Chapter 79: Chapter 79

“Don’t look.”

As she kept glancing at Lane, she could hear Zagnac’s firm voice in her ear.

Looking up, his expression was as cold as ice. He seemed to be worried about something, or there was something he didn’t like. Azela buried the question she had wanted to ask in her chest, and then she turned her head again and looked in front.

As he opened the wooden door they had come in, she heard a squeaky, old sound and was able to come out again into the bright daylight street.

“Please understand. Lane has little experience in the human world. Life is long for non-human races. That’s why contracts with souls are common… She probably didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

As soon as they came out, Zagnac spoke kindly in a friendly voice as if to comfort her. Although she didn’t actually feel too bad, hearing that voice, Azela felt calm and nodded her head quietly.

“Is it time for you to eat me?”

“What?”

“Because Lane said that earlier.”

Zagnac let out a small sigh before raising his hand and covering his eyes. It wasn’t surprising, as it was expected anyway. There was just calmness when thinking that the day had come.

“It seems that I found regrets in life sooner than I thought. I followed you all the way to the capital to be your escort knight, but I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

“…Not yet.”

“What?”

As Azela looked calm, he lifted his hand from his eyes and sighed lowly. His gaze on her was somehow filled with anger. Zagnac raised his hand and lifted the tip of her chin, and uttered in a low, emotional voice.

“You are still bitter.”

“….”

“It wasn’t time to eat yet. Lane, she’s never made a contract with a human so she didn’t really know what she was talking about. No need to worry.”

“Really?”

“So, there’s still a long way to go.”

Zagnac muttered those last words as if speaking to himself and quietly gazed down at Azela with trembling eyes. Her heart started beating again at the look in his eyes, and the voice filled with emotion.

Was she really still bitter? Azela blushed her cheeks and lowered her head.

There was silence for a moment. She was embarrassed that she had revealed her feelings, so she didn’t say anything. Zagnac, who was staring at her with her head bowed, coughed as he opened his mouth.

“…Don’t even think about changing your contractor to Lane. I am your contractor.”

“Yes?”

When Azela asked back at his absurd words, he replied with a blunt tone.

“You almost fell for Lane earlier.”

“That’s…”

That was because she didn’t even know she was possessed.

Azela shut her lips, swallowing the words she wanted to refute him with. Was that the reason why he looked dissatisfied earlier? For some reason, a corner of her heart tickled, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

However, Zagnac was still blunt.

“You said you didn’t want anything from me… As soon as you saw the sword, you became greedy.”

“No, that’s a little different from what I want. How can I not be greedy when I see a sword like this?”

“Then, tell me to get a good sword. How would I feel to see you get greedy when Lane comes out with a sword?”

‘It was not because Lane brought it out…’

Although she wanted to correct it, Azalea replaced her answer by closing her lip. It was because this cute grunt he made was quite pleasant. As she smiled, Azela realized that she was still in Zagnac’s arms.

She blushed and hurriedly knocked his hand away.

“This, this is enough.”

As she stepped out of his arms, a cool breeze blew past her back. The clothes on her back were slightly wet from how nervous she was while being held by him. No, was this her sweat? Azela glanced at Zagnac.

…Perhaps, he was nervous and sweating like her, too?

He was also feeling awkward, so he only tidied his clothes and avoided her gaze. There was a moment of silence between the two.

Azela, wetting her dry lips, looked at the sword in her hand before speaking with an awkward smile.

“The sword… Is it okay if I pull it out?”

Zagnac nodded his head gladly.

“It’s yours.”

He put more and more things belonging to her in Azela’s hands — from handing out the bread bag to her business rights, her choices, her will, and now her own sword that she had always dreamed of.

If it was all to sweeten her soul… If it was his plan to make life regretful, everything was… really successful.

Azela drew the sword from the scabbard in her hand with a tense look. The small patterns on the sword and the purple amethyst jewel embedded in the handle that resembled his pupils were all perfect.

It was a better sword than any other sword she had ever seen. Perhaps, the Emperor, and even the commander of the Imperial Knights who protected the Emperor, might not have a better sword than this.

Azela swung the sword lightly in the air.

The sound of the wind being cut was pleasantly audible in her ears. It had a good weight and felt comfortable in her hand. She could not believe there would come a day when she would hold and wield such a famous sword.

At the thought, she turned towards Zagnac with a bright smile in the dreamlike reality.

“…Thank you.”

Azela shone brightly under the light of the setting sun, and her eyes were filled with Zagnac. Her soul shining brightly in his gaze was also visible. Unlike the first time when she was withering and dying, she was blossoming.

Lane was right. Azela’s soul exuded a strong sweet scent.

As he gazed at her, he unknowingly followed her and smiled along. Whenever he looked at her, there was always a smile on his face, which he did not realize of. He thought he was always smiling though that was only in front of her.

Zagnac, who was smiling, glanced at the brightly shining Azela and whispered inaudibly.

“I told you. I will make you bloom next to me.”

Yes, by his side.

* * *

A quiet time passed.

The days went on without any problems that it felt boring. While it was a good thing that there were no problems, it was not fun. Every day there was a daily routine — enjoying a peaceful morning, practicing swordsmanship, going out with Zagnac, eating, practicing swordsmanship again, having dinner, and going to sleep.

It was awkward to handle this sword at first though she was now pretty used to it. Possibly, it was because it was a sword made for her, so unlike other swords, it moved like her own body.

Meanwhile, the assassin sent by the Emperor had never visited the mansion.

On the first day after visiting the Imperial Palace, Azela stayed up all night worrying that they might be sending an assassin as the Emperor looked like he was retaliating though what she feared did not happen.

At this level, the question of whether the Emperor was really trying to kill Zagnac flared up in Azela’s mind. The same day was repeated again today.

Late at night, sitting across the bed, Azela was deep in thought.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“…You scared me.”

Suddenly, Zagnac was heard. Looking at him, she took a deep breath as she stroked her surprised chest. He was sitting on the window sill, humming, just like the day they first met.

Azela asked as she looked at the closed bedroom door.

“Why don’t you go through the door and come through the window? This is your mansion. You don’t have to sneak through the window anymore.”

“That’s true.”

Zagnac smirked, he came down from the window sill and smiled skillfully.

“You slept with the window open again, waiting for me.”

At those words, Azela grimaced as she recalled what she had said earlier in the study the other day. She was hoping that he would forget it though he didn’t even forget. As she frowned in embarrassment, Zagnac stepped toward the bed.

Even Azela, who was initially shy, had become quite accustomed to it.

Seeing him ambling towards her, she slowly untied the laces of the slip that she was wearing with a familiar touch. Zagnac, who was standing in front of her, hurriedly grabbed her hand as she was untying it, stopped her and frowned.

“It’s too much right now.”

“…Yes?”

Zagnac licked his lips with a displeased face. It was a habit of his that sometimes appeared when situations did not go his way.

‘What was wrong…?’

Azela gazed up at him silently.