Even though Melphis had decided not to relay Lord’s proposal to Vivian, it didn’t mean he was going to completely give up on his feelings for her.

After the situation was sorted out, he took Vivian back to his house.

Both of them had a lot on their minds, so as soon as they arrived home, they went straight to their respective rooms.

However, after a few hours had passed, the two of them ended up encountering each other on the balcony.

Spotting Vivian from behind, leaning on the railing and looking up at the sky, Melphis made his presence known.

“Vivian? What are you doing here?”

She turned around, having been blankly gazing at the scenery.

The night in the Dragon Realm was distinctly different from that of the Human Realm.

Unlike the sparsely visible stars in the Human Realm, the night sky here was always filled with pink stars.

Pink stars piercing through the black sky.

Vivian’s hair was dyed a mysterious color by their faint light.

Melphis felt a pang in his heart at the sight.

Ever since he became aware of his feelings for her, he had occasionally imagined living with her in the Dragon Realm.

He had pictured her in various ways in his mind, but there was one scene that was particularly hard to imagine.

It was her under the night sky of the Dragon Realm.

No matter how hard he tried to imagine it, that scene alone wouldn’t form clearly in his mind for some reason.

What color would her hair shine? How would the corners of her mouth move, and how would her eyes sparkle?

What kind of expression would she show when looking at me? Countless questions welled up.

But in this very moment, all of his questions were instantly answered.

However, unlike in his imagination, Vivian was not his partner.

She had only come here by chance to seek help.

The appearance of her that he had been so curious about was more beautiful than any scene he had imagined.

But the gap between imagination and reality, the fact that she was nothing to him, stabbed at his heart like an awl.

His mouth turned bitter as if he had drunk tea that was brewed wrong.

Melphis approached her and also leaned on the railing.

“The stars are pretty, aren’t they? Different from the ones in the Human Realm.”

“Yeah. I was just watching them sparkle in pink, it’s fascinating.”

Silence lingered between the two for a moment.

Melphis followed Vivian’s gaze with his eyes.

At the end of her gaze was a particularly brightly twinkling star.

Looking at that star, who are you thinking about? Melphis wanted to ask.

After staring at the same spot for a long time, Melphis spoke first.

“…Vivian, do you have someone you like?”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

As if she hadn’t expected him to ask such a question, Vivian blinked her eyes and expressed her confusion.

“You told me yesterday. To only say those words about becoming a partner to someone you like. So I suddenly became curious. If Vivian also has someone she likes.”

“Me? Well… I’ve never really thought about whether I have someone I like or not.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Because until now, Vivian’s mind had been preoccupied with other things.

Finding Callys, defeating the demons, and preventing the end of humanity.

With the scale of events far beyond what she could handle, Vivian didn’t have the mental capacity to think about things like romance.

It wasn’t much different even before she realized she had possessed the original work.

Back then, even though she verbally claimed to have given up, deep down she yearned for her family’s love, so she couldn’t pay attention to external factors.

In the first place, there were almost no occasions for her to leave the mansion, so there was no chance for her to develop romantic feelings for others.

After being lost in thought for a moment, she added.

“And as you know, I’m a bit dense when it comes to these things, right? Even if I do come to like someone, it would probably be hard for me to realize it myself.”

She said that and smiled slightly self-deprecatingly.

“Then Vivian, let me change the question this time. Who were you thinking about earlier?”

“When?”

“When you were looking at the stars.”

“I wasn’t really thinking about anyone in particular. I was just worried about the Human Realm…”

Vivian hesitated for a moment before carefully voicing her inner thoughts.

“It’s already been two days since I came here, you know. Who knows how much longer I’ll have to stay. It’s already been over two months in the Human Realm, so I’m worried if everyone is okay. And above all, I was concerned about Ren.”

“Ren?”

At the mention of the unwelcome name, Melphis’s expression momentarily distorted.

“Yeah. Ever since we first met that day, Ren and I have rarely been apart. Not long ago, we were separated for a bit… At that time, Ren was really suffering. I’m just worried that he might be having a hard time like back then.”

Quietly listening to her words, Melphis let out a bitter smile and self-deprecatingly muttered.

“Ah… I got rejected without even confessing.”

In fact, Melphis had noticed.

That Vivian held different feelings for Ren than the ones she had for him.

Vivian herself didn’t seem to be aware of it, but if one were to observe the two of them together even for a short while, anyone would be able to tell what kind of emotions they had for each other.

However, Melphis had hoped that it was simply due to a bond between them, not love or romantic feelings.

Otherwise, it would be as if he had no chance.

In the end, such hopes were shattered by her words.

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Vivian asked back, as if she didn’t understand his words.

Eventually, Melphis shook his head with a hollow laugh.

He knew he had to give some kind of answer, but his throat was choked up and no voice came out.

All Melphis could do was hastily leave the spot.

The next day came, and Vivian and Melphis went to see the Dragon Lord again.

Seeing them enter holding hands, Lord had a moment of expectation, but soon grasped the situation from Melphis’s determined expression.

Without even waiting for them to fully enter, Lord asked first.

“My proposal from yesterday still stands, Melphis. Do you have no intention of changing your mind even now?”

“My answer remains the same as yesterday.”

Vivian was puzzled by the conversation between the two that she couldn’t make sense of.

‘What on earth are they talking about?’

Melphis noticed her gaze filled with curiosity but deliberately ignored it.

If he were to explain it to her now, she might become his partner… But now that he already knew she had another man in her heart, he had no intention of resorting to such a cowardly tactic.

‘Rather, if she didn’t like anyone…’

Would something have been different then? Of course, thinking about it now wouldn’t change anything.

It was a conclusion Melphis had reached after much contemplation. However, Lord had no intention of respecting it.

“Then give up on the idea of obtaining my help until you change your mind.”

“Even if several days pass, I have no intention of changing my decision. Just this once, please yield to me.”

Lord shook his head as if he no longer wished to engage in conversation.

“Take that child and leave at once.”

“I refuse. I won’t leave until you tell us about the temple.”

Vivian swallowed dryly at the increasingly hostile atmosphere between the two dragons.

It seemed as if something would happen at any moment.

Her prediction came true.

The moment Melphis expressed his will to stay, Lord suddenly raised his front leg towards Vivian and Melphis.

An invisible powerful force roughly grabbed the two of them.

Melphis tried to resist, but a dragon’s magic was proportional to their age.

It was only natural that it was impossible to rebel against Lord, who had existed since the beginning.

Lord continued to use his power, trying to force them out.

At that moment, the one who grabbed Melphis, who was being pushed out after failing to resist, was none other than Vivian.

Her eyes, having activated her psychic ability at some point, were shining a fierce golden color.

“Melphis, are you okay?”

With agile movements, she grabbed Melphis and helped him stand.

“Vivian?”

Whether he was safe or not wasn’t the issue.

How on earth did she overcome Lord’s power? Melphis knew her psychic power was quite impressive, but he never imagined it would be to this extent, and he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

On the other hand, Lord, who had been silently observing the whole situation, let out an exclamation.

His vertically split pupils flickered eerily.

“Hmm… This was unexpected.”

A strong force enveloped Vivian once again.

Unlike before when it was oppressive, this time it approached gently, so she first quietly assessed the situation.

Lord brought Vivian right in front of his eyes.

Her eyes, which had been floating in midair, were still shining a clear gold color.

Lord’s pupils moved around, blatantly observing her.

Lord, who had looked enormous even from a distance, was beyond imagination up close.

Vivian’s figure was reflected like a mirror in Lord’s black eyes.

Until now, Lord hadn’t shown much interest in her, so it was difficult to understand why he was suddenly acting this way.

Vivian froze and racked her brain.

‘Is it because of my psychic ability?’

That was the only reason she could deduce at the moment.

‘Whatever it is, I hope I haven’t offended him…’

Earlier, her body had moved unconsciously with the thought of protecting Melphis.

But now, having tasted Lord’s majesty up close, she no longer had the confidence to act as she did before.

Vivian deliberately smiled brightly and waited for Lord’s actions to stop.

‘They say you can’t spit on a smiling face…’

Fortunately, Lord soon released Vivian. And at the same time, he uttered unexpected words.

“Child, I realized it late. I have been waiting for you to come for a very long time.”

“Pardon…?”

Just a moment ago, he was trying to drive her out, but suddenly what was this about?

Vivian didn’t quite understand what was happening.

“Come to think of it… You said you wanted to go to the temple. I shall take you there at once.”

It wasn’t just Vivian who was surprised by Lord’s change in attitude.

Melphis was also looking at Lord with an expression full of suspicion.