CHAPTER 18
Rosiana, who had just come to her senses, had a white gauze towel tied around her neck.
Because Rosiana had vomited up a bowlful of blood, Marie had changed her into a fresh dress.
Rosiana, now seated back at the table wearing a yellow lace-covered dress, looked as though she were sitting in the middle of a giant dandelion.
“Where’s Izef?”
Still holding a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other, she asked Marie with a displeased expression.
Perhaps because of the blood she’d thrown up, her usually soft and delicate voice was now hoarse and cracked.
“The priest… he’s doing better than earlier, but he’s still too weak to eat. We’re preparing a soft soup for him,” Marie replied, bowing her head like a sinner.
Izef, who had been scorched by dark energy, was lying in his bed. Fortunately, he was slowly healing himself with his divine powers.
“This was my fault, Your Highness. Please punish me,” Marie said, kneeling beside Rosiana without raising her head.
Rosiana looked very upset.
“It’s not your fault, Marie.”
“No, it is. I was too weak to resist the darkness. And because of me, Your Highness and the priest…”
Marie couldn’t finish and burst into tears.
Rosiana, her voice rough, spoke again.
“I’m not mad about that. I’m mad because—who attacks during mealtime, huh? Even a dog doesn’t get disturbed when eating…”
“…P-Pardon?”
“Those bastards barged in right when I was about to eat.”
Sniff.
Marie, startled and lost for words, sniffled.
“And besides, you’re alive, Marie. If they’d hurt you, then I would’ve been mad.”
“Your Highness…”
Just as Marie was overwhelmed with emotion—
SLAM!
The door to the guest room burst open.
“Your Highness!”
Asterios shouted as he stormed in, quickly approaching and standing before Rosiana.
“…Are you alright?”
His voice trembled.
Rosiana was taken aback by his emotion.
In the short time she’d known Asterios, he had never raised his voice—never even smiled or frowned.
‘Why is he so worked up?’
His golden eyes were bloodshot. His fists trembled slightly, and his shoulders looked as if he were holding something back.
It seemed like something was about to burst from his tightly closed lips.
“Why did you do it?”
He was asking why she had pushed herself to such limits.
The three-year-old girl stared up at the six-year-old boy.
“I heard you summoned your beast and coughed up blood afterward.”
‘He must think I used the dragon’s power to fight the intruders… But why such a strong reaction?’
Only Izef had seen her use her witch’s powers—and he hadn’t told anyone yet.
‘Ah! He was ordered by the Emperor to protect me, wasn’t he?’
She remembered now—that’s why Asterios had brought her to the Grand Duke’s estate.
‘So seeing me coughing up blood must’ve scared him.’
That’s how Rosiana interpreted Asterios’ reaction.
She sighed and spoke.
“Sigh… Sorry. I got mad, that’s all.”
She was actually a bit relieved. If he’d discovered she had used witchcraft, she wouldn’t have known how to explain it.
But she couldn’t say it was because Izef had sacrificed himself for her either.
“To be honest, I was just about to eat when those jerks showed up.”
“…”
“I really hate being interrupted during meals. I’ll talk to Father about it—don’t worry.”
Her eyes were serious.
But when she saw Asterios’ face, she grew awkward.
‘What now? What’s with that look?’
His eyes were even redder now, on the verge of tears. His expression was utterly miserable.
‘Is getting scolded by the Emperor really that sad for him?’
Thinking more on it—maybe it was terrifying for a six-year-old boy.
After all, the Imperial Princess had just coughed up blood.
‘There’s no way he’ll avoid punishment now.’
And so, she felt a deep need to comfort the poor boy.
“Don’t worry, Asterios. I’ll make sure Father doesn’t punish you. Here—pinky promise.”
Rosiana held out her little pinky.
Flinch.
After a moment of hesitation, Asterios lifted his hand and hooked his pinky around hers.
“There, happy? Now I want to eat. I’m starving.”
Rosiana beamed at Asterios.
“…I’ve failed you. I’m sorry I left your side, Your Highness.”
Though calmer than before, his voice still trembled.
“I should have protected you.”
“Enough. You and Marie both. If either of you blame yourselves more, I’ll get angry.”
“…”
No one said another word.
“There won’t be a next time.”
Asterios promised, stepping back respectfully.
“Okay. Got it.”
Rosiana returned her focus to her meal.
It had been so long since she’d had a proper, human meal—after being in a baby’s body for so long.
‘It’s been ages since I could chew real food. So satisfying.’
But despite the satisfaction in her head, a painful ache stirred in her chest.
As if something inside was melting.
‘What the heck…’
Was puking blood messing with her emotions now?
It was an odd feeling.
And from that moment on, Rosiana often found herself experiencing strange emotions.
Because Asterios never left her side—not even for a moment.
“Wait… don’t tell me he’s staying while I sleep too?”
Night had already fallen.
Asterios placed a chair a bit away from her bed and said, “Yes.”
“Sigh…”
Rosiana glanced toward the door.
There, eyes blazing, stood Marie, guarding it.
Marie, too, never took her eyes off Rosiana.
Ugh.
Everywhere she looked, someone was watching her with worry.
“The priest has finished self-healing. Now I will begin healing Your Highness.”
Asterios spoke of Izef like he was a fully charged magical device.
“Don’t call him. He pushed himself too hard today. Let him rest—tell him to come tomorrow.”
Rosiana stopped Asterios, then added calmly:
“And don’t treat him like an object anymore.”
To Rosiana, Izef was no longer just anyone.
From the moment he had been willing to sacrifice himself for her, she had decided to be on his side.
“Izef has a duty to ensure Your Highness remains well. Please let him fulfill his mission.”
“…What duty? Why does Izef have to save me?”
“Not to save, but to provide divine power when Your Highness needs it. That’s part of our agreement. So, with all due respect, even without your permission—”
“No, he does need my permission.”
Rosiana lifted her large purple eyes and stared Asterios down.
“Izef is my person now.”
Asterios’ eyes widened in rare surprise.
“…You said he’s your person?”
“Yeah. He’s mine. I like him.”
At those words, the boy’s golden eyes wavered fiercely.
Asterios glared with intense eyes at the pale man.
Izef, in his thin white robe, was using his feeble arms to channel divine energy into Rosiana.
‘Should I just get rid of him right now?’
In nearly a thousand years of existence,
He had never felt this kind of emotion.
He turned his burning golden gaze toward Rosiana.
Over the long years he had loved and protected her, there had been other men around her.
In fact, plenty had tried to court or annoy her.
But not once had she shown any interest in them.
Not even once.
So this emotion—this burning jealousy—was alien and alarming to him.
She had never looked at anyone else before. So he’d never had reason to feel threatened. Never had a chance to feel this wild hostility.
‘Is it because I’m in a child’s body…?’
Asterios’ eyes narrowed.
Because he looked like a six-year-old?
Come to think of it—yes.
It would be hard to win her favor in this form.
And perhaps his current appearance was no longer welcome to her.
After all, in the past, he had disappeared from Erica’s life without a proper explanation.
She probably believed he had abandoned her.
Could he explain now that it hadn’t been the case?
‘It would only sound like an excuse.’
Though she looked three, the soul inside Rosiana was that of the ancient witch, Erica.
Only if everything went according to his plan could that misunderstanding be resolved.
Until then, he couldn’t bear to cause her even a scratch of pain.
But.
Even knowing that—
‘Even if I understand in my head…’
His eyes still felt like they were on fire.
His brain felt ready to explode, and the priest standing by her side was unbearably infuriating.
He wanted to get rid of him. Right now.
But that man, smiling awkwardly and sweating bullets, was someone she currently needed.
Izef was crucial to stabilizing her divine power and helping her body grow.
‘Judging by that shaky smirk, he’s clearly not in love with her… yet.’
Izef didn’t seem to have romantic feelings for her. A man in love wouldn’t look that scared around the girl he liked.
That was a small relief.
If Izef had looked at her with honey-dripping eyes, Asterios would have immediately replaced him with another priest and banished him far, far away.
Maybe even from the world entirely.
That thought oddly calmed him.
‘Right. I can always find another priest.’
There were ways to drive away any moths that dared fly near her flame.
But…
He didn’t want to do that.
All he wanted—
‘…is for her to choose me.’
Out of all the beings in this vast universe, he wanted to be the one she chose.
No—he had to be the one.
He prayed with all his might that her choice would be sincere and truly hers.
Her freedom and happiness—all of it—had to unfold in his arms.
‘…Haah.’
As the six-year-old boy’s head spun with all these tangled thoughts, the glow from Izef’s hands faded. The healing was complete.
“Do you feel better?” he asked Rosiana.
“Yeah. Feels warm. My voice is back too.”
Luckily, Izef had done his job well. Asterios’ eyes softened just a bit.
But then—
“Your Highness, about the divine beast you summoned earlier… what was its name…?”
“The divine beast? Oh, that? Wait—you heard that? It’s Nova. New name.”
Izef was bringing up what had happened earlier that day.
Flames of jealousy reignited in Asterios’ eyes.
He hated that they were sharing something he hadn’t been there for.
It made him feel sick.
“Nova?”
“Yeah! Nova! Me and Ba!”
At her call, the divine beast appeared in the form of a baby bird.
Rosiana puffed her chest proudly.
“How is it? Way better than ‘Pyo-Pyogi,’ right?”
“It’s perfect! It suits the beast so well!”
Pleased by Izef’s reaction, Rosiana shouted with joy.
“Of course! I made it myself—of course it’s cool!”
“What does it mean? It sounds like the name of an ancient hero!”
And once again, Asterios’ eyes blazed as he watched the two.
Fiery, smoldering jealousy.
