◆ Never Underestimate the Wrath of a Jealous Man
I left Ms. Eliza’s room to chase after Mr. Julius. All I’d done was lie in bed for the past couple of days, so even a light jog made me run out of breath. Mr. Julius stopped in the middle of a long, empty corridor, silently waiting for me to catch up.
“Why not take on an apprentice, Mr. Julius?” I asked. “But I wonder what he needs to be taught. Will Henri become a Dragon Knight, too?”
I finally caught up to him and stood beside him. I looked up at the tall man to engage in a conversation, but he grabbed my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist. I was wearing a white hospital gown. On top of that, I wore a thin jacket made of smooth fabric with strings that could be tied in the center. The jacket itself was long and covered much of my body.
I wasn’t sure if Puerta Research Center controlled the temperature within their building using magic, but it was always faintly warm, and I didn’t require thick clothing. I felt Mr. Julius’s large, rugged hand through the thin fabric, causing me to jolt in response to his touch. As he pulled me close, he turned my body; before I knew it, my back was against the wall, and I was sandwiched by Mr. Julius. I had nowhere to flee.
Encapsulated by the much larger Mr. Julius, I noticed his collar standing up on his black robe, my eyes drawn to his sturdy collarbone and his slender yet muscular neck.
“Wh-What’s wrong?” I squeaked. “Did a monster appear or something?”
He often pulled me close when danger was nearby, so I hastily scanned our surroundings—or well, I tried to, but he blocked my view of almost everything. I’d already learned that it’d do me no good to be nervous or enamored with his otherworldly beauty—emergencies weren’t the time to start flirting.
“No,” Mr. Julius replied curtly.
“A monster within Puerta?” I mumbled. “This isn’t good. There are still people going around trying to treat the wounded.”
“I said that nothing’s appeared,” he repeated gruffly.
“R-Really?”
Then why did he pull me close? I wondered. He gripped my hand tighter still and drew my waist closer to him, his long fingers entangled with mine. The Black Prince had a lower body temperature than I did and was cool to the touch, but as our bodies pressed up against each other, I felt him warm up to match my temperature. With the difference in warmth gone, the boundary where we touched each other started to blur.
As I put some strength into my fingertips, I was able to feel his rough skin. I felt his chest rise and fall with his steady breathing as our temperatures melted together. He hugged me tightly, the friction from our clothes rubbing together sounding especially loud.
Mr. Julius smelled like sand that had been dried by the sun. Was he soaring through the desert skies on Helios while he wasn’t with me?
“What’s wrong?” I asked in a low whisper, clutching onto his dark robe. “Is something the matter?” He held me so close, so tight, I couldn’t see his face.
“You’re overwhelmingly kind to others,” Mr. Julius finally said. “Do you understand what Cyril and Eliza did to you? How much will you forgive? You endanger yourself so much that I can’t just stand by and quietly watch over you.”
The hand on my waist moved up to my back. He pressed his forehead against my neck, his glossy, golden hair making my nape and cheeks feel ticklish. I could feel his sweet, moderately low voice in my eardrums and his breath caress my skin. My hammering heartbeat was deafening, and I was sure that my true thoughts were crystal clear to him.
My face grew warm, the heat slowly transferring to my entire body. I was happy that he was so worried about me and that he held me close. I still had some lingering fear of men, but for some reason, Mr. Julius didn’t make me shudder. It was embarrassing to admit, but I didn’t dislike his touch one bit.
“I don’t like staying angry for long,” I admitted.
“Yeah, I know,” Mr. Julius replied. “Still, you’re much too forgiving. It’s annoying to hear Cyril’s name on your lips.”
“You don’t like him, do you?”
“…You used to be engaged to him,” he growled.
“True, but that was a long time ago. He’s just a customer now.”
“I didn’t like how you made him a prosthetic arm either.”
“Really? I sold it to him for a good price, so I thought you’d be happy with the profit.”
Although Mr. Julius did seem grumpy while I was making the prosthetic arm, he generally was always grumpy, so I didn’t let it bother me. I thought that he was angry about Ms. Eliza—I never imagined the conversation would shift to Cyril. Does Mr. Julius hate him that much? I always knew Mr. Julius disliked Cyril, but…
“Chloe,” he whispered.
“Yes, Mr. Julius?” I replied.
I wasn’t sure if he was about to tell me something important or if he was going to lecture me for being good-natured, so I braced myself in his arms. Then, I felt a small stinging pain on my neck.
“Ow…” I muttered.
I gave a look of surprise as Mr. Julius pulled back, a faint smile dancing on his lips as he gazed down at me. My mind went blank for a moment. Did he just…bite me?
“Wh-What was that for?” I asked. “That hurt.”
“Be quiet for just a bit, will you?”
Why did he bite me? I don’t understand. It hurt and I’m really embarrassed now. I didn’t need a mirror to know that I was red from head to toe. I was blushing so hard that tears started to form in my eyes. The only thing I could do was lodge a complaint, but he sealed the distance between us, his golden locks masking my face like a curtain.
“Mr. Juli—” I started.
His lips brushed against mine as though he was trying to bite me. He literally took my breath away before kissing me deeply. His arms wrapped around me so tightly that I felt like my bones might pop. I’d kissed him multiple times before, but he was more forceful than usual, just a bit more reckless, and he kissed me so hard that I felt our bodies melting away together. I furrowed my brows just a little. Still, I didn’t hate it.
We were in the middle of a corridor, in full view for anyone to see. But I don’t have the strength to fight back. My strength left the fingers clutching onto his clothes. Layla did say that Mr. Julius seemed like the jealous type. Is he angry that I’m trying to rely on Cyril regarding Ms. Eliza’s issue? Is he jealous right now?
It can’t be. It can’t be, right? He isn’t the type, right? The moment I realized why he was so grumpy, my body grew even warmer. He pulled away and stared at my face; I knew I was wearing an unbelievable expression. I was so embarrassed that I could only look down.
“Helios is waiting for you, but you can’t go out yet,” Mr. Julius said. “I can’t show that face of yours to others.”
“It’s all your fault,” I insisted.
“Get used to it already, Chloe.”
“…Don’t be unreasonable.”
Simply being in his embrace made me feel like my heart was about to burst. It’s all his fault. He usually wasn’t so sweet to me, but every now and then, he’d suddenly transform into a different person. I couldn’t be the one to blame.
Mr. Julius leaned on the wall of the corridor, waiting for me to calm down.
Layla, who happened to suddenly pass by, hid her mouth with her iron fan and giggled with a “My, oh my.”
She didn’t try to strike up a conversation with us, but that didn’t help how embarrassed I felt to have been seen in that moment.