Banessa lay sprawled on the carpet, staring gloomily at the ceiling.
The room was filled with nothing but silence.
It was six o’clock.
Dana had left precisely at the promised time, slipping out of his embrace and returning to her own quarters.
‘Lord Sigmund. Why have you sent me this trial?’
Yes.
It was good that she had left at the agreed time.
The problem was everything leading up to that moment.
Until six o’clock, Banessa had spent nearly an hour holding Dana.
Completely sober.
It was the longest he had ever held a woman in his life.
The longer it went on, the more on edge he became. He could practically feel every fine hair on his body standing on end.
In that seemingly eternal time, it felt as if everything about her was being etched into his soul.
Her warmth, her scent, her touch—even the rhythm of her breathing. He thought he might even memorize it all.
And so, his anxiety grew. An unbearable, inexplicable thirst gnawed at him. It felt like he was walking through a desert, only to encounter a lake of saltwater. The water shimmered tantalizingly before him, yet he couldn’t take a single sip.
「What’s this scar on your arm? Were you injured? When did you get hurt?」
Despite all the turmoil inside him, the Emperor, who had caused it, casually touched his arm and chest without a care, oblivious to the storm brewing within him.
Every time she did, his heart would jolt violently, as if it would leap out of his chest. At that point, he almost wished he would just pass out on the spot.
「Why are you clenching your jaw like that? Is someone going to eat you?」
「…No. It’s a habit.」
It’s not a habit.
I’m trying to hold myself back because I’m afraid I’ll devour you.
Actually, I think you’ve already devoured me.
You’ve gobbled me up, haven’t you? Whole, crunch by crunch. Are you not already chewing me up?
「It’s six. I’m leaving now.」
After shaking him to his core, she left his side the moment the clock struck six.
Banessa was completely powerless.
While Dana got dressed, he whimpered like a dog that needed to go outside.
He wanted to hold on to her, but he had no excuse.
They weren’t anything to each other. What right did he have to keep her by his side?
「My lady, allow me to escort you.」
He made up a flimsy excuse just to stay with her a little longer, but she cut him off without hesitation.
「No. What if someone sees us?」
「It’s fine as long as no one finds out…」
「And what if they do? Can you handle the aftermath? What do you think will happen if people find out you and I spent the whole night together?」
「…」
「If you can’t handle it, just stay quiet. That’s how you can help me.」
Banessa couldn’t respond to that cold declaration. His chest was filled with unspoken words, but they stayed trapped inside. Feeling anxious, he had followed her quietly, only to be dismissed in the end.
Since then, he had remained in this state. He felt hollow, as though there was a gaping hole inside him. Banessa sighed deeply, still mulling over her cold departure.
* * *
After they had caused trouble together, Dana had gone silent. Well, it couldn’t be helped. She was the Emperor of a nation, after all—she had to be busy.
Even knowing this, Banessa grew more and more anxious. After much deliberation, he finally decided to act. Gathering all his courage, he went to see her.
“Sir Banessa, what brings you here?”
“Ahem, well, I have something I need to discuss with Her Majesty.”
“Oh dear, Her Majesty is in a meeting right now…”
“Ah, I see.”
“Would you like to wait?”
“No, no. I’ll come back later.”
His boldness evaporated, and he left with a laugh.
It was pathetic.
Had he always been this much of a coward? Where had the recklessness that once made people shake their heads gone?
As he walked away, a memory from his childhood came to him. He hadn’t been much of a reader, but he occasionally read knight novels because he dreamed of becoming one. Those stories always had happy endings. The knights triumphed, defeating villains and becoming heroes, praised by all.
Of course, they faced obstacles along the way.
The biggest obstacle was always love.
In those stories, knights always had to part from their lovers.
「Are you really leaving like this? When will we meet again?」
「I’m truly sorry. I promise I will return.」
The image of a woman waiting endlessly for her knight’s return was both sad and frustrating to young Banessa.
Why just sit around waiting? If you love them, you should go after them.
Isn’t that how you get to see them sooner?
‘I was wrong…’
Banessa, who had scoffed at those women in the stories, finally realized his mistake after all these years.
Some things in life are simply beyond control.
Of course, Banessa’s patience wasn’t built to last in this situation.
Eventually, he began lurking around Dana’s quarters, trying to avoid people’s eyes. He even used the spirits of fire to keep watch.
“Check if anyone’s coming, and if they are, let me know immediately. Got it?”
The fire spirits tilted their heads, confused by their master’s strange behavior. They couldn’t guess what he was up to.
“This is really, really important. So, do your best, okay?”
Banessa couldn’t believe he was lying to spirits. It was beyond pathetic. Feeling a surge of frustration, he thought to himself, *Pathetic? Yes, it’s pathetic. But I feel like I’m going to waste away like this! So what if I’m a little pathetic?*
“Her Majesty is meeting with Lord Randel in three days, right?”
“Wonder what he’s like. Do you think Her Majesty will like him? It’s not like she’ll throw him out the window like the last one, right?”
“No way. He’s better than Duke Alt. He’s quite popular with the ladies, too.”
“Wasn’t it Duke Alt?”
“Whether it’s Alt or Alf…”
While Banessa was skulking around in his pitiful state, he overheard a conversation that tested the limits of his self-pity.
‘She’s meeting another man?’
It hit him like a slap across the face.
Right.
In his desperation, he had momentarily forgotten that Dana was looking for a suitor.
And in just three days, she was meeting someone new!
At last, his patience snapped.
* * *
“Do you know what time it is right now?”
“Yes. It’s past midnight.”
“And do you know where you are?”
“Yes. I’m outside your bedroom window. So what? You came to me in the middle of the night, too, didn’t you?”
Banessa’s eyes flashed, his red pupils gleaming like those of a predator in the dark. Dana, watching him incredulously, shook her head. She adjusted her negligee to keep it from slipping as she pulled open the window.
“Come inside, before someone sees you and this turns into a real disaster.”
Banessa stepped inside without hesitation, as if he had been waiting for her invitation.
“Why are you acting so bold? Did you leave something with me?”
“Of course.”
“What did you leave?”
“I’ve been thinking about it. I’m the one at a loss here. My first kiss, my first night… It’s not fair. I came here to get something in return.”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
“I came to take back exactly what you took from me. That’s why I’m here.”
Banessa’s brazen declaration made Dana flinch. Her fingers trembled for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, lifting her chin in defiance. She spoke with calm indifference.
“Then go ahead, do it.”
Banessa, wasting no time, cupped her face in his hands. He lowered his head slowly. Their warm breaths mingled, and then their lips met. Dana gripped her skirt tightly, her posture rigid. Meanwhile, Banessa, despite initiating the kiss, found himself halfway lost the moment their lips touched. He had vowed to kiss her, yet his hands trembled.
‘I’m going to lose my mind.’
Something was off. Why did it taste so sweet? He barely managed to resist the urge to devour her lips entirely.
He kissed her gently, with as much tenderness as he could muster. He wanted to impress her. He wanted to ensure she’d never abandon him again, that she’d always come back to him. He wanted her to never forget this kiss until the day she died.
“Haa.”
The kiss ended softly, almost strangely.
Still catching his breath, Banessa leaned his forehead against hers, his breath shaky. He nervously glanced at her, wondering if she was satisfied.
‘Was it okay?’
Was it just his imagination, or was there a similar fire burning in her gray eyes? His heart felt like it was about to explode. The thrill of thinking their feelings might have connected sent shivers down his spine.
“Not bad.”
But then, his emperor shattered the moment with ease.
Banessa blinked in confusion, his expression dumbfounded. He was so taken aback that he couldn’t help but ask again.
“What? Not bad? That’s all you have to say? Do you know how hard I tried?”
“I’m just being honest. It wasn’t amazing enough for me to say otherwise.”
Dana struggled to keep the corners of her lips from curling up. Banessa, fuming as he was, looked so adorably indignant that she almost wanted to bite him. But she held back. There was still a bit of bitterness left for this lovable, exasperating man who had left for the Principality without so much as a goodbye.
“Then we’ll just do it again!”
“Do you think it’ll get better if we do?”
“Of course! Come on! Who’s born knowing how to kiss perfectly? Being bad at it isn’t my fault. So help me out! Hurry up! Help me, will you?”
“Help you with what?”
“Do I really need to spell it out?”
“…Are you saying you want to practice kissing with me?”
“Of course! You said it wasn’t that good. So we should practice until I’m good at it, right?”
“Wow. You really are shameless.”
“And aren’t *you* being unfair?”
Banessa’s face twisted in frustration. Before Dana could say anything in response, he shot back.
“I didn’t want to say this, but you’re really—so unfair, downright petty, and honestly, the worst! Out of all the rulers I’ve met, you’re the absolute worst!”
“P-petty? Did you just call me petty…?”
“Yes! You’re petty! I’ve been thinking and thinking all night! You haven’t even shown up once! I’ve been wandering around like some abandoned dog near your office! Isn’t that unfair? If you have any conscience, say something!”
“Well, obviously I’ve had a mountain of work to do…”
“Forget the mountain! This is all your fault. I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m the victim here! So you need to take responsibility! I’m just a knight! You’re the one who should clean up this mess!”
“And how exactly am I supposed to clean it up…?”
“Do I really need to explain it? I’m better than those noble clowns! Sure, my rank is a bit lower, but come on! I’m one of the Goddess’s chosen Wings! Just give me a title! Use your power already!”
Banessa huffed as he rattled off his demands, breathing hard from how quickly he spoke. Dana, who had been looking up at him speechless, finally managed to respond.
“Have you said everything you wanted to?”
“No.”
“What’s left?”
Banessa gritted his teeth. Then, in a voice thick with frustration, he bit out his final words.
“Don’t meet anyone else. Don’t meet any of those worthless fools.”
Dana, who had been watching Banessa’s outburst with wide eyes, couldn’t help but laugh.
It dawned on her now why this adorable, mad dog was acting so frantic.
He must’ve heard about her meeting with Duke Randel scheduled for a few days later.
‘But I already canceled that.’
Instead of telling him the truth, Dana decided to tease him. After all, the end was in sight.
“Then what am I supposed to do? Grow old and die alone?”
“You won’t be alone. You’ve got me. You can grow old with me.”
Banessa suddenly dropped to one knee, still breathing heavily as he looked up at her. Even in the heat of the moment, he held tightly onto her hand.
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