By Zephyria 
“Do you remember the incident when the Fiends attacked during the training camp? Back then, I witnessed him coming into contact with Balkan. At the time, when I asked who he was, Ardian identified himself as Gilbert. My memories were sealed shortly after, so I had forgotten… but perhaps the seal weakened, because at some point, the things I had forgotten came back to me.”
“…Since when did you remember?”
“It hasn’t been long. Probably about half a year ago.”
“You managed to keep it a secret until now.”
I was genuinely surprised. Since Ardian hadn’t said anything, this was the first I’d heard of it… and I hadn’t noticed at all that Zeon already knew.
While there was no way for him to know that the entity was actually ‘Chaos,’ since he mentioned seeing the contact with Balkan, he must have suspected a connection to the mastermind behind the instigation of the war. Moreover, since that person was the same individual as Gilbert—the man who was like an enemy to him—and that man was now dating me, it must have been confusing for him in many ways.
As expected, Zeon spoke with a bitter smile.
“I finally understand why my Lord didn’t tell me everything ‘that day.’”
By ‘that day,’ he seemed to be referring to the time when I responded to Zeon’s confession, began dating Ardian, and vaguely explained how things had come to be.
“At first, it was hard to accept. Naturally, I thought my Lord was unaware of this fact. I was certain that you would never look at that man with such loving eyes if you knew.”
Did I look at him with such eyes?
“But then, I didn’t know how you would react if I told you and you truly hadn’t known… I feared I would only be causing my Lord unnecessary pain, so I couldn’t speak. As I spent a long time agonizing and observing you two closely, I vaguely realized. My Lord already knows everything.”
“…….”
“I still don’t know what happened between you two, why you forgave him so easily, or why you gave him your heart… but I decided to believe what I see.”
With a clear smile, Zeon gently enveloped my hand in his.
“As long as my Lord is happy, that is enough for me.”
Then, he carefully brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. His eyes, looking at me, were filled with tender loyalty. If I wished, he would never utter the truth he had discovered for the rest of his life. Grateful for his faithfulness, I responded with a smile.
“My Lord! If you don’t mind, would you care to dance a song with me?”
Suddenly, Andusias, who had been mingling in the dance floor, approached with a face flushed from drink, dropped to one knee, and held out his hand to me. His face was bright red, and his voice was slightly slurred.
I wonder how much he’s had.
As I let out a small chuckle, Zeon pushed Andusias’s shoulder away with a look of displeasure.
“How rude to my Lord. Do you lose all sense of propriety when you’re drunk?”
“What?”
Andusias frowned and sprang up, shouting.
“What’s wrong with asking my beloved Lord for one dance!”
“He is not someone a guy like you can just touch haphazardly.”
“That’s just your opinion! My Lord cherishes me so much, doesn’t He?”
Andusias looked back at me with a beaming smile. Seeing as he repeatedly added that I even remembered his name, it seemed that was his only piece of evidence.
“He remembered my name too. You think you’re the only special one.”
“You keep picking fights, you bastard. You’re actually just jealous, aren’t you? Huh?”
It looked as though the bickering between Zeon and Andusias was about to resume.
That was when Gremory intervened.
“If you’re going to keep showing such an unsightly side in front of Lord Mephisto, why don’t you two just go out and dance hand-in-hand? I think my Lord would find that more entertaining.”
“Hmm. That would be better.”
I agreed with Gremory. I didn’t particularly want to go out there and sway my body for a dance I wasn’t even good at. Andusias and Zeon glared at each other with troubled expressions. Because I had agreed with Gremory, they couldn’t say no and were left gauging the situation.
In the end, the two of them went out, gripping each other’s hands so tightly their knuckles turned white, growling as if they were about to devour one another—yet it was hilarious how they actually danced perfectly according to the rules. I thought Andusias only knew how to dance wildly, but he seemed more accustomed to social dancing than I expected.
Afterward, claiming they couldn’t be the only ones to suffer, Gremory—who had instigated it—and Focalor—who had been caught in the crossfire while staying quiet—were dragged out by Andusias to showcase their skillful dance moves.
The bonfire, holding a warm heat, stayed lit throughout the night, illuminating the darkness.
The joyful time passed.
Regrettably, it was time to head back. After saying my separate goodbyes to a tearful Andusias and Focalor, as well as Gremory and Zeon, I used Space Transition to return to Adelmaid.
When I came, I had used the station to travel with Zeon so we could talk, but since I was returning alone, that wasn’t necessary.
Thanks to that, I arrived at the streets of Mardelpia in an instant without any delay. However, I suddenly felt a familiar presence, and when I turned around, Ardian was there.
“Did you come to meet me?”
The probability of it being a coincidence was slim, so he must have come expecting my arrival. As if confirming my guess, Ardian didn’t deny it and nodded as he approached. He pulled me into a loose embrace, pressed his forehead against mine, and let out a low breath that sounded like a sigh.
“I missed you.”
“It seems so.”
Considering he came to meet me without even saying anything.
I chuckled and lightly tapped his chest.
“I have to stop by the guild, so let’s meet again later.”
But as I tried to turn away, Ardian held onto me.
“Don’t go.”
“Hmm?”
“Stay with me.”
Is he not busy today?
“I get it. I’ll come back after I’m done.”
I patted the arm that was holding me, signaling that I would return. However, he still didn’t let go, clutching the collar of my clothes. I stared blankly at Ardian, who whispered once more for me not to go.
He’s being particularly stubborn today.
After a moment of thought, I turned back toward Ardian and crossed my arms.
“And if I don’t go?”
I had already handled all the urgent business before leaving, and the rest had been pushed back, so it would be fine to delay reporting my return a bit more. That was my thought.
Sensing that I was about to indulge his whining, Ardian pulled me toward the palace. Since it wasn’t the first or second time I had been led by Ardian’s hand to enter and exit the Imperial Palace as if it were my own home, the guards bowed familiarly and let us in.
“Adam. Wait….”
As soon as we entered the room, he kissed me and began groping my waist. I wondered why he was acting like this today. He was always a man who got hard for me as if he were in heat 365 days a year, but he seemed exceptionally hurried today.
With our lips overlapped, Ardian swallowed his breath like a starved beast and gripped my buttocks. I didn’t know the reason, but I accepted it for now. Ardian, who entwined his tongue frantically and sucked as if eating a delicious candy, eventually pushed me down onto the bed.
“Why are you acting like this?”
When I asked, arching one eyebrow, he looked at me with a face that made it hard to tell what he was thinking. Quietly leaning his upper body down, Ardian pressed his cheek against mine and bit my earlobe.
“I’m anxious because there are too many people who like you.”
The voice falling from his lips whispered of insecurity.
“Actually, I hate everyone who is by your side.”
“…….”
“The anxiety that you might disappear from before my eyes at any moment is eating away at me. I feel like I’m going crazy thinking that someone around you is monopolizing a time of yours that I don’t know about.”
…It was true that the time we spent together had decreased since graduation.
When we attended the Academy, our range of movement was narrow and we shared a dormitory room, so I could stay glued to his side. But now, we each have our own spheres of activity and things we must do out in society.
Those things must have piled up one by one and triggered his anxiety.
I stared quietly into his eyes, which were flickering like a precarious candle about to go out, and then pulled his collar down. As I kissed Ardian’s lips, which came down without resistance, he opened his teeth and explored the inside of my mouth like a tree root absorbing life-giving water.
With my eyes narrowed slightly, I gave him a light reprimand.
“What are you so anxious about? I’m already yours.”
Moreover, I had placed myself in his hands personally.
I spoke while firmly interlocking my fingers with Ardian’s.
“Anxious because you don’t know when I’ll disappear? That’s not going to happen in the first place. Don’t buy worries over things that won’t happen.”
“…….”
“Trust me, Ardian.”