Zerkan looked at Antonio without answering.

"...."

"He was going to marry me. During the time he was away, he and I had quite a lot of memories."

Power entered Zerkan's forehead at the following words. Antonio was excited to continue speaking.

"He...."

"I don't have a brother."

Zerkan said in a firm voice. Antonio stood still.

Taking one step closer to such Antonio, Zerkan spoke accurately once again.

"I never allowed you to call me hyung. I never once thought of you as my brother, so you are not my brother."

"...."

Tendons began to rise in Antonio's chin. Zerkan looked at Antonio as if pathetic, and turned his back.

Antonio said hastily against his back, as if he had shot the last arrow.

"You can have it all, but you won't get Raphine's true heart."

Zerkan walked without pretending to hear. Antonio clenched his fists.

* * *

As they approached the Crystal Palace, Zerkan took a deep breath and exhaled.

He pretended to be okay, but Antonio's last words made a pretty big scar.

"...."

Zerkan stood for a moment, caught his breath, and repeated clenching and opening his fists.

"majesty?"

It was then.

Raphine's voice was heard in the distance. When I turned my head, I saw Raffine approaching with a look that said yes.

"You came today as well."

Raphine looked around and saw that no one was there, and came close to her nose.

"Why are you doing this these days? Why do people keep coming to pick me up? ...."

Raphine's narrowed forehead was full of doubt.

Zerkan stared at Raphine like that. My stomach churned as if I was suffocating.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

As Zerkan's expression was unsettling, Raphine came a little closer.

"Are you okay?"

Raphine's eyes, looking up at her worriedly, were so lovely that it was sad.

Zerkan suddenly wondered.

Is it really that I can't win your heart forever? If so, does that mean you won't be able to have my heart too?

The moment he asked himself that question, Zerkan realized his own heart.

Whether or not he wins Raphine's heart is independent of that.

I want to give everything I have to Raffine without any cost. whatever it is

Then he opened his mouth.

"Raphine."

Raphine opened her eyes and looked up at him. Zerkan's complexion was also pale.

A small, white hand caressed Zerkan's cheek.

It was an act to check his body temperature, but Zerkan did not miss it and placed his hand on Raffine's.

"I think Antonio is suspicious of us."

"Yeah?"

Raphine's eyes widened. What are you talking about all of a sudden?

"Anthony is watching us in the distance."

Zerkan said, pointing over Raffine's shoulder. But there was no one at the end of the empty hallway corridor.

Just as Raphine's head was about to turn, Zerkan blocked it with her other hand.

'Uh, uh....'

In an instant, Zerkan's face came closer. Raphine took a deep breath and hardened.

Zerkan rubbed her face with Raphine's palm that was placed on her cheek.

His fingers tickled the back of his hand. Raphine's shoulders shrugged at the strange sensation.

"You can't be suspicious."

"that...."

Zerkan wanted to confirm. Whether or not Antonio is really in Raphine's heart.

"If you're going to act, you have to do it right."

With those words, Zerkan's lips swallowed Raphine's.

The sweet breath seeped into his nose and he couldn't come to his senses.

Raphine was stunned by the sudden kiss, but couldn't push him away.

After the wedding, Raphine was thinking about how to kiss again.

I wanted to use this method in the past.

'If I pretended to be someone far away and deceived Zerkan, I would have kissed her several times already.'

Raphine closed her eyes tightly, without even imagining that Zerkan would have used that method first.

The touch of their lips was as enchanting as the scene in his memory, or even more enchanting than that.

Her lips parted for a moment, and Raphine let out a sigh as if she didn't know it. However, Zerkan's lips did not move far away.

side. Along with the brief kiss that tickled the heart, Zerkan whispered while keeping their lips together.

"Wrap your arms around my neck."

"...."

Raphine wrapped her arms around Zerkan's neck as instructed. At the same time, Zerkan's lips overlapped again.

It was a more hasty kiss than before.

The soft flesh of Raphine opened her lips and dug into them. Raphine opened her eyes wide and just rolled her eyes.

It wasn't just a kiss, it was a deep kiss. The arm wrapped around Zerkan's neck automatically gained strength.

Raphine was confused.

'But can we do this?'

It's acting, can I do it like this?

Besides, when you think about it, something is strange.

Antonio is behind Raffine's back, at the end of the corridor... At that angle, even if we just pretended to be kissing, we would be deceived.

But even this far? Is it that serious too?

Thoughts flooded into me, but Raphine couldn't keep up with her thoughts.

Zerkan kissed her and pulled Raffine's back tight and hugged her.

Raphine was nervous as it was the first time she had been so close to Zerkan, but she did not want to fall.

Rather, I wanted to overlap the body with Zerkan closer and closer.

As their breathing began to change wildly, Rafine felt the fuse in her head blown and blown.

'Okay, let's swell up the lips tomorrow.'

That's when I decided to kiss again in earnest.

Suddenly, Zerkan's lips fell.

As the bodies of each other, which were so close to each other, moved away, a cold wind blew between them.

Feeling the immense emptiness, Raphine looked up at Zerkan with a blank expression.

"...."

One corner of Zerkan's lips rose slightly. With a charming smile that seemed to stop his heart, he wiped the underside of Raphine's lips.

It's like fixing smudged makeup.

'Are you done?'

Raphine blinked her eyes. So close.

Shall we fool who is behind Zerkan's back this time? While Raphine was in conflict, Zerkan raised an eyebrow and smiled at what was so good.

It was a light smile as if an unknown problem had been resolved.

he concluded He cannot give his whole heart to Raphine.

Exactly, it didn't have to be.

'You've already had it for a long time. My heart.'

Raphine had already plundered everything she had long ago.

Zerkan finally realized all his feelings for Raphine. And decided.

He promises to make sure Raphine will never leave his side.

Now it was his turn.

It's time to steal Raphine's heart.

* * *

While Viscount Tedler's funeral was taking place, Rebecca was able to avoid detention.

It was because of the culture of the empire that revolved around the family. Public sympathy for the empress grew, and the emperor was forced to lift the detention order during the funeral.

However, the real party, Rebecca, was still in the room of the Sepia Palace.

She bit her nails, as if anxiously.

This morning I got a call from Geralt Tedler.

There was news that he was going to borrow St. Celestine from the Sepia Palace, but he didn't tell me what he was doing.

That's why I couldn't do anything because I was afraid that something big was going to happen.

I felt it the last time we talked, but Gerrol seemed to know everything.

That he was the one who killed Viscount Tedler.

I could feel it through the gaze that kept looking at me with strange eyes. That eerie gaze that seemed to make fun of her.

"Damn it...."

If that's true, Gerrol will surely seek revenge on him.

Gerol was the guy who followed his father more than anyone else.

Right now, I'm acting as if I'm in a boat with myself, but....

'It's sure to push me off a cliff.'

The queen continued her thoughts calmly.

Gerol and Rebecca had the same ultimate goal. To make Antonio the emperor.

However, despite having the same goal, each other's existence gets in the way. You can't share power.

The way to the goal was also the same.

Destroying Crown Prince Zerkan. So, using the Empress....

'for a moment.'

Rebecca's eyes narrowed. When I thought about it, it seemed that Gerald's target wasn't the Empress.

Anyway, the Empress was a difficult existence to touch.

However, it was even more difficult for Zerkan's old friends, Adrian and Violet. Especially since Violet is a spirit warrior and has excellent swordsmanship.

'if so....'