Argen clenched her lips and shook her head. Did she look like some barbaric demon who would urinate anywhere but a bathroom? And to commit a filthy act in the sacred Lake of Life, of all places?
Valen lowered his eyes with a peculiar expression, staring at her exposed thigh.
“Then is something else urgent?”
“……”
The low voice carried a heavy sexual undertone. Argen hastily pulled her skirt down. Valen, drenched in sweat, seemed to have no desire to stick to her like glue, quickly averting his gaze.
Argen bit the hem of her skirt, tearing a notch, then grabbed the torn edge and ripped it clean off. She stepped closer to Valen, lifted her heel high, and rubbed it against his face.
“What are you doing?”
“You worked hard, so I’m wiping your sweat.”
“Don’t ever think about serving anyone again.” Valen spoke firmly, reaching to pull her wrist down, then hesitated.
His dirt-covered hand twitched before dropping limply downward as if giving up. But Argen swiftly grabbed his hand. She carefully wiped the long scar across his palm. She felt his gaze descend and rest on her forehead.
“You grabbed mine first. You don’t even care if it gets dirty.”
“I have never once thought you were dirty. And I never will.”
“……”
Valen let out an irritated sigh. It sounded like a vulgar curse. But he didn’t pull his hand away; he remained still. Argen tapped his palm lightly and said, “All done,” sounding relieved.
Valen stared blankly at his hand, then gave it a shake. Dust and dirt fluttered down to the ground. “I’ll say it again: don’t even think about serving anyone.”
Valen’s task wasn’t finished yet. Having uprooted the tree, he needed to replant it in its new home. After pondering for a moment, he seemed to make up his mind and approached the tree.
“Can’t we just toss it into the water any old way?”
“From here on, I’ll handle it.”
“That branch and your forearm aren’t all that different.”
“…… How do I appear to your eyes?”
She was slender, but not as thin as a tree branch. Yet Valen was utterly serious, without a trace of mockery.
Argen knelt on one knee. As she pressed her dirt-covered hands to the ground and lowered her eyes, a magic circle flared into view. The round, brilliant circle spun like a cartwheel, wrapping itself around the entire tree. A white light, like her hair, flashed like lightning, and the tree rose into the air.
“They give me a crappy cart like this. Where’s that bat bastard?” Valen searched for Finn with a grim face.
His grip on the shovel tossed in the corner of the cart was anything but ordinary. It seemed he intended to scoop out something else with that shovel. Argen grabbed Valen with the resolve of saving a demon.
“It was my wish, wasn’t it?”
“……”
The gaze looking down at Argen held complex emotions. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then finally set the shovel down. The clang as it hit the ground sounded harsh.
“But what kind of tree is that?”
He reached down into the dirt and picked up his badly crumpled shirt. He gave it a sharp shake, sending dust billowing up. Valen pulled the shirt over his head as he asked.
“It’s my birth tree.”
“Even your birth tree has to be just like you.”
“I heard my parents often said something similar.”
Noticing the oddness in her words, Valen didn’t press further. She only understood that, like Valen, her parents had passed away when she was young.
“It was also my parents who created the sun in the Demon Realm. They planted it outside the Demon King’s Castle, hoping my birth tree would grow while receiving sunlight.”
“It grew well. It’s a giant tree now. So many branches, and white flowers bloom profusely.”
“I’m sorry about the disrespect Nadol and the others showed today. Lover, devotion… You don’t need to prove any of that.”
“Ah… That’s why they started this nonsense. It’s fine. Don’t apologise.”
“It was only because they cherished me. They didn’t harbour ill will toward you.”
“Don’t defend those bastards in front of me either.” Valen tossed the words out and walked past her. But before he stepped through the open door, his hand was grabbed.
“There’s a place I want to show you.” Argen, having blurted out what she needed to say, dragged Valen along.
It was hardly a significant pull, yet for some reason, he found himself helplessly following. Behind the Lake of Life, a stone-walled path stretched out. Walking steadily along it, they came to a small gate barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
“It’s my secret space. When I was little, I used to hide here often during hide-and-seek.”Click. As she opened the door, darkness poured out beneath their feet. Argen stepped inside without hesitation and beckoned to the hesitant Valen. Only then did Valen move forward.
The sight unfolding before him made Valen’s mouth drop slightly. Billions of stars embroidered the ceiling. Some shimmered intensely, as if about to fall, while shooting stars streaked across the sky like claws.
The space was so pitch-black that its size was impossible to gauge. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw toys scattered on the floor—presumably the ones Argen had played with as a child. A small children’s tent, wooden boxes, sketchbooks… all left just as they were.
“What were your servants doing? Didn’t they clean this up?”
“Only I can enter this place.”
Valent stared blankly, then asked back, his voice flat. “…What about me?”
“This is for kids.”
“…It was fine when I sat on it a month ago.”
“No repair magic or something?”
“There’s a separate department for that. But it’s always fully booked, so you’d probably have to wait a month… It’s fine. I was going to throw it away anyway.” Argen lifted the debris with her trembling hands. Despite her words, her disappointment was evident.
Valen clicked his tongue sharply. “Do you have tools?”
“Probably… Zephyr should have them.”
“I’m stuck here with nothing to do anyway. When I have time, I’ll try repairing it.”
“I always end up owing you.”
“I broke it.”
You can’t change the past, but… If I work hard, will the day come when you can be comfortable, at least while you’re with me?”
“Now you say that.”
“I am a pear blossom tree, and you are like a butterfly that rests briefly before flying away… I hope we’ll be remembered as that kind of relationship.”
A single star in the ceiling left a long trail as it fell. Valen gave no reply.
‘Like an unreachable moon.’
The closer you approach, the farther it recedes; the moment you pause, it remains fixed in place.
Argen rose to her feet. Nadol had said that if you truly cherish and hold someone dear, your hearts will inevitably connect. As she opened the wardrobe door, a mirror appeared inside, reflecting only the upper half of her body.