“I tried to watch what you were thinking, but I don’t know.”
Belled closed his eyes as if he were patient. And then.
“What on earth are you thinking?”
Thump.
Is he getting impatient? Unlike last night when he had seemed relaxed, he changed his posture and placed his hand on the railing right next to her.
As if he was trying to prevent her from leaving without answering.
“From what I saw, you didn’t seem to have any intention of cooperating with the temple. And you even looked at each and every servant.”
His gaze touched the tomb where Kilratia was and then dropped.
It was now a place covered in darkness and silence. As if nothing had happened.
“You were looking at the devil as if you were dealing with a human. Not with contempt like the priests.”
“...”
His cold fingertips ran over Beryl’s slightly parted lower lip.
Beryl’s body trembled. She tried to confuse whether it was the chill of the cold air or the tingling sensation that reminded her of last night.
“If you really don’t want to cooperate with the temple. If you could treat the servants like human beings instead of despising them. At least you could treat us as equals instead of looking down on us as subhuman creatures. How about moving with us?”
“...!”
Beryl’s eyes widened. This was an unexpected proposal.
Of course, she thought she could join hands with Vine if the opportunity arose. No, she thought joining hands would be the best option.
The problem was that she was a Saintess and they didn’t trust her. But who would have thought he would make this proposal first?
“Of course, you’re suspicious of my proposal.”
Belled said as if he had read her train of thought.
“What would these demons do when they seduce people again... If you have such thoughts, I will tell you honestly.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“I see myself in the mirror every day. I see myself losing my magic power like Kilratia, losing my reason, and becoming a monster.”
There was no time to be surprised by the new fact that changes occur when magic power runs out.
“But my end has changed since you came.”
Beryl’s eyes widened at Belled’s words.
“That’s why I’m worried about you. My end after you came wasn’t death.”
A strange heat rose in his eyes.
“The farthest I can see my end after you came is...”
His hand went up to wrap around Beryl’s hair. The fingertips that came up along with the dark green hair touched her ear.
“Of a woman with this dark green hair.”
The fingertips that ran down her body touched the inside of her clothes, the pure white part.
“She was lying on the hem of her pure white dress, smiling. Not death.”
“...Dark green... hair?”
It wasn’t a common hair color. And didn’t he say that the future changed after she came? She didn’t know exactly what the ‘end’ he saw was, but it was certain. She and the woman he saw were related.
That was probably...
“Could that be you? I’m going crazy thinking about it.”
He bit his lip.
“I feel like you’re going to change something about me. I feel like you’re going to change the ending of my boring life.”
She could almost hear the strength in his hand that was pressing against the wall.
“If you denounce this place as the devil and leave this place, will my future turn into death again? If that’s the case, I can’t let you go. I’m going crazy thinking about that.”
Belled’s words were unusually leisurely.
“What about you?”
Like someone wandering in the middle of the desert who finds an oasis to quench their thirst.
Like someone who doesn’t even have the time to figure out whether it’s a mirage or not.
“I...”
“Don’t you already know everything? And yet you’re writing this letter.”
His gaze turned to the letter once again.
“You don’t seem to be planning on reporting us to the temple. Don’t you?”
Even if she wanted to say no, she couldn’t deny it if he already knew everything from her past life.
Even if she didn’t know what he saw, if he saw her second death, where she was offered as a sacrifice at the temple, it would be easy to know that she didn’t believe in the temple.
In the end, Beryl nodded. The corners of Belled’s mouth went up.
“If you knew that the temple betrayed you and that they were just another demon pursuing desires like ours.”
His hands tightened around Beryl’s waist.
“If what you saw was the hell of the human world, then better.”
The resonant voice left a large echo in Beryl’s ears.
“How about a real hell as your ally?”
Anywhere is hell anyway. Beryl’s eyes widened at those words.
An ally?
“I’ve never been this attracted to one person. But it’s strange how I’m so crazy about one person that I can’t do anything.”
He smiled.
“Take advantage of this opportunity.”
It felt like too much information was coming in at once. Beryl tried to organize her thoughts.
“Use me, you say.”
“How...”
Even if she didn’t know what he saw, if he saw her second death, where she was offered as a sacrifice at the temple, it would be easy to know that she didn’t believe in the temple.
In the end, Beryl nodded. The corners of Belled’s mouth went up.
“If you knew that the temple betrayed you and that they were just another demon pursuing desires like ours.”
His hands tightened around Beryl’s waist.
“If what you saw was the hell of the human world, then better.”
The resonant voice left a large echo in Beryl’s ears.
“How about a real hell as your ally?”
Anywhere is hell anyway. Beryl’s eyes widened at those words.
An ally?
“I’ve never been this attracted to one person. But it’s strange how I’m so crazy about one person that I can’t do anything.”
He smiled.
“Take advantage of this opportunity.”
It felt like too much information was coming in at once. Beryl tried to organize her thoughts.
“Use me, you say.”
“How...”
He was the Duke of Vine, Belled, and probably the most powerful demon Belled in this land.
How about him?
Belled laughed at those words.
“Just stay like this.”
Then I’ll be possessed.
“Please stay by my side. An ally who wants to protect you, something you couldn’t have in your last life. I can fulfill not only your desire to live but also your desire from last night.”
“...!”
At the mention of last night, Beryl’s face flushed as a hot memory came to mind.
Belled pulled her into his warm embrace. Then his presence seemed to reveal its heat more clearly.
Even the hand that was holding her began to heat up. It seemed as if every part of it was getting hotter.
Belled whispered to her as she let out a breath without realizing it.
“With me...”
His hand wrapped around the back of her head and touched the back of her neck and her shoulder blades, spreading the heat.
The powerful fingertips that reached under her arms drew out the heat from her as well. Along with the strange pleasure that had intoxicated her last night.
The firm fingertips seemed to support her body so that it would not collapse. But on the other hand, they seemed to hold her so that she could not escape.
Belled, who had been caressing her as if he could give her such a thing, whispered,
“Open the gates of hell, Beryl.”
Who could make such a suggestion to a Saintess? Beryl’s breathing stopped.
But Belled seemed confident.
“The demons you’ve seen don’t resemble humans as much as you might think. Or maybe humans resemble demons.”
He narrowed his eyes. Then he lowered himself and kissed her fingertips, just like a knight would greet a Saintess. However, the one who was tempting her to open the gates of hell right in front of her was a demon.
The inside of his soft lips touched the inside of her fingers, then moved up to the back of her hand, leaving a small mark.
His slightly raised gaze looked up at her.
“One thing is certain: we simply reject the rule of God and wish to rise up on our own power, and harming humans is rather due to God’s curse.”
As he said that, he spoke with a firm voice.
“I can prove everything. Unlike that faith that cannot be proven.”
He twisted his lips.
“More than anything, if they, humans, were just, truly holy and just, they would not have made you marry someone suspected of being a demon.”
They would not have forced you to sacrifice yourself and used you only as a tool.
That was right.
As if he had pierced her thoughts exactly, Beryl unconsciously grabbed his shoulder tightly at his cool words.
“So tell me, Beryl. Will you live in hell for you, or?”
Will you open the gates of hell with me, or...
“Will you live in heaven for them?”
“Please stay by my side. An ally who wants to protect you, something you couldn’t have in your last life. I can fulfill not only your desire to live but also your desire from last night.”
“...!”
At the mention of last night, Beryl’s face flushed as a hot memory came to mind.
Belled pulled her into his warm embrace. Then his presence seemed to reveal its heat more clearly.
Even the hand that was holding her began to heat up. It seemed as if every part of it was getting hotter.
Belled whispered to her as she let out a breath without realizing it.
“With me...”
His hand wrapped around the back of her head and touched the back of her neck and her shoulder blades, spreading the heat.
The powerful fingertips that reached under her arms drew out the heat from her as well. Along with the strange pleasure that had intoxicated her last night.
The firm fingertips seemed to support her body so that it would not collapse. But on the other hand, they seemed to hold her so that she could not escape.
Belled, who had been caressing her as if he could give her such a thing, whispered,
“Open the gates of hell, Beryl.”
Who could make such a suggestion to a Saintess? Beryl’s breathing stopped.
But Belled seemed confident.
“The demons you’ve seen don’t resemble humans as much as you might think. Or maybe humans resemble demons.”
He narrowed his eyes. Then he lowered himself and kissed her fingertips, just like a knight would greet a Saintess. However, the one who was tempting her to open the gates of hell right in front of her was a demon.
The inside of his soft lips touched the inside of her fingers, then moved up to the back of her hand, leaving a small mark.
His slightly raised gaze looked up at her.
“One thing is certain: we simply reject the rule of God and wish to rise up on our own power, and harming humans is rather due to God’s curse.”
As he said that, he spoke with a firm voice.
“I can prove everything. Unlike that faith that cannot be proven.”
He twisted his lips.
“More than anything, if they, humans, were just, truly holy and just, they would not have made you marry someone suspected of being a demon.”
They would not have forced you to sacrifice yourself and used you only as a tool.
That was right.
As if he had pierced her thoughts exactly, Beryl unconsciously grabbed his shoulder tightly at his cool words.
“So tell me, Beryl. Will you live in hell for you, or?”
Will you open the gates of hell with me, or...
“Will you live in heaven for them?”
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