Chapter 5 Part 3
When I quietly smiled without any particular response, Caligo clicked his tongue and unwound his body that had been constricting my neck.
“Looking into the Cardinal’s head, of all people, carries big risks as you’ve experienced. So don’t think about doing it twice.”
“Okay.”
“…You agreeing so easily somehow makes me uneasy.”
Caligo slowly blinked his darkened golden eyes and brought his head close to my face.
Two suspicious eyes right in front of my nose scrutinized me sharply.
“If you cast magic of that scale consecutively, you might never wake up again, so you won’t do it again, right?”
“I’m glad you understand. Though I don’t know what you’re so desperate to find out, for now, eat this and take care of your body first.”
Caligo nodded and gestured for me to hold out my hand. When I opened my palm, a small bead was placed on it.
I was about to refuse thinking it was a magic stone… but looking closer, it didn’t seem to be one.
The power flowing from it feels a bit different?
“What is this?”
“You said you wouldn’t eat magic stones, right? Though it’s far inferior to magic stones… it’s a pearl that absorbed magi from magic ore. This should help restore some of your strength.”
Magic ore was one of the minerals found in the continent, treated as rare because it contained trace amounts of magic power.
Even though Caligo was a great demon, magic ore was strictly in the human realm, so it couldn’t have been easy to obtain.
Strange. Wasn’t Caligo not the type to care so much about others?
Or is he just acting this way because I was unconscious for too long…
“You’re a kinder demon than I thought?”
When I smiled slightly and patted his head, Caligo’s round eyes quickly narrowed.
“Such words bring no joy to one called a great demon.”
“Well… I didn’t say it to make you happy. I meant thank you.”
After swallowing the pearl, I could feel my strength returning, though just slightly.
Even though it was only enough power for one short-distance teleportation spell, I was grateful for even that much right now.
“I should return to the duchy.”
Now that my strength had returned, I couldn’t stay forever in the Imperial Palace, let alone in Abel’s bedroom.
I didn’t particularly want to stay either…
The magic power flowing from the swallowed pearl was much cleaner and purer compared to mine.
Though it was the same magic power, it wasn’t strange since the source was different.
However… this meant that the magic power coming from my heart was that much more darkly corrupted, so I couldn’t accept it entirely positively.
My lips twisted involuntarily at the bitter feeling.
Having decided to return, I rose from the bed.
Seeing me stand up, Caligo raised his tail and again expressed his puzzlement.
“Leaving already? Why don’t you rest here a bit longer? Being the Crown Prince’s room, it’s perfect for recovery since it’s quiet, right? You said the duchy was too noisy to rest properly.”
Endless words of concern poured out from him in his cute snake form.
As I quietly watched this sight, a smile unconsciously escaped me.
With a faint smile on my lips, I sat at the edge of the bed and gently stroked Caligo’s silky head.
“How thoughtful, remembering even that.”
Following the movement of my hand, the firm yet slightly soft snake skin’s cool sensation pleasantly weaved between my fingers.
Just as I withdrew my hand from stroking Caligo and was about to finish getting up-
“Ah…!”
Due to a sudden heavy force pushing me down, I fell back onto the bed.
Through my disheveled hair, I could feel his rough breath right in front of me.
“…Caligo?”
For some reason, Caligo, now transformed into human form, was looking down at me with strange eyes.
“Rosi, if you’re not going to take responsibility, stop provoking me.”
Before I could ask what he meant, Caligo’s lips drew close.
Since he held both my wrists down with force, I had no chance to make any other movement.
“What do you mean by responsibility, what are you…”
Knock knock-
Just before our lips met, a light knock was heard from outside.
“Tch.”
Caligo, who had been on top of me, disappeared with a short hiss.
Given that not even a faint presence remained, he seemed to have returned to the demon realm entirely.
“Rosiel, were you with someone?”
The source of the presence was Abel.
Next to him was the royal physician who had come to examine me.
The doctor cautiously approached and began to diagnose my condition.
“No, no one.”
Quickly erasing my recent bewilderment, I sat up straight with an unbothered expression.
“Your condition has improved greatly since morning. If you don’t feel any discomfort moving, you may get up.”
After completing the examination, the physician glanced at Abel and quietly left the room.
“Thank you for looking after me. I’ll return to the duchy now.”
Regardless of my feelings toward him, it was an undeniable fact that Abel had cared for me these past three days.
Whether it was out of affection or because he needed such means, I had inadvertently become indebted to him.
Though Caligo was the one who actually healed me, Abel had also taken quite sincere care of me…
However, Abel showed an ambiguous expression as if contemplating my words.
Finally, brushing back his falling hair, Abel made an unexpected suggestion to me.
“If you’re not in a hurry, would you like to take a walk?”
“Ah… sure.”
Accepting his proposal was truly done in confusion.
“I’m glad. I thought you would refuse.”
I meant to refuse again since I had spoken carelessly out of surprise, but seeing Abel’s beautiful smile saying he was glad, I couldn’t bring myself to part my lips.
This was the first time Abel had initiated asking me to do something together, even if something small.
As it was, I needed to have a sincere conversation with him at some point anyway.
Making an effort to collect myself, I finally followed him out.
“This is…?”
The place we arrived at following him was a garden located at the edge of the Imperial Palace.
Though he said walk, I thought we’d just have a light tea, but to actually come all the way here…
“It’s a garden planted only with roses. Rosiel, I wanted to show it to you. The flowers are all in bloom now.”
Abel smiled gently and gestured that I could look around comfortably.
The number of roses spread before my eyes seemed to be well over tens of thousands even at a rough glance.
“Black roses…”
Peculiarly, the garden was filled only with red and black roses.
