Bitter.
I collapsed, sucking the blood that flowed down my lips.
Huh. What were you expecting?
As Jill widened her eyes and called my name, she couldn’t hide her anticipation.
Was Jill going to recognize me?
Would she be able to?
Of course, such a miraculous thing did not happen.
Jill did not recognize me.
To be more precise, she recognized me but was unaware that she did.
She saw me as an illusion in her dream, which allowed her to see me for a brief moment.
That fleeting time was so precious.
I wanted it to continue.
Forever, I wanted to stay like this with just the two of us.
Embracing Jill after such a long time, feeling her skin against mine made me think that.
I have to let go.
But this was not what I had wished for.
Being recognized as an illusion in a dream was something neither I nor Jill wanted.
If I truly wanted to reunite with Jill, I had to let go here.
This was something that would be sweet as a drug for Jill but would surely hurt her painfully when she woke up.
All I could do was to make her dream an endless, sweet illusion for that brief moment.
Using that as an excuse, I poured out everything I wanted to say to Jill.
I let it all flow out without reservation.
I wished for Jill not to hate herself.
I hoped she wouldn’t be broken any further.
Even as a foolish subject who kept her waiting, I dared to have such desires.
Was it thanks to that?
Or was Jill originally strong?
I could feel the strength in Jill’s footsteps as she received the report and headed outside.
This should do.
As I pulled my hand out of my pocket, golden light spread out.
The yellow jasmine in my hand radiated a more intense light than ever before.
Just a moment ago, it had been wilting away.
Now it felt as fresh as if it had just been picked, with a lively vitality and even a moist sensation.
It wasn’t simply that we had touched; it felt as if we had exchanged something.
Maybe we had shared our life force.
Or perhaps it was just an exchange of saliva…
The lip that Jill had bitten still felt tingly.
“…What a waste.”
Slightly.
Mi Jeong stood on her tiptoes, tugging at my collar, then ran her fingers over my lips, smearing blood on them and sucking it away.
Is it that tasty?
It just tasted like iron to me.
Ignoring the gaze that seemed to say “give me more!” as she looked up at me, I gripped the magic I had been gathering in my palm and prepared for the next jump.
“Let’s go.”
“…Okay.”
Without hesitation, Mi Jeong took my hand.
I split the space once more and leaped directly to the place that the nameless one had mentioned.
…
“Ugh…”
Clack.
A large bottle of alcohol landed on the glass table.
Yulia shook the glass that was completely melted and downed it in one go, then smirked.
What’s happening right now?
She had always loved drinking, but she had never drunk alone in such a mess.
She felt like a complete drunkard.
She knew it all, and she knew this wasn’t right, but…
Even so, quitting alcohol was impossible.
There was simply no other way to relieve stress.
She had no friends to hang out with.
She didn’t have any active hobbies.
In the end, it was either work or liquor…
Lately, even work had been scarce.
During the time they were building the union’s network, she had been negotiating with Linda and had been busier than a bee.
Now, however, the situation demanded more leadership as the Second Fleet Commander rather than technical skills.
That was painfully stressful and unpleasant.
She understood that as part of the union’s structure, she needed to hold some significant position.
She knew the commander of the fleet had a role that required less face time in front of people and fewer conversations in person.
Even a position like hers, which relied heavily on written orders, was still hard for Yulia to bear.
The stress continued to accumulate.
And the one person she could relieve that stress with had left this world four years ago.
Neither Jill nor Yerina had a taste for drinking, so in the end, she had no choice but to endlessly pour alcohol into her stomach alone.
Hah…
Yulia, realizing the glass was empty of ice, got up.
Staggering.
Her steps wobbled as she walked in zigzags.
She took a huge ice cube from the ice machine and placed it into her glass, turning around, and almost lost her balance.
“Huh…?”
Was it just her imagination?
It felt like something just grabbed her…
After steadying herself, Yulia returned to her seat.
Just as she was about to tilt the bottle again, she paused.
“What would Yoo Jin say if he saw this…?”
Her wildly moving arm stopped.
Her mouth went dry.
Yoo Jin liked to drink, but it felt more like he did it to keep Yulia company.
She had never seen him drink alone when she wasn’t around.
So, if he saw her drinking aimlessly like this, he would most likely scold her.
He would tell her to stop drinking for her health.
And then he would probably offer her something to drink instead.
“If I put the glass down, he might kiss me…”
She gently caressed her lips, recalling that yearned sensation.
It felt wrong.
She could barely remember it.
As tears started to flow, she had the illusion that something brushed against her lips.
“Mm… Huh? Ugh…”
Then—smooch. Smooch.
Yulia let out a moan, caught in an awkward position as if something held her cheeks tightly, unable to budge.
It felt like her neck was gripped from behind, unable to pull away.
As if her whole neck was paralyzed.
Something brushed against her lips, but she couldn’t confirm what it was.
Her vision blurred.
Her mind became more and more hazy, and she tasted something sweet, which shouldn’t have come from her mouth.
Hah…
Was I holding my breath?
With a rush, the air that had been trapped exploded out of Yulia’s lungs.
It felt strange.
For some reason, that familiar sensation kept caressing Yulia.
Gently, lovingly.
As if apologizing…
Maybe due to the wind, the hair that had stuck in Yulia’s mouth was brushed away and her front bangs were tidied up.
“Mmm…”
Then—smooch.
She felt a soft touch on her forehead and her body trembled.
Yulia, who originally hated physical contact, couldn’t stand it.
She didn’t even like handshakes.
When she first met Yoo Jin, she woke up in shock when they accidentally touched in her sleep.
But the only touch she had grown accustomed to was Yoo Jin’s.
He accepted her as she was, knew everything about her, and was her solid ally who wouldn’t find anything to dislike.
Yulia would only yield her body to Yoo Jin.
Instinctively, biologically.
Then what was this?
Was it simply an illusion?
A dream?
Had she drunk too much?
Yulia decided to give up on thinking.
It felt too dreamy to continue pondering.
Huh?! Huh? Mmm…
Then she gulped, gulped.
Her jaw went slack as a sensation flowed down her throat.
Something thick and viscous wrapped around her throat.
Her jaw ached.
And at that moment…
“□□ □□ □□ □□ □□□.”
“…!”
A sharp pain pierced her head.
Her eyes flew wide open.
Thud!
It felt like her heart dropped as Yulia grasped the table.
The blurred vision cleared, and her hazy mind returned.
The intoxication from the liquor had completely vanished.
What was happening?
Just as she pondered, the room was filled with a chilling energy.
Startled, she turned around, and Yerina had closed the door and was staring intently at Yulia with a serious expression.
“Yulia. Come here.”
“Huh…?”
“Get your head together and take my hand. There’s an enemy inside.”
“…!”
Thud!
Yerina lightly stomped her foot.
Magic resonated from the tips of her toes, bursting forth and starting to rampage.
Then, all the magic and demonic energy in the room froze.
Frost began to coat the floor and walls, completely freezing the windows and doors.
A natural barrier.
The completion of an ice prison, where no one could leave without the Frost Duchess’s permission.
“W-What do you mean…?”
“It means what I said. There’s an intruder in headquarters.”
“The alarm—”
“I deliberately didn’t set it off. There’s a risk of the enemy escaping. Just in case, we installed magic detection sensors throughout the headquarters, and they went off once in the Priestess’s quarters, then a little later in yours.”
“Then…?”
“Yes. The culprit is here. It’s the one we’ve been chasing.”
Yerina’s icy gaze swept the spacious room.
Though invisible and imperceptible, she was certain.
Was this the kind of certainty Rex displayed on the battlefield?
The enemy was clearly inside.
