"......"

Even a small trigger was enough — that was still true. I almost turned around to kiss him again.

No, it wasn’t just that.

Perhaps after that, I might have firmly taken a position overlooking her, pressing down on the sheet while interlacing our hands.

Breaking off these impure thoughts, the ticking clock suddenly sounded louder than usual.

It was the chime of the minute hand locking onto the top, marking the exact hour. Now was truly the time when the Guest’s range of movement would be restricted.

He closed his eyes tightly once and opened them again. Finally, he could answer her question about whether he would leave like this.

“It’s five o’clock.”

“And at ten?”

“......”

Though he was already a man gone mad, he felt like he was about to go completely insane.

Reid tried hard not to get confused. He didn’t want greed to blind his judgment.

But no matter how he tried to find another ordinary interpretation or pull out possibilities, he failed.

Reid turned around and approached Ayleth. Pretending not to notice her reflexive tension, he politely kissed her dark flowing hair.

“You decide everything.”

✠

I was stunned.

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ chuckles.]

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ grins slyly.]

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ laughs anyway.]

Just stunned.

[‘The Word Spirit That Builds the World’ blocks the approach of ‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’.]

Really stunned.

[‘The Scales That Judge the Soul’ struggles fiercely but is dragged away crying.]

Even as time passed, I remained stunned.

[‘The Word Spirit That Builds the World’ blocks other gods from approaching as well.]

For the first time in a while, the system window was quiet. Thanks to that, I could remain in my stunned state without disturbance.

The current time was well past nine at night. I barely remembered how I had managed the schedule after parting with Reid.

By the time I regained my composure, I was in the mistress’s bedroom, finished with my evening preparations.

Apparently, the Word Spirit forgot its usual fuss today, because my pajamas felt odd. The deep violet negligee was thin like dragonfly wings below the chest. Only after putting on a nightgown did I feel properly dressed.

The gown kept slipping off one shoulder, but I was too lazy and spaced out to fix it. Sitting close to the vanity, I rested my chin on my hand.

My relaxed, unguarded mind was just right for intrusive thoughts to creep in. But only one thing always came up.

Reid.

Unconsciously, I touched my lips and suddenly startled myself.

“Ugh...”

I bent down, covering my head with both hands. When I finally raised my face, the mirror was right in front of me. I saw my cheeks flushed bright red like a ripe peach.

Thankfully, I was alone.

Even more thankfully, no gods were here to tease me.

I got up from the stool and went to the window. To cool the burning ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) on my cheeks, I stepped out onto the balcony.

The night breeze was cool and even fragrant. The rose garden in full bloom seemed to scent the night more deeply.

Leaning my arms on the marble railing, I cast my gaze toward the garden shrouded in night. Eyes accustomed to the dark found a human figure.

‘Reid?’

He hadn’t come down to the dining room for dinner.

Leaving a note saying he had work, he stayed holed up in his room all evening. What was he doing out here in the garden at this late hour?

I couldn’t hold back my curiosity. I wanted to see him, too.

I lightly jumped down from the balcony to the first floor. Following the moonlit path, I softly stepped on the grass toward the rose garden.

Tonight, instead of the owl’s mournful call, the insects were softly performing a symphony. For the first time, the dungeon’s night felt quite romantic.

Between the neatly trimmed hedges, silver hair glimmered. Reid was walking slowly along the path, observing the roses planted in the flowerbeds.

I cleared my throat as if to be heard. He turned to me, clearly having known my presence long before.

“Good evening, Ai.”

“Yeah. It really is.”

Exchanging such an ordinary greeting made me feel like I was the only one overthinking what had happened this afternoon.

Facing him, I hoped the darkness would hide my flushed face, pretending everything was normal.

“What were you doing here, Reid?”

“Taking a walk.”

“At this hour?”

“Also looking for roses.”

“Roses...?”

“You asked me to find a platinum rose today. You were curious if it was really gold.”

He usually intentionally failed my requests, but today he earnestly tried to fulfill this one. How was I supposed to interpret that?

Then Reid looked at me straightforwardly and asked.

“Should I not look for it?”

“......”

An unexpected phrase came to mind.

I could decide everything.

He seemed as if he could just stand there and wait for me to come to him whenever I wanted. I envied that calmness and grumbled a little.

“You’re polite but kind of annoying.”

“Annoying?”

“Just do what you want. I didn’t think you were so indecisive.”

“I’m not indecisive.”

“Then what?”

Before I could answer, he stepped closer.

“How do you think I know what I want?”

I unknowingly inhaled sharply at the whisper close to my ear. He didn’t miss my honest reaction.

“Worried?”

“......Huh.”

A predictable question.

Too obvious.

I’d heard it so many times it was almost boring.

But every time I heard it, my heart always raced.

When he teased me like this, I always had a different response.

This time was no different. I tried an answer I had never given before.

“Yeah.”

“......”

“I was worried.”

“......”

I wondered how he would react to that.

I pressed him a little.

“I admitted it. Now what?”

“......”

I raised my head provocatively and stood close to him.

No matter how dark it was, his sea-colored eyes seemed to sparkle, making it impossible not to see the faint light of embarrassment.

After meeting him closely a few times, I realized something.

I wasn’t the only one weak to his face.

I also had the ability to unsettle his composure.

“......”

“......”

I stared at his tense eyes and hardened mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed visibly.

“Come here, Ai.”

He grabbed my hand like a hook and started walking somewhere. His touch was unusually careless.

My long hair, soaked with night, didn’t matter to him.

We walked without a word. Maybe the strange tension made the rose scent feel even stronger.

After walking for a while through the maze-like hedges, we found a beautiful spot. A small pavilion covered in climbing roses stood in the center, with marble benches arranged in eight directions.

It was a perfect place to pause and rest during a walk.

Judging the directions by the moon, Reid sat me on one bench. Then he rummaged through the red rose bushes right in front of us and found something: a platinum rose.

This strange plant, with the texture of both petals and metal, glowed nobly under the moonlight. A few petals had fallen to the ground, as if past full bloom.

We hadn’t exchanged a word since walking across the garden. Hoping the burning tension in my throat would ease even slightly, I awkwardly spoke.

“The rose looks extraordinary.”

“It’s the heart of the mansion.”

“Heart?”

“Yeah.”

The conversation didn’t go further. The tension didn’t seem to lessen.

He casually picked a rose with quite a grand name, as if it belonged to him.

“Here, Ai.”

“Oh, thanks. It’s beautiful.”

I took it in a daze and lightly buried my nose in the blossom. The scent was strangely fresh. If it were perfume, I thought it would suit him well.

But this seemed like a magical flower. Even if it was a quest, was it okay to just pick it?

Maybe he saw the doubt on my face, because Reid said,

“It’s okay. It’s not important.”

Then what was important?

His gaze fixed entirely on me told me he was focused solely on me. That must be the answer.

[ The Guest has successfully completed your request.]

Strangely, this time the system didn’t force anything. It was as if it no longer needed to choose.

Was it telling me to do as I pleased?

Reid’s behavior was exactly the same.