Noelier took a slow step. The red eyes I had always thought were warm were cold.
The man seemed to have lost his reason due to the immense pain.
"Please! Please save me! Someone help me!"
The man reached out his other hand, which was not yet burned, to me. At that desperate gesture, I flinched involuntarily.
However, even that hand was consumed by the scorching flames. The man's struggle intensified.
"S-save me! Aaaargh!"
Screams filled my ears.
I hurriedly turned my head toward Noelier.
I didn't know he might really die at this rate.
It wasn't that I wanted the man to die. Of course, that man deserved to die. But the heat was too intense.
Suddenly, I remembered a dream I had been having repeatedly.
That sight of him closing his eyes and submitting to the flames, as if he had given up everything.
I didn't know that at this rate, a rampage might really start.
As soon as I thought that, my body moved on its own.
“Noel!”
I hurriedly wrapped my arms around Noelier's waist. The tremendous heat surrounding him seeped into my body.
It was so hot that I felt like my body would burn up at any moment. It felt like boiling lava was being poured over my body.
But I couldn't back down.
I tightened my grip on his waist. With my fingers clasped together, I buried my face in his broad back.
'Please.'
May my faint chill cool the heat.
I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed like that.
The heat that had filled my body slowly subsided.
I quickly raised my head to check on the man.
The man, staring at his blackened arm, slumped straight down. It looked as if he had fainted.
I turned my head back to look at Noelier. The sunlight poured in backward, casting shadows on his face. I couldn't see clearly, so I blinked a few times. Soon, our eyes met.
"..."
Then, the red eyes regained their original color.
"... Eve..."
He called my name, stammering as if he couldn't believe it. He seemed unable to distinguish whether this was reality or a hallucination he had created himself.
Although it was a short time of less than a week, he had become noticeably thinner.
Without realizing it, I reached out and stroked his cheek.
Noelier flinched and trembled as cold fingertips touched him.
As if regaining his senses, Noelier hurriedly moved away from my side.
"Eve, this... this is... I mean..."
He seemed flustered and couldn't even meet my eyes properly.
"I am sorry for coming here so arbitrarily. I was just going to go back, but worried that something might happen to Eve, I unintentionally..."
He was in a panic.
"I... I wanted to make an excuse. Eve told me not to come, but I felt like I had to say something, something..."
Unorganized words poured out of his mouth. The way he covered his mouth with his large hand, looking at himself at a loss, spoke volumes about his bewilderment.
I was about to say something, but I closed my mouth.
Thinking that I didn't want to speak, his anxious face began to cloud over.
"..."
Flustered, he turned to sorrow. The corners of his eyes grew increasingly red. He slowly parted his lips, then bit them again.
"... Eve."
The voice calling my name struggled. The Adam's apple was rippling as if holding something back.
"...I was wrong.”
The voice confessing the mistake was filled with tears.
"I was wrong for deceiving Eve, and for disobeying orders and following her all the way here. Ha. But. I was worried that Eve might never come back. So..."
He could not finish his sentence. It was then that tears streamed down his white cheeks.
Noelier touched his face with his hand, looking a little surprised.
"Ah..."
His eyes widened as he noticed that his cheek was wet. It seemed like tears that even the owner did not know about.
"Noel."
Startled by my call, he roughly wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. His wiping motion was hurried, as if it didn't sting.
"... Sorry."
He lowered his hand along with the apple.
With his eyes reddened, he looked at me as if nothing had happened, with a face that seemed ready to listen to whatever I said, but tears welled up again.
Noelier also seemed to resent the tears that kept welling up.
"...I'm not crying on purpose. I want to hold it in, but..."
He bit his lip as if trying to hold back. It was as if he were saying he didn't even deserve to cry.
"But, thinking that I might not be able to see Eve... again like this...”
Even after wiping them away repeatedly, the tears did not stop. The beautiful face began to be stained.
He stammered as he opened his mouth.
"I am sorry for pretending not to know. I was grateful that you treated me kindly even though you knew I was a dragon. I wanted to be with Eve. It’s just... that’s all. But I am a frightening presence to Eve. I felt that if I told you I knew everything, you would leave, so I waited for you to tell me."
His face contorted in pain. Wiping his wet cheeks, he continued speaking while gasping for breath.
"...Eve is my world that I encountered just before death."
My voice was a mess from crying.
"Anything, anything. If Eve wishes, I could even lay down everything that exists in the world at your feet. So..."
He held his breath once and pleaded as if spitting it out.
"Please don't leave..."
With those words, Noelier burst into tears again. As if he could no longer hold back, his shoulders heaved violently.
I slowly approached Noelier.
I wondered if I should wipe his tears, but then I reached out and hugged him around the waist.
He let out a sob and hugged my waist tightly, as if he would never let go.
"...Noel."
I slowly patted his back. The rising heat was overwhelming, but I didn't want to push him away as he rubbed his face against my shoulder.
Why is he crying so bitterly?
To a dragon, someone like me would be weaker than rolling dust.
Why do you tremble at just my touch and crave affection like this?
I slowly patted his back. I could feel the arms wrapped around me tightening.
“Don’t cry.”
"..."
"If you keep crying, I get sad too."
Then the sobbing subsided.
As he wept so bitterly, it seemed as though I could not see my own sadness. My throat trembled as if trying to swallow my tears, but I could not hold back the stifling sobs.
"Noel, can you show me your face? I think I've completely forgotten what it looks like."
"..."
At my words, he buried his face even deeper into my shoulder and shook his head.
It seemed like he didn't want to show his tear-stained face after having already shown everything.
That sight was just like seeing Zion when he was young.
I let out a light laugh and spoke deliberately, playfully.
" I want to see my husband's face."
"..."
Then the body I was hugging trembled slightly.
“Aren’t you going to show me?”
"..."
"You said earlier that you would listen to everything I said."
As if my last words had worked, he slowly raised his head.
The first thing I saw was long, soaking wet eyelashes.
The corners of his eyes, which he had wiped away time and time again, were red and swollen.
I reached out and wiped the corner of his eye with my thumb.
Noelier let out a trembling breath and rubbed his face against his palm. The tears clinging to it were hot.
"Why are you crying? It breaks my heart."
"..."
"Stop crying. Stop."
Noelier nodded slowly.
But no sooner had I done that, tears streamed down again. It seemed as though even that was out of control.
How can I make him stop crying? After a brief moment of thought, a good idea came to me.
However, even if I put maximum strength into my toes and lifted my head as high as possible, it seemed I would not be able to reach my desired destination.
I had no choice but to kiss the tip of his chin. His pupils widened at this unexpected action.
I opened my mouth while making eye contact with him.
"It finally stopped."
"..."
"I'll give you another kiss if you stop crying."
At that, Noelier, who had been staring at me blankly, quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. A small smile formed on my face without me realizing it.
It felt like I could finally have a conversation. I looked at him and slowly opened my mouth.
"First of all... I’m sorry. I should have listened to what Noel had to say, but I was too embarrassed to even try to talk to you. I shouldn’t have done that."
Then Noelier shook his head. It was as if he were saying that I was not at fault at all. I opened my mouth again.
"But... it is true that I was angry."
Then Noelier lowered his head again with a hurt look on his face.
“Uh huh.”
With a feigned stern voice, I grabbed his face and turned it back toward me.
"I'm not finished speaking yet. Keep your eyes on me."
"..."
Noelier, who had briefly lowered his gaze as if hesitating, finally looked at me. I opened my mouth again.
"At first, I was just blindly angry. I wondered how ridiculous I must have looked, struggling to survive."
"..."
"That's right. To be honest, I thought I couldn't stand the sight of it. That's why I came here. I happened to find family I didn't even know existed."
His face slowly contorted with sadness. But I continued speaking.
"They are incredibly kind and sweet. I was even told that they would let me live here if I wanted. On top of that, they even bestowed the title of 'Princess' upon me."
"Then..."
Sorrow began to well up in his eyes again.
"Then, Eve is here..."
Noelier bit his lip again, as if unable to continue speaking. I quickly opened my mouth before he could finish.
"But suddenly, I had a thought."
"..."
"I wonder if I am happy even though I am here."
I gazed intently at Noelier. He seemed not to understand what I meant.
"Grandpa told me. He said that even if my struggling was amusing, Noel wouldn't have gone out of his way to kiss a lie."
"..."
"Besides, Noel, I heard you went to visit my grandfather. Saying you think you found his granddaughter."
He nodded slowly.
"...But I just had to come back. The King didn't believe me. I didn't tell Eve, fearing it might hurt you unnecessarily."
Upon hearing those words, I felt my resolve becoming even firmer.
The beast world and the human world had been severed for a long time.
In that state, the dragon went to find the human King on its own.
To find my family.
If he had stayed by my side simply to get his heart back, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of finding my family.
I looked him in the eye and spoke.
"So I thought. Just as Noelier found me a family, I want to find a family for others too."
"..."
"So I won't stay there."
Noelier's eyes widened as he pondered my words.
I put strength into my toes again.
As I pulled the hand covering his cheek, his upper body leaned toward me.
When I pulled the hand that was covering his cheek, his upper body leaned toward me.
I didn't miss the chance and kissed his lips. Then I grinned slyly.
"Noel. Will you marry me?"
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