The Second Confession
Pay didn’t think for a moment that the incredible gift Lucius had prepared was all an illusion. The unicorn, the ancient flowers, the drakan—every single one of them existed because of his careful arrangements.
“I see.”
“Every living thing here entrusted itself to me, asking to be sealed away to avoid extinction. Once conditions allow, they could be summoned back through magic and live in their original world again. Not right away, but someday.”
“So the entire island and sea are spaces prepared just for them?”
“Not only that. There are still more creatures sealed inside this ship. Many species are extremely sensitive to their environment.”
“It’s truly remarkable, Lucius. If these children… or should I say, their ancestors? If they’re restored one by one, it will all be thanks to you.”
The Heartall fruit summoning magic suddenly came to mind. It was the mysterious spell developed by the previous Tower Master, Baroa, that allowed glimpses into the ancient era. The Heartall tree must surely exist somewhere on that island. She resolved that if she lived long enough, she would one day rewrite the history books of the ancient times.
The man once whispered about as a demon dragon was, contrary to rumor, never a vicious dragon at all.
Just then—
Fwoooosh!
With a tremendous sound, something stirred far out at sea. A massive white whale broke the surface, spouting a towering column of water that caught the eye. Its spray caught the light of the enormous ancient moon hanging in the sky, scattering shimmering reflections that flickered in the air like a dream.
Only then did Pay realize how unnaturally large the moon was and gasped in surprise.
“Look, Lucius! Is the moon falling?!”
“It’s fine. I made it larger on purpose to maintain this place. The moon’s energy helps the island sustain itself.”
Just how vast was his knowledge and wisdom?
When the whale’s fountain finally faded and the moon’s reflected light disappeared completely, tiny sparks shot up from the bow and stern of the ship. Fireworks burst into the sky all at once. A private display, meant only for the two of them, had begun.
Before the brilliant flowers of light could fall back to earth, the two drew close and their lips met in a gentle kiss.
Both Pay and Lucius closed their eyes, savoring the moment. It was softer and sweeter than any warmth she had imagined. True to his words that he had rarely interacted with the opposite sex despite his long life, his kiss was neither bold nor practiced—it carried a faint stiffness.
The hand that awkwardly caressed the skin behind her ear and along her cheek trembled ever so slightly.
Of course, Pay was in no state to notice such details. From the instant their lips touched, she felt as though she had been swept away into the clouds above.
Time flowed on, long enough for them to feel the moist warmth of each other’s lips against their skin. Just as Pay’s chest began to rise and fall with shallow breaths, unable even to touch her slightly swollen lips with her fingers, Lucius finally spoke.
“Pay, I love you.”
“I love you too…!”
Instead of commenting on her immediate reply, he poured out his feelings with raw honesty.
“When I think of you, I finally understand what that aching feeling is, and how many times it can cut through my very existence. I don’t regret the moment I came to understand human emotions so completely.”
“……”
She held her breath, savoring every word.
“Pay… I want to protect you for the rest of my life. Will you stay by my side?”
It wasn’t a grand declaration comparing her to the sky or the earth, the moon or the sun. It was a simple, sincere promise to remain together—and that was exactly why Pay smiled softly.
She also cherished his confession that she had taught him how to be human.
“Yes.”
Hearing the love contained in that single word, Lucius pulled her into his arms and closed his eyes, his face buried against her ear. His hot, feverish lips began to move, whispering words that seemed ready to melt her on the spot.
It was a sweet, spine-tingling litany of praise that made his earlier confession seem almost tame, lifting her straight into the clouds. Even when she squirmed and protested that she couldn’t bear to hear any more, Lucius paid no mind and emptied every last word he had kept inside. When she finally grew desperate enough to lightly pound her fists against his chest, he still didn’t stop.
I’m dying.
It felt wonderful, yet she was mortified. It was so, so good, but the embarrassment was overwhelming. Being held like this was bearable, but the thought of facing him again afterward…!
Pay’s face flushed crimson as she twisted in his arms, struggling to endure the endless second wave of love confessions—or rather, attacks. By the time Lucius finally ended the assault and steered the ship back toward the island, she had melted like cotton candy in his embrace, unable to lift her head and breathing in quick, shallow gasps.
She looks like a captured fawn.
Lucius found the sight of her ears peeking through her hair, bright red, unbearably adorable. He simply held her close and smiled, letting the time pass in contented silence.
“……”
After a long while, Pay took Lucius’s hand and stepped forward into a new world she had never known until yesterday.
* * *
Three days later, after a day filled with tears, happiness, embarrassment, and everything in between, Pay called for Lucius as though nothing had happened. The man who had dressed like royalty the day before now wore an ordinary gray robe.
Now that she no longer needed to hide the feelings she had only recently come to accept, Pay found even the hood hanging from his robe strangely endearing and stole glances at it.
Lucius completely misunderstood her gaze and asked, “Should I go change into a white one?”
“Huh? Hehe…! No, that’s not it. I was just…”
“Just?”
Momo, who had been sprawled in the basket, let out a startled hiccup at the astonishing words that tumbled from her lips.
“I was just looking because he’s my man. Is that not allowed?”
“Keh—keck!”
Only poor Momo, caught between them, looked ready to die.
“…Of course it’s allowed! You can look as much as you want.”
Lucius swept Pay into a tight embrace while shooting Momo a warning glare that clearly said, Don’t you dare tease her.
Pay breathed in the familiar scent she was growing used to, then gently pulled away and got to the point.
“Lucius, I’ve been thinking.”
“Mm?”
Lucius smiled brightly. No matter what she asked of him, the great dragon was willing to grant it.
“First, to prevent the Saintess and the Duke of Orleans from colluding again…”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
His radiant smile vanished in an instant. His gentle, deep gaze now looked at her with concern. If he could keep her inside that fantastical world from three days ago and continue protecting her, if he could ensure she never had to suffer pain or hardship again—
Pay immediately understood what he was about to say, but it was too late to stop the words that poured out like rapid fire.
“Can’t you just leave everything to me now? Stop dealing with them and let me finish it all. Pay, I don’t want to see you suffer any longer while facing Capia’s malice. You’ve already been through so much. You’ve done more than enough.”
She turned away from him without a word. While she drew back the curtains that had been blocking the sunlight, tied the strings herself, and opened the small window, she gave no reply.
She knew how vast his heart was, like a great ocean. The tears I shed back then were because of what I did, so I can’t really blame him, she thought with a small sigh before asking, “Then what were you planning to do, Lucius? If I had agreed?”
“Well, first I would have revealed to the entire empire that Capia lacks the qualities of a Saintess. Then I would have planted seeds of doubt in the Duke and Duchess so they would demand another verification from the Magic Tower.”
“Another verification…?”
“If necessary, I could have moved that knight who cherishes you so deeply. Your birth mother tends to be single-minded, but the Duke is more reasonable. Even that much would have been enough for them to realize Capia was the true culprit and move to punish her.”
Contrary to her dire expectations, his plan was far more moderate than she had feared.
Forgetting for a moment that they were in the middle of a serious conversation, Pay asked, “That’s all?”
“If that didn’t work, I would have prepared another plan.”
“You’re supposed to be a terrifying existence. I thought you might transform into your true form and cover the ducal estate with your shadow again.”
Lucius chuckled and walked over to her by the window.
“Of course not. That fool already twisted what happened into a so-called prophecy. Doing anything that would lend more credibility to her words would be troublesome. Even if a dragon attack happened a year earlier than predicted, people would only believe what they want to believe. So that option is off the table.”
Her fingers fidgeted, then reached out to take his hand, which was visible beneath his sleeve. She had no reason to dislike her lover’s bold initiative.
Hand in hand, they looked out the window toward the middle of the field and the Forest of Prayers.
“I’m sorry, Lucius. I’m grateful for your concern, but I want to see this through to the end. I feel like I’ll only feel at peace once I’ve tied up all the loose ends myself. If I leave everything to you… I’m afraid I’ll regret it later.”
“All right. We’ll do it your way. I was planning on that from the beginning anyway. If you didn’t want it, I never intended to do it.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised at how restrained your plan was.”
When she teased him again, Lucius released their joined hands and pulled her into an embrace from behind.
That familiar scent again.
Without needing to force herself to grow accustomed to it, Pay felt happiness fill her entire body, reaching far beyond her sense of smell.
“Ah…”
“Shall I guess what you were about to say next?”
“Yes.”
“You were going to suggest we finally expose what happened in the Sionel territory, weren’t you?”
“Ugh, you got it…”
The rest of her sentence never came out. Lucius had turned his head while holding her from behind, his lips brushing softly from her cheek up to her cheekbone.
His lips kept grazing her skin as though whispering sweet nothings, sending tremors from her chest all the way to her fingertips.
Lucius…!
Her eyes had been tightly shut since morning, and the man’s lips drew even closer.
Far beyond the Magic Tower, in the Imperial Palace, a certain knight commander would surely faint if he knew what was happening here. And perhaps it would continue from today onward.
Several hours later, after a long, deep conversation, the two stepped out in front of the Magic Tower and shook hands. To any onlooker, it might have looked as though they were about to part ways.
“……?”
Holtdein, who had gone out to buy daily necessities for the first time in a while and was now returning, happened to spot them.
At this point, their relationship was still a secret love oath known only to the two of them.
What’s this? Don’t tell me…!
Holtdein’s heart pounded. He had forcibly cast aside his own faint first love a couple of times already.
Could it be that Lucius was being forced to leave the Magic Tower for some reason?
Pay rarely traveled alone for training. Even if she could command water spirits and magic, she was still quite weak when it came to practical fire magic.
After all, when the gatekeeper leaves, one must enter the castle gates with confidence, right?
Holtdein summoned what little dignity he could muster and approached them, only to catch a fragment of their conversation.
“Then have a safe trip, Lucius.”
“You too.”
Lucius released Pay’s hand, turned around, and walked away with a slightly irritated expression.
He had never particularly hidden the fact that he could use teleportation. The Crown Prince, that foolish knight, and Pay’s brother—anyone who needed to know already did. They simply hadn’t spread the information elsewhere so far.
At least they’re tight-lipped. That’s good.