I almost screamed.
I was so shocked that my heart almost exploded.
The Emperor, Caesis, was fully conscious!
Is this reasonable?
'Am I dreaming?'
Based on what I had seen so far, the power of the system was absolute.
If that power were weak, I would have fled the palace from the beginning and lived as if I were not Duchess Ariel!
Therefore, no matter how powerful this man in front of me was in this world, he could not escape the shackles of the system easily.
'It had to be like that, right?'
Without realizing it, I took a step back, trying to escape, but the wrist he held tightly pulled me towards him.
Then Casey said:
“My mentor.”
I paused for a moment.
Goosebumps ran through my entire body.
What did this man just say?
'What is this sound?'
Is it the same person?
I was accustomed to the Emperor's harsh and ferocious voice, but this soft voice that sounded as if it had been oiled was very strange to me.
Then I realized.
The blue eyes staring at me were different from the intense, heart-freezing looks I had seen during the day.
'The power of the system is not completely without influence.'
Is it possible that this stubborn man was somehow able to overcome the power of the regime, even if just a little?
'Is this possible?'
I felt suddenly frustrated.
As I expected, this man in front of me is the person I must avoid at all costs in order to complete the tasks safely.
“You, you promised me.”
“With what?”
“Aren’t you looking for me?”
I should have known.
How much can this terrifying man remember and understand?
'He's not looking at me directly.
But he seems to be vaguely aware of my presence.'
The only thing that's clear is that he hasn't figured out who I am.
If he had known that the partner he was trying so hard to find was Duchess Ariel, his arch enemy, he wouldn't have been so calm!
“Are you afraid of me?”
Oh, please.
I suppressed my urge to act rudely and shuddered.
After all those forced encounters with Kaysis, the incredible fear I felt at first had largely faded.
But we can never be on the same page.
The look with which Casey looks at Duchess Ariel, that is, at me, is a look directed at an enemy or adversary.
She was cold as ice, and sometimes held contempt for something he hated.
I, who brilliantly plays Duchess Ariel, also tried to sincerely hate him.
'So, we're not two people holding hands and sweetly talking about feelings of fear or lack thereof.'
While I was silent, the man's face, who seemed to have misunderstood something, began to change.
His handsome, expressionless expression gradually turned into a sad look, as if he felt insulted.
“So, it's true.”
Please, stop this.
“Is that why you run away every time?”
He grabbed me by the hand.
He gently rubbed his lips on the back of my hand without hesitation...
‘Ah!’
If I had not covered my mouth with my other hand, I would have screamed.
The chills that spread through my body were not the only ones, but his wounded expression was very strong.
'I know very well that this is not true.'
I have seen how high-ranking Awakeners can be as cunning as a nine-tailed fox to curry favor with a Guide, and how they hide their true intentions and stoop.
And yet…
“Not so.”
I said that without realizing it.
“I'm not afraid.”
When I saw his bright blue eyes as if they were wet, I felt chills and extreme disgust.
That was really the reason.
'It's not because Casey reminds me of how I looked when I was always getting rejected in the past.'
But that one word, what did you do?
“Really?
Is that true?”
His look, as he stared at me with eyes twinkling like a child as if he was longing for someone he could barely see, was so desperate.
Even at that moment, he was holding my hand tightly without letting go, and as the energy was gradually flowing out, it was certain that the pain that was burning in him was beginning to fade away.
I saw his despair in his desperate grip, and although I would have been freed if I had resisted, I could not say anything.
This is caesis.
Our relationship is the worst.
I lost myf in thought, furrowing my brow for a moment, but he seemed to have misunderstood this, and the anxiously awake man began to rant with excuses.
“I didn't break my promise.
I just wanted to remember more.”
He opened his one hand and showed it to me.
I narrowed my eyes.
What?
What did this crazy man do?
“This is a magic stone, isn't it?”
It seemed that he had implanted a magical stone from a monster into the palm of his hand.
Man, are you crazy?
He sensed my increasing coldness and began to explain himf nervously.
“Just in this moment.
I wanted to realize.
I wanted to remember.
I never meant to break my promise.”
Well, whatever he plants in his body is none of my business.
The most important thing is that his soothing words are an outright lie!
‘He knows very well that I pressure witches during the day to look for evidence.’
I wanted to grab his neck and scream: ‘You liar!
Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie!'
“Why did you do that?”
“Because I'm desperate.”
“Because you don't show anything.”
He was very different from the Emperor I see during the day, and I spoke without realizing it.
Even during that time, his hand was holding me tightly as if it would not let me come closer and reduce the distance between us.
If this continued, he would make me sit on his lap, and I would put all my strength in my heels to resist.
Stop, that's enough, okay?
“I was waiting for you.”
But the awakened person, blinded by the flowing energy, knew nothing but progress.
His hand that was covering the back of my hand moved to my arm, then to my waist, pulling me along.
With the smell of a strong masculine perfume, his breath touched my skin.
Then a loud buzzing sound rang out!
[Collect Guidance Points!
Follow the surprise mission assigned to you.
The stronger the guidance, the more points you get.]
Oh, right.
I came here to collect points...
“Ah!”
I almost screamed again because of the man who gently kissed my fingertips.
At that moment, I didn't think about the mission or the points or anything.
'This is the first time I used my power on Casey while he was half-conscious, right?'
I suddenly felt my face burning.
He was kissing the tip of my finger, then raised his eyes slightly in response to my jump, and was extremely calm.
'You're not that person!'
I was used to Casey saying harsh and hurtful words, so this was shocking in many ways.
I opened my fingers, tightly clenched with my other hand, and the person awake in front of me whispered in a charming way:
“You... you're not used to touching.”
“You were no closer to being awake than me.”
With boundless happiness.
“Isn't it?”
Or as if he was saying that it should be so.
And in a way that hurt my pride, I was amazed by his smile.
Even though he was the hated and feared Emperor, his friendly smile was very strong.
I felt a little afraid.
I felt as if I understood my ancestors who were bewitched by a nine-tailed fox and lost everything, even their livers.
“Why don't you answer?”
But the grip around my wrist seems to have gotten a little stronger.
While I was transfixed by his brilliant smile, it seemed that the Emperor's mood suddenly worsened.
“Is it possible… that there are those who benefited from your power?
Where?
How many are there?”
Although he was smiling brighter than before, I knew his dirty temper well, so I saw it clearly.
'This is jealousy...isn't it?'
I felt uncomfortable and strange.
Is this man jealous because of me?
System, is this situation really normal?
While I was suffering from remorse towards the bright heroine, I looked at the man's elegant fingers that were clinging to me as if he liked my strength very much.
What does this matter?
“There was no one there.”
I told the truth without realizing it.
“No one liked my strength.”
The story of my f, “I”, which I have not spoken even once since I opened my eyes in this world.