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Chapter 39

“Sire, are you thinking of letting her be?”

Zeid asked Karen as glanced at the window where the handmaiden continued waving.

“Yes, she’s cute. I don’t think she has bad intentions.”

“But to allow a demon inside the palace… What on earth is Sir Cygnus thinking?”

“…Who knows. I think there’s something Odil isn’t telling me. Damian, too.”

“Sir Inferno is just sitting on the sidelines, isn’t he? Just how did the knight commanders of the empire…”

The handkerchief with a purple flower embroidered on it that Lili lent him was definitely Damian’s. Kyren was the one who gave it to Damian, so of course he knew. Lily didn’t say anything to him when she lent it to him, but because of that, he knew that she had no ill intentions if she handed it right over to him.

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When he first met Lily, he had no idea that she was a demon. But above all, she didn’t seem like she’d harm anyone.

“She has sharp senses and has unique magical abilities, but she isn’t strong, is she?”

“Yes, sire. If you put your mind to it, she could be subjugated right away.”

“Perhaps that’s why Odil also just decided to let her be and keep her close to watch her. First of all, it seems like there seems to be a situation that he couldn’t tell me about, but I’ve given enough authority to Odil and the others to deal with something like this. If you’re concerned, then you can keep watch nearby. Just don’t let Lily notice.”

Beneath his mask, Zeid frowned. That meant that he should stay away after all. Once hidden, he and the others who were like shadows must stay hidden beneath those shadows. But Lily was someone who could sense them and immediately uncover their presence.

A demon was pretending to be a maid—yet the knight commanders and the emperor himself were all standing still. If she had been deemed as an enemy from the start, then she would have been slaughtered then and there, and it was difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that they’re doing nothing.

Still, he just decided to forget everything. In any case, after all, this incident made the melancholy Kyren’s mood get better.

“…Huuk!”

Regulus gasped roughly as he sat up. When he woke up with his entire body flushed, he looked around with his eyes still half-drooping and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

“It really was a dream. That surprised me, seriously.”

“Uh-huh. What were you so surprised about?”

“Ah… I had a dream last ni…ght?”

“Little Reg, you were so excited to see your Noona so much, but then you were late to greet her.”

Damian, who was lounging on the sofa, smiled and waved at the other man. Regulus’ shiny complexion now, but turned red little and little as he ruffled his hair and shouted.

“Argh! Damian! Why’d you come here without permission again!”

“You and I are the ones in charge of training today. I’m here to pick you up.”

“No, even still, don’t come and go whenever you want! I have my—my own p… pri… pri—!”

“Are you trying to say privacy? Wow, our youngest baby brother is using his head now.”

“Ah, seriously!”

Damian chuckled as he rose to his feet, clapping his hands at Regulus, who then looked at him with a tearful face. Regulus made a whining noise as Damian walked towards him.

“What, did you have a wet dream last night for the first time?”

“No, I just—”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t sleep, or that he overslept. But there was this shiny complexion of his, a set of rosy cheeks, a sensation all over his body as if he had been touched by soft lips, and a lingering touch. There was also a persistent scent hovering at the tip of his nose. It was because of those things that it took him a long while to process the dream he had about Lily last night and snap out of it.

Glancing at Regulus, who didn’t seem to be getting angry at him like he usually did, Damian asked.

“So you really had a wet dream?”

“No, it’s just…”

“No. My body is pure and unstained. I’m not like you, Damian.”

“Wow, then I’m dirty? What nonsense are you talking about towards a man who’s had only one woman?”

“……”

Regulus looked at Damian with a scandalized look, not even thinking that this ‘one woman’ was Lily herself. He couldn’t even think of it because even as Damian subtly flirted with Lily, she had such a bad impression of him that it’s impossible that they could have done that.

“What the, I didn’t mean to say that. Just, stop messing around. Who would even think that? I can’t even imagine what you’d say to that ‘one woman’.”

“Still, I feel so sorry for her that I don’t even know you’d be able to look at her face. Pure, he says.”

“…Pure?”

When Damian murmured in a low voice, Regulus felt back to feeling so terrible about thinking about Lily in that way in his dream. Even so, Damian was so serious about this that Regulus had to wonder what Damian thought the word ‘purity’ meant. Regulus was sure that it’s different from what he knew.

Even so, he had no choice but to nod as he thought about Lily, not really the succubus. Aside from her personality, she definitely looked like Lily so he didn’t think to question it.

“Well, you certainly look pure just by your face.”

It’s fun making people cry, really.

“So…”

Arriving at their training grounds in no time, the two men bickered fiercely and watched the knights spar with their swords. Then suddenly, Regulus closed his lips and turned away, squeaking out his words.

“W-Wait a minute, Commander Damian. D-Do you happen to know who I…?”

“Noona, Noona~”

“Ack! A-Aaah, ah, seriously!”

With a disgusting smile on his face, Damian mimicked Regulus’ voice and glanced towards the library on the third floor where Lily was. Regulus’ face was about to burst, but then he stomped his feet.

“Aren’t you worried? Wouldn’t it feel terrible once she finds out that you’ve been dreaming about her?”

“Uuugh…”

“Our little brat is all grown up. I’ve been worried about you all this time.”

“I told you not to call me a brat!”

“Sure, sure. Compared to how you were before, you seem to be fine enough now.”

“…But still, I’m just trying hard to pretend I’m alright. Commander Endymion immediately saw through me though and asked me if there’s anything wrong.”

Ever since Regulus was still in the Order of the White Knights, Endymion tended to notice even the slightest of changes that no one else could notice. As Damian observed the ashamed Regulus, he frowned slightly.

Was it really a dream? It was suspicious how Lily treated Regulus awkwardly earlier. Odil and Ares might not have noticed it. Perhaps that’s the reason why Endymion insisted on saying that’s because Lily and Regulus were showing some subtle behavior.

“But it’s nice to have Noona close by. I just don’t know what I’ll do if I have a dream again.”

“…Uh, I guess don’t worry about it too much.”

Maybe it wasn’t a dream—maybe something happened. But Damian didn’t want to say that. There were already plenty of other people involved.

“Why’d you stop talking? I’m curious.”

“Kiddos don’t need to know.”

“Sheesh, we’re only three years apart!”

Damian laughed as Regulus looked back at him with a sullen expression.

“You’ve never experienced anything yet, you snot-nosed brat. Have you ever even held a woman’s hand?”

“I have! I’ve held Lily Noona’s hand and I’ve held* her, too!”
[ t/n: double entendre of this word is either ‘hug’ or, ya know, ‘sleep together’ ]

“What?”

“Hmph! You can’t hold Lily Noona like I do! Because you’re short!”

Something could be heard snapping somewhere. Regulus saw Damian step forward strangely. Damian had a smile on his face, but there was a throbbing vein on his forehead.

“Suuure, our little brat. You’ve tried holding her hand, and you’ve tried hugging her. It’s good that you’re tall, it’s good.”

“Ack! OW! It hurts, I said it hurts!”

Damian grabbed Regulus by the collar and pulled him down, wrapping one arm around the younger man’s neck. Regulus struggled to pry himself away from Damian, who started tightening his hold on his head.

As their uproar grew, the knights who were engaged in their training soon turned their attention to them. Regulus couldn’t see, but as Damian was holding him down, he used both his magical and divine powers.

The nights admired the rare sight of black and white auras flaring up together.

“You’ve got a dirty personality, but you’re really something.”

“Yeah. I heard this isn’t something just anyone can do, right? These opposing forces.”

“Opposing… Ah, wait a sec. Commander Damian, are you using your divine power right now?!”

“You’re much taller than I am, so this is only fair, right?”

“No! What kind of logic is that?! If you’re being like this, stop using your magic, too. So unfair!”

In terms of physique, Regulus was larger and stronger than Damian, but right now, he couldn’t even move a muscle. After such a long time struggling, at last, he was released only after he had profusely apologized to Damian.

“You’re seriously horrible. How can you use even divine power?!”

“You see, my dear fellow. I won today, so cover for me for a while.”

“We didn’t make a bet though.”

“Just stay here for a quick sec. Watch my kids over there, too.”

Damian waved a hand towards the knights as he spoke to the grumbling Regulus, but he soon turned around the corner, scratching his head. He entered the main building at a slightly slower pace than usual, but as he climbed the stairs, he came across Ares.

What’s wrong with this guy?

As Damian approached him from behind, he hit Ares on the back.

“Hyung.”

“Huh?! O-Ohhh, Damian…”

“What’cha doing here?”

“Uh, nothing much.”

Damian clicked his tongue at the oddly depressed Ares.

“You, too, Hyung. You’re really easy to read. You’re still bothered? You’re lying.”

“……”

This guy really didn’t know how to hide his emotions from his face. Damian shrugged, thinking that among all the people he knew, Ares was the most delicate and soft-hearted.

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