Chapter 10
2. When Peach Blossoms Bloom
The city under the setting sun was quiet. Before the war, it used to be lively even past midnight, but after facing several attacks by flying demonic creatures attracted to light, people no longer lit up their lights past a certain hour.
However, the Staedt Duchy was an exception. Protected by magic, the mansion was adorned with brilliant street lamps from the front gate to the mansion’s entrance, as if making a mockery of the demons.
I stepped out of the carriage. After thanking the coachman who had struggled with using the night vision goggles for the carriage ride, I began walking towards the mansion.
The night air was chilly. Nevertheless, strolling along the grounds of the mansion in silence was one of my usual activities when I needed to calm my mind.
There were no guards patrolling the estate, nor were there any guard dogs. Given that the one in control and managing everything in the mansion was none other than the Grand Magus Calcioso Staedt, there was no need for security personnel.
The only individuals moving in and out of the mansion were a few servants and spirits.
Walking through the silence, I suddenly realized that the statue of the warrior I just passed seemed unfamiliar and turned around.
“Hmm?”
I muttered absentmindedly, and the distant head twitched slightly. It wasn’t a statue but the warrior himself. One of the five heroes, the sixteen-year-old who defeated the demon king, Ken.
“Ken?”
“Hey, Belle.”
It was indeed Ken. His swirling violet eyes looked at me. While Ken’s eyes appeared almost black under the light, in the dark, they were a transparent, pale purple, almost pink. He was mesmerizing to look at at night. He was wrapped tightly in a thick robe, as if ready for a perilous journey.
“What are you doing there?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“Congratulations on coming of age.”
“Huh?”
My coming of age had already been celebrated on my birthday. Ken held out a long, fine hand out of his robe. On his hand was a red gemstone attached to a string made of black elderberry fibers. It was said that he had received hundreds of curses from slaying demons, so he had to wear amulets to keep them at bay.
‘It’s an amulet… but his hands look delicate and appealing, don’t they? Kind of provocative.’
The elderberry fibers intricately woven around the gemstones looked like red dewdrops on a black spider’s web. Ken had several of these amulets. They were tied around his ear cuffs, his choker, and even in his hair, making him look like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web.
‘Does he ever feel like he’s setting himself as bait for his prey?’
He already had a beautiful face, but adorning it so lavishly made it all the more captivating every time I looked at it.
‘It’s a good thing he can’t see my facial expressions, or this would be even more embarrassing.’
Whether he realized I was licking my lips or not, Ken turned in his robe and held out his other hand to me.
As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Wow…!”
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