HTVSAS 15

Chapter 15

At that moment, hearing a voice from behind, Seiri turned her head.

The Emperor was standing there, watching them.

Judging by his navy formal uniform adorned with golden epaulettes on both shoulders, it seemed he had come straight here after finishing official duties.

“Just like last time… you make that kind of face whenever you see children.”

Raiden stepped closer, bent his knee, and gently stroked Kanan’s head.

Perhaps familiar with the soft touch and the scent of expensive oils, Kanan’s clear face brightened with a smile.

“Whether it’s the divine realm or the demon realm, nothing is as beautiful as children. The children here are no different.”

Seiri smiled faintly as she looked at Kanan staring intently at Raiden from her arms.

Raiden’s gaze lingered briefly at the curved corners of her eyes before shifting away.

“Why don’t you make that kind of expression when you look at me?”

Her smiling face instantly turned into one of disbelief.

“What about you is supposed to be beautiful?”

“You were staring at me quite intensely. Isn’t that because I’m beautiful? Whether men or women, everyone looks at me that way.”

“Ha. Don’t talk nonsense. I hate your face more than anything in this world!”

At that unexpected remark, Raiden was genuinely shocked.

Is she serious?

No one had ever said they disliked his face before.

He had heard that his appearance was excessively handsome for someone of his position—causing various inconveniences—but never outright rejection.

The head maid had even once complained that if he smiled too often, the maids couldn’t focus on their work.

Had it all been an illusion?

No—that couldn’t be.

Even when he went outside the palace in plain clothes, people—men and women alike—approached him, praising his beauty. Even elders and children showed overwhelming interest, forcing him to disguise himself every time.

And yet—

She hates this face?

Though still shaken by this unprecedented reaction, Raiden pressed his fingers to his temple and calmly replied,

“That’s… quite unfortunate.”

A slightly flustered expression.

Whatever it was, that unfamiliar look caught Seiri’s attention.

After all, that “rubber god” only ever wore a blank expression.

But realizing again that the man before her wasn’t Ferdinando, she felt a slight pang of guilt.

She had been treating him like Ferdinando simply because they looked the same.

She wasn’t the type to consider others much when speaking—but after countless years dealing only with Horu and her sworn enemy, her words had naturally become harsh.

Since when did I become like this…?

Seeing Raiden’s somewhat downcast expression, her mouth opened before she could stop herself.

“It’s just that you resemble someone I’d rather not think about. That’s all.”

Feeling like she was making excuses, Seiri turned her gaze back to Kanan and added,

“Objectively speaking, your face isn’t unpleasant to look at.”

As she played with Kanan—lifting him up and down while he giggled—she could feel the Emperor’s gaze on her.

But she pretended not to notice.

“It’s surprising that someone with a face like mine exists, but… if that’s the reason, I suppose I understand.”

At that moment—

A large hand suddenly reached beneath her chin.

Raiden’s fingers caught the end of the ribbon tied around her neck and pulled it loose.

Ssshh—

The red silk ribbon unraveled, brushing lightly against her pale neck.

“What are you doing—”

“That’s not how you tie it. Did you scare the maid who dressed you?”

His composure had already returned, along with a faint smile.

Whether he was simply skilled or deliberately slow, his hands moved leisurely as he retied the ribbon neatly at the front.

Their eyes met naturally.

As he delicately worked the ribbon, Raiden wore yet another unfamiliar expression.

A strange feeling stirred in Seiri.

He was too close.

And his slow gaze, tracing down from her chin along her neck and the line of her dress, made her uneasy.

That creeping discomfort—

—was shattered by his next words.

“…I was going to let it pass.”

“What?”

“I saw your body while you were asleep.”

“…What?!”

Seiri froze, utterly dumbfounded.

What is he talking about?

Her eyes sharpened as she tried to process his words.

This bastard… is he saying he cut my body while I was asleep?

He struck me from behind while I was sleeping?

You Horu-like bastard. Worse than Ferdinando.

No wonder her dream had been so disturbing—

He must have been the cause!

The image of Horu smiling wickedly in her dream flashed through her mind.

In a burst of agitation, Seiri set Kanan down and yanked open the front of her clothes with both hands.

Pop—pop!

Buttons snapped off under her grip.

“What? I’m perfectly fine.”

She examined her body—there wasn’t even a scratch, let alone a wound.

“Are you messing with me right now?!”

She snapped, her voice rising.

Raiden, however, only looked at her in confusion.

“…How exactly am I supposed to interpret your actions right now?”

“I asked if you’re messing with me!”

“Seiri. I welcome situations like this anytime—but don’t you think it’s a bit early in front of Kanan?”

Damn it.

Only then did Seiri realize her mistake.

Turning quickly, she saw Kanan looking terrified, on the verge of tears.

Startled, she hurriedly picked him up, soothing him by lifting and bouncing him gently.

After her desperate efforts calmed him down, something large and warm settled over her shoulders.

It was Raiden’s navy cloak.

“I didn’t intend it, but… I’ll apologize anyway.”

Their communication was hopeless—but the result was unexpected.

Raiden’s apology moved Seiri in a completely different way.

An apology? To me?

From that face?

It was astonishing.

She had no idea what he meant—whether he had “cut” her and healed it or something else entirely.

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that that face was apologizing to her sincerely.

Wow… this feels incredible.

Of course, she knew he wasn’t Ferdinando.

But after 120,000 years of longing to see that very scene—

this moment was revolutionary.

It brought indescribable satisfaction.

It felt like a long-blocked chest had opened, letting fresh air rush in.

Perhaps sensing her improved mood, Kanan stretched out his arms, asking to be held.

Beaming, Seiri lifted him high into the air.

“Hahaha! It feels like I’ve shed 120,000 years of weight in one go!”

As Seiri laughed brightly for the first time, Raiden felt as if her face itself was glowing.

She had always been beautiful—

—but this smile was so stunning it felt wasteful to show it to anyone else.

Perhaps that was why his voice turned sharper.

“In the Empire, people don’t sleep without clothes. I’ve made sure no one approaches your room, but it bothers me—so refrain from sleeping naked.”

“Huh? Clothes?”

At that single word, Seiri finally understood everything.

So that’s what he meant—he had entered while she was asleep, saw her body, and was apologizing for it.

Honestly, she didn’t care much.

“If you’d stabbed me or burned me, I’d return the favor—but seeing my body? What’s the big deal?”

“…What?”

Seiri, who always slept naked, found his sincere apology far more interesting than the incident itself.

Seeing Raiden momentarily speechless, she added casually,

“Forget that. If you’re sorry, say that thing again.”

“What? That you shouldn’t sleep without—”

“No, before that.”

“…I didn’t intend it, but I apologize?”

“Yeah. That one. I like it.”

Seiri nodded with great satisfaction.

Hearing it again felt just as good.

Like a long-aching tooth finally pulled—

like something rotten being removed at last.

Watching her reaction, Raiden spoke with a puzzled expression.

“You’re truly strange. It’s easy to read an enemy’s strategy, but I have no idea what makes you smile.”

That wasn’t what he truly wanted to say.

Great Saint… what exactly are you?

He wanted to understand her.

When they first met, her red eyes had been filled with hostility.

He had prepared himself accordingly—

yet she had embraced him with a warmth softer than spring wind.

Even now, he couldn’t understand that feeling.

A heavy fullness in his chest—

and at the same time, the sensation of grasping something he had been searching for all his life.

A woman who had never once acted like a saint—

and yet now looked more saintly than anyone else.

Which one is the real you? What else are you hiding?

But Raiden concealed his curiosity and instead asked a more general question.

“What is the intention of the god who sent you here? Is it truly to protect the Empire, as the High Priest claims? Because I don’t believe gods are that benevolent.”

Instead of answering, Seiri asked something else.

“The people here seem ready to give everything to the gods. Don’t you believe in them?”

“Don’t I believe in gods?”