DMHS 47

Lucien was swayed up and down by every word Kian said. Compared to the wedding day he had improved a little, he no longer shed tears of sadness so easily, but…

Maybe “improved” was only Kian’s thought, and in truth it was only because Kian had not done anything hurtful lately.

‘Just wear it, wear it. What is so hard about putting on clothes?’

When he came out of the fitting room, Lucien had also changed. It was the same design, only the colors were different, Kian wore black and Lucien wore white.

“Perfect! You could hold the ceremony right away!”

The staff had all gathered and clapped.

“You look great!”

“Be happy!”

“We support your love!”

Kian stood at the counter with a reluctant face.

“How much is it?”

“He already paid.”

The boutique owner winked and pointed at Lucien.

Now that he noticed, the pile of clothes had also disappeared. It was clear Lucien had moved them into his subspace pouch.

Kian left the boutique first.

“I said I would buy it for you, why did you pay first?”

“I already received a gift.”

“That gift is not my heart, right?”

“It is.”

Kian wanted to tie a rope to his waist and jump off a cliff.

“I like this. You also feel like mine.”

……He felt like even without a rope he could jump.

Lucien’s mood lifted, and at last he said the one title he should not say.

“Mate.”

Dear God……

Kian stiffly turned his head like a wheel with no oil.

“You were calling me?”

“Who else is my mate but you? No matter what anyone says, you are my mate.”

‘……? Nobody said anything though.’

Drunk on his feelings, Lucien went on with more lines that made Kian’s skin crawl.

“You were born to be my partner. We will be together for life until we die.”

‘What now? I am an immortal, I do not die.’

As if he noticed Kian’s sarcastic thought, Lucien narrowed his eyes.

“Answer me.”

‘This dragon is quick to catch on.’

Kian forced the muscles in his face to stretch.

“Walking around makes me feel hot. Shall we go to that shop and eat something?”

He had changed the subject so blatantly it was enough to cause complaint, but Lucien was only cheerful.

“Okay.”

The two sat at a terrace table open to the street. Again Lucien said he would place the order, so Kian sat alone at the table.

‘The weather is bright.’

The blue sky had patches of white cloud. Red and yellow flowers bloomed in the square, and the faces of people walking the road were bright.

Even when a balloon slipped from a child’s hand and floated away, not one person frowned. It was a day where you felt cheerful just sitting still.

Right then, two women carrying parasols stood before Kian. One shyly covered her face, the other clenched her fist with determination.

The one with the fist spoke.

“Excuse us, sorry. Do you perhaps have a lover?”

‘A lover?’

Kian was baffled.

“My friend fell in love with you at first sight. If you do not have anyone, how about meeting her? Her personality is a bit so-so, but she is a mage from the Fourth Tower. Unlike me who works in the market, she has been smart since she was young.”

At the words “her personality is a bit so-so,” the woman standing next to her smacked her arm.

“See? She is healthy like this. She just got long vacation leave and she is flying all around.”

It was hard to tell if she was introducing her friend or dragging her down.

In the meantime, Kian understood the situation. He moved the ring from his index finger to the ring finger of his left hand. Just as he was about to refuse, a shadow fell over his head.

Bang.

The tray with their order dropped heavily onto the table with a loud sound.

Screech.

Lucien dragged his chair back without hiding his displeasure. He crossed his legs, leaned back, and glared at the women standing before Kian.

At this point most would feel threatened and flee, but these women were not ordinary either.

“Wow, so cute. Is he your younger brother?”

Lucien ignored her words and demanded an answer from Kian.

“Who are these people?”

“Your brother must also be popular among his peers. He is very pretty.”

“They are strangers?”

In Kian’s ears he heard the words left unsaid behind that.

‘Then it is fine if I deal with them my way, right?’

Kian slammed the table and jumped up.

“I am a married man!”

He was so flustered that he shouted. The women also looked startled.

“W-what……?”

Kian covered his face and he sat down weakly.

“I already have someone I vowed to spend my life with, so please leave……”

“Ah, I see. I am sorry for making you uncomfortable. Enjoy your time with your younger brother.”

After the women disappeared, Kian carefully lifted his head. He expected Lucien to be radiating annoyance, but instead Lucien was eating strawberry cake with the same face as usual.

“Try it too.”

Kian picked up a fork.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Very good.”

“Weren’t you irritated just before?”

“But hearing you say with your own mouth that you already have someone you vowed your life to, it melted away like spring snow.”

Lucien curved his eyes like a crescent moon and he smiled.

“Mate.”

Goosebumps ran all over Kian’s body. He wanted to cover his ears, scream, and run.

“My mate.”

Should he just run outside right now?

“Now that I think of it, I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought strawberry cake. What kind of cake do you like?”

The change of subject was so welcome that Kian quickly answered.

“I eat everything, I don’t avoid any food.”

“But there must be something you like better.”

Kian rested his chin on his hand and he fell into thought.

‘If he asks what tastes good……’

“Food always tastes best when you are hungry, right?”

Lucien’s brow furrowed immediately.

“You’re not telling me to starve you and then feed you, are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why answer like that. Do you dislike me being curious about you?”

This time Kian could not understand.

“What are you so curious about?”

“I need to know what cake you like so I can order it next time.”

“I like whatever is in front of me at the time.”

Lucien felt stifled by the conversation constantly missing its mark, so he stood up.

“Wait here.”

A little later Lucien came back with a server pushing a cart. The server set down the cakes one by one.

“This is blueberry cake. Fresh blueberries are on top and blueberry jam is spread inside.”

“This one is lamington cake. The outside is coated with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with coconut powder.”

“This is called red velvet cake. The red-colored sheet is its feature.”

The cakes of each type went on endlessly. After filling not only their table but also the two nearby tables, the server finally left.

Kian looked down at the countless cakes with a weary face.

“What is all this?”

“Try each one.”

“All of these?”

“You only need one bite.”

He felt like a gourmet who came to write food reviews. Kian, under Lucien’s obvious gaze, tasted the cakes one after another.

Then something strange happened.

“The whipped cream is very soft.”

Until now food had only been fuel for Kian, something that let his body move. As long as it filled his stomach he ate with gratitude, so he never thought about whether something tasted good or bad.

But once he ate with the thought “I must find what I like,” each cake’s taste and aroma clearly came alive. What once looked all the same except for color and shape now felt different.

“The ones with jam piled inside are too sweet, they are overwhelming.”

“And?”

“I like when the sheet is moderately fluffy.”

After tasting every kind, Kian pointed to the very first plate.

“I like strawberry cake.”

“Good.”

A satisfied smile hung on Lucien’s lips.

“This method was something Walter used on me.”

“Mr. Walter did?”

“He said finding out someone’s preferences is a basic way of knowing oneself. Saying you like everything or hate everything just means you don’t really know.”

“That is a good saying.”

“You need to learn more about yourself.”

Honestly, Kian could not agree with the last part. He was not a teenager who had only lived a dozen years. He had lived a long time taking care of himself.

“I know myself well.”

“You didn’t even know what cake you liked.”

“Things like that are fine not to know. They are not important for living.”

“I think it is important. There’s nothing more enjoyable than eating good food. What could be more important than that?”

In Kian’s mind these came up.

The Kingdom of Celestia. His comrades. The people he must protect. The peace of the world. His responsibility as a hero. His duty. His sins he must not forget……

“I just want you to be happy. Even if it’s just eating your favorite cake.”

Kian’s eyes stopped on the strawberry cake.

‘Was I happy when I ate that?’

When the sweet taste of strawberry filled his mouth, he thought the corners of his lips had lifted. Surely he had been carried away by the good weather and the atmosphere.

‘Damn it.’

Suddenly his stomach churned. He thought he was about to gag.

“I need to go to the restroom for a moment.”

Kian quickly covered his mouth and ran to the back of the shop. He clutched the toilet and after a few dry heaves, the cakes he had just eaten came back up.

Kian vomited everything he had eaten there. He kept vomiting until only clear gastric juice came out, then he washed his face at the sink and returned to the table.

By then the table was already neatly cleared. Lucien, with his arms crossed, turned his head from watching the square to Kian.

Kian naturally forced a smile.

“Sorry. I must have eaten too much too fast. I got a little indigestion, but I am fine now.”