“You haven’t eaten anything during that time?”

“With you lying down like that, how can I eat anything?”

“That’s why you’ve become so skinny. I’ve been eating well, you know? Since I woke up, I quickly improved and tried to catch Idriche. I didn’t even have time for a meal despite feeling nauseous.”

“Well done.”

“And Idriche couldn’t.”

“Even if we go back to that time, I won’t be able to eat anything.”

“Then I’ll have to starve from now on too.”
I deliberately stretched out and lay down, falling backward. I had learned that this was the most effective method for Edriss.

“You and I are different. You’re not even a handful to me.”

Hmm, the ceiling pattern is very pretty.

Pretending not to hear his words, I traced the air with my fingers.

Edriss let out a deep breath. He knew that I wouldn’t listen to his protests even from behind.

“Yeah. There won’t be such things in the future.”

I turned back towards him and grinned.

“Whatever happens, I won’t separate from Edriss. So let’s have breakfast.”

We sat on the bed and received the food. Starting with mushroom soup, we had steamed salmon topped with cheese and smooth cream, as well as baked dessert with cinnamon and sugar on sweet potatoes.

“Now, ah.”

Edriss silently accepted the soup I offered without any complaints.

“I can eat by myself. You don’t have to treat me like a child…”

“Has such a person been starving until now?”

“You should eat…”

“I eat well, you see.”

With a proud look, I gulped down the soup in one go. It tasted good. Edriss was speechless. Seizing the opportunity, I brought the spoon back to his mouth.

Simultaneously, laughter burst out.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Why are you?”

“I find it amusing how Edriss accepts it so gracefully. And Edriss?”

Once again, Edriss didn’t answer and just laughed.

What’s this?

When I raised my eyebrows, Edriss wiped my lips with his hand.

“You had a lot on your lips.”

Oops.

I wiped my lips. Edriss, still smiling, approached and cleared my hand, leaving a kiss on it.

Even after a long meal, we didn’t know how to get up from the bed. The sweet warmth of Edriss, felt after a long time, made it impossible to muster the courage to get up.

Seemingly feeling the same way, Edriss either held me tight, hugged me, or stroked me.

“We’ll go back to Lobero, right?”

It was when the sunset was casting a reddish hue over Edriss’s face.

Edriss remained silent for a moment. I lifted my head from his chest to look at him.

“I don’t know.”

His voice sank low.

“At this moment, it’s confusing whether I can become a king or if I have the qualifications for it.”

“If Edriss doesn’t have it, who does? You’re a legitimate prince, Edriss.”

“No, it used to be like that. I thought it was my place, born as an obvious successor to the royal family. But now, that obvious assumption doesn’t feel so obvious.”

Edriss’s chest rose slowly. The red sun passed, and darkness gradually enveloped us. After a while, Edriss opened his mouth again.

“I don’t want to suppress them with fear.”

“…”
“But being a presence that instills fear in everyone is something that cannot be changed.”

I couldn’t comfort him thoughtlessly either.

It was because I had seen those who feared him in Lobero with my own eyes. Of course, new alliances are forming, but… Is it possible for trust and fear to coexist?

“Maybe I was truly born as a being that can only evoke fear.”

“That could be true.”

“What?”

“It could be true. It’s the world of water beings. Some are born as weak animals, and some are born as strong ones. It’s natural to feel fear and alienation due to inherent differences. It’s no one’s fault. So, isn’t what comes next more important?”

I understand the villain Edriss from the novel. The image of him killing everyone and turning the world into a sea of flames is still vivid. However, he is not scary now. The Edriss I’ve experienced firsthand is not that kind of person.

Others will eventually understand Edriss’s feelings like this. It may take a little more time.

“No one in the world is without mistakes. Think about it. If Edriss doesn’t become king, who will? Vitta? Terminus? Maybe Serbian? Or another water being? Honestly speaking.”

I lowered my voice and whispered in his ear.

“Because Edriss is the best, right? Others are just…”

Only then did Edriss chuckle. I said it playfully, but I hoped my sincerity would be conveyed.

“Edriss will gradually move in a good direction, right? Because that’s what you want. Isn’t that enough?”

Edriss pulled me without saying a word. Knowing that to become a king to protect the world, for someone who once sought to burn the world, there must be considerable anguish and determination, I nestled quietly in his arms, closing my eyes.