m dying. That’s why—just once. Please?”
Haah.
It felt like her life had truly gotten tangled.
‘Well, since it’s come to this, I might as well do it properly.’
If a little physical affection could give her leverage over this man, it might be beneficial in many ways.
It wasn’t even her first kiss, so there was no reason to be nervous.
‘Just close your eyes and endure it once. It wasn’t that bad last time… honestly, it was closer to being nice.’
Swallowing dryly, Renia closed her eyes and slightly puckered her lips.
But instead of immediately kissing her like she expected, Caliers stayed completely still.
‘Why isn’t he doing anything? He’s the one who asked for it.’
When Renia, reaching the limit of her patience, opened her eyes slightly—
A soft chuckle fell from above her head.
“You look like a baby duck with your lips like that. It’s so cute I could die.”
“…Are you trying to pick a fight right now?”
“Of course not.”
Unless I suddenly felt like devouring you.
The quiet whisper by her ear sent a chill down her spine.
Soon, their lips met, and a soft kiss followed.
Holding her firmly in his arms so she couldn’t escape, he continued to kiss her.
Thinking that if he could always stay this close to her, it would be worth giving up everything he had.
The next morning, the group woke up and hurriedly left the inn.
Since they had concluded that someone was tracking them, they couldn’t stay in one place for long.
Fortunately, Caliers’ fever had completely disappeared, and his complexion looked much better.
Valtan seemed amazed, saying even his shoulder wound had visibly improved, but Caliers told him not to make a fuss and sent him off to the driver’s seat with Rakan.
“Valtan is one thing, but why Rakan too? It would be less tiring for him to sit inside the carriage.”
“We need to talk about what happened yesterday. There might be things that aren’t appropriate for a child to hear or see.”
“…That’s true.”
As the conversation went on, it was obvious that even the matter of their kiss would come up.
Renia didn’t want to shock the pure child who followed her so blindly, so she decided to agree with him.
“How’s your condition? Valtan said you’re basically fully recovered.”
“As you can see, I’m fine. If anything, I have too much energy—it’s strange.”
“Then start explaining everything. Those assassins yesterday—were they after you?”
Caliers silently nodded.
After hesitating for a moment as if thinking something over, he extended his gloved hand toward her.
“You already know I always wear these gloves.”
“Of course. We’ve been together for weeks—how could I not?”
“I never take them off in front of others. Because… I’m someone who possesses mana.”
Startled, Renia’s eyes widened.
In the Empire, those who possessed mana had long since almost disappeared.
If it was discovered that someone had even a small amount of mana or could use magic, they could be exiled—or in the worst case, killed.
“As you know, anyone who undergoes mana verification by a priest ends up with a mark on part of their body. It’s like a brand, marking them as someone abandoned by God.”
“In your case… that mark must be on your hand.”
“Exactly. Fortunately, it only appeared on my left hand. At first, I only wore one glove, but that made people look at me even more strangely. So I ended up wearing gloves on both hands.”
“…That must have been very inconvenient. You couldn’t even take them off in front of others.”
“I’ve gotten used to it, so it’s fine. Want to see it?”
Pulling off his glove with his teeth, he held out his left hand to her.
The “mark” he spoke of looked like letters intertwined in a geometric pattern.
Contrary to the bad rumors people spread about it, it was actually very beautiful—which somehow made it feel even more sorrowful.
“It’s quite pretty, right? Sometimes I wonder—if God truly cursed mana, why leave something like this on humans?”
“…It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you say that. Though you’re probably just saying it to make me feel better.”
Letting out a self-mocking laugh, he put the glove back on—
As if no one could ever truly welcome his existence.
“Then those assassins yesterday… are they after you because the temple is tracking you? People with mana are punished by imperial order, after all.”
“That’s more or less correct. Though it’s a bit more complicated.”
“But how did you avoid the priests all this time? I heard there are interrogators who specialize in detecting mana.”
“These gloves aren’t just to hide the mark. They also help conceal my mana.”
Renia had never once seen him take off those gloves before.
Even when no one was watching, he always wore them.
Then… how does he handle things like bathing or using the restroom?
“…Caliers. There’s something I want to clarify.”
“Go ahead.”
“You don’t only carry one pair of those gloves… right?”
“I have a few spares. Why do you ask?”
All the moments of physical contact she’d had with Caliers flashed through her mind.
Damn it. If I had known, I would’ve been a bit more careful—for the sake of my precious cleanliness and health!
