CH 116

“…I see.”

It was about giving medicine to a sick person.

I found the sedative on the night table, and I got a little upset.

‘This is not a cure, Your Highness.’

It was just to relieve pain.

‘…Is it very serious?’

‘Is it something without a cure?’

I had a lot of questions, but I did not want to tirelessly ask the sick person, so I put up with it for now.

“Hurry.”

A piercing voice was heard.

He was only asking for medicine, but it sounded like he was asking me to do something bad.

‘You’re born with it, Your Highness.’

Click—

I opened the vial and brought the sedative in the form of a potion to his lips. Then, urging him to open his mouth, I opened my mouth first.

“Ah.”

This was reminding me of the old days.

Of course, Sislin has changed a lot from before.

Sharp eyes became half-lidded. He slowly opened his plump lips.

He was just taking medicine, but somehow I instinctively felt danger.

‘Even at times like this, I’m nervous.’

I felt like I was approaching a beast with sharp teeth while carrying a piece of flesh dripping with blood.

Nervousness was swelling up in me; if I made a mistake, he might swallow without distinguishing between ‘prey’ and ‘me’.

“Ah~”

‘…What? Aang?’

I was so shocked that I hardened.

Before I knew it, the vial was stolen and I found awhite, brazen hand that stuck out to do so.

“……!”

Looking back, I saw a lily-like handsome man with long light blue hair, smiling with his sleeve covering his mouth.

Next to him, with crossed arms, was a cheerful red-haired wolf-like man.

“Sordi, Um!!!”

My face suddenly brightened.

“My baby, I miss you so much!”

“Uh-huh, glutinous rice! You’ve grown even more while I haven’t seen you.”

‘Ah, I’m no longer at the age to grow noticeably, Um.’

“I’ll hug my baby.”

Sordi hugged me first, and Um wrapped his arms around the both of us, in one move.

“Oh my, my baby has lost weight. Didn’t you eat a lot of nom nom?”

‘Oh, please don’t treat me like a child in front of Sislin!’

‘…Baby.’

‘It’s an embarrassing name to be called in front of others.’

“…….”

I glanced at Sislin.

Although he was revealing his uncomfortable feelings that he was being disturbed, he showed no sign of surprise at all that two men suddenly appeared.

As expected, nerves of steel. I had never seen a time where Sislin was startled or shaken.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have any interest in the title ‘baby’. Like he didn’t hear it.

It was really fortunate for me, so I was relieved a little inside.

“Glutinous rice, the resonance has improved a lot! What the hell happened while we were gone?”

…I’ve been through a lot.

I met four crazy people, found my mother, and almost died.

Actually, I had a guess.

The resonance dramatically increased from using the power of Sordi and Um.

‘Especially when I was chased by the tracking team.’

Back then, I used the power of Um a lot.

Resonance was said to improve in mainly two cases.

First, when the feelings shared between Sordi, Um and myself increased.

Second, when there was an opportunity to cultivate inner strength.

During this period, there were many things that strengthened my own power.

I seemed to have grown a little bit through experiencing a lot of things and varied emotions.

My daily life has been very eventful.

“My baby must have suffered a lot.”

Sordi’s eyes were teary.

Uhhhh, I think it would be better if the ‘gay couple and child’s reunion’ ends here.

There’s a sick person here.

“I’m fine. First of all, the introduction… Your Highness the Crown Prince, these are the people who lend me the power of a sorcerer. Sordi and Um.”

“…….”

“To me, they are like parents.”

Sislin slowly swept his molars with his tongue as he looked at the disturbances who suddenly appeared (his eyes were blatantly expressing that they’re disturbances).

The shape of the tongue slightly sweeping down the inside of the left cheek appeared very upset.

‘Uh, uhm.’

He didn’t look happy.

“This is ‘His Highness the Crown Prince’! …You see, Sislin.”

I deliberately used polite speech and folded my palms to point to Sislin.

I hoped they would be respectful. However, Um frowned.

“What? Why did you get so grossly bigger. You used to be a ‘cutie’.”

…Yes? A cutie?

The expression of the ‘Cutie’ was even more distorted. Like throwing an opponent away.

Sordi paused, covering his mouth and ‘dodging’.

“Oh, I’m afraid…”

‘Alas, even to those who are thousands of years old, Sislin looks scary.’

‘I’m normal.’

“Be quiet and leave, both of you.”

Sislin issued an order. Sordi and Um were divine sorcerers, but he was treating them like two annoying squeaks.

The wolf’s frown deepened.

“Hey, you cheeky bastard. I don’t think I’ll allow you to marry her later.”

“What do you mean, marriage…”

“Um, what a terrible thing to say?”

Sordi hugged me like he was hiding me in his arms and continued.

“My baby girl decided to get married when she’s ninety!”

…Me?

I didn’t know that I would be getting married at the age of ninety?

Would my honeymoon destination be the underworld?

Carefully, Um looked closely at Sislin and commented.

“By the way, this guy is receiving a lot of ‘buffs’ from glutinous rice.”

“…….”

Sislin’s eyebrows crept up. I asked in surprise.

“Is Sislin getting strength from me?”

“Yes, one of your abilities. This guy’s unique ability… His powers are overflowing.”

Um’s eyes scanned Sislin closely. It was like carefully examining a side of him that was invisible to ordinary people.

“Just like a heavily painted oil painting.”

“…….”

“The ability must have gotten stronger and it must be quite painful. It’s really tough, isn’t it?”

Three pairs of eyes stared at the guy who was sitting still.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Sislin’s red eyes shook slightly.

Actually, he had a hunch.

That maybe it was because of Annette.

“You are stronger than ever. After coming to this ‘Bayonaire Island’.”

However, even after leaving Bayonaire Island, the pain was getting worse.

There was only one thing that changed in his daily life. Annette’s presence.

And the fact that Annette was a ‘successor’; it was something he had heard from her a long time ago.

Annette asked with a pale face, as if very startled.

“Uh then, Um… How can I keep Sislin from getting sick?”

“Well.”

As Um tapped his chin, Sordi answered.

“The power of Exordium works differently on each person. Just how the results are different when water and oil are mixed, and when water and soapy water are mixed.”

Um supplemented the explanation.

“Then we have to find a way.”

“Anyway…”

Sordi looked at Sislin’s stark white face and said,

“It’s rude to stay in a patient’s room for so long. We’ll be on our way. Now that I’m back from the sorcerer’s hall, call me anytime, sweetheart.”

“…Yes. Sordi.”

The two disappeared in an instant, and the room immediately became quiet.

Annette looked at Sislin silently. The light green eyes were full of worry.

“…Really, if it hurts because of me…”

Perhaps she should leave?

Maybe that was the only way to solve it.

“I should keep a little distance.”

“Let’s check.”

“Yes?”

At the time when she was speaking informally without even realizing it because she was embarrassed, her wrist slipped and her body tilted.

Before she was even conscious of what had happened, she was sitting on top of him

It felt like the touching skin was going to burn.

“Sisl. This way you can check…?”

Annette fidgeted and blurted out. Because he was a patient, she just wiggled as if she couldn’t push hard.

Sislin’s red eyes stared at her without answering.

At the banquet not long ago, pain was evidently rushing through his body at that moment as he rescued her.

―Perhaps, the closer he got to Annette, the worse his symptoms were.

“I don’t know, to check this…”

Annette, blushing, struggled a bit to get away, and Sislin wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

A slight playfulness flashed in his red eyes.

“Baby.”

That deep, sweet voice just wrapped around her ears like dark chocolate.

“Stay still.”

“……!”

Annette’s face turned red. He pretended he wasn’t listening, but he was. Her heart rate went up.

‘Your nervous face is unbearably lovely.’

Sislin noted Annette always tensed up like a small animal caught in a trap.

‘I’m halfway to wanting to hold you in my arms without boundaries and nervousness.’

With that anxious face, half of his bad heart hoped she would cling to his arms without knowing what to do.

The pale green eyes that quivered in a mess were pretty.

“What’s the matter?”

“…Actually, I had a strange dream.”

“What dream?”

Annette hesitated; she barely opened her mouth.

“Sisl… To me… A dream that tells us to fall into the abyss together.”

The corners of his eyes narrowed.

‘You don’t know me at all, Annette.’

He whispered, kissing her shoulder, with lips much hotter than in the dream.

“I will bring you to heaven and I will fall to hell alone.”

“…….”

“Close your eyes.”

—It was time for confirmation.

Annette blinked uneasily and then closed it quietly.

Sislin slowly approached her.

Sometimes, she would make a face that didn’t believe in his heart at all. Like before.

Each time, there was only one thing that Sislin could do.

Just terribly and desperately wanting and loving her alone.

“…….”

The two foreheads touched.

―In an instant, severe pain came over him.

To the point that it was hard to bear even for Sislin. 

He swallowed a low groan hotly under his tongue.

It was thrilling to realize that this pain, which was boring and terrible, was what Annette was giving. He himself thought he was crazy.

“I know for sure.”

Sislin slowly intertwined their fingers together.

“…How are you?”

Suddenly opening her eyes, Annette asked anxiously.

Sislin’s lips twisted.

“When I’m with you, my pain goes away.”

“……!”

He whispered with reddened eyes.

“So, never leave my side.”