The Incessant Inquiry
The dessert was long gone, and Cheon Seong let out a heavy sigh as he slumped onto his bed in the dormitory.
I had hoped Yuna would come back with me, but when I suggested she stay the night together, she flushed her cheeks bright red and refused. “I can’t go back to class tomorrow if anyone sees us,” she said, clearly worried about being caught.
She wanted to come with me so badly, but her hesitation seemed to stem from fear that the trouble would fall on me instead of herself. Seeing that, a gentle smile naturally curved across my lips. It seemed I had no choice anymore.
That aside...
“He climbed so high in such a short time.”
The moment I stepped into the academy-exclusive cafe, I clicked my tongue at my own photo displayed on the first screen. I had been aware I had drawn a lot of attention lately, but I hadn’t expected it to reach this level of exposure.
Yuna, as my girlfriend, that was one thing. But the Flame King’s daughter Yoo Hwa-young, the only daughter of the Socheon Dang family—one of the Five Major Clans in martial arts—and Hae-sol, the eldest daughter of the Sunlight Family, were all entangled with me now.
It was almost strange that no one was drawing attention to me.
“First I should tell Mir to delete those posts...” No, right now she was probably too busy researching lightning to care about something so trivial.
“Haa... I miss Beatrice.”
It had been several days since I last saw her, and even if she had a phone, she couldn’t call. Not having a voice to hear was unbearable.
[I wanted to see you that much, my lord?]
“Eh? I wanted to see you so badly.”
[It seems you have found me well then.]
“Y-Yes, I found you very well... Beatrice?”
Cheon Seong shot upright from the bed at the sudden voice, his heart racing.
[Won’t you call me “noona” this time?]
“Appa!!”
“Hana, too? What are you two doing here?”
Cheon Seong opened his arms and pulled Hana close, then asked Beatrice with a smile, “What’s going on here?”
[Why? Didn’t you say you wanted to see me?]
“That’s true, but seeing you suddenly, I thought something must have happened. You haven’t visited in so long.”
Beatrice answered with a sorry smile, “It was unavoidable. There was something else I had to attend to.”
“It’s fine. You came today. That’s enough.”
Cheon Seong smiled warmly and pulled Hana into one arm while reaching out with the other, and Beatrice approached with a smile, leaning into his embrace.
[I missed you too, my lord.]
“I missed you too, noona.”
“Appa! Appa! What about Hana? Hana didn’t want to see you?”
“Of course I missed Hana too.”
“Heehee. I missed you too!”
Cheon Seong held the two of them tightly in his arms, smiling as he felt their warmth. They were both so adorable, wanting to see him that much.
[By the way, Cheon Seong, there is something I must ask. Is it alright?]
“Of course. What is it?”
Cheon Seong replied calmly that he could answer anything, even if whispered close to his ear.
[It seems women have increased while I was gone.]
“...Eh?”
Cheon Seong’s body went ice cold at Beatrice’s words.
And now, Cheon Seong knelt before Beatrice, head bowed.
Beatrice sat on the bed with legs crossed like a noble queen, gazing down at him. He dared not lift his head.
[Go on, try to explain yourself.]
“No, I don’t have any girlfriends.”
[Those who speak like that are usually womanizers.]
“No, it’s not like that, but how can I explain when it’s not even true...”
Cheon Seong kept insisting he had never had a girlfriend while Beatrice puffed her cheeks with an aura of a proud queen. Still, she refused to believe him.
[Even seeing this, you’re still saying that?]
She held up her unknown phone and kept questioning him, showing photos of him with Yoo Hwa-young, Dang Hwa-ran, and Hae-sol on social media. Cheon Seong could only feel more and more frustrated.
Beatrice sighed at his gloomy face and said,
[You really don’t understand women’s hearts.]
Then she opened her arms wide and continued.
[When that happens, just hug me tightly while saying you love me.]
Cheon Seong stood silently, wrapped his strong arms around Beatrice, and whispered against her ear.
“I really love you, Beatrice.”
[Yes, that’s enough. One word from me is enough.]
“Our first date is with you.”
“Haha... I’m really sorry about that.”
Cheon Seong, disguised by an illusion magic, went on a date with Beatrice and Hana. At her words that this was their first date, he felt embarrassed and apologized.
He had been busy, and Beatrice had always said she would take care of Hana, but this was his own negligence. It was nothing more than a cowardly excuse.
He had always gone on dates with only Yuna, and Beatrice had always looked after Hana.
And right now, he was with Hana on this date, not just with Beatrice, so it could also be said to be Beatrice’s consideration.
“Appa! Appa! Let’s go over there!”
“Where?”
“There, there!”
Cheon Seong followed the direction Hana pointed and saw a candy shop overflowing with sweets—candies, gummies, chocolates.
Hana’s eyes sparkled as she sniffed the sweet scent, and Cheon Seong and Beatrice both smiled and headed toward the shop.
Nearby, the shop’s sweet aroma hit hard, but Cheon Seong, who didn’t like sweets, frowned slightly. Hana, who loved sweets, dashed inside with eyes shining like the sun.
“If this is bad, I might have to take Hana to the dentist sometime.”
[That seems likely. But visiting a place like that even once could be a good memory.]
“Appa! Look at this! I want to eat this!”
Cheon Seong and Beatrice walked quickly around the candy shop while observing Hana, who was deciding what to choose. When she pointed at the heart-shaped pink candy and called out to him, Cheon Seong walked over.
“You want this?”
“Yes! I want to eat this!”
“Alright, wait a moment.”
He bought a paper bag and packed the heart candy she wanted, then offered her to choose another one she liked.
Hana happily chose another snack and called him over again. Cheon Seong packed everything and paid, handing it to her.
“But you can’t eat too much before dinner, okay?”
“Yes!!”
Hana replied cheerfully, popped the heart candy into her mouth, and said with sparkling eyes,
“Mmm! It’s so delicious!!”
Cheep!
Cheon Seong turned around at the sound of a camera flash behind him. Beatrice was standing there, holding a black phone and smiling as she took a photo of the two of them.
“Speaking of which, noona. Where did that phone come from?”
[Where did it come from? Did you think I stole someone else’s?]
“No, it’s not like that. I never gave you a phone, so I was just wondering where it came from.”
Beatrice laughed lightly and explained that she had bought it legally.
Cheon Seong was shocked to hear she had activated a phone on her own. Beatrice puffed her cheeks and narrowed her eyes in response.
[Why? Did I look so old-fashioned that you thought I couldn’t even turn on a phone?]
“Ah, no, it’s not like that. I mean, that’s...”
Cheon Seong was at a loss for words.
[Why the silence? Did you really think that?]
“No! That’s not it at all!”
Cheon Seong panicked and expressed it with his whole body, not even noticing the people around them staring. Beatrice smirked and said,
[It’s fine. I know your heart well, so don’t worry.]
“Haa... Thank you, Beatrice.”
[Not Beatrice. Noona.]
“Ah, thank you, noona.”
[Then let’s go eat dinner, okay?]
Beatrice’s tone clearly showed she couldn’t stand not being called noona. Cheon Seong apologized again and corrected himself. Beatrice smiled brightly and said they should go eat now.
Cheon Seong called Hana, held her hand, and headed to a nearby family restaurant to order food.
“Speaking of which, Hana’s first date.”
“Yes! That’s right!”
Hana answered cheerfully to the news of her first outing, and Cheon Seong smiled warmly at her energetic expression as the food arrived.
“Wow!! I’m eating!!”
In front of Hana, a children’s set was placed. Her eyes sparkled even brighter than when she first saw the candy shop. She took a huge bite of the hamburger steak with her fork.
Chuuuuk
Cheese stretched long inside the steak. Hana made a surprised face and slurped it up quickly.
“It’s so delicious!!”
Cheon Seong smiled naturally as well. He cut the steak Beatrice offered and passed it to her. Beatrice accepted it with a mysterious glint in her eyes.
[Then enjoy it.]
Her delicate lips parted and she bit into the pork cutlet with a soft “Mm.” Cheon Seong watched, fork in hand, but Beatrice gently pressed her lips against the fork and sucked it.
[Chuu. It’s really delicious. Thank you.]
Beatrice licked her red lips with her tongue, and heat rose to Cheon Seong’s face at the sight. It had been a long time since he felt Beatrice’s seductive aura.
Cheon Seong kept his body burning hot until he finished his meal.