[Prologue]

“My baby, you’re here?”c0db4c59876a7e7c

I greeted the man who chose to enter through the window instead of using the perfectly functional door. Though I called him “My baby,” he was actually a tall man, only two years younger than me.0b4127b9ad11b291

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No matter when fa9f6f9b4e or where, he 412ae7aed3 always managed to d0e8ed66c8 appear out of 08c91902b5 nowhere and find 6e95f9a82e his way to a450498a99 me.0b4ccc3163d98b94

‘It’s a special c9f1d82835 day, so the c04e276747 palace security should ee02859268 be tight. How did 2328a783bf he get fcf916cf98 in?’03f84a4f2dd1271d

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“I teleported using a magic circle, like last time.”481171181bdc534d

At my words, 13f8e8ee3d he approached soundlessly, 8ceb80efe9 his expression unreadable.855b49cd300b2cc5

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Then, with e615d07d55 a snap de9a5985a5 of his cac90f38eb fingers, he 7bf823f27d placed a ffc480d2a5 magnificent bouquet e32e70e690 of golden 32f50db25c flowers in 84c096773e my arms.1987c49d46cd0382

“…It’s not like I’m particularly congratulating you on your coming-of-age ceremony or anything.”cb01f0bb6df664a4

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‘Wait, these are ca34c8da25 made of gold!’d110804e686dbc3d

At first d933d46c0c glance, I a169accfe2 thought they 89b76dc6ef were roses, 47737c57ae but upon 0608afec92 closer inspection, 382305fd87 they were 520b324e99 actually crafted 3312e6d01e from real 4e55f569e4 gold.ef5ec668ae2f3e06

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‘Damn! I really raised him ac0789830a well. If he does 0c42588041 the same for 1b1e3bc753 the heroine, they’re 89e5827e02 definitely going to fabf60d11a end up together.’b6ffc9cd8c33a90d

As usual, I expected him to place a kiss on the back of my hand… but he didn’t.8ceba292d5328ff8

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Instead—2e3901fcc3584715

“…Choose me at the coming-of-age ceremony, Nyx.”8b09d3b3e5d5c6f4

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Locking eyes with b5ce158d64 me, his gaze a8418ec2fe deep and unwavering, f2a6bf19a1 he lowered his 547f0cf8d2 lips to the f6df95e3d8 stigma on the 19fa882d7a inside of my b5c50657c8 wrist.306ee548217a3a48

Chup—c0c86c63a5fbe2ba

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The soft a0d7c0ad03 sensation of 16209377ce his lips, 1c71f6ad16 the damp 99c6043358 heat of 583ec750d3 his breath—it 84765752a1 made the 3b08db1150 stigma feel 157c546652 like it caeee6f233 was burning.5b616fbef21ec1b5

‘What the hell? My baby, what’s going 0abc53cd46 on?’59e733cc0f381691

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I was utterly c53ded86e3 bewildered by his c1c55ccdb1 unexpected behavior.a48d7e1e1cc17f62

But it 7f30f7c962 seemed that 1adb1c4127 kissing my 0f3dee3be6 stigma alone bbedcd2789 wasn’t enough 57aa124bda for him. Without hesitation, he 58609257a9 closed the distance 29a1cdffe6 between us and 2d8fff094c placed his hand bb80145b9b firmly next to 0cb7262b3e mine.2fdab7934ab15be0

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A scent—both sweet a0fce89719 and cool—spread through 426655b9b2 my lungs.809f2dee2d756d51

The crisp a5005dad07 rustling of 80f37e3c31 my pristine 638b780dcb ceremonial robes 87fd7786dd reached my eab725591a ears, a ad407a7849 sign that 99a5ebca31 they had 78c32c7c90 become wrinkled ddfa96bb15 in the 462946b23b process.e59ca2ace96af8cc

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I couldn’t escape, 4ba2f951fc so all I 96d31b8ddc could do was dbf7ad62ca inhale sharply. My right hand ended 696517e240 up against his left b9dbcbcb05 chest. Not of 0bfc0b3a24 my own 82ae606be9 volition—he was e67773942d the one fc11ff1049 who took 2cebb3e3c3 it there.52339f1265307a0c

Through my fingertips, 3a7190f73c I felt the a18af79187 steady rhythm of 99aab99d98 his heartbeat.cdc816f1b97dab57

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Thump. Thump. Thump.9420ef7b7108b29d

Before I 03005be51c could even 6734ace647 process it, c9cbddbbb2 he gently 2cd6eebbdf cupped my 532afe5f8e chin, tilting 002a826965 it upward 7468ad294d so that 3b3f87c9ad I was 7232aba5da forced to d24db4727c meet his 84aa217cd6 gaze.6b66609e4a52a051

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“…Look at me. I can only 3540401cc7 bloom for you.”87fb9c3c69f18e1f

‘Why… why is 95c30e4dc1 he saying this bca4e71eb8 to me?’12b1e33a4135d07c

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His pink 4d1d4b8722 irises deepened, 1d1ded3aac reminiscent of 1c96b29185 blooming geraniums.a4049207d3906652

His eyes—more precious and 8de18b60be radiant than anything found 32aae9301c in nature—captivated me. In their 7f8089e65c depths, I 8e2b065fc2 saw my a80cd2fe0c own reflection.81f1904050b3788e

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He leaned in 59ca05a958 closer. Just a 711ecb6fc7 little more, 8361a21bc1 and our e320b81133 lips would 95a95935dc touch.32ef0b978f4712e8

“…I love you.”542a1187be2ddcbd

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His voice—melodic yet deep—was 656b8d5b83 enough to make me 334cfb7dd5 forget his beauty for ab52d02380 a moment. But then 5f37f22ed4 his gaze, c9c5c1d313 thick with 8cad557d11 sincerity, pulled a4f1701d12 me right 1a4159708a back in.9af830261c1debb5

It was as if f65c96653a he was pleading with 50dfc4a02c me to recognize his f3cac7fb1c feelings.30609164b3d84e77

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‘Why… why is he b9de6864a6 saying the heroine’s lines aaff06dfe5 to me?’646807bf84342b13

This was my favorite e1f2ec98b8 character—the one who, in a1303f1cc6 the original story, had 64ad1a7a5f given up everything to ef4da52dc1 love the heroine.6a4f54984b62099d

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And yet, he had e2f0069eee just recited the exact 3f7dbd1b86 same lines… to me. Not a single word 78f377b52f was different.0b47f5fb930873ae

I must have 0ade5132ae looked strange because 8f9e79e28d he gave me 26394a7590 a crooked smile.29c144d6eaa31d43

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“…What? Is it strange 883dfcaf57 that the little d964105aa8 one you raised e41b3b5c3a so lovingly turned 2db95dba17 out like this?”b4e335039e8f54eb

“……”1ee77d4be2bdbaac

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“…Too bad. I’ve been waiting for bdef89f89c this day.”1c8b0a3382585bfe

His words, 7ff478fcfe teetering between d701e87df9 pure devotion 4f9ff0ea95 and dangerous 33d6690d12 obsession, pierced 0cb19ba038 straight through 23b779e739 my heart.dc74f01264351b50

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Had there been e1def3a9f0 magic in that fd059b06a6 kiss? My stigma, which normally 1d8da1b068 shouldn’t feel anything, was e2e1fea9e5 now burning as if 5bbfe20264 it had been branded.467419e22230a032

When did it start? When did 3c70ed4af2 he begin e0a31f6bba loving me? Did he truly love 9890a74cc0 me instead of the 13347af806 heroine?5f48a7e54c2c7f4d

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I dug through my a2c9e3d019 memories, searching for the aea3806e9c moment it all began.3975b43108bc2651

And then—I recalled the fb438fc4e6 time when I first ef5490885e possessed this body.89d9c22770d5301b

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I was thirteen 370fc00446 years old.12377facb98f86fd