The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 35
It was a sudden, incomprehensible, and audacious request. However, Irina neither reprimanded him nor pushed him away.
Feeling as though she was treading water that had risen to her neck, she simply closed her eyes quietly.
The warmth on her lips. Unlike usual, he did not press further but simply kept his lips lightly against hers, offering Irina a strange comfort. She opened her eyes and looked directly at the man who was kissing her.
Though it wasn’t his fault, indirectly, he was the man who choked and suffocated her. Yet, he was also the man who appeared like a ghost during her loneliest and most difficult moments.
At times, she resented and blamed him for no reason; at other times, she found him endearing like a baby fox. But now…
Pulling back slightly and breaking the kiss, she slowly spoke.
“Who exactly are you right now, in front of me?”
“…….”
It was a difficult question to comprehend. Hesed chose silence over hastily speaking. Irina continued.
“The Vice Tower Master of the White Tower?”
“…….”
“Or my one and only junior?”
“…….”
“Or the young master of the Clarke Marquisate?”
Several terms that could define or describe him were mentioned.
“Just Hesed.”
Hesed answered as he slowly knelt before Irina.
There was a time when he desired to become the household head of the Clarke Marquisate or the Master of the White Tower. As a child, he was ambitious and believed he had the intellect and abilities to achieve those goals.
‘It’s okay. We can make it back safely.’
On that harsh desert night, if he had not realized that there was something more precious than power or the only life in this world, he might not have understood the former Tower Master’s decision and might have rebelled, following the whispers of a few foolish individuals.
“In front of you, I just want to be Hesed.”
Irina looked down at the man who had taken the lowest position with her faded green eyes. Though his posture suggested submission, he did not seem weak or servile.
Hesed was someone who, unlike her, never lost himself in any situation and possessed a dazzling strength.
“I am different from you.”
Irina’s voice came out cold.
“I never wanted the position of Tower Master, but I can’t relinquish it easily.”
“…….”
“I won’t give up my authority as your senior, nor can I completely sever my ties with the Rowestin Viscounty.”
“I know. You are the most kind and responsible person I have ever known.”
Hesed continued in a gentle voice.
“Only fools don’t realize it. This continent is peaceful because you are the Master of the White Tower.”
If he had taken that position as those fools suggested…
“The White Tower and the Red Tower would still be engaged in a cold war due to the previous Tower Master’s feud with the Red Tower Master. With the towers divided, it would be near-impossible to properly handle the incidents caused by the dark sorcerers. The people of the continent would have shed even more blood.”
Moreover,
“To silence those greedy pigs, it’s right to assert your authority as a senior.”
There’s nothing better than justification to control those old men clinging to tradition.
“And who can easily sever ties with their family?”
Hesed lifted his bowed head and finished speaking.
Their eyes met. He saw the wounded green eyes. This moment felt like an eternal winter.
“Hesed, I have just one question.”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
“Have you ever resented me for taking your place?”
Hesed inhaled and then exhaled calmly before speaking.
“If you ask if I have ever resented you for any reason, I cannot say that I haven’t.”
Swearing to Magia, the God of Magic.
“But I have never once resented you or the previous Tower Master because of it. I am content with my current position, working closely with you.”
Hesed could see a bit of color returning to Irina’s pale face. Her tightly clenched fists relaxed.
He carefully took her small hand.
“Please believe me.”
Whether it was sincere or not, just saying she believed him would help them get through this situation.
However, after hesitating and moving her lips several times, Irina lowered her head.
“……!”
Hesed’s eyes widened as he felt the sensation of her lips on his. Although surprised, he did not push her away. Instead, he willingly accepted her tongue.
“Ah…”
A moan and saliva flowed from mouths whose owner was unclear. The kiss was more intense than expected, with teeth clashing occasionally.
It felt like being carried away by rough waves.
In that moment, there was nothing but the person in front of them. So, instead of giving a hollow answer, Irina kissed him.
As Irina, not as the White Tower Master, not as his senior, not as a daughter of the Rowestin Viscounty.
Showing him everything within her, asking him to show everything without hiding anything.
