🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 39
Silvester fastened Velita’s clothes. As his sleeve brushed against her garment, the same scent that clung to her own body seemed to emanate from him.
It was a delightful sensation, no matter how many times he experienced it. Animals are said to recognize status through the scent of their bodies, and this felt exactly like that.
If someone were to catch a whiff of Velita’s fragrance, they would naturally utter his family name—Rigel—without thinking.
‘Of course, if they truly smelled it, they’d likely curse the blood, not the surname.’
Anyway, it gave him the feeling that he was somehow intertwined with Velita’s status. A subtle satisfaction crept across Silvester’s lips.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“No.”
He lightly adjusted Velita’s clothing, smoothing the folds, and gathered her long hair to drape over her back. He had grown quite accustomed to handling someone else’s hair.
Silvester gently combed through Velita’s wavy hair, adjusting his movements carefully so as not to hurt her.
“Long hair tangles easily.”
Velita closed her eyes, feeling drowsy under his touch.
“The wind makes it worse. My hair’s curly, so it tangles more.”
“My hair’s slightly curly too.”
“But yours doesn’t get messy in the morning. It’s strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yeah. Other men’s hair… always….”
…Always…
……
…Wow.
Wow. I almost said the wrong thing.
Velita quickly shut her mouth, eyes wide. She nearly blurted out that other men’s hair always got messy.
“……”
Silvester’s hand froze.
“…Other men’s hair?”
As expected, Silvester’s voice sank into a chilling tone. Velita glanced back nervously.
“…Uh-huh.”
Silvester smiled grimly. Velita shuddered internally.
‘I should’ve just let it slide…’
From past experiences, she knew how Silvester’s attitude could shift in moments like this.
Unlike the usual, skillful lies she could tell, her words came out slowly and awkwardly.
“…Other men… all get messy in the morning, I heard. From those I had contracts with…”
Velita awkwardly tried to cover up what she had just said.
“……”
Even so, this was an acceptable recovery. She had handled it.
Who says you can’t clean up spilled water? Just mop it properly, and you’re fine.
While Velita busily rationalized in her head, Silvester spoke.
“Velita.”
Thud.
His hand rested on her shoulder.
“Huh…?”
He pressed just enough so she couldn’t escape. Her shoulder gradually grew heavy.
Pretending to massage her shoulder, he pressed his jealousy firmly into her, careful not to hurt her, though it still stung slightly.
“You’re not thinking of taking another bath, are you?”
Young people can be dangerous.
Velita broke into a nervous sweat. Today, Silvester’s presence seemed larger than usual.
‘He’s slower than me at running, but why does he have so much stamina?’
One wrong move, and she might end up bathing twice. Velita recalled the house’s history.
Whenever Silvester’s jealousy was triggered, it inevitably ended with a bath.
“I-I didn’t—”
Before getting further dragged into this, Velita quickly turned ahead. A casual cough was a bonus.
“You said you liked bathing; I thought you were expressing it indirectly.”
“No. A demon speaks directly. Yes.”
“……”
Silvester remained silent.
No doubt his eyes were flashing. One second felt like ten years. Her back tingled painfully.
“…You’re not wanting to splash around in water again?”
Nodding vigorously. Yes, that’s it. Velita desperately nodded. Liking a bath and wanting to do it multiple times were very different things.
“……”
The silent interrogation continued.
If she spoke unnecessarily now, she’d be pushed further. Velita steadfastly kept her gaze forward.
Well, as long as she claimed she wasn’t the one, no matter how much Silvester pressed, he couldn’t extract more.
The combing resumed. Silvester didn’t press further. He returned to brushing her hair.
Relief.
Velita exhaled quietly. She had survived the crisis.
‘Right. If he had any sense of conscience, he wouldn’t ask me to bathe again.’
She had instigated this in the first place, but Silvester truly loved baths. Velita felt weary.
Next time, she’d need to watch her words more carefully. With age, one sometimes becomes less sharp in these matters. She lowered her gaze to her clothes.
The outfit Silvester bought in town covered her appropriately, without exposing anything.
‘Hmm.’
Even fully covered, she felt as if he could somehow see through her clothing.
She had bathed properly earlier. Yet, now, she felt dirtier than before the bath. Marks on her skin stubbornly lingered.
Velita recalled Silvester’s earlier mischiefs that day. He had been persistent.
Though he was always like that, his obsession today felt unusually strong. She replayed his actions in her mind.
“All done.”
Around that time, Silvester stopped combing and picked up a wet towel.
“Ah, thanks.”
Velita replied. Silvester raised his eyebrows casually and gathered some laundry, heading out of the bedroom.
His figure looked slightly different from usual.
‘Hmm.’
Buying her things repeatedly, always wanting to be near her.
It seemed that his odd behavior today wasn’t just her imagination.
‘What’s going on?’
Velita watched his retreating figure.
…
When he finally disappeared beyond the doorway, she pulled back the blanket. It was too early to sleep, but she already felt tired.
She planned to lie down for a bit and fall asleep early.
Soon, Silvester returned.
“Sleepy?”
“A little.”
Naturally, he crawled next to her. The bed, neither too large nor small, was perfect for two.
Silvester lay on his arm, staring at Velita.
A quiet, almost sentimental moment passed.
Her green eyes, touched with drowsiness; her black hair tousled freely; a posture completely relaxed without a hint of caution.
It wasn’t just her beauty—her personality and demeanor were also pleasant to observe.
“Velita.”
Always instinctive and honest, as a demon should be—but still, too kind to truly call her a ‘demon.’
“Yes?”
He resembled a human more than a demon. Silvester spoke slowly.
“Actually… there’s something I haven’t told you.”
“What is it?”
Despite her sleepiness, Velita tilted her ear toward him. Her face, previously toward the ceiling, turned to him.
His eyes captured her expression completely.
“I may be going out frequently from now on. Short trips of two to three weeks, long ones over a month. I’ll probably be away from home.”
Velita’s previously foggy eyes brightened.
“Is it for a commission?”
“Yes. The client is from the Empire and can’t stay here long. I need to go there to work.”
“The Empire…?”
“The Holy Empire.”
Velita frowned.
She guessed the Holy Empire wouldn’t be particularly favorable to demons. Silvester interpreted her frown correctly.
“How long will it take there?”
Velita asked, feeling uneasy.
“It depends on the weather.”
She couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling.
Understandable, since the mere mention of the place brought Rastavan to mind. She pulled the blanket up to her neck.
“When Count Roman commissioned me, it was fine since he invited you.”
Silvester rolled his eyes.
“This time, I don’t think you can come. It’s too official.”
He looked at Velita with a strangely softened expression, as if regretting that she couldn’t accompany him.
Velita repeated the name “Holy Empire” in her head, so her reply was delayed.
“…I understand. Usually, lovers aren’t brought to the workplace. Roman was an exception.”
“Hmm…”
Silvester interpreted the pause differently, contemplating.
“…Given the duration, if you want, I could request for you to accompany me.”
Startled, Velita’s sleep vanished.
“Accompany?”
“The villagers are kind, but I’m uneasy leaving you alone here. I think this much should be permissible.”
Why not be a little indulgent? Silvester added casually.
Velita’s face turned pale. She struggled to speak.
“…No, no. I don’t need to accompany you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Have you forgotten? I’ve lived much longer than you, Silvester.”
No baby treatment. Velita said firmly.
“Hm.”
Silvester blinked twice. His gaze fixed not on Velita, but on something abstract beyond her.
Whatever he imagined, it was clear he was picturing all sorts of scenarios alone.
“I’m not going, Silvester.”
Velita firmly decided, worried he might imagine unnecessary accidents.
Silvester finally stopped pondering and looked directly at her.
“Well, my house has nothing to steal anyway…”
“…What were you imagining?”
“A thief breaks in, or someone tries to tempt you away.”
“Tempt me?”
“It’s better to be prepared. I considered possible situations…”
Silvester frowned, clearly displeased with the thought.
“The latter seems more likely and scarier.”
Velita let out a breath, hearing his foolish comment. He always managed to joke even at times like this.
“Are you jealous?”
“If I were jealous, all the windows in this house would already be boarded up.”
He doesn’t even like anyone looking at her. Silvester concluded and spread his arms as if to invite her in.
Boarding up the windows… Velita found his casual words chilling. She didn’t move into his embrace, just watched him silently.
Her eyes narrowed. With Silvester, even nailing boards seemed plausible.
“Surely I wouldn’t actually do that.”
Ultimately, Silvester, seeing through her thoughts, pulled Velita into his arms, letting her rest her head against his chest.
“So, you definitely won’t go to the Empire?”
“No. I’m not interested in traveling… it’ll probably be tiring.”
“…Then I should hold you a lot until the day I leave.”
“I won’t let you hold me.”
“You’re holding me just fine right now.”
Velita didn’t respond. Instead, she quietly reached out to hug Silvester’s waist.
“You’re not honest…”
A low laugh came from above her head.
Silvester’s breathing gradually steadied. His racing heartbeat slowed as he held her.
…
‘Who’s the one being dishonest?’
Though pretending not to care, he must have been just as tired. Silvester fell asleep unusually early.
But Velita, shocked by recent events, couldn’t sleep. She bitterly recalled Silvester’s destination.
‘He said the Holy Empire… didn’t he?’
