Chapter 5
The hand that held hers lightly didn’t seem to be trying to stop her—it was more like saying, “Don’t worry about it anymore.”
“It must’ve hurt back then. But now, I don’t feel anything.”
His elegant and handsome face didn’t match his rough hands, proof of the harsh years he’d lived through. Even so, he didn’t let go of Bellona’s hand right away. Maybe he was trying to calm her down.
“Your hatred is justified. But you shouldn’t express it like this.”
Ah… Bellona suddenly realized how hypocritical she must’ve sounded back then when she’d said similar things to Deminic. She used to lecture him as if she understood his past—when she’d barely scratched the surface.
“How bad could a child’s mistake have been to deserve that?”
She let out a long sigh, realizing she’d never really understood the anger Deminic had carried in his heart all these years.
He turned away, blocking her view of the scars on his back, and continued casually.
“As a kid, I used to think about it a lot. They whipped me out of pure spite, but sometimes I wondered… was I really born with the devil’s eyes? Is that why I’m so messed up—rebellious and disobedient? Those thoughts came often.”
He smirked, mocking his younger self.
“Looking at me now, maybe they were right—maybe I really was born to never fit in with this world.”
“That’s not true.”
Bellona thought—if only she could’ve chosen the point of her return, she would’ve saved him before he ever started thinking things like that.
“Anyway, I was a bit of a troublemaker. When the priests at the temple tried to steal my stuff and sell it, I fought back hard.”
“The ring?”
“That, and a few other things.”
With his arms crossed, Deminic went on talking, then grabbed his coat from the table. From the pocket, he pulled out a fancy-looking box.
“This is one of the things I protected—even bit the arm of the temple’s head priest to keep it safe.”
Bellona thought he was just showing it to her, but then he casually dropped the box into her hands. She barely caught it before it fell.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“You were staring at it. I thought you wanted it.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Bellona opened the box carefully. Inside was a silver ring with a bright blue sapphire gleaming at the center.
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
“That’s not something you can just give to anyone.”
“You’re not just anyone.”
It was hard to read the emotion in his eyes. It sounded like a joke, but there was a trace of truth in it.
“I do want you to trust me, Deminic, but don’t you think you’re trusting me too easily?”
“I never said I trusted you. I just have a feeling you’re not lying.”
“That’s basically the same thing.”
“Anyway, my gut’s never wrong. You’re interesting—and worth keeping close to watch. I don’t see any harm in that.”
“Can you not make it sound like I’m some kind of test subject?”
Bellona sighed and rolled her eyes, but Deminic just laughed like he was even more amused.
“Think of it as a token of our little secret relationship. Besides, I won’t need the ring much longer anyway.”
“It’s your mother’s ring.”
Even if its purpose was over, it still had deep meaning. But Deminic looked indifferent.
“My mother wasn’t the duchess. Getting back the title of Duke of Rozellon is enough of a courtesy toward the duke and duchess.”
Bellona frowned. That first child had meant the world to the couple—how could he talk about it so lightly?
“That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about your eyes.”
“…My eyes?”
Those red eyes that made even him doubt himself as a child.
“Yes, your eyes.”
Up close, his eyes weren’t terrifying or bloody—they were a clear, bright crimson, like the color of a vivid sunset.
“Eyes that hold the light of the sun.”
Even though he didn’t respond, she could tell from his focused gaze that he was listening carefully.
“When Princess Olivia—your mother—was pregnant with you, she almost lost the baby. So the duke searched everywhere for a way to save you. He was ready to pay any price.”
It was something Deminic would’ve learned years later from the old butler still managing the Rozellon estate alone. But now, she wanted him to know—he wasn’t cursed.
“The duke found something called the Fruit of the Sun. It’s an ancient relic blessed by a sun god, filled with powerful life energy. Its liquid is a radiant red color.”
Bellona’s hand brushed lightly against Deminic’s face. When he tilted his head, their skin fully touched.
“So you were born blessed by the sun—not cursed by a demon or born with the devil’s eyes.”
For a moment, they stared at each other silently.
One breath. Two. Not even the sound of breathing between them.
“I guess you didn’t really want a detailed explanation about your eyes…”
Feeling awkward, Bellona tried to step back—but Deminic caught her hand.
“No. It’s just… you always seem to say exactly what I want to hear. Makes me wonder if God sent down an angel to me by mistake.”
It was an embarrassingly sweet thing to say, but he looked completely serious. His gaze was so intense she almost felt like she’d start glowing under it.
“I just want to help you.”
“Yeah. For the best future you believe in.”
Silence fell again. He seemed to be thinking deeply, but then he suddenly turned to her with a random remark.
“Then it’s fine if I stay here for a bit, right?”
“…What?”
The serious atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Bellona stared at him, realizing he might be trying to slide past the moment.
“Why would you stay here? Of all places?”
“…You really don’t get it? I’ve got nowhere else to go right now.”
It sounded ridiculous, but there was something lonely and sincere in the way he said it.
“What?”
“I caused quite a scene escaping. Now the holy knights are searching the whole capital for a dark sorcerer, and honestly, I don’t have the energy to deal with them right now.”
Okay, that explained why he showed up looking like that—but still, why here?
Before Bellona could ask, he went on,
“It’s stupid, but in this whole capital—no, in this entire empire—you’re the only one I can halfway trust. Plus, they’ll never think to search a noble’s mansion, so it’s safer here.”
Bellona doubted that was the full truth. She knew he didn’t usually move alone—he had plenty of subordinates. Still, since she was partly to blame for his current situation, she couldn’t bring herself to argue.
“I won’t stay long. A day, maybe two at most.”
“…”
“You’re responsible for me now.”
