“Ra, Raoul? Stop crying first and let’s talk… Hic! Haa…”

“Don’t try to persuade me and answer first.”

Diana couldn’t move a muscle, like a drenched mouse caught in a downpour from Raoul’s sudden gush of thick teardrops.

The sensation of the chaotically sprinkled streams flowing down her round cheeks in curved lines felt strange.

“Hic!”

As the damp droplets dangled from her earlobes, her startled diaphragm convulsed, letting out a cute sound.

This, this is weird…!

Diana couldn’t shake off the tightly gripped hand and could only let her leaping heart throb.

The scent, body heat, and lukewarm tears of Raoul, whom she met after a year and a half, combined to make her five senses run wild regardless of her will.

Words of urging and ragged breaths escaped from his nicely shaped lips as they parted.

“You’re lying. If you don’t want to see me die, say it’s a lie. Quickly…”

Ah, Diana became a little scared.

Unless she had sadistic tendencies, how could such words sound so affectionate? The sight of his expressionless face crumpling on its own…

She hated to admit it, but it was terribly captivating. Diana squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath tightly. She wished both the hiccups and her feelings for Raoul would stop.

Diana bit her lips and remained silent. If she couldn’t cut him off coldly, ignoring him consistently was another way.

She felt sorry for Raoul, but her words about ending things were sincere. She had no intention of going back on them…

A few more tears fell on her resolutely lowered eyelids.

Diana turned her head away as if she disliked Raoul.

That wasn’t how she felt, but unfortunately, this was the only way to show a firm attitude to Raoul, with whom conversation was impossible.

However, there was nothing more foolish than willingly exposing one’s neck to a starving beast.

“If you keep your lips sealed like that, I’ll have no choice but to open them. Until I get the answer I want… as many times as it takes…”

Raoul growled in her ear, urging with his breathing. And before long, he did something that startled Diana.

“Mmph!”

Diana’s eyes flew open and she spread her tightly held hand wide. It was because the lips that had been breathing into her ear had finally stuck to her earlobe with a smack.

“Raoul!”

Diana was so surprised that she screamed. This bewitching feeling was a first for her.

The heated flesh moved very slowly. Raoul’s breathing, which had been slowly wandering around her earlobe, was loud enough to send shivers down to her opposite ear!

“…What are you doing!”

“I was waiting for you to speak.”

“This isn’t gentlemanly at all!”

“You’re right. I’m not a gentleman, but a wolf.”

Raoul’s lips went down from her earlobe, going lower and lower. Diana shrank her neck like a snake, avoiding his lips.

When his lips brushed against her chin like an accident and dissatisfiedly touched the spot again, Diana finally had no choice but to surrender.

“Now, stop it now! I get it, so let’s talk it out!”

“Answer me first.”

“Wait, wait… Raoul…”

“Say you’ll cancel it!”

“Ah…!”

Diana twisted her neck, gasping in surprise. His breath was too hot.

Raoul was no longer a child, and neither was Diana.

The breath rising and falling along her white shoulder line tried to light a fire in the wick of her heart.

No…!

Diana kicked the sheet with her foot and shouted as if screaming.

“No…! I can’t cancel it.”

Raoul left tooth marks on the nape of her neck he had been nibbling and raised his eyes fiercely.

“Diana!”

“A promise I can’t keep… is a deception.”

Before the stinging heat subsided, Raoul pulled Diana up and pressed his forehead against hers.

Their noses squashed and his desperate breath came so close it seemed to swallow her lips.

At a distance where their lips barely brushed, Raoul spoke as if suppressing his anger, scratching his throat.

“Deception?”

“…”

“Staying by my side is a deception?”

“Y-yes…”

“Then look me in the eye and say it properly.”

“…Say what?”

“Say you don’t love me anymore, loud and clear. Then I’ll listen seriously too.”

‘I can’t breathe…’

Diana’s eyes suddenly felt hot because the hand around her waist wasn’t gentle at all, because his angry tone was cold.

“I should be the one crying.”

Raoul said, pulling her waist tightly. Diana was dumbfounded by his confident attitude and shouted.

“Do you think I’m happy and joyful in this situation? I don’t want to break up like this! With you pushing me into a mess… How can we end things on good terms?”

“You’re the one pushing me away. Stop twisting your words and answer properly. Do you really not love me? So you want to end things no matter what?”

Diana bit her lips hard and hit his motionless shoulders.

She was so angry that she wanted to pluck out all his shiny silver hair, strand by strand.

She hated Raoul. And she envied him.

She was so envious of that confidence to seek love without a shred of hesitation that she thought she’d go crazy.

Diana had to doubt her feelings every time even while she liked Raoul. She always suppressed her heart, thinking she’d be lucky to even be friends with him.

But you…

“Who are you to be so sure of my feelings…?”

“…”

“I hate you. I hate you so much I could die. Don’t preach with the love I gave you…”

Sni… Waa…

As tears flowed down her cheeks without pause, Raoul sighed deeply and wiped away the wetness.

She couldn’t lie and say she didn’t love him, even as a joke.

It’s because she loves him that she hates him so much, that she gets hurt every time…

Diana thought of breaking up because she loved him deeply. But, if you love someone, you can’t break up! It was completely unreasonable.

Raoul pulled Diana into a hug and slowly stroked near her wing bones.

As if begging her not to fly away. Very slowly.

Diana repeated that she hated him several times until she was exhausted and collapsed.

Raoul hugged her limp body tightly like a puzzle piece and whispered.

“Did it seem like I was preaching?”

His tone wasn’t as sharp as before. Rather, it sounded a bit playful. Diana gritted her teeth, flabbergasted, and replied.

“…Don’t make fun of me. I haven’t forgiven you yet. And I never said I love you…”

“They say you don’t hate someone if you have no affection for them.”

“Ha… Where did you learn that from?”

“From Vincent.”

Diana imagined Vincent being scolded and laughed hollowly. He must have saved face by telling his young disciple that it’s all affection when he gets scolded by Angela.

Diana hurriedly controlled her loosely curled lips and buried her face in his broad shoulders.

Even while hating Raoul, she was sobbing in his arms. Like someone whining to be understood…

What am I doing?

It was a bit absurd, but she just let it be. This was the first time in her life she had gotten angry like this.

All the moisture and energy had drained from her body, leaving her with no strength to fight anymore.

Diana decided to stop the sharp words that provoked Raoul and soothe and appease him instead.

I’ve already said everything I needed to say… Now I’ll just make excuses and send him away… Whether it’s love or not, I’m going to end things with you, and I clearly warned you, so I can’t help it if you don’t understand…

Once the flaring emotions burned out, a familiar silence found its way between the two.

Rather than uncomfortable, it was peaceful.

Embraced in his big arms, slowly blinking her swollen eyes, Diana mumbled slowly and roughly like a cat.

“Put me down now…”

“Let’s stay like this a little longer.”

But Raoul didn’t seem to want to let go. Diana wriggled feebly and let out a weak breath.

Raoul’s arms, which she was held in after a long time, were boiling hot.

I shouldn’t get used to this warmth… It felt like a comfort that would come to mind every winter.

Raoul laid Diana on the blanket and affectionately nuzzled her cheek.

He moved his lips as if he had something to say, breathed out a slightly sweet breath, and whispered in her ear.

“Hate me as much as you love me… Then it’s fine.”

Diana closed her eyes at the sensation pressing down on her temple like a burn.

Sigh…

She would probably end up listening to Raoul’s excuses after all.

Diana pinched his hateful cheek hard, vowing not to waver. Vowing not to make any promises or future with Raoul…