"Why, why isn't he coming...

It's past the time he should be here..."

Raphne was pacing nervously in her room at the top of the tower, unable to stay still.

"Why...

I, I haven't done anything wrong..."

The reason for her distress was the man she was waiting for.

Ken Feinstein had not yet arrived at the tower.

Normally, by now he would have visited, and they would have had dinner together. But he was still not here.

"Ugh, huhu, Ken..."

She understood with her head that he would surely come here.

Even if he couldn't come now, he would definitely come tomorrow or the day after.

Raphne understood that, as a human being, it was difficult for Ken to visit every day and every hour without fail.

"Ken, ugh, Ken..."

But understanding was only in her head.

Tears were welling up in Raphne's eyes, dropping onto the floor.

Ultimately, what was emerging in her mind was a sense of abandonment, a whisper in the darkness saying that she was being discarded once again.

This whisper continued to echo in her head.

"I'm back..."

Ignoring such anxiety, the door that had been firmly shut opened, and Ken, whom she had been waiting for, appeared.

"Ken, Ken! Why are you so late today!

I was so anxious..."

When Ken, looking exhausted, appeared, Raphne immediately ran to him.

She wanted to alleviate the anxiety that shook her chest.

To feel his presence directly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the nape of his neck.

"Uuh, wah! Raphne! If you cling like that..."

Ken gently lowered himself and sat down, accepting her. The scent she could smell from his embrace made her anxious heart feel at ease.

"I don't care! I don't know! Ken did wrong!

Do you know what time it is? Ugh, I, I was really worried..."

Of course, her worry was not about Ken's safety, but whether he would come or not.

However, Ken's lateness had shaken Raphne's heart. Feeling unfair about her anxiety, Raphne appealed to Ken.

Ken, without showing irritation, gently accepted her tantrum.

"I'm sorry, Raphne. I was a bit late because of work."

Raphne understood that he hadn’t intentionally been late.

However, even so, when she faced him, she cried and clung to him, throwing a tantrum. She wanted him to understand her feelings.

The feelings of waiting all day in the empty space where Ken wasn’t, counting the moments until he would come.

The emotions of clinging and insisting, worried that he might dislike her. She expressed her unfair feelings about the anxiety she had felt a moment ago.

"Ken needs to... needs to understand how important he is!

...I’m not being anxious! I'm worried!"

As she pouted and clung more tightly to him, Raphne knew she was being a bothersome woman.

She knew that, but she couldn’t stop clinging to Ken.

She had been more careful about this in the past, but recently, that restraint had disappeared.

Now, she completely pushed her feelings onto Ken.

"Don’t make me anxious... Don’t abandon me...

Sniff, hold me more, comfort me, stay with me, pet me, don’t leave..."

Her childish tantrum. Ken kindly accepted even that.

When she acted like a spoiled child, Ken would gently pat her head with one hand.

The touch of his hand sweeping through her hair was pleasant. Feeling that touch calmed her heart.

"Everything is fine, but the last part is unavoidable. I have to go back to the dormitory."

And finally, he answered playfully.

However, even his playful words made Raphne’s heart waver.

"Ugh, I'll just burn the dormitory down!"

"Then I won’t have anywhere to live..."

"...Then you can live here."

Raphne mumbled as she buried her face deeper into his neck.

When her lips touched his neck, he shivered.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her body against him, Ken shivered again.

When she pressed against Ken, it felt like she could feel his heartbeat.

She buried her face in his nape and smelled his scent.

Every time she exhaled; Ken’s body twitched. His reactions were cute.

It was revenge for making her anxious. Raphne thought to herself.

As she pressed her body against Ken, he was flustered but soon began to stroke her head.

The gentle touch felt good. She moved her body more, driven by revenge for making her anxious a moment ago.

Every reaction from Ken’s body when Raphne’s body stimulated his.

The hesitating hand or trembling shoulder.

The reactions were amusing, so she continued to stimulate him further.

This time was compensation for the anxious heart. Raphne enjoyed this time.

She used to be afraid of being alone and abandoned, but recently she endured the day thinking about the time spent with Ken.

Then, when it seemed like Ken wouldn’t come, she was overwhelmed with worry.

And when Ken came to the tower, she spent happy times with him.

Raphne had completely immersed herself in the time with him.

‘Now, if only Ken was here forever...

I wouldn’t mind being locked up for life.’

The academy that abandoned her. The family that abandoned her. The country that abandoned her. But this one man did not abandon her.

Despite her stubbornness, tantrums, and even past mistakes, he did not abandon her.

She liked his kind heart.

Enjoying the present moment with him, Raphne focused on his warmth and scent.

Exhaling, Ken’s body shivered.

“......”

But something was different.

Raphne felt a sense of discomfort.

Soon, she pulled her face away from his neck and looked at Ken with a confused mind.

He looked somewhat flustered as he sensed her gaze.

“Ken...”

Why is he so flustered?

“...Where did you go today?”

The discomfort she felt in his scent. At her question, Ken stammered like someone who had done something wrong.

“Uh, e, yeah? I, uh, just had to go see a swordsmanship tournament...”

Raphne immediately realized from Ken’s words.

It wasn’t just a swordsmanship tournament he had been to.

Raphne did not retract her suspicions and asked him again.

“Ken... you smell like a woman.”

There was definitely something different in the scent she usually recognized.

A fragrant scent of another woman. Ken thought while looking at Raphne’s empty eyes.

‘How is she distinguishing this?’

But Ken decided to deny it. Answering honestly wouldn’t be good for Raphne.

“It, it’s just your imagination! I, I’m sure it’s because of the crowd!”

“...Really?”

Raphne tilted her head and asked again.

“...Y, yeah. Really.”

And seeing Ken avoiding her eyes, Raphne was convinced.

“You’re lying.”

“......”

Then, as if by magic, Ken shut his mouth. He avoided her gaze and broke into a cold sweat.

Ken was not good at lying. Swallowed by Raphne’s vacant and red eyes, Ken brought back his composure.

He knew how to handle situations like this.

What mattered was not whether he met another woman.

“Even if I’m lying... I will never abandon you, Raphne. I will come to you no matter what happens.”

“......”

Raphne then fell silent. ‘Is it, is it okay?’

What Raphne was worried about was not him meeting another woman.

What mattered was that she was not abandoned.

That was Ken’s straightforward approach.

Whether Ken’s judgment was correct or not, Raphne’s vacant eyes turned into tearful and sad eyes.

She buried her face back in his nape. Raphne also knew.

Even if he met another woman, Ken would not abandon her.

But Ken was everything to her. What was wrong with wanting to be everything to Ken as well?

But if she continued to be a bother, Ken might really come to dislike her this time.

Therefore, Raphne suppressed her true feelings and whispered in Ken’s ear.

"...Ken, it’s okay if you lie. Even if you met a woman, as long as you’re not dating her, it’s fine."

She just clearly conveyed her wish.

"Just always put me first.

...Make me your top priority."

Suppressing the emotions that made her feel like she might cry, she whispered like that.

Raphne was afraid of the answer she would get, but Ken gently placed his hand on her head and stroked it.

“Of course. Don’t worry.”

“Y-you really need to know. Ugh, I really only have Ken...”

“Yes, yes.”

His gentle touch was stroking her head. Even while crying, this made her feel at ease.

She didn’t want to lose this time. Ken’s place in Raphne’s heart was growing larger and larger.

‘It seems it will take a while to calm down.’

Ken, unaware of that, smiled.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll quickly make something to lift the curse.”

“...Okay.”

Please support the series on NovelUpdates

Read Here for premium chapters