AVGAH~55

Chapter 55

Daphne quietly stared at the two keys lying on the table.

These were the keys that had appeared when the doors were closed, dark energy flickering around them.

The key from the door she had closed in the Temple during the wedding radiated far less darkness than the one from the door she had closed in the Anaxis territory. The latter pulsed with a much stronger black aura.

Carefully, Daphne poked at the keys.

This flickering black energy didn’t seem to harm her body in any way.

Proof of that was the fact that her hand was perfectly fine.

Normally, if one touched corruption, the flesh would rot—or even melt away entirely. Yet her hand was completely unharmed.

“Madam who has gained her first friend, what are you doing?”

“Honestly, how long are you going to tease me?”

At the voice behind her, Daphne came back to her senses and turned around.

She hadn’t realized he was standing so close.

Theophanes, freshly bathed, had approached without her noticing and was now leaning against the table. Daphne found herself unintentionally trapped within his arms.

“You already have a husband, yet you’re keeping another man as a friend.”

Ignoring his ridiculous teasing, Daphne stared at the droplets of water falling from his hair.

“What childish nonsense. And why didn’t you dry your hair?”

At her scolding, Theophanes smiled brightly.

Perhaps he had liked it when she dried it for him once before—he had begun asking her to do it more often.

The attendants would surely do a better job.

“Well, because my wife will dry it for me.”

At his shameless reply, Daphne let out a small laugh and stood up.

Even if she refused, he would accept it without protest. But truthfully, she rather enjoyed drying his hair.

It was a chance to run her fingers through his soft hair to her heart’s content.

“Come here.”

She stood, took his wrist, and led him over.

He followed obediently.

She seated him on the sofa before the fireplace and stood behind him to dry his hair. Having done it several times already, she had grown quite skilled.

“Come to think of it, Theo.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“When are keys usually used?”

“Keys?”

“Yes.”

She stopped drying his hair, walked over to the table, and brought back the keys.

“These.”

She showed them to him.

Theophanes looked at the keys and spoke.

“Typically, they’re used to open and close doors.”

At his textbook answer, Daphne was left so dumbfounded she nearly lost her words.

After opening and closing her mouth once, she finally retorted,

“Who doesn’t know that?”

Her blunt reply made Theophanes burst into laughter.

Seeing him laugh so freely, Daphne found herself staring silently.

Suddenly, Dante’s voice echoed in her mind.

‘The more brightly Master smiles, the worse his mood actually is.’

Then was Theophanes in a terrible mood right now?

But his eyes clearly held amusement.

Daphne found it strange that she was paying attention to such things at all.

Why did she keep wondering what he was feeling, what he was thinking?

Seeing her expression turn serious, Theophanes quickly added an explanation.

“I’m serious. I’m not teasing you. Those keys truly are used to open and close doors. But not ordinary doors—doors that only the Transcendent of Winter can open and close.”

He picked up the key from her palm and examined it from different angles.

“It seems the purification isn’t complete yet.”

“What? They weren’t originally this color?”

“No. This flickering black is corruption. The difference in color is likely because time has passed—and because the corruption within your body has been partially purified.”

As she had first suspected, the flickering aura truly was corruption.

If she had dismissed it as mere decoration, something dangerous might have occurred later.

After answering her, Theophanes clenched the key tightly in his hand.

So tightly that his knuckles turned white.

After a moment, he opened his hand.

The key resting in his palm had transformed into a flawless, pure white key.

“So it was originally white.”

Daphne stared at it in wonder.

“With this key, you can summon the corresponding door.”

He held it out to her as if inviting her to try.

Suppressing her nervousness, Daphne reached toward his palm—

—and saw red liquid fall before her eyes.

Thinking she had imagined it, she looked toward where the blood had fallen.

She froze.

Blood was running from his mouth, trailing down his jaw.

“Theo—”

“Cough—!”

Before she could finish calling him, he coughed violently, and bright red blood spilled from his lips.

“Theo…!”

Daphne hurriedly handed him the towel she was holding.

He accepted it and wiped his mouth as if accustomed to it.

“Don’t worry so much. It happens from time to time.”

“How can you—!”

Startled by her own raised voice, Daphne let out a breath before continuing more steadily.

“How can I not worry?”

Seeing her appear almost angry, Theophanes hurried to soothe her.

“It’s not serious. I simply used too much power. A side effect—”

“You said I was controlling the rampaging power, didn’t you? Then if every time you use it, it goes wild—and it even causes side effects like this—doesn’t that mean my control through simple contact isn’t enough? That the power is still rampaging despite it? Isn’t that right?”

Theophanes hesitated.

It meant that she was the only one benefiting from their contract.

“So holding hands isn’t effective.”

Her voice turned sharp.

“Madam, that’s not—”

“If holding hands doesn’t work, then what does? A kiss?”

Bombarded by her questions, Theophanes could only open and close his mouth without answering.

Daphne placed her hand over the spot where his Inipium lay—where he had once shown her.

Closing her eyes, she focused.

After he had taught her how to circulate his power, she had begun to sense energy more keenly.

Now, she felt certain she could detect the wild force within him.

Just in case, she took his hand with her other hand.

Then she began to assess how violently his power was rampaging.

“Wait, my lady—”

Ignoring him, she kept her eyes closed.

“Daphne.”

“Be quiet. I’m angry right now.”

At that, he fell silent.

The energy at her fingertips was ferocious and chaotic.

No matter how long she held his hand, it did not settle.

Frowning, she opened her eyes and released his hand.

Her other hand remained pressed to his chest.

With the hand she had freed, she reached up and cradled the back of his head.

Then she pressed her lips to his.

The sharp taste of blood stung at the tip of her tongue.