Diello was taken aback, and so were the servants trapped in the fire. In an instant, as a tearful maid caught my eye, unconsciously, I found myself walking towards the flames.

It felt like something I had to do.

“Are you really going to burn everything?”

The water energy flowing through my body stood in the way of his fire.

Swoosh!

A fierce clash of strength resounded.

“….!”

Diello’s power was undeniably strong. Despite water’s natural advantage against fire, there was a limit to suppressing his power, which was equal to that of the head.

Perhaps that was the reason.

Swoosh!

The blue flames that had spread onto my clothes began to consume the fabric. Just as I gritted my teeth…

“…Krua?”

He called out my name with wide eyes.

Clang!

The sword he held in his hand fell to the ground the next moment, and just like that, the flames that had engulfed us disappeared. The flames that had been threatening to devour the servants vanished as well.

All that remained was the intense heat.

Thud!

Before I could fully register what was happening, Diero had pulled me into a tight embrace. The touch of his bare skin, the warmth of his breath, everything about him was scorching.

“Are you alright?”

He asked urgently.

“Yes, Dr. Nias said there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Though, of course, my voice sounded hoarse and strained.

Did my voice provoke something in Diello? All of a sudden, he held me tighter, exerting more strength in his arms.

“Who could have done this to you, Krua? I was trying to find out.”

That was what it seemed like. However, this wasn’t Diello’s usual approach.

[ Emotional outbursts reveal the true nature of one’s inner turmoil. ]

That was how it was written in the original.

Was this who Diello truly was? It was difficult to believe that this intense atmosphere was coming from him.

His lingering heat engulfed me.

“I was genuinely worried.”

It wasn’t just an act, it was sincere.

The sound of a small voice that only I could hear surprised me.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

Then, he scooped me up in a quick hug, seemingly oblivious to the shivering servants.

“Diello!”

Startled, I couldn’t help but flinch, but he just smiled faintly. There was still a strange light in his blue eyes.

“Let’s rest.”

* * *

“Are you really okay, Krua? What happened?”

Diello’s question, as we made our way to the bedroom, seemed to come from genuine concern.

The earlier tremble in his voice had now been replaced with a calmness that almost seemed too peaceful. Nevertheless, his eyes still glimmered with that same strange light, a telltale sign of his emotional outburst.

“Surely, Dr. Nias…”

Dr. Nias had told him that I was in danger.

Hearing his voice quivered as he spoke, I reached out and gently patted his shoulder, trying to soothe him.

Plop.

As I lay down on the bed, Diello’s gaze turned towards me. If his eyes weren’t faintly shining, I wouldn’t have believed he was in such an emotional outburst.

“That’s right. The poison spread through the blood. It’s even more dangerous because of that.”

I confidently laughed at Diello’s words as I finished my words.

“Still, blood is just a liquid, after all.”

Alors’ power was seen in my hand.

“Liquid is still under Alors’ control.”

His eyes widened.

“Ah…”

He finally let out a sigh as if he was relieved.

“To be able to pick out only harmful things from blood, even if it is a liquid… It’s an amazing ability.”

A strained smile appeared on his face as he rubbed his face.

“It’s a coveted ability, no doubt about it.”

As he lifted his hand, a faint smile, almost like a grimace, graced his face.

“The problem is that I’m not the only one who covets it.”

As his voice resounded through the bedroom, I found myself pausing, unsure of how to respond.

“…Yes?”

His strangely shining gaze returned to me. Even though his gaze seemed complicated, it was clear that he was worried about me. Ah, this was probably because his emotions were running wild. The Diello, who showed me his true nature, was a bit more expressive.

Then, he sighed.

“It would have been better if you were really my Ferro.”

It was a voice filled with regret. Since people didn’t usually lie during emotional outbursts, it must have been sincere.

As if to prove it, his gaze was fixed on me. It was as if he didn’t want me to leave this place.

I looked at him and opened my mouth.

“… Don’t get too attached to me, Diello.”

I had to say this for sure.

He immediately retorted.

“Why? Because you have to leave soon?”

It was an unhesitant answer as if he had thought about the answer several times.

I nodded slightly at his response.

“…It hurts to get attached to someone who has to leave soon.”

Of course, I knew that I was also being stubborn.

Diello’s fluttering eyelashes were especially noticeable, and I was worried about how he would react. The thought of it might ruin our current relationship.

However, we must still adhere to our principles. It was the path that was meant for us. In the end, he would end up with his Ferr, and it would be awkward for me to be in between two people who were meant to share true love.

The longer it took for the Ferro to develop feelings for him, the longer it would take for his abilities to blossom.

“….”

Diello stared at me for a while. As his eyes slowly blinked, he spoke in a gentle voice.

“When I was young, I caught a rabbit.”

Despite the fact that it was a sudden story about a rabbit, his gaze had a gripping power that could hold a person.

“Back then, I was weak and couldn’t move quickly.”

He slowly grabbed and released my hand while speaking.

“Whenever I thought I caught it, it would slip away at the last moment.”

His slightly wrinkled face was unfamiliar as he went on.

“The rabbit that seemed to be caught kept slipping away, and it was driving me crazy.”

He looked at me, and without blinking, he spoke with sparkling eyes.

“I thought about giving up, but I was afraid I would regret it.”

He smiled beautifully.

“So, I burned down the mountain with fire.”

…He wanted to make the rabbit run to him instead.

I opened my eyes wide at his words.

I wasn’t naive enough to not understand the meaning of his words. At the same time, I remembered something we had talked about before. When I complimented his eyes, “They’re beautiful like the sea.” he replied, “The actual sea is much more darker than this.”

I had casually ignored his words then.

What did he mean by that? Did the deep sea symbolize a dark color? Or did it mean that the deep sea was not beautiful?

When I looked at his dark eyes, Diello calmly opened his mouth again.

“However…”

He then leaned towards me, lying on the bed.

Whoosh.

The lights in the room seemed to be turned off by his power. Under the dim light, we could barely see each other’s faces and he whispered.

“I feel like playing with fire again, just like then.”

I knew it. It seemed that the heat coming from him was not Argenta’s power, but exclusively his own.

His desire.

My mouth felt dry with his heat.

‘Three Duke Family.’

The original story was a novel with only crazy characters. Was Diello Argenta also a crazy character in that novel? Or was it because of his emotional outburst?

“What should I do, Krua?”

Diello asked with a pretty smile. Even with his gentle gaze, the fierce light was not fading but becoming deeper.

Goodness.

‘Well, he wouldn’t shed blood or lock me up, so I think he’s fine?’

…No, didn’t I already see the blood? I recalled the sword that was in his hands at the thought. Whether it was because of the frenzy or not, there was definitely a side of Diello that I did not know.

“….”

I was aware that he didn’t want to break up with me. Even though I wanted to play dumb and move on, I couldn’t. He was talking about setting everything on fire. It was as if he wanted me to jump into his arms like a rabbit.

He didn’t want to let me go.

In this moment, I had to find a way to calm him down.

Thump, thump, thump.

I could hear the sound of my heart beating in my ears. I tried my best to remain calm, despite the tension.

“Playing with fire is fine, but don’t forget your goal.”

I raised my index finger to stop him.

Diello’s eyes narrowed at my words.

“We have to defeat the Duke Alors.”

He didn’t deny my words, which meant he hadn’t completely lost his mind. Seeing that, I spoke slowly to him.

“You can’t risk your life trying to catch a rabbit.”

This wasn’t a relationship where we were trying to catch rabbits.

Diello stared at me for a long time after my words before he slowly opened his mouth. His lips brushed against my finger as if he was trying to provoke me. But even while doing so, he didn’t blink and just looked at me.

I shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation that ran through my fingertips.

“You want me to kill the Duke Alors and the men who sought after you, right?”

His hot breath scattered in front of me.

I slowly nodded my head.

“Yes.”

I’d do anything to stay alive.

As Diello fell silent for a moment at my words, without hesitation, he let out a soft and gentle laugh. It was a laugh I was familiar with. However, his eyes still had a faint blue hue.

His emotions were still running wild.

“Got it.”

Even so, his voice was gentle when he replied.

Like a tamed sheep.

—