âYour Highness, the liquid on your handkerchief is called the Heart of Eros.â
âThe Heart of Eros?â
Rixus sat loosely at his desk and folded his arms as he listened to Iresâ report.
It was something he had never heard of. He didnât know exactly.
âItâs a kind of love potion, but itâs said to have a much worse effect than that. It makes oneâs eyes turn upside down, yes, to the partner.â
Rixusâ eyebrows turned upside down.
âItâs said that if one mixes it with a drop of blood, the person who drinks it will fall madly in love with the owner of the blood, and the personâs body will boil up and eventually will lust for him or her.â
ââŠâŠ.â
Upon hearing the story, Rixus looked thoughtful for a moment, and asked calmly.
âIs that all?â
ââŠâŠArenât you surprised?â
Rixusâ calm response stunned Ires even more.
âI was really surprised. Yuria, the lady did thisâŠâŠ!â
ââŠâŠ.â
âSheâs not supposed to be like this. Itâs really scary.â
On the other hand, there was no expectation in Rixusâ eyes in the first place.
In a dry, emotionlessly low voice, he said,
âHuman beings are always like that.â
ââŠâŠ.â
When the nanny, who supported him until the end when he was young, eventually changed her mind and brought a lamp to his bedroom and tried to burn him to death.
The expectations for human beings in Rixusâ heart had completely evaporated.
From then on, no matter how harsh or cruel his opponent turned to himâŠâŠ It wasnât that surprising.
Because humans were like that.
Yuria wasnât even the object of his interest.
He didnât even wonder what she was thinking behind that innocent face.
However, she was not forgiven.
She tried to give him a drug, andâŠ
âŠEspecially since she dared to ruin âthis precious marriageâ.
ââŠâŠ.â
Ires shuddered inwardly at the coldness of his superior, then asked cautiously.
ââŠWhat are you going to do?â
âShe has to pay the price.â
Ires became more cautious.
âThen, shall we officially deal with it right away?â
âNo. Thatâs not enough.â
ââŠThen?â
If it was made public now, the Duke of Mavis would desperately try to turn it into a âhappening caused by an immature and vulnerable lady.â
Even though trying to use a drug on the crown prince of a country was a felony that could not be washed away, he would drive public opinion.
Rixus hoped to handle this more clearly.
âFirstâŠâŠ.â
âIâll need a rabbit to run for that.â
Rixusâ lips twisted insidiously.
âIâll pretend Iâm affected.â
âYes?!â
* * *
âIsnât there only the wedding left?â
I sat alone in my bedroom, sipping refreshments, and contemplating.
Just yesterday, all formal wedding preparations were over. I also got a call from Rixusâ side saying that everything was ready.
Now, only the âweddingâ really remains.
But I couldnât help but feel uncomfortable.
I was concerned about when Deborah would use the âBreath of Johannesâ and âThe Poison of Mandra Goraâ, which she traded under a different name.
âIf you want to do a self-play, it will be most effective when there are many eyes to see.â
And it would be possible only when I recommend Yuria to eat something.
The wedding had a traditional procedure that was well suited for that.
âIf you donât see it, then maybeâŠâ
I squeezed my eyes, tired.
âI canât just skip the wedding. Nothingâs easy.â
It was obviously a joke.
âKi-hing.â
Someone from the window answered, âSomethingâ, with a very cute sound.
â?â
I looked up in surprise, and this midday, a baby wolf was stuck in the gap in the window, sticking out its head.
âOh.â
The small, soft, gray baby wolf was a humble figure that didnât yet have the mane hair of an adult.
With that face, he pushed out his little tongue, struggled, but remained stuck in the gap in the window.
When I saw the cute thing, endorphins rushed and a smile appeared on my lips.
ââŠHey, how did you get here?â
Even in the middle of the day!
âSo cute!â
I quickly approached and pulled the baby wolf out of the window.
A red ribbon was tied around its neck. I recognized it at a glance.
It was the ribbon I tied to âShadowâ the other day.
ââŠâŠMaybe this cute little baby wolf is Shadow?!â
I wondered if that was the case, so I looked at the baby wolf suspiciously.
But rather than Shadow, it looked more like a gray cotton ball, still covered with fluffy tufts of hair.
âI made a terrible assumption about this little boy.â
I shook my head and asked.
âDid Shadow send you?â
âKeung!â
The baby wolf put a little pouch on my bed.
âWelcome Giftâ. It was written exactly on the pocket.
It was the item I asked from Shadow last time.
ââŠSeeing that earthworm writhing handwriting, it must have been written by Shadow.â
ââŠ.âŠâ
I said so, but I picked up the precious pouch, opened it, and checked the contents.
Inside was a small bottle of scarlet gas.
âI asked for help, butâŠâŠ.â
When I saw this dangerous object, my heart turned as cold as ice.
The realization that what I was trying to do was âcrazyâ itself, came to me vividly now.
However, the opponent, Yuria, was going to risk her fragile life to create an incident.
This one would be difficult to deal with unless I was more determined than her.
I forcefully steadied my pounding heart and pushed the âWelcome Giftâ deep into the drawer.
And then I opened the note.
<What the hell are you going to use this dangerous thing for?
I hope you donât eat it.
Even the queen will die.>
He was quite concerned that it was going to kill me.
I simply ignored the note, crumpling it.
âBy the way, is this all?â
âKeu?â
âWhat else do you have?â
I looked around the baby wolf.
I even rummaged through its tail.
ââŠ.âŠâ
To the baby wolf, who was young and somewhat disconcerted, I continued rummaging through the soft fur and shouted,
âThat mean bastard⊠He left out the last part of the deal with Deborah?!â
ââŠâŠ.â
âGo to your master and tell him right away. If you donât bring the transaction details, Iâll break into the headquaters in Yggdrasil and freeze them all!â
Kyuuuâ
It was then. The baby wolfâs red eyes were brightly lit and it attacked with cuteness.
Unwittingly drawn by the irresistible cuteness, I hugged and petted the baby wolf.
âHow can your fur be so soft?â
ââŠ.âŠâ
âHow lovely.â
âItâs a little early to confess your love.â
â?!â
âŠâŠWhat kind of bullshitâŠâŠ What kind of wolf talks?!
Soon, the baby wolf jumped off my lap and sneaked up to the window, turning into a human.
Itâs him again. Shadow.
âYou, you bastardâŠ!â
As I pointed my finger in shock, Shadow touched his chest and laughed humorously.
âThe Queenâs arms were so warm.â
â!â
âI didnât know you would hold me so tightly and not let go.â
âFufu,â Shadow, who laughed like it was hilarious, threw a small roll of paper into my arms.
As I frowned, he said.
âI kept my promise, Queen.â
Then in an instant, he sniffed, turned into a wolf, and jumped off the window sill.
â!â
Surprised, I approached the window and looked down to see a baby wolf running slipping through the guards.
It was only then that I realized why he appeared in such a small form. It was midday, so he was trying not to be spotted.
ââŠCrazy. The more I deal with him, the crazier he becomes.â
I opened the scroll with teeth marks once the wolf was completely out of sight.
My heart was pounding.
I was curious and afraid of what the last transaction would be.
<Deborahâs last transaction with Calypso is:
The Heart of Eros.
The effect is written right below.
âŠIf you do this wrong, you will lose your husband, kekek.
If youâre beaten, come to Yggdrasil,
Iâll comfort you directly.>
âAs expected, she was aiming for Rixus!â
My heart plummeted, and my eyes kept seeing black and blue (the ink).
ââŠâŠDangerous.â
I immediately stormed out of my seat and headed for Rixus.
* * *
âFrom today on, the effect of the Heart of Eros will begin to show, right?â
Yuria was now in front of Rixiusâs âpersonal armamentâ.
There, the lady of the noble family was alone, without any servant accompanying her.
Of course, she didnât ask Rixusâ permission beforehand.
Two days before the wedding.
When the lady, who was rumored to have a crush on him, came to his private practice room without an appointmentâŠ
âŠIf it was the usual crown prince, he would be very cold.
âBut if⊠If the Heart of Eros workedâŠâ
He would be different.
She would be greeted differently than usual.
So, this situation was intentionally created.
âIâm so nervous that Iâm going crazy.â
Yuria clasped her sweaty hands and gently opened the door to his private practice room.
Fortunately, no one was at the entrance.
ââŠYour Highness?â
The noise from the inside that seemed like he was training suddenly stopped.
Then soon⊠A fine silhouette slowly walked toward her, raising dust.
Cool eyes, dull expression, black hair and blue-purple eyes.
It was a hard-lipped Rixus.
âLady Mavis.â
ââŠUh? It didnât work?â
Yuriaâs heart fluctuated and sank once with despair.
There was no love in his eyes, he just had a cold face as usual.
Meanwhile, the curves of his muscles were clearly visible through the sweat-soaked shirt. Drops of sweat soaked the nape of his neck and strong shoulders; they caught her eyes.
Her heart skipped a beat and she took a deep breath.
He seemed hot to her. Looking at her while opening the lid of her water bottle, Rixus asked,
âWhy did you come to me?â
ââŠI want to see you.â
As he brought the water bottle to his lips, he laughed out loud, âHahaha!â
It was like a laugh that was a little outrageous, butâŠ
âŠOn the positive side, the smile seemed to be adoring.
He took a large sip of water, swallowed it, and answered the confused Yuria.
âIf we were alone in this private space, we would be misunderstood.â
âIs it better to call someoneâŠ?â
Yuria carefully asked, but she couldnât hide her disappointment.
In order not to be misunderstood, a third party was needed.
ââŠ.âŠâ
Rixus looked at Yuria strangely, with an expression that seemed like he did not know what was inside of her.
It was then.
Iresâs voice was heard from outside the door, looking for Rixus.
It was a situation where a third party was voluntarily brought so as to not be misunderstood.
Rixus stared at her motionlessly with his red eyes⊠Then he opened his mouth.
Upon hearing those words, Yuriaâs heart almost burst open.
âI think itâll be fine if itâs just the two of us for a little longer.â
ââŠâŠ!â
Rixus quickly grabbed Yuriaâs small body and hid them in the gap in the narrow wall.
Yuria felt like the blood from her whole body had drained out once and then returned again.
Her mind was dizzy at the sudden occurrence, and she blinked, thinking.
âIt definitely worked. The Crown Prince wants meâŠ!â
But there was barely any joy, for this situation was too dizzying for an innocent woman.
Badump, badump.
Her gaze rested on the collar bone above Rixusâ chest.
No matter how much she shifted her eyes, she could only see the clear neckline and the stiff jawline.
The smell of sweat mixed with the characteristic masculine body scent was not unpleasant, but felt very seductive.
âYour Highness the Crown Prince!â
Even though Iresâ footsteps could be heard nearby, Rixus was still hiding their bodies.
Then, their eyes met.
ââŠâŠ.â
ââŠâŠ.â
Rixus quietly raised his index finger and put it on her lips.
Shhh.
In an instant, Yuriaâs heart was beating as if it was about to explode.