Chapter 145

"Since we first met? I told you not to lie."

"Please give me the ring."

"What?"

"You promised that if I answered honestly, you wouldn't search for your memories. I'll keep the ring."

Though he believed Asad would keep his promise, it still made him anxious for Asad to continue possessing it. If he received the ring, he planned to destroy it, or if that wasn't possible, to hide it somewhere. So that Asad would never find his memories again.

Kinaine tried to open their interlocked fingers to remove the ring. But no matter how much strength he applied, they wouldn't budge, as if glued together. Finally, Kinaine spoke again.

"Lord Asad, the ring..."

"So, really from the beginning? Even though I... did such things to you?"

Asad was probably thinking of their first meeting at the dragon palace or Gold Pot, but Kinaine didn't deny it.

"You liked me from the beginning..."

Asad muttered blankly. Then suddenly changing his attitude, he growled fiercely.

"If you're lying, I won't let it slide."

At the deeply lowered voice, Kinaine thought Asad was angry. But that was a misunderstanding.

Without warning, their lips met. As Kinaine froze in surprise, a hot tongue forcibly parted his closed lips and entered.

Asad, who had somehow positioned himself on top of Kinaine, pressed his body close. It felt like he might be crushed.

"Mmph..."

He ransacked the inside greedily, stealing even the minimum breath. Not as if kissing, but as if wanting to swallow him whole.

'Why suddenly?'

Asad's actions had been incomprehensible from the start. If he had tried to kill him, Kinaine would have understood. But Asad kissed him, leaving Kinaine bewildered.

But there was no room to continue that thought. His breath was quickly depleted, making his head dizzy. Though he knew it was a dangerous signal, his body moved contrary to his mind. Kinaine extended his arms and embraced Asad's neck.

Why was it that even as his breath was stolen and his mind turned white, rather than the fear of possibly dying, he felt as if an empty space was being filled?

At that moment, Asad separated his lips. The weight pressing down on his body disappeared in an instant.

"Damn it..."

The low, sunken voice still carried heat.

"No, at this rate I'll really kill you..."

It seemed like he was talking to himself. Kinaine wondered whether he should be surprised that Asad was exercising restraint, or that he still desired him.

Asad lay down beside him again, pressing his body close. Just as Kinaine thought his short patience had run out, what Asad requested as he released their interlocked fingers was something completely unexpected.

"Hold me."

"What?"

"I said hold me."

Though bewildered, Kinaine carefully extended one arm and embraced Asad's waist. Asad must have lowered his head, as soft hair brushed against Kinaine's cheek and nose.

Asad muttered.

"Hold me tighter. So I can't do anything."

"...Couldn't you still do whatever you want?"

No matter how tightly Kinaine embraced him, if Asad made up his mind, he wouldn't be able to withstand it. Yet Asad answered as if it were obvious.

"I don't think I could."

Asad, who had initially answered as if he himself was uncertain, seemed to think of something and soon added with conviction.

"I definitely couldn't."

Kinaine couldn't understand his words.

"Is it because of the taboo? That a dragon cannot harm a bride candidate... But I'm no longer a bride candidate."

"You've guessed wrong. That taboo only works within the dragon palace. But it does feel like something similar is in effect. How curious."

Asad rubbed the tip of his nose against Kinaine's collarbone, like a child seeking affection.

"You should know too. I've never exercised such restraint in my life."

Kinaine couldn't understand what Asad wanted. No, in fact, he did have an inkling... but wasn't that thought too implausible?

'It can't be.'

"I'll keep the ring."

Kinaine, who had been shaking his head inwardly, couldn't help but react to those words.

"Isn't it something you no longer need, Lord Asad? Such a worn item doesn't suit you well either. If you give it to me, I'll keep it well."

"......"

Kinaine tried not to appear anxious, but he couldn't be sure if he succeeded. His unease grew as Asad remained silent after hearing his words.

The time passing in silence felt immeasurably long. Though in reality, it wasn't much.

Finally, Asad sighed and answered irritably.

"Even if you beg so cutely, the answer is no."

Kinaine was dumbfounded, as if he had been struck. Cu-cute...? Was that word really directed at him? He was simply bewildered by words he had never heard before, not even when he was a dominant alpha, nor during his time as a mercenary when he had been through all sorts of hardships.

"I promised, so I won't wear it anymore. Instead, I'm thinking of wearing it around my neck like you did."

"C-couldn't you just give it to me?"

"Are you that anxious?"

Asad had read Kinaine's anxiety that had leaked out due to his inability to hide his true feelings.

"I'll keep my promise. If you haven't spoken falsely."

It was a resolute voice. Realizing it was impossible to persuade him further, Kinaine resigned himself.

The reason for his anxiety wasn't because he didn't trust Asad. It was because he felt the value of the trade wasn't equal.

In exchange for not searching for lost memories and not asking him anything, all Asad had received was the statement that Kinaine liked him. What value could those words have for Asad?

But even such thoughts became wounds, so instead of speaking further, Kinaine embraced Asad tightly. He felt an unreasonable desire for time to stop right there.

Kinaine opened his eyes to the sound of rustling. It seemed he had fallen asleep again.

'When did I fall asleep?'

This time he hadn't dreamed at all, so Kinaine thought Asad seemed to have kept his promise. As he turned his head to the side in a daze, he saw an empty space. It seemed Asad had left.

Wait, he could see?

Kinaine sat up abruptly.

He hurriedly looked around. The world that had seemed trapped in a pitch-black curtain was now brightly lit as if it had never been otherwise.

Kinaine got off the bed with legs that didn't move well. Only after emerging from under the blanket did he realize one thing.

"What is this."

His leg, which he had thought was damaged because it was heavy and didn't move well, was tightly wrapped in white bandages. They had been wrapped so many times that it was twice as thick as his other leg.

It wasn't damaged due to demonic energy but because of the bandages. Kinaine burst into a hollow laugh, then soon discovered a small hand mirror on the table.

"What is this..."

Kinaine froze in surprise as he looked at his reflection. His left eye had changed to a different color.

To a color identical to that of someone he knew all too well.

"Asad..."

"Looking for me?"

Kinaine turned to face Asad, who had approached without making any sound.

"Be careful!"

Asad caught Kinaine as he momentarily staggered and laid him back on the bed.

"You couldn't wait and got up to move around? Do humans grow horns on their bottoms if they stay still?"

"What have you done?"

Kinaine's voice trembled as he looked at Asad.

"Why is Lord Asad's eye..."

"Ah, this."

Asad was nonchalant. He stroked his left eye, which had turned black, as if embarrassed.

"I need to make a quick trip to the spirit realm, and it felt a bit uneasy to leave you behind when you can't see. Since healing magic doesn't work on you, another method was needed. How is it? Can you see well?"

Asad spoke proudly.

However, there was one thing he deliberately didn't tell Kinaine.

That he could also see what Kinaine saw through that eye... but he thought there was no need to mention this as it might be a bit unsettling.

Not only that, but since it was a part of his body imbued with magic, he could also detect its location, but this too was, well, just a minor detail, wasn't it?

"I'll be going to the spirit realm for about a day. I need Shinsurial to purify the demonic energy in your body."

However, his proud smile didn't last long. Kinaine's complexion had severely deteriorated.

"What's wrong? Is the eye uncomfortable?"

"Why would you do such a thing..."

Until now, Kinaine had thought Asad's obsession with him was due to possessiveness toward an omega. That it was merely a physical attraction natural for those with traits.

But what alpha would give his eye for such a thing?

Kinaine thought that the speculation he had pushed aside as impossible might actually be true.

Perhaps, Asad...