Chapter 8 Part 1

When Rumpel finally withdrew, Irina’s throat was completely hoarse, and the sun, which had been high in the sky, was barely hanging over the horizon.

Irina lay there blankly, her mind a mess, staring at the twilight sky. Her body had been thoroughly cleansed by Rumpel’s magic, and her clothes were neatly put back on as they had been before.

Irina was once again amazed by his magic. She had no strength in her body; the thought of having to wash herself in this state was despairing.

“Are you alright?”

“…Not at all.”

Irina barely managed to reply in a hoarse voice, and Rumpel chuckled lowly, his voice ringing. Irina’s eyes sharpened at his reaction.

The person who had put her in this state was laughing, and she felt a surge of resentment and wanted to give him a hard slap. But unfortunately, she didn’t even have the strength left to do so. Even if it remained, hitting such a beautiful subject was simply impossible.

In the end, Irina simply glared at Rumpel with resentful eyes, letting that express her feelings.

“I’m sorry. You were too beautiful, too pretty… and I felt too good, so I couldn’t stop.”

“…You know it’s unfair to say that here, right?”

“I’ve always been a bit mean. Even now, I’m bewitching Lady with a face you like.”

“No, it was a mistake to say I liked that face!”

Irina retorted resentfully, feeling wronged. Then, Rumpel tilted his handsome face.

“So, you dislike my face?”

“Of course not!”

“Then what about this body?”

Rumpel turned Irina, who had been lying on her back, onto her side and pulled her into his arms. Irina, now nestled in his embrace, pouted.

“It’s nice, but….”

“Then there’s nothing wrong. You do like my face and body, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but… I like other things too!”

“What other things?”

At Rumpel’s gentle question, Irina hesitated, trying to think of a reply, then buried her face in Rumpel’s chest, overcome with embarrassment.

“Lady Irina, please tell me. Why do you like me?”

Irina quietly bit her plump lips in response to the question that came back again.

Should she tell him, or not? After some deliberation, Irina finally made up her mind and opened her mouth, with her face still buried in Rumpel’s chest.

“…Rumpel has always been there to help me. Magically appearing in difficult moments. He seemed to know all about my situation and helped me.”

It was a somewhat snobbish answer to give as the first reason why she liked him.

Irina knew it too. Saying she liked him because he had helped her was too calculating.

That was why she had hesitated quite a bit before answering. Even so, the reason she spoke honestly was because she didn’t want to lie in front of Rumpel, whom she liked.

“And he’s kind. He seems indifferent, but at times he’s so kind that it makes me want to cry.”

“Did I?”

Rumpel asked in a voice like warm sunlight. He gently stroked Irina’s fine golden hair.

Irina fully enjoyed his touch to her heart’s content and rubbed her cheek against his broad chest. It was like a kitten showing affection.

“And… he has many secrets. That’s why I resent him… but actually, that makes me curious to know more about him. Because of that, I kept thinking about Rumpel… and because I thought about him, I wanted to see him… and because I wanted to see him, I missed him… and because I missed him, I came to like him.”

Irina herself didn’t even know what this flow of thought was. But it was clear that she had come to like him because he had so many secrets.

“Lady Irina.”

“Yes?”

“Are you curious about me?”

“Yes.”

Irina replied without hesitation. There was nothing to hesitate about. She wanted to know everything about Rumpel.

“Do you want to know about me?”

“Yes, anything. I want to know everything about Rumpel.”

“Even if you hear the answers, your curiosity won’t be satisfied. You will still be curious and want to know more. So do I.”

Rumpel’s words were puzzling. What did he mean by saying he was also like that? But it wasn’t too late to answer this question after hearing everything he had to say.

She was truly curious about him. She hoped that these feelings would reach him. And she hoped that he would tell her everything without hiding anything, whether he knew it or not.

“Hmm…. Where should I start?”

“Whatever comes to mind, the order doesn’t matter. Just tell me everything.”

Irina replied quickly, afraid that Rumpel might change his mind and not tell her his story.

Fortunately, contrary to Irina’s worries, Rumpel remained silent for a moment as if lost in thought, then spoke.

“Do you like old stories?”

“Yes, I like them.”

Irina, who knew from experience that the old stories he was talking about were his own stories, nodded vigorously.

Soon, an old story, or rather, his own story, came out of his mouth.

* * *