Chapter 11

In fact, the emotional conversation between Desian and Cetrina was a little different. After killing the two people, he felt calm. He didn't feel joy nor any other sentiment.

'Is this normal?'

He cared not for the dead, but what he cares about is...

He tried to go to her. However, she came to him first.

'...Citrina.'

He can sense two footsteps, their strides getting faster.

What would you think?'

He looked at the butler's body whose arms were up, and the mage who died vomiting blood.

'It's hideous, would you be surprised when you see this?'

He doesn't want the light to fade in those glittering eyes. Feeling nervous, he struck his finger once. The pool of blood on the floor disappeared, and the two corpses became a little less disgusting.

The sound of footsteps got louder.

Citrina would despise him or be disgusted with him. It's the standard way of thinking, that's what Tuloji said. However, he has a different mindset than other people, so he doesn't mind.

But how would he feel if Citrina despised him? This kind of 'feeling' he would feel, he doesn't know what it is yet.

Desian blinked, his expression remained unclear.

"It's dark." As soon as those words were spoken, a small flame was produced on Desian's hand.

He looked at Aron first who was wiping his face full of tears to his sleeves. There was a slight reddish tinge on the rim of his eyes.

Soon, his eyes slowly went to her.

"Good day, Citrina."

"Yes..."

He greeted her briefly while two dead bodies were lying on the floor. Indeed, it is a good day to see her.

Her crystal clear eyes are looking at him.

"Did you hurt your arms?" Citrina asked. The look in his eyes was tenacious. He saw the bandage that she was clutching in her hand.

"My arms are okay."

"Aron was anxious."

"I see."

It was a conversation out of his expectations. He only answered briefly to what Citrina said.

His ungrateful eyes turned to Aron, whose tears were falling. Aron had always been emotional. His brother's appearance perfectly resembles him, but he could not copy his rich expressions.

"I was also worried."

"You were worried about me?"

Desian looked at her eyes that usually don't care, slowly filled with pity and concern. It was compassion, rather than contempt or indifference.

Does she feel the same or not...?

Maybe she cared more than he thought. The new emotion seen in her eyes; he wanted a little more of it.

To him, it was the first time the world became a little more vivid.

Meanwhile, Citrina, who knew everything, was troubled and had mixed feelings. She knew how Desian was gradually losing his emotions and how his 'first murder' imprinted on him.

As long as someone sees it, he couldn't let that person live. Fortunately, she's still alive.

'Since my curiosity was ignited, I should help him grow to be on the good side.'

There will be many steps needed for Desian not to kill just like in indiscriminately.

'Would I be the first one to tell him about morals and emotions? How would I do it then?'

As she pondered for a while, she carefully said, "Desian."

By calling his name, she recalled her initial mindset. She's someone who will leave anyway. She has her dream, different from the original Citrina. She wasn't going to be deeply engaged with Desian, just enough to get along with him.

She glanced at Aron. He was covering his eyes with both hands, his feet stepping on the dead bodies' fingers.

"I'm here to help you with Aron."

As soon as Citrina's words came out, both Aron's and Desian's eyes looked at her.

"Thank you, Citrina."

"Don't cry. It makes me sad to see a cute face cry."

Aron stuttered and bowed his head, unable to speak. He seems to be crying, still.

Such a young face, she felt suffocated for some reason. The more she felt that real people live in this world, the more she thought that it was getting harder for her to breathe.

"It's nothing to be thankful about," she spoke calmly.

Aron said with emotional eyes looking at her, "It's nothing to be thankful about since we're family, is that it?"

'... That's not it.'

There seems to be a misunderstanding.

She tried to speak out to address the misunderstanding.

"Oh?" Aron's eyes got bigger. Perhaps, he was shy; he searched his pocket with a slightly red face.

"Ah, ah, right. Brother, Citrina, here's some herb!"

The topic quickly changed.

Looking at the blue herb in his hand, Citrina recalled the content of the original story. After Desian killed the manservant and the mage, it was the same herb that Aron wiped on Desian.

'Aron wanted to cure his brother with the herb, but eventually couldn't. And because of the effects of the elixir, Desian's mind completely closed off.'

Tuloji died as she remembered, but Desian wasn't anxious nor did he run away, so she didn't know what happened then.

'Did Desian change? Even just for a little?'

She took the herb from Aron. Softly looking at Desian's black eyes, she whispered, "I'll wrap the bandage."

"Okay."

He was looking at her as she carefully placed her hand on his wrist.

'I don't think there's any infection.'

The courageous Citrina put the herb on his wounded wrist and skillfully bandaged and tied it tightly.

The dressing was done skillfully, so it was dressed quickly. Desian looked at her with curious eyes.

"We can't be with the dead bodies. Shall we get out of here?" Citrina said after checking the bandage once again.

"Citrina, brother... let's go quickly."

It was done a bit rough, but Desian's eyes held a little warmth.

***

In , the duke went out to inspect the ship accident while Desian killed the manservant and the mage. Their deaths were wholly concealed. It was due to Desian's mind manipulation magic that was used at Heled, who came and went to the outer residence.

'The duke of Pietro was stupid. He may have been intended to leave the annexe empty to have full control over it, but instead, it was Desian who had full control of it.'

Citrina recalled the situation in her memory about the outer residence.

She, Desian and Aron, were in their respective areas. Exchanges between them were wholly blocked then, but now, there's no such thing.

'I have to meet Desian. In the original plot, just as the dead mage, Tuloji's intention... all emotions should be lost, but if that isn't the case, I'd just make sure that that intention won't come true.'

For now, until the duke returns, it was the most peaceful moment. It's the best time to do it.

However, when Citrina stepped out of her room to visit the giant, she was perplexed by one of the knights, who was in front of her room. His body twisted, pale as day, his eyes rolled at the back of his head.

'This... are the roses from the Academy, isn't it?'

It was holding roughly a hundred roses, and a card was placed on top of it, written in cursive.

Because you like roses.

The knight handed the summer Roses to Citrina. Thorns were poking out of the paper that was wrapping them.

Summer thorn flowers.

She closed her eyes and smelled it. 'In social circles, roses are a sign of vigilance and warning.'

Then, is this a warning?

As if someone was watching the situation, a man slowly appeared.

"Now that I've seen the body, I need to see the beauty."

"Thank you, Desian."

He's pretty smooth, not like a person who was imprisoned for a long time. She unconsciously glanced at the knight.

"... I like pretty things. I hate scary stuff."

His eyes were looking at her as if testing her. She was only concerned with her own life, but she certainly needs to make it known.

"... I don't like scary things."

A faint voice came out of her. Desian's attitude felt like he's making an effort to get close to her. So, she looked at him with eyes full of hope.

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