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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: A Promise
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“Wh-what did you just do?”
“There.”
Enoch wrapped his arm around my waist as my legs gave way in surprise, naturally pulling me onto his lap.
Then, he pressed his lips once more to the nape of my neck, right where Arun’s teeth marks were still visible.
“Hh.”
I hadn't noticed before in the heat of the moment, but this time, the distinct sensation of his lips spread through my entire body, impossible to ignore.
It felt like butterflies were fluttering inside me.
A strange tension made my whole body go rigid.
“It’s swollen.”
“Well, I was bitten pretty hard… Ouch, hh, that hurts… Please stop.”
At my words, Enoch’s lips slowly pulled away.
But that was all.
As if he had no intention of letting me go, he tilted his head slightly, and the sharp bridge of his nose touched the spot his lips had just left.
“Hah. I finally feel like I can breathe.”
His soft breath tickled the nape of my neck.
That made me even more tense.
So, I unknowingly tightened my hand on his shoulder, wrinkling his neatly pressed jacket.
“E-Enoch. Could you please let me go?”
“No. Just a little longer.”
Where had the man who used to blush and pull away at the slightest touch gone?
Far from letting go, Enoch buried his head in my shoulder like a needy puppy.
“Riana.”
“Y-yes?”
“Riana.”
“Why do you keep calling my name?”
“What you said just now, did you mean it?”
“What was that?”
“That I am the only one who can touch you. That’s what I mean.”
I had said it on impulse to soothe him, but Enoch looked quite serious as he repeated my words.
Seeing him like that, I found I couldn’t casually say ‘yes, you’re the only one’ like before, and as I kept my mouth shut, Enoch nuzzled his head against me again.
“Please answer me. Hm?”
At my lack of response, his voice, which had sounded so happy and excited just moments ago, was suddenly filled with anxiety.
Feeling sorry for him, I finally spoke.
“Yes. You’re the only one, Enoch.”
He seemed quite pleased with my answer, as I heard him let out a satisfied sigh.
I felt his long eyelashes brush against my collarbone, as if he were blinking.
“Really? Then please promise me. That you won’t let anyone else touch you.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“Just with words?”
“Um…”
‘Aren’t words enough?’
Wondering what more I had to do, I rolled my eyes and tapped Enoch’s shoulder.
“Ah! Do you want to do this?”
Curious about what I was suggesting, Enoch lifted his head, which had been buried in my neck as if he’d never let go.
His black hair, always so neatly styled, was now disheveled.
“What is that?”
His gray eyes filled with confusion as he looked at my outstretched pinky finger.
I gave my hand a little shake.
“We link our pinkies and make a promise.”
“Is it like a pact?”
“Um… You could say that, I suppose.”
I rolled my eyes again, and the large hand around my waist slowly loosened. He hesitated for a moment before carefully linking his pinky with mine.
“Like this?”
“Yes. And then we stamp it like this—”
After giving our tightly linked fingers a shake, I firmly stamped and copied our promise, while Enoch leaned against my shoulder, quietly watching.
“—Ta-da! All done. Now, if someone breaks the promise, they have to grant the other person a wish.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes. Simple, right?”
I let out a small laugh, thinking about what we, two grown adults, were doing, and reached out to smooth his messy hair.
“Pfft, what is this? Your hair is all sticking up.”
As I touched him with a smile, Enoch closed one eye, the corner of it crinkling softly.
“Why are you smiling this time?”
“Because I’m happy this time, too.”
“Huh? About what?”
“To be honest, I was scared when I saw you with the Tower Master. I thought I was going to lose you.”
He said, burying his face in my embrace again.
‘Sigh. How can a supposed tyrant be so soft? How is he going to survive in this cruel world?’
I know this is before Enoch truly came into his power, but where did the man who danced a mad sword dance in the original novel go…?
He was so incredibly soft that I wondered if he was really the same person I’d read about. Sighing softly, I combed my fingers through his messy hair.
“Um… By the way, that… thing from before… you’re not going to do it again, are you?”
“What thing?”
Just thinking about it made my face feel hot, so I raised my voice unnecessarily.
“That thing with your lips… your mouth! Don’t do that!”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? That kind of thing is a bit… A-anyway, just don’t!”
I’d mustered my courage to say it, but instead of an agreement, I got his firm arms tightening around my waist.
I sighed again at his actions and patted his head.
Unaware that the corners of his mouth, hidden against me, were curving up in satisfaction, like a well-fed predator.
***
“Riana, isn’t that heavy? Shall I hold it for you?”
“Hm? This?”
Leaving the somewhat feverish events of the carriage behind us, the day of the charity event had arrived.
I was getting ready in the same room as Enoch, at his insistence, and I looked down at the feathered fan a lady-in-waiting had handed me.
‘This…? How is this heavy?’
My expression turned peculiar as I watched the feathers on the fan’s edge tremble weakly in the breeze coming through the slightly open window.
Feeling its faint weight in my hand, I snapped the fan open and held it out to Enoch.
“This isn’t heavy at all. It feels like I’m holding nothing.”
“Still, you don’t know how long you’ll have to hold it once the event starts. You could hurt your wrist.”
Enoch snatched the fan away and, in the next moment, slipped his hand into my now-empty one.
As if it belonged there.
“I will hold this.”
“You, Your Majesty?”
His stern, formal attire was a complete mismatch for the ornate fan decorated with lace and feathers.
I was scanning him up and down, thinking what a strange combination it was, when—
“Enoch.”
Enoch corrected me, his eyes narrowing slightly, clearly displeased with the title ‘Your Majesty.’
Instead of answering, I pouted at him and leaned over to take the fan back.
“Give it back. How are you going to walk around with that? People will laugh.”
“Let them laugh.”
“Don’t be stubborn. It’s not like you’re going to be holding it by my side the whole time.”
“I will be.”
Answering firmly, Enoch placed the fan completely out of my reach.
“L-Little Marquess, would you please close your eyes for a moment?”
I was glaring at him, about to get up, but I sat back down when I saw the lady-in-waiting fidgeting nervously with a makeup brush.
I closed my eyes obediently, and I heard Enoch’s characteristic low chuckle, followed by the sound of him getting up.
I wondered what he was doing, but then the angle of our joined hands shifted slightly, as if he had perched on the edge of the vanity.
I felt the brush sweep across the bridge of my nose and furrowed my brows slightly.
“Your Majesty, you lied to me.”
“Hm? Did I?”
“Yes. That whole ‘healing crisis’ thing was a lie, wasn’t it? The way you’re grabbing my hand so casually now.”
It was as if his inability to even hold my hand had been a lie.
Since confessing his feelings in the carriage a few days ago, Enoch had miraculously returned to his normal state.
No, actually, he was worse than before.
He now tried to stick to my side at every opportunity, just like a puppy that couldn’t bear to be away from its owner for a second.
When I voiced my reasonable suspicion, a pleasant laugh tickled my ear.
“Of course not. My heart feels like it’s about to explode even now. I’m holding on with great difficulty.”
“…”
His deadpan voice made my heart lurch.
Enoch was surely just stating his physical condition as a matter of fact, with no other intention.
But for some reason, ever since he’d kissed my neck, my emotions had been on a rollercoaster, reacting to his every word, even when he spoke in the same tone as before.
“Your Majesty, have you ever considered changing the way you talk?”
“Hm?”
I could almost see Enoch tilting his head in confusion at my sudden rebuke, even with my eyes closed.
“What nonsense is this now? And you keep calling me ‘Your Majesty.’”
Thinking my words were meaningless, Enoch laughed it off and tapped the bridge of my nose.
“Riana, I’m bored.”
“I told you this would take a while. You should try to get some sleep while you wait.”
Contrary to what the elders had said about it being a simple charity event, this one was quite large in scale.
It was combined with a welcoming ceremony for a foreign delegation, and Enoch had been so busy preparing for the long schedule that dark circles had formed under his eyes.
Even amidst his busy schedule, he insisted on maintaining constant contact, spending all his free time glued to my side, so he must have been even more sleep-deprived.
That’s why I suggested he take a nap. But the man himself seemed to have no intention of doing so.
“I’m not sleepy.”
Enoch flatly refused my suggestion and began playing with our joined hands.
He probably didn’t mean to.
But with the emperor standing right behind me, the lady-in-waiting’s hand trembled as she applied my makeup.
“I-it’s all done…! You may open your eyes now, Little Marquess.”
I don’t know if I should thank him for this or not.
But in any case, thanks to Enoch’s unintentional pressure, the lady-in-waiting finished my preparations quickly and called out to me in a relieved voice.
As I slowly lifted my eyelids at her words, a short gasp escaped Enoch’s red lips.
“Ah.”
“What? Is it strange?”
Startled by the sound, I opened my eyes fully to see Enoch, who had been leaning his head crookedly against the mirror as if bored, crinkle the corners of his eyes into a beautiful smile.
“No. You’re beautiful. Very.”
