What’s happening now…

Irene needed a few seconds to grasp the situation that had unfolded so suddenly.

Am I… kissing that man again?

She barely managed to understand the situation, but her mind went blank again due to the strong force that seemed to suck her soul away completely.

As the weight of the two people concentrated in one place, the bed mattress sank slightly.

Kalos thought that just a light touch like before would quench his intense thirst, but it was a misconception and arrogance.

Rather, feeling even thirstier, Kalos desperately explored her moist lips like a traveler who had finally found an oasis after wandering through a desert.

The unfamiliar intruder who had entered without permission stirred Irene’s mouth recklessly, as if trying to mark his territory.

“Hnngh.”

Startled by this, Irene unknowingly retreated, but he immediately followed and explored even more intensely, as if to scold her.

It felt like a fire much hotter than before was consuming her entire body.

All Irene could do, thrown defenseless into that fire, was to flail her hands.

Even that she couldn’t do as Kalos caught them.

This was the realm of adults that Irene had never heard of or seen, something she hadn’t dared to even think of approaching.

Irene, setting foot in that place for the first time in her life, was helplessly tossed about like a sailboat caught in rough waves.

Am I going to be devoured by him like this?

Just as that thought suddenly crossed her mind, Kalos pulled away.

“Haa, haa.”

Irene exhaled the breath she had been holding.

Her flushed face and lips glistening with saliva of unknown origin clearly revealed what had just happened.

“…”

What am I doing now.

Kalos frowned as he belatedly realized that he had failed to resist the momentary surge of desire and had ended up exploring her lips.

The interesting thing was that even in this situation, he still wanted to taste her lips.

Not just her lips. The urge to touch deeper, more intimate places suddenly reared its head.

“…”

I must be really crazy.

When Dale was controlling Yomi, he must have done something strange to his head too.

Otherwise, there’s no way he would have such insane thoughts.

Shaking his head vigorously as he stood up, Kalos hurriedly left the bedroom, afraid he might lose control to his impulses again and do something strange.

*

“…”

Left alone in the large bedroom, Irene stared blankly at the tightly closed door before touching her lips.

Though his lips had left, they still felt hot as if they were still there.

It also felt like something soft as a feather was tickling her lips.

I… kissed that man again.

That was shocking, but what was even more shocking was that she hadn’t been able to push him away this time either.

She wanted to think that she hadn’t been able to because she was intoxicated by the heat that seemed to burn her body, but.

“…”

Knowing full well that it was simply an excuse, Irene covered her face with both hands in deep frustration.

But only for a moment.

“…!”

As darkness descended when her vision was blocked, the moment when she kissed Kalos came to mind even more vividly, making her startle and sit up.

Thud−.

“Ugh.”

As a result, Irene hit her head hard on the bed’s headboard and clutched her aching head.

The impact was so strong that tears welled up in her eyes.

If there was any silver lining, it was that the pain allowed her to forget about kissing Kalos.

“…”

How can I say I’ve forgotten when I’m thinking like this.

Irene frowned and looked around the room she was currently in.

She already knew from Jessie that this was Kalos’s bedroom.

As well as the reason why she was here.

“Considering how the monsters went on a rampage during the previous ceremony, and how Yomi suddenly changed this time. It seems someone is plotting something bad, so for your safety, you’ll need to stay here for the time being.”

Jessie had kindly explained.

Although she complied without protest since it was for safety reasons, it was still uncomfortable to stay in Kalos’s bedroom.

“Wait a minute.”

Does that mean that man will sleep here too?

With me, in the same bed?

“!”

Irene’s mouth gaped open at this newly realized fact.

Her restless eyes fixed on the tightly closed door.

She couldn’t look away, feeling as if Kalos might open that door and enter at any moment.

It can’t be. It must not be.

She fervently hoped that man wouldn’t come in.

She knew it was shameless and brazen to think this way while occupying someone else’s bedroom, but still, she desperately wished for it.

Perhaps the heavens had heard her wish.

Even after a long time, Kalos did not return.

While Irene felt relieved about this fact,

“…”

On the other hand, she buried her face deep in the pillow as one side of her chest ached sharply.

The scent she had smelled a few times before penetrated deep into her lungs.

It was that man’s scent.

As she continued to inhale that fragrance, strangely, her churning heart gradually calmed down, and soon drowsiness overcame her.

*

After leaving the bedroom like that, Kalos searched for traces of Dale around Esper Castle, both to calm his unsettled heart and to organize his confused mind.

Of course, since it was difficult to search this vast castle alone, he requested help from Abel.

“Ah, just when I thought I could rest a bit.”

Though his words suggested help, Abel, who was almost forcibly dragged out, grumbled but diligently searched for traces of Dale.

They thoroughly examined all the monsters staying in the castle, thinking Dale might have played strange tricks on them as he did with Yomi.

They also made a big round of the castle, but couldn’t find any traces of Dale anywhere.

Feeling deflated after searching hard but achieving no results, Abel scratched his head and asked.

“Isn’t it impossible to find him this way from the start? Even that monster called Yomi had no problems until the magic circle was activated.”

That was true.

Does that mean he played tricks on something else first, and then transferred it to Yomi at the right timing?

Or does Dale have some ability that he doesn’t know about?

“…”

He had delved into the problem to solve it, but instead of being resolved, it only became more complicated, making him feel frustrated and irritated.

Just as Kalos was heaving a deep sigh, something soft touched his lips.

“!”

Kalos grabbed what touched his lips as if snatching it.

“Ow ow ow ow−.”

It was Abel’s finger.

Abel groaned and asked to be released, but Kalos didn’t let go and asked.

“Why did you touch my lips?”

“I’m not a pervert, why would I touch your lips!”

Abel shouted, seemingly quite offended.

“I was just trying to wipe something off your lips! Look at this!”

Abel showed the finger that had touched his lips to prove he wasn’t lying.

There was something faintly red on the fingertip.

Kalos recognized at a glance that it was the rouge that had been applied to Irene’s lips.

It must have rubbed off on his lips when he kissed Irene earlier.

Abel had noticed it and wiped it off…

“…”

For some reason, feeling as if he had been robbed, Kalos vigorously rubbed Abel’s finger with the red rouge on his sleeve.

“W-What are you doing!”

Abel shouted in surprise, but Kalos didn’t care at all and wiped it all off.

*

“What… is this?”

Dewey tilted his head, discovering something red stained on the sleeve of the shirt Kalos had worn out.

The eyes behind the monocle with a long silver chain narrowed.

At first, he thought it might be blood again, but it wasn’t.

If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, this was rouge that women apply to their lips.

Why was it stained on his shirt?

Moreover, it was smeared as if scribbled, making Dewey even more puzzled as he looked at Kalos.

“…”

Kalos silently looked at Dewey.

Then at the shirt stained with rouge.

Then back at Dewey before answering.

“It must have rubbed off when I embraced that woman earlier.”

“Ah, I see.”

Since he had carried her in his arms, it could have happened.

Although the slight delay in his answer was concerning.

Thinking he might have been pondering where it came from, Dewey turned away, dismissing it as insignificant, but belatedly recalled one fact.

It was that Kalos had changed his clothes after taking Irene to his bedroom.

*

“I’d like a bedroom prepared.”

Kalos suddenly spoke up, having changed into new clothes.

Dewey, still thinking about the rouge on his shirt, asked a beat late.

“What kind of bedroom do you mean?”

“A place for me to sleep.”

So he’s going to let Irene sleep in his bedroom and sleep somewhere else himself?

The words ‘Wouldn’t it be better to just send Irene back to her own room if that’s the case?’ rose to Dewey’s throat, but he didn’t voice them.

It would be trouble if Kalos changed his mind and decided to sleep with her again because of his unnecessary words.

“Yes, I understand.”

For now, he decided to be satisfied that Kalos had chosen to use a different room from Irene.

*

Perhaps because the bed was unfamiliar.

Or because his mind was cluttered with various thoughts.

“…”

Though he had slept, it didn’t feel like he had, so Kalos pressed his tired eyes firmly.

Dewey asked as he poured coffee into his teacup.

“Are you alright?”

Kalos nodded in response as he drank the coffee.

This was already his fifth cup. Usually, this much would wake him up, but today he still felt dazed.

“Is that woman still sleeping?”

“Yes. As far as I know, she’s still asleep.”

The current time was 10:20 AM.

It wasn’t particularly late, but considering Irene’s usual wake-up time, it was late.

Given what happened yesterday, it was understandable that she would oversleep.

“Shall I wake her?”

“No, it’s fine. Let her sleep as much as she wants.”

There was nothing for Irene to do anyway, so it didn’t matter when she woke up.

As Kalos put down his empty coffee cup, Dewey carefully asked.

“Um, I have something to say about the Azure Lord.”

About Abel?

Kalos looked at Dewey, signaling him to continue.

Dewey moistened his dry lips before slowly continuing.

“There was something a bit strange in what the Azure Lord said yesterday, so I asked and heard an even stranger story.”

Although Abel had earnestly pleaded with him not to tell Kalos, Dewey had no intention of listening to him.

“What is it?”

“The Lord said he secretly peeked at you, Master.”

Even if it was with good intentions, secretly peeking was wrong behavior.

He couldn’t blindly believe that Abel really did it with good intentions.

Abel was Kalos’s friend, but he was also Dale’s friend.

There was no harm in being cautious, so he reported it to Kalos.

“…”

At this, Kalos frowned deeply and stood up from his seat.

He’s getting angry, as expected.

Dewey, who had naturally thought this would happen,

“They’ve finally arrived.”

“…Pardon?”

As a completely unexpected response came from Kalos’s mouth, Dewey asked back with a bewildered expression.