The Grand Duke’s arms tightened.

‘I thought you said this would be easy.’

Several red glowing eyes appeared in the darkness of the forest.

“Flotty, wait here.”

“W, what are you going to do?”

The Grand Duke pulled away from me.

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.

“Keep your eyes closed.”

“I, I have to help…… too.”

I reached for the bell in my bosom.

I must have been nervous.

The bell slips and hits the floor with a clatter.

Clink, clink, clink.

The leopards’ eyes glow even more ferociously at the sound.

“Flotty.”

“…….”

“Don’t open your eyes.”

The Grand Duke picks up the fallen bell and presses it into my hand.

My body stiffens into rigidity.

My hand was unmoving.

My frightened body refuses to budge.

“That’s still too much.”

“What do you think I am?”

The Grand Duke laughs.

It’s not the right thing to say in this situation, but his laugh is reassuring.

I close my eyes, ignoring the flashes of red.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’

It’s Grand Duke Noctis.

He won’t lose.

I squeeze my eyes shut and clasp my hands together.

Praying he wouldn’t get hurt.

I prayed he would make it through.

I didn’t believe in any gods, but I prayed nonetheless.

The bell, sensing Eden’s energy, chimed loudly.

A few dull, sharp noises.

The sound of a beast roaring and tearing flesh mingled together.

Thud!

“Kyaaak!”

A large leopard landed in front of me.

Reflexively, I opened my eyes to see a leopard with a wound right in the heart.

“Heok, heuk…….”

“Flotty, are you okay?!”

I heard the Grand Duke’s voice in the distance.

He had gone deeper into the forest out of respect for me.

Only a black aura and red glowing eyes could be seen.

“Y, yes, I’m fine!”

The leopard’s breathing seemed to have stopped completely.

The grassy ground was stained with blood.

“Ha, I was surprised.”

The Grand Duke must be okay, right?

A terrible wail echoed through the air.

I put some distance between me and the dead leopard.

‘Gross…….’

I waited anxiously.

Slowly, the roar died down.

When there was complete silence, a shadow, a glimmer in the forest, called out to me.

“Flotty.”

The Grand Duke appeared, his clothes soaked in blood.

The moment I saw he was back, I didn’t hesitate to run to him.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The red blood, whether from the leopard or the Grand Duke, smelled foul.

“Don’t come near me. You’ll get blood on you.”

“…Does that matter now, are you hurt?”

Every time I approached him, the Grand Duke put distance between us.

It does not matter if I get blood on me.

I grabbed his bloodied uniform to keep him from moving away.

“You’re hurt, aren’t you? Let me see.”

“Not at all. Let’s get back to the villa.”

The Grand Duke replied quickly, adding the distance between us again.

‘Is he sure he’s not hurt?’

For one thing, he’s not limping, and his arm looks fine.

The Grand Duke swung his sword and brushed off the blood.

He doesn’t really seem to be hurt.

“Ha, thank goodness.”

The Grand Duke picked up his jacket from the rock.

And then,

“Flotty!”

The leopard, thought to be dead, opened its eyes.

His mouth was open, revealing huge fangs.

‘I thought he was dead.’

The wound on its chest was still there.

I realized it wasn’t breathing.

But why?

“Grrr…….”

The red glow that had been extinguished stared back at me.

‘Move, I have to move.’

My body, frozen with fear, refused to listen.

The leopard’s leap was quick.

Before the Grand Duke could lunge for me, the leopard lunged at me, sharp claws raised.

This time, I’m going to die.

Omen, you filthy bastard.

He knows I can’t use my body, so he’s doing this to me like this.

The leopard’s mouth gaped open, ready to devour me.

I’m going to die.

I closed my eyes against the premonition.

Hopefully, it’s not a painful death.

Kwang!

Instead of pain, I heard a roar.

I cautiously lifted my eyelids.

The first thing I saw was a cloud of dirt blocking my vision.

Slowly, the dust dispersed.

“W, what…….”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

A lion of such overwhelming size that it made the giant leopard look small, was subduing it.

Its huge paws tore at the hide.

‘No way…….’

Mane whipping in the wind, fur black and glossy.

The lion slowly turned its head.

Eyes glowing purple, like amethysts.

‘Black lion…….’

If I’m right, the massive beast is the Grand Duke.

The lion stares at me, then turns completely around.

Step, step.

The closer it got to me, the more intimidating it became.

“…Your Highness?”

Its piercing eyes refused to look away from me.

“D, Denver.”

When the lion was within inches of me, I called his name.

The black aura that had been blazing around him faded away.

The lion disappeared completely, along with the black aura.

“……Your Highness!”

The Grand Duke, now fully human, leaned into me as if collapsing.

“Are you all right?”

“……ha.”

A deep, long sigh escapes his mouth.

“……I’m not okay.”

His voice sounds desperate.

He buries his face in my shoulder and murmurs.

“You think I’m horrible too, don’t you?”

“…….”

“Because I reek of death.”

The Grand Duke’s voice quavered.

The hand on my shoulder is pitiful.

“You pretend not to, but you must be disgusted by me every time you see me.”

Cynicism dripped from him.

It was an admonition directed at himself.

“Let’s go back. You must be very surprised.”

The Grand Duke said, shrinking away from me, as he always did.

I offered no words of comfort.

Because I knew this man, this man who had changed from human to lion, hated that part of himself with a passion.

“Come with me …….”

I only moved closer to the fleeing Grand Duke as he walked away.

***

“That was scary, though.”

A leopard was scary, but a lion was even scarier.

Even though I only saw it for a moment, it was so intense that it stuck in my mind.

When we returned to the lodge, the Grand Duke showed me to my room.

“Aren’t you sleeping with me?”

I asked without thinking, since we had always shared a bedroom.

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes at the question.

“Are you really…….”

He sighed as he said it.

“I slept with you every day, and yet you acted so differently.”

I don’t have to pretend anymore.

Still, who knows what the Grand Duke is really thinking.

I sat by the window, looking up at the brightly rising moon.

This trip is my reward for all my hard work.

Yet even here, it’s not all smooth sailing.

I wish the old lady would come back soon.

So I can get Omen and the Queen sorted out and have an excuse to get out of here.

But first, I’ll have to divorce the Grand Duke.

“……Hmm?”

What?

Why am I wistful?

The thought of regret flashed through my mind.

I jumped to my feet.

“Divorce, let’s not do it.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“I’m not pretending.”

The Grand Duke’s words echoed in my ear.

“Seriously, I’m crazy. I must be crazy.”

I need to get some sleep.

This is all because I haven’t slept, and I’m tired from everything that’s happened.

I left the window and flopped down on the bed.

My mind, once on a rampage, became uncontrollably intense.

I remembered my mistake on the deck, the bitter smile on the Grand Duke’s face, and his coming to my rescue.

My thoughts jumbled together, ignoring the order of time.

‘Sleep. Sleep is the answer.’

I clutched the blankets tightly in my hands and closed my eyes.

The sleep that seemed so elusive came quickly.

So, tiredness was the problem.

I thought to myself as I drifted off into a deep sleep.

***

It was a night for a strong whiskey.

But still alert, he gave up the whiskey.

He had someone to watch over in the next room.

“Ha…….”

He rubbed the corners of his tired eyes.

Traveling was something Denver was not used to.

Especially as someone born into royalty and forced to carry the weight of it.

The mere fact that he was away from home meant that there were many others who coveted and sought his position.

But when Denver offered to travel, it was purely for Flotty’s sake.

He shouldn’t have.

Omen was more persistent than he realized.

He didn’t enjoy provocations like this.

Not that he couldn’t figure out why.

Flotty.

Omen is mindful of her.

A few furrows formed in his brow as his thoughts drifted that far.

Beyond the dense forest, he can see the waves rolling in the wind.

The waves resemble dark purple hair.

Undulating and shimmering.

It’s mesmerizing to stare at.

“I’m crazy, for real.”

When it started, why it started.

He decided not to ask.

It would be useless.

On the deck, he can’t get the feeling of her hand on his cheek out of his head.

Why she wore something that showed her shoulders.

It’s not for nothing that every time he makes eye contact with her, every time she stands in front of him, his gaze travels down the slender nape of her neck to her bare shoulders.

A deeper sigh escaped his lips.

Lately, an unexplained anxiety had been plaguing him all day.

Contract, divorce, contract, divorce.

The words stuck in his head, creating a pounding headache.

He racked his brain, trying to formulate an answer, but there was no conclusion.

It’s true.

Let’s face it.

A complete defeat for the arrogant man who thought he had a useful hand.

That he had fallen in love with her, after all.

[T/N: Ahhhh my heart breaks for Denver but finally!!!]