#60
Hereis lifted his gaze, which had been cast downwards. His piercing blue eyes were now clear and resolute, as if he had already reached a conclusion.
“I know full well that you would not succumb to mere poison,” Hereis began. “Yet, the news of you collapsing after ingesting it made my heart plummet. Never in my life have I been so overwhelmed by such fear.
“The thought of losing you, the possibility that I *had* lost you, drove me to madness the entire way here.”
Hereis pressed a deep kiss to the back of Jeha’s hand, which he still held firmly.
Only then did Jeha notice Hereis’s disheveled silver hair and clothing, evidence of his frantic rush to get there.
“You don’t have to worry about losing me, of all things,” Jeha said playfully, attempting to lighten the mood. “I am a Demon King, after all.”
Hereis slowly lifted his lips from Jeha’s hand, letting out a soft sigh. He then murmured, almost to himself.
“I know. But precisely because of that… I fear the day I might truly lose you.”
Hereis pulled Jeha into a tight embrace, holding him with a strength that was almost painful. From his arms, a mix of ink, tea, and Hereis’s unique, faint scent wafted.
‘It’s surprising how pleasant and comforting another person’s scent can be,’ Jeha thought, as he returned the hug. He gently patted Hereis’s back, a silent reassurance.
They remained in each other’s arms for a long while. As he was held tightly in Hereis’s broad embrace, Jeha vaguely realized something.
He had only considered the poisoning absurd, but in truth, he had been somewhat startled. The inexplicable sense of relief he felt in Hereis’s arms suggested he might have been a little afraid after all.
“If it was a poison capable of affecting even a demon… are there no lingering effects?” Hereis’s voice trailed off. “I wish I could treat you myself, but…”
His words faded into silence.
For an ordinary human, there would be no better treatment than his divine power. However, pouring divine power into Bellarossa’s body, which was a fragment of the Demon God, was akin to injecting it with an opposing poison.
Even Hereis, with all his formidable divine power, likely couldn’t significantly harm Jeha, a Demon King. Yet, there was a considerable risk that the seal could break under the influence of such conflicting forces.
“Come to think of it,” Hereis lamented, “there’s nothing I can do for you, Lord Jeha.”
His voice was laced with self-reproach.
“Why do you say there’s nothing? I’m doing all this precisely because I have something to gain from you.”
At Jeha’s words, Hereis released his embrace and met his gaze, his eyes questioning.
“You, of course. I’m doing all of this to claim your body and soul, Hereis. Have you forgotten our contract?”
Jeha tapped the tip of Hereis’s prominent nose with his fingertip. Only then did a smile spread across Hereis’s eyes.
“It is an honor that you would endure all of this just to acquire someone like me,” Hereis said.
He kissed the back of Jeha’s hand, then didn’t stop there. He meticulously pressed his lips to each of Jeha’s fingers.
Each time his lips touched and withdrew, Jeha’s skin tingled, a thrilling sensation.
It felt as though a seductive atmosphere was about to rekindle. As Hereis kissed and then released his pinky finger, Jeha subtly pulled his hand away.
“Marquess Belgarga consumed the poison, but fortunately vomited it up, barely surviving,” Jeha stated. “Archbishop Hereis, having rushed to his side, poured immense divine power into him, thus healing him. Well, that should be enough to wrap up this incident plausibly.”
“The one who poisoned you, Lord Jeha…”
As Hereis spoke slowly, his eyes sharpened with a cold, blue glint.
“I’ll handle that on my own,” Jeha quickly interjected, cutting him off.
He then willed his heartbeat back to normal. His body, which had been weak and dizzy, instantly returned to its usual state.
The paleness in his hands, devoid of color moments before, quickly gave way to a healthy flush.
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine,” Jeha said with a worried tone. “But I’m concerned about you, Hereis. There’s no guarantee that the poison meant for me won’t target you next.”
Despite Hereis’s immense divine power, he was still just a human. While he might withstand human poisons, Jeha couldn’t be certain he could fend off those from the demon realm.
“The culprit acted the very day after you arrived in Enkarosha,” Hereis explained. “If someone so swift had intended to poison me, they would have tried long ago.
“Their current objective is likely to hinder my influence and isolate me. So, please, do not worry too much.”
Hereis, speaking reassuringly, lowered his head and gave Jeha a light kiss. Jeha, who had been trying to prevent the mood from becoming intimate, felt a silent wave of relief when the kiss ended quickly.
“Now that Marquess Belgarga has fully recovered, you should return,” Jeha suggested.
Jeha made the suggestion, pushing aside his own reluctance. Hereis, however, helped Jeha lie down and then settled himself on the edge of the bed.
“I’ll stay and nurse you a little longer before I go,” Hereis said. “No lover would simply heal their beloved after they nearly died from poison and then leave immediately.”
Hereis’s words held undeniable truth. Jeha pulled the blanket up to his neck, watching Hereis genuinely check his forehead for a fever.
‘He certainly didn’t want the mating festival to resume in the demon realm just yet.’
Hereis remained by his side until deep into the night, finally departing only after receiving multiple urgent summons from the Grand Temple. Nominally, Jeha had been perfectly healed by Hereis, allowing him to move about freely like a normal person the following morning. The situation at the mansion, however, was far from normal.
When Jeha finally opened his eyes late that morning, the mansion was in an uproar.
Beyond the door, Paimon’s voice could be heard, issuing various commands.
“Have you woken, Master?”
Zephyr’s voice came from beside his head. Jeha turned to see Zephyr sitting on a chair by the head of his bed.
“What are you doing here?”
“What else? I was nursing you, Master,” Zephyr replied blithely.
“Nursing? I’m not even sick,” Jeha grumbled, a little embarrassed that he had slept so soundly without realizing Zephyr was there.
“Since the assassination attempt by poison failed, who knows? They might send assassins next,” Zephyr chattered. “Of course, I know you can handle everything yourself, Master, but what about my reputation then?”
Zephyr’s words did have a point. After all, Zephyr had been a knight who grew up with Marquess Belgarga since childhood. It was only natural for him to guard his master after an attempted poisoning.
“Paimon?”
“He’s packing our belongings.”
“Packing?”
“Since a poisoned soup was served to you, Master, it must have been the work of one of this mansion’s employees. We can’t arbitrarily dismiss someone else’s staff, so we’re moving to a different location.”
“Where to?”
Zephyr smiled broadly at Jeha’s question.
“Why, to the Belgarga family’s mansion, of course.”
“The Belgarga mansion? There was one in Enkarosha?” Jeha asked, looking utterly bewildered.
He distinctly remembered that the Belgarga family didn’t own a mansion in Enkarosha, which was why they had temporarily rented this place.
“The reason I was away was precisely to find and purchase a suitable mansion for you to reside in here in Enkarosha,” Zephyr explained. “It was quite a struggle; there weren’t any appropriate properties available.
“But who am I? I pulled a few strings and acquired a fine mansion in the city center.”
“Hoo…”
Jeha looked impressed. Seeing this, Zephyr’s face swelled with pride.
“You’ll definitely like it when you see it. I had quite a time getting those rascals living there to move out.”
From Zephyr’s words, it seemed he hadn’t bought a house that was on the market, but rather picked one he liked, somehow evicted the residents, and forcibly acquired it.
It was such a typical demon-like action that Jeha didn’t even think to scold him for it.
“You did pay for it, right?”
“Of course! Otherwise, you, Master, would earn a reputation for being petty, and I couldn’t possibly let that happen,” Zephyr declared. “I paid a very generous sum.”
Regardless of the method, it was unfortunate that people were forcibly evicted. However, if a generous price had been paid, Jeha considered it settled.
After all, to pay a generous sum for a good mansion in the center of Enkarosha would undoubtedly amount to an astronomical figure.
“It’s about time we prepared to move to the new mansion. I’ve already arranged for tailors and merchants to be there.”
“Tailors and merchants?” Jeha asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
Zephyr’s eyes widened as he responded.
“Didn’t you receive an invitation to Miss Fanucci’s birthday party in a few days? It will be your debut in Enkarosha’s high society, Master, so we absolutely cannot be negligent with your attire or accessories.
“Furthermore, the mansion itself needs to be entirely redecorated to suit your tastes. And, of course, we must hire new butlers and staff to work there.”
“Ah, right…”
Jeha nodded, understanding immediately. He then picked up Kkamangi, who was rubbing its head against his chest and purring, and hugged it tightly.
A premonition of a very busy day settled upon him.