I swallowed hard before speaking.
“You said you heard every word. Then why are you asking me?”
Cross didn’t answer immediately.
The breeze drifted quietly through the palace courtyard, carrying the faint scent of flowers from beyond the gate and the silence between us felt heavier.
His eyes remained fixed on mine.
Finally, he spoke.
“I heard every word you said.”
I frowned, completely confused.
“What?”
His gaze lowered for a brief second before returning to me.
“I couldn’t hear Buttins’ voice. Something inside that garden blocks it. I only heard your replies and I noticed the tension in your body.”
The way he said it sent a strange shiver through me.
Well, since we were no longer keeping things from one another, I guessed it was finally time to be honest too.
I took a slow breath.
“He told me you two are brothers and he mentioned someone.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Cross’s shoulders stiffened and his jaw slowly tightened.
“Who?”
There was something different in his voice now.
“Lorraine.”
The name had barely left my lips before everything changed.
Cross froze completely.
The color slowly drained from his face until even his skin looked lifeless.
His breathing stopped and his eyes widened.
He looked shaken, as though someone had reached into his chest and ripped open an old wound.
“What else did he say about her?”
His voice came out strained.
I could see panic flashing across his face, even though he was desperately trying to hide it.
My own heart began pounding.
“Cross… are you okay?”
His eyes suddenly locked onto mine.
“What else?”
The urgency in his voice startled me.
“He… he said you did something to Lorraine.”
The instant those words escaped my mouth, Cross moved, he didn’t speak or even blink.
He turned and sprinted straight toward the gate.
“Cross!”
I hurried after him, almost stumbling over my own feet as I chased him through the entrance.
The guards barely had time to react.
“Your Majesty!”
Cross brushed past them without slowing down.
His long black coat whipped violently behind him as he stormed back into the garden.
I followed as quickly as I could.
By the time I arrived, Buttins was still standing among the rows of Shadowbulbs, carefully placing the harvested bulbs into woven baskets.
He looked up just in time to see Cross.
There wasn’t even a warning.
Cross’s fist crashed straight into Buttins’ face.
The impact echoed across the quiet garden.
Buttins was thrown backward, crashing into the Shadowbulbs before rolling across the dark soil.
I gasped and both hands flew over my mouth.
For a second, it looked exactly like one of those anime fight scenes Alex used to force me to watch.
“What the hell is going on?” I muttered under my breath.
The entire garden fell silent.
Even the glowing insects hovering above the flowers scattered into the air.
Buttins remained on the ground for a few seconds, then he slowly sat up.
A streak of black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
When he looked at the blood, he simply chuckled.
“She already told you what I said.” Buttins smile only grew wider.
Cross looked terrifying.
His eyes burned brighter than before, glowing like molten fire beneath the red sky.
His fists remained tightly clenched and the veins around his neck stood out.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was cold enough to make my skin crawl.
Buttins laughed.
“See, Imogen?”
He glanced toward me.
“He still can’t bear hearing the name Lorraine.”
Immediately, Cross closed the distance in a single step.
He grabbed Buttins by the front of his clothes and lifted him slightly off the ground.
The flowers beneath them bent under the pressure.
“Say it again and I’ll kill you.”
Cross growled through clenched teeth.
For a second, neither of them moved.
Their eyes remained locked together.
One filled with rage.
The other with amusement.
I could almost feel years of hatred hanging between them.
This wasn’t an argument or even rivalry.
It was something much deeper.
Cross shoved him backward.
Buttins crashed into another row of Shadowbulbs, sending silver leaves and dark petals flying into the air. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“As expected, you’ve never changed.” Buttins muttered quietly.
Cross didn’t answer him.
He simply turned around.
His face was still clouded with anger as he walked straight toward me.
Before I could say anything, he reached for my wrist.
“Let’s go.” His voice was firm.
He pulled me along before I even had the chance to react.
I stumbled after him and neither of us spoke.
His footsteps were fast.
The further we walked from the garden, the tighter his grip became.
At first, I ignored it.
He wasn’t thinking straight, but after another minute, It started to hurt.
I bit my lip.
“Cross.”
He didn’t answer.
His eyes remained fixed ahead and we kept walking.
My wrist throbbed painfully.
“Cross.”
My brows knitted together.
“Cross.” I called again.
This time my voice came out louder.
He suddenly stopped and slowly turned around.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
I gently rubbed my aching wrist before lifting our joined hands.
“Your grip is so tight, it hurts.”
I forced a small smile despite the pain.
The anger disappeared from his face almost instantly and his eyes widened.
He quickly released my wrist as though he had been burned.
Only then did he notice the red marks already forming around my skin where his fingers had been.
His expression completely fell.
“I’m so sorry.” His voice was barely above a whisper
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry, Imogen.”
His eyes remained fixed on my wrist and the guilt on his face caught me completely off guard.
I wasn’t even angry.
He looked far more hurt than I did.
His shoulders slowly lowered and his gaze dropped toward the ground.
He couldn’t even look at me anymore and the sight made my heart ache.
Seeing him blame himself hurt far more than the pain in my wrist ever could.
I slowly stepped closer.
“Hey, look at me.”
He remained still.
“I don’t want you to see my face.” He replied quietly.
“I look ugly when I’m angry.”
A small smile escaped my lips despite everything.
Ugly?
He had just frightened an entire garden with a single punch, yet the only thing he cared about now was whether I thought he looked ugly.
“Look at me, Cross.” I repeated gently.
For several seconds, he didn’t move.
Then, little by little, he lifted his head.
Our eyes met.
The anger was still there, buried deep inside those red eyes, but so was pain.
I searched his face carefully.
“You don’t look ugly.”
The corner of his lips twitched slightly.
“If anything…” I let out a small laugh.
“You look exactly the same.”
He stared at me, almost surprised by my answer.
I reached for his hand and gently pulled him toward a large stone beneath one of the crystal trees.
“Come.”
Without resisting, he followed.
We both sat down.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The wind drifted through the leaves above us, making tiny glowing petals fall around our feet.
It was peaceful.
A strange contrast to the storm that had just happened moments ago.
I looked sideways at him.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Cross remained silent.
His fingers slowly intertwined with mine, then he shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Imogen but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
I nodded.
“It’s fine. You can always tell me anything, Cross.”
I squeezed his hand gently and his eyes slowly shifted toward me.
“There is no point keeping things away from each other. If I know more about you, maybe I can defend you in situations like this.”
I lowered my eyes.
“I’m sorry I let Buttins fool me with his words.”
“It’s not your fault, Imogen.”
His thumb gently brushed across the back of my hand.
“It isn’t.”
He smiled faintly.
“Buttins knows exactly where to hurt people. He always has.”
I smiled back.
“You’ll get your crown back and when that day comes, Larvana will finally have its king again.”
I honestly had no idea where those comforting words had come from.
Back on Earth, I had never been this patient with Alex.
Why was comforting Cross so easy, when comforting Alex had always felt like work?
Most of the time, I got annoyed over the smallest things and here I was comforting a demon.
I quietly shook my head.
“Are you calm now?”
Cross looked at me, then he slowly shook his head.
“No.”
I couldn’t help laughing quietly.
I leaned back against the smooth stone behind us and let out a long sigh.
Maybe he simply needed time.
The silence between us became comfortable again.
I closed my eyes for a second, then suddenly, something heavy settled across my thighs.
My eyes flew open and I looked down.
Cross had rested his head on my lap.
My entire body froze.
“W-What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer.
His eyes remained closed and his breathing became slow and steady.
I simply stared at him.
I should push him away.
This was completely inappropriate.
I wasn’t Princess Imogen, his bride so why would he place his head on my thighs.
I slowly raised my hand and hovered above his face.
His black hair had fallen across his forehead.
It looked unbelievably soft.
My fingers twitched and I wanted to touch his hair, before my fingertips reached him, I suddenly stopped.
My hand remained frozen in midair.
What was I doing?
I had a boyfriend.
Why was I even thinking about touching another man’s face?
I quickly pulled my hand back.
“Selene, get yourself together.” I muttered under my breath.
I lightly slapped my own cheek.
This man was a devil.
He wasn’t mine and I wasn’t his bride.
Everything happening now would end the moment I returned to Earth.
I just needed to be patient.
I didn’t need to confuse myself.
It will soon be over.
I looked down again.
“Are you asleep?”
“No.” His reply came immediately.
His voice was so deep and soft.
The kind of voice that almost sounded like a whisper beside your ear.
It nearly made me giggle.
How could someone who looked so terrifying sound so cute?
I immediately slapped my cheek again.
“Selene, get a grip.”
Without opening his eyes, Cross slowly reached for my hand.
Our fingers intertwined naturally.
The familiar black veins appeared beneath his skin once again.
They flowed from his hand into mine and warmth spread across my wrist.
I looked down.
The red marks left by his grip slowly faded and within seconds, they disappeared completely.
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
He simply hummed softly.
Not long afterward, my eyelids began growing heavier.
The cool breeze, the peaceful silence and the warmth resting against my lap.
Everything slowly made me drowsy.
I covered my mouth and yawned.
“I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.”
I blinked slowly as I looked at Cross.
I kept telling myself this devil wasn’t mine and everything would end the moment I returned to Earth.
Yet somehow, the warmth around me chased away every fear, every worry, every ache I’d carried since arriving in Larvana.
My eyelids grew heavier and before I realized it, I had fallen asleep beside him.
What’s wrong with me?
Why did it feel so peaceful whenever he’s near?
Why did it feel so safe…
in the arms of a devil?