# 113
Lips.
kiss.
I must have been brainwashed.
Since Sirius keeps saying “kiss” and stuff. It is natural, as humans, to pay attention to what is said. And just for that reason my feelings are confused.
This feeling that I can't control.
And these looks that never stop sticking to his lips.
All the blame falls on Sirius.
“Dyaren.”
“T-Stop!”
Dearyn pushed Sirius' chest hard.
I was exposed.
Sirius must have noticed her looks. That's why he called her in that deep, seductive voice.
What a lewd puppy.
Before, he used to charm others unintentionally, but now he did it intentionally. Cunning and evil.
Her heart was beating very hard.
She was sure that this voice was clearly reaching Sirius. She felt angry because her cunning puppy had succeeded in deceiving her, so she tried to stop him, but she could not.
“Darren, your heart is beating so hard.”
“Because... I haven't put in any effort in a long time...”
“...effort?”
His voice was mixed with a slight sarcasm.
Which side was he making fun of?
Was he making fun of her being tired from such a simple effort? Umm…
Was he making fun of the fact that her heart palpitations were actually caused by dancing?
Either way, Deyarin felt humiliated.
"N-We checked the dancing, right? Then it's okay. Let's stop the lesson now."
She felt that continuing to face him any longer would lead to disaster, so she turned her back on him completely.
Although Sirius was able to catch her easily, this time he quietly left her alone.
This behavior was the strangest of all.
If it had been the previous Sirius, he would have immediately run after her and clung to her, shouting: “Darren! Are you going to abandon me?”
'...Why so quiet?'
Deyarin couldn't hold back her curiosity, so she turned to look at him.
As expected, Sirius was looking at her back.
“Why are you looking at me like that...?”
But it was his looks that worried her.
It wasn't that familiar look she always used to see from him. That boy's eyes... that look!
The color of his eyes returned to the black they were, but the look in them changed.
A look that had traces of wariness coming from the battlefield, but sometimes, it became incomprehensibly profound. Just as it is now.
“More like a cat.”
"…I?"
“Yes. The more you run away, the more I want to catch you...which is nice.”
“So…nice?”
It was not only his look that was incomprehensible, but also his feelings.
What part of her fugitive back made him see her as a cat? She could never imagine it.
The only thing I was sure of was that there was clearly something wrong with Sirius's eyes.
The cat? It's okay, but "nice."? This is precisely unacceptable.
She has lived far from the word “nice” her whole life. To her parents she was a mature daughter, and in the temple she was a revered priestess. Even in her own eyes, she saw herself as a strong and stubborn person.
And to her, he says “nice.”?
“...I'll go get a drink of water.”
Deyarin decided to stop thinking.
First she had to get Sirius out of her sight so she could regain her balance.
She decided to leave the room immediately.
“The water is here.”
Sirius's method of stopping her was very simple and ordinary.
He started waving a water bottle. The sound of the liquid bouncing inside her was refreshing and tempting. It was from the water the maid brought in the morning.
“…I want to drink cold water.”
“Then I will call the maid to bring you new water...”
“I don't want to wait.”
If Dayaren really decided to escape, she would have managed to do so one way or another.
The justifications for her behavior can be thought about later. What is important is that she escapes, and only that.
"Don't follow me! Wait!"
Dearyn left Sirius alone in the room and ran down the hallway.
'Darren.'
Sirius's low voice rang in her ears.
It was a mature, clear man's voice.
“Aaah!”
Dearyn covered her ears and began shaking her head as she continued to run down the corridor.
But even if she covered her ears, even if she moved away, Sirius's gaze and voice did not stop following her.
'Darren.'
'Kiss.'
‘Nice.’
“...Huh...”
Dearyn suddenly stopped running, and pressed her chest.
She felt like her heart was going to explode.
“I just… I haven't run in a long time, that's all.”
Her heartbeat was racing like crazy.
As if someone was hitting her chest from the inside with his fist.
Ceres. It's all because of him.
Because of his words about kissing, and his deep look with which he lifted her chin as if he was about to kiss.
Only now I understand.
That strange look, it was the look of a man.
correct. She was living and quarreling with a man.
Ceres is a man.
She saw him, felt him, and confirmed it repeatedly, but every time she forgot, because of his crazy features and his behavior like a crazy dog.
But she can no longer forget him.
He was now a man that everyone wanted to own.
‘Madness. A priestess thinks of a man that way?'
Deyarin grabbed her head with both hands and started hitting it, then sat on the ground.
But no matter how hard she hit herself, she couldn't get Sirius out of her head.
—
Even after drinking some water from the kitchen, Deyarin could not return to the room and kept wandering in the corridors of the palace.
She was worried about leaving Sirius alone, but she didn't have the courage to see him now. If she saw his face, she would explode with embarrassment.
“Ah, what should I do...”
She was sure Sirius could sense her presence in the hallway. However, he did not leave the room.
'Why isn't he acting like his usual crazy self now?'
If he acted like he always did, and ran towards her screaming, “Stay with me!” Or lying on the ground begging, she would have returned of her own accord, feigning submission.
“I have to go back. I have to go back.”
Diaren went out into the garden and took a deep breath.
Just the thought that Sirius might hear her breathing made her feel uncomfortable in the hallway. It was said that his voice did not reach the park well.
She knew this when she was first adjusting to the noise of the palace.
“Sirius, you impudent, degenerate prince!”
It is said that people even curse the emperor in his absence.
Deyarin, certain that her voice would not reach Sirius, began to whisper what she could not say before. Even as she cursed him, she hid deep among the trees, whispering in a low voice.
“I think that's enough.”
“?”
At that moment, a voice came from behind the trees.
Deyarin suddenly froze, silent, and held her breath.
It was not the sound of normal conversation, but a faint, wary sound, like someone looking around, which made her instinctively act and hide. If she had gone out and shown herself, she might have aroused suspicion.
“However, there are those who may have ears here. Why did you come yourself? You had to send a message.”
'Huh?'
The voice was familiar.
It was Robin's voice.
“Sending someone too was dangerous. It might be best if I put myself out there for a moment.”
The other's voice was strange and unfamiliar. She wanted to look out from behind the bushes but she couldn't risk it.
She stopped her breathing and focused on listening.
“It's almost time, isn't it? Is everything okay with you?”
“…yes. haha…”
“Still hesitant? Even if this is the right way.”
“But... I don't know...”
It wasn't clear what exactly they were talking about, the important thing was being intentionally left out, so she couldn't fully understand the context of the conversation.
The only thing that could be understood was that the unknown person was trying to pressure Robin, while Robin seemed hesitant and fickle.
“Faith does nothing in the way of success.”
"I know that."
“Trust me. All that remains now is for you to manage things well until the time comes.”
“…”
“Count, think about the best interest of the Count’s family. The Second Prince will never forget this service.”
"…Yes."
Second prince?
Deyarin almost let out a scream in shock.
'Is there a relationship between the Second Prince and Robin?'
Whatever the nature of the relationship, it was never good news.
Robin was one of the Third Prince's closest confidants. The fact that someone like him was secretly communicating with one of the Second Prince's men like this was truly suspicious.
The short talk between the two ended.
It seems that this man from the Second Prince's side had only come to confirm the firmness of Robin's position, or to deter him from any hesitation.
‘This means that Master Robin has not yet fully joined the Second Prince’s side…’
His heart may not have sided with them yet, but his actions could change at any moment.
'Does the Third Prince know about this?'
But even if he knew, would anything change?
Sirius had already become a full-fledged young gentleman. The party is approaching.
After Robin finished his short stroll in the garden and returned, Dearin also emerged from the trees and headed into the room.
“Dyaren!”
As soon as she opened the door, Sirius rushed towards her with a cheerful face.
As she expected, he could feel her wandering down the hallway.
“Why did you go so far for a glass of water?”
He seemed to have even noticed her leaving the building outside, and now he expressed his displeasure. As for Deyarin, her feelings were complicated as she looked at him.
Only a short while ago, he had shaken her heart with his look like a man, and now he was clinging to her again like a little puppy.
But now, you must help him stand as a prince.
Prince, man, puppy.
No matter what form he comes in, Ceres remains a heavy burden to her. But now, she had to bear that burden.
Even if it was heavy, she couldn't stand idly by while everything fell apart.
“Sirius, I think we need to come up with a plan of our own.”
Dayarin steeled her resolve again.
In this palace, there is no absolute ally. Human beings naturally reject conscience and justice if they conflict with their interests.
And Robin was not that pure a man.
So, to face someone like him, they had to prepare with a cruel plan to survive.
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