A loud bang echoed from behind them.
When Julius glanced back, he saw that a part of the roof had collapsed, crushing the bed underneath it.
“I’m—”
He immediately stopped talking when the sound that came out was so primal that the ground rumbled again, making parts of the wall come crumbling down.
Julius exhaled through his nose and consciously calibrated his throat.
He rubbed his head apologetically. “Sorry about the bed. And the room.”
“Got a little too excited.”
The woman was silent, her expression unknown.
Then, Bea slowly turned her head around. Her crimson eyes gleamed like liquid blood.
“Do you want me to kill him?”
Julius froze, then laughed.
“You’re so calm that sometimes even I forget what your Authority is.”
Bea remained impassive. She waited with the quiet patience of an executioner awaiting the order to swing the axe, and the casualness of someone asking what they wanted for dinner.
“...Well?”
The man grinned, normally this time, and caressed her cheek as though wiping the bloodstains.
“Patience, my dear Beatrice. I want to learn more about them first.”
The shadow hands had disappeared, leaving the mouse unattended. He had a feeling he knew the reason why, but he kept his silence.
Julius leaned forward, took the mouse in his hand, and dragged it to a particular icon.
“Isn’t this the button that turns my voice into text?”
The woman didn’t answer.
He chuckled. “Slow down, Bea. Give me a chance to speak with them.”
“...No promises.”
“How reassuring.”
He shrugged, returning his eyes to the monitor, and then spoke.
@RandommanJulius: Do you have a problem with me?
The reply came immediately, as though they were waiting for him.
@wertyq: what’s wrong? you mad i called you a virgin?
@RandommanJulius: I’m not mad. I just want to know why you’re assuming my marital status.
@wertyq: stop the act. why else would someone make a new account if not look for porn? and stop your fancy ass words. makes me wanna puke
Julius leaned back, his fingers returned to play with his wife’s perky breasts.
The grin resurfaced, though it was more restrained this time.
“...Interesting. Very interesting.”
Naturally, this wasn’t the first time he was insulted by humans.
He’d met with people with a variety of personalities. Some never cowered in front of his presence due to their sheer confidence. Not a few women immediately despised him just because of a few rumors, though they were mostly silenced when they fell on his bed.
Most of the time, their cutting remarks only made him respect them more.
Cicero, for one, could never stop trying to dismantle his every word. Diogenes would always grumble and insult him whenever he visited the man. But that never stopped Julius from interacting with them.
And, of course, there was Via.
Julius unconsciously smiled, caressing the silent woman’s curves affectionately.
His eyes trailed over to the screen.
Even without knowing who they were, he could already guess that they were nowhere near these people’s caliber.
In his mind, the person who had insulted him smiled before disappearing into a sea of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
As if that made any difference.
“Found him.”
Bea scoffed. “I was right. He was projecting by calling others virgins.”
“Hm?” he smiled amusedly. “Why do you say that?”
“He—ugh, never mind. I’ll spare you the gross details.”
She turned back to look at him.
“So? What’s the verdict?”
He stared at the ceiling, then sighed. “That sounds fun, but I think we should focus on finding Fleur for now.”
“Whoops.”
Bea blinked innocently.
“I already killed him,” she said casually.
“What? Why?”
“It’s your fault. I decapitated him when you said that sounds fun.”
“...”
He stared at the woman who looked at him impassively.
Julius exhaled, then shrugged. “Oh, well. Did you at least remember to do it covertly?”
“Yes.” The answer came instantly. Strangely fast.
He narrowed his eyes at the woman, but she immediately pushed his hands into her yielding flesh.
But his hand stopped moving.
“Do you really think that your body is the answer to everything?”
Bea raised her shirt, revealing her sensual, black panties, and then guided his hands to her bare breasts. Now, other than the softness that yielded beneath his touch, the warmth of her skin also joined the action, with her erect nipple begging for attention.
“What did you say?”
“...I stand corrected.”
His wife giggled, smiling, as her shirt constantly shifted around from how much his hands moved under it.
Julius coughed. “What were we talking about again?”
“You said you wanted to find Fleur.”
“Oh, right. Let’s do that now.”
A single shadowy tendril manifested again, dragging the mouse to the search bar.
There, it typed in a specific name.
Julius faintly smiled. “Oh, that’s her alright.”
Rosé Nocturne.
A single, elegant rose represented her account.
“Twenty-three million followers…” he sighed. “She’s living her dream, huh.”
Bea smirked. “You haven’t seen anything yet. She also has forty-four million followers on Instagram and eighty-four million subscribers on Youtube.”
His jaw hung open. Even with his lifespan, he was certain that he had not met that many people.
“...Does that mean everyone knows who she is now?”
“Nope. Just look at her profile.”
He looked…and saw nothing.
Nothing on her biography, or the bigger image that was supposed to be filled with something.
Even as the shadow scrolled down, there was nothing but barren land.
@RoseNocturne: I just released a new song. Please give it a listen.
@RoseNocturne: Thank you for all the support.
@RoseNocturne: Recording a new cover song tonight.
That was all she wrote. And yet the numbers were baffling.
959k likes. 68k retweets. 39k replies.
The tendril opened up one of the posts.
@NocturneForosever: Oh my god she just uploaded! The whole world is saved!
@TheDirtOnHerFeet: Rosé please please please do a concert!! I’ll give you my unborn child!!
@MiaLovesRose: She’s actually rapping in German now? Where the hell is this diva from??!!
“She’s been active on the scene for nineteen years without anyone ever knowing anything about her.”
That was…baffling.
In his mind, millions of people were standing in front of a stage, cheering for someone they couldn’t even see.
He exhaled, weighing his wife’s breasts playfully. “I suppose that makes sense. She had thousands of years to practice, all language mastered, and the most experience performing out of everyone.”
“Just add a splash of mystery, and everyone would flock to her.”
Bea nodded. “Exactly. She’s basically an urban legend at this point.”
“The Phantom Diva, people like to call her.”
“Heh,” he rolled one of Bea’s nipples with his fingers. “She’d definitely brag about that nickname when we meet her.”
“Ngh…do you want me to contact her?”
He tilted his head, rubbing her navel.
“Maybe later, I—”
The screen still showed one of her posts, and one reply in particular caught his attention.
@uya6875: she’s so overrated. bet she's hiding cause she’s ugly lol
Julius froze.
After a few seconds, he silently took his hand out of Bea’s clothes.
Then, he stood up, gently carrying his wife in his arms, placed her back on the chair, and walked away.
“Where are you going?” Bea asked, though the question itself felt like a formality.
Julius casually waved without looking back.
“Just a short walk.”