I complained while rubbing my forehead to cool it down, but Hiss hid both hands behind his back, looking apologetic.
“Reina, you’ve been hit with flames the whole time.”

Hiss, who was teasing the painful spot, said.

“Am I such a weakling that I can’t endure even a flame right now?”

Without realizing, my words came out a bit sharp, and Hiss clapped his hands at that.

“No, it’s not like that…”

Hiss showed the last remaining lizard.

“Shall we play one last round? But this time, instead of flames, let’s wager a drink.”

“Sure.”

With a determined heart, I reached out to the last remaining lizard in the box, Anrikki.

“Huh.”

But just before grabbing the chubby belly, Anrikki turned in mid-air, avoiding my hand, and bit my finger swiftly.

Due to the thick gloves, I couldn’t feel anything except for a persistent pressure, but no matter how I tried to shake my hand, it wouldn’t let go.

“Oh no.”

I tried to force open the lizard’s mouth while squatting down, but it didn’t budge. Even tickling the soft belly or poking between the armpits was of no use.

As a last resort, I tried to take off the glove, but Anrikki was biting so hard that the glove wouldn’t come off.

“Can I help you?”

Hiss approached.

“No!”

I jumped. I couldn’t burden Hiss with something like this.

“Hiss’s gloves are thin; what if he gets hurt?”

As Anrikki waved the hand he was biting, the lizard shook from side to side but clung stubbornly.

“Even so…”

“Sigh, forget it. Just wait a moment. If we sprinkle some water, it’ll drop soon. Don’t wait for me!”

Before Hiss could forcibly help again, I hurriedly walked away. His small voice followed me as I left.

“Typical, she never asks me for help first.”

My steps, as soon as they touched the ground, were heading towards the forest.

Originally, I would never have set foot here due to the danger, but maybe because I saw Kirian heading into the forest just now, I had an unfounded confidence that it would be safe.

With each step, the lush grass brushed against my calves, making a rustling sound as I passed.

In the distance, the hooting of an owl faintly reached my ears, and the trees above my head, with branches tangled like bars, looked like a prison. However, following the faint moonlight, I ventured deeper.

After a while, the sound of flowing spring water reached me, and the trees that covered the sky opened up with a crack.

The moonlight pouring through the gaps shattered against familiar silver hair. Surely, Kirian, who should have fetched water for me, was sitting by the stream, having thrown the buckets carelessly.

As I was about to approach him, when I tried to take one more step.

“Sister.”

Kirian, slowly raising his head, called me gently, as if he had already expected me to be there.

“You.”

It felt as if I hadn’t seen his face all day. My gaze, momentarily unsure of what to say, landed on the abandoned buckets.

“Why aren’t you fetching water and lazing around here?”
Kirian smirked.

“Just…”

“Is it tough?”

I felt sorry for poking at someone who had been working all day for no reason. My words were oddly snappy, not coming out the way I intended.

“No, I just feel like if I go out, I’ll keep seeing things I don’t want to.”

Looking at me with slightly lowered eyes, Kirian’s eyes soon sparkled beautifully.

“Sister, you really can’t shoot lizards well.”

Maybe if it were a normal day, I would have snapped right away. I would have said it’s just because I’m not used to it yet, and with a little practice, I’d get better soon.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel like saying that now.

I took one step closer.

“Kirian, help me.”

Sitting down beside Kirian, I extended my hand without unnecessary pride, simply expecting that he would have been able to pull it off easily if it were someone else.

“Help me.”

Somehow, it seemed like it would be okay with Kirian. Kirian’s red eyes, which met mine, remained calm and unwavering, as if he was determined not to lose sight of me even for a moment.

Unable to resist that persistent gaze, I averted my eyes and weakly shook the hand that Anrikki was still biting with all his might.

“No matter what I do, it won’t let go.”

I waited for the expected laughter that would surely come, but it didn’t. Instead, the firm hand gently pulled mine.

“Look.”

I extended my hand obediently, pretending to look up at the sky.

So Kirian caressed my hand for a while. Even after a few sparks passed across the sky, Kirian was still examining my hand. When he continued to do so even after the last flickering flames passed, I scratched my head with my other hand.

“It really doesn’t come off easily, huh? Eliza warned me that the lizard had a really nasty temper. Oh.”

There was no longer a wriggling lizard on my fingertips as I looked down. Instead, Kirian’s hand was peacefully folded.

“Hmm. I thought it wouldn’t be noticeable as long as I didn’t take off the gloves.”

Kirian, who was saying absurd things, looked at me playfully.

“Let go, and I’ll tell you. Why sit there, holding onto a busy person.”

“Going back to Prince Hiss?”

Asked Kirian cautiously, his voice soft, but it still didn’t completely erase the sense of being suppressed.

“Sister, don’t say that.”

Kirian, who had somehow shown the squirming lizard in his hand, laughed again playfully, as if saying, ‘When did that happen?’

“Let’s go, let’s fly the last lizard together.”