* * *
“Exactly. So then, why do I want to quell the rumors?”
That’s because… because of me.
Maybe because he doesn’t want to let me go.
I kept my mouth shut, thinking about how roundabout his way of speaking was.
We didn’t speak again until we arrived.
Ateol, though no longer needing to act like a prince, still escorted me with the same courteous care as back then.
It wasn’t hard to guess he was emphasizing our relationship.
The more kind and respectful the Emperor was to me, the closer we’d seem.
Not that I had any reason to reject that.
We stepped onto the balcony together and waved to the crowd gathered like clouds below before taking our seats.
The western sky was burning red.
People bustled about, preparing their lanterns.
When the sun god lays down the burden of the day and the moon rises, the prayer lanterns all rise into the sky at once.
As the sun dipped below the city’s edge, people lit the lamps inside their paper lanterns and raised their arms, releasing them into the air.
Tiny lanterns floated upward on the breeze.
Ateol glanced at me, and I lifted one arm slightly.
Butterflies, flowers, fireflies, glimmers of light… I conjured them all.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
Colorful lights I’d made danced and twirled among the drifting lanterns.
Sky lanterns are meant to fly, so there’s a limit to how extravagantly you can decorate them.
But if the decorations were made of light, it didn’t matter how many you added.
All eyes naturally turned to me.
For once, the admiration in those gazes outweighed the fear.
Just as Ateol had predicted, thanks to this show, the rumors seemed likely to die down even more.
Ateol, who had been watching me, stood up and gestured.
An attendant came from behind, carrying a lantern.
When the wick—carefully sealed so the oil wouldn’t spill—was lit, the inside of the thick paper lantern glowed a warm yellow.
Ateol looked at me again.
“Would you decorate mine too?”
“……”
I silently flicked my fingers.
Dozens of butterflies made of light fluttered up and wrapped themselves around the lantern.
Ateol gave a small smile, then gently released the lantern into the sky.
Wrapped in a dazzling glow of light, the lantern floated up into the still-not-completely-dark sky and disappeared among the other lights.
I watched the lantern quietly.
The moment I lowered my gaze, my eyes met Ateol’s.
Startled, I froze.
How long had he been watching me? Just now?
Or since he sent off the lantern?
Our eyes locked. I couldn’t move, and neither did he—until he did.
Just a half-step forward. I flinched again and stepped back, two full paces this time.
But Ateol tilted his head, smiling, and took another step forward.
Unfortunately for me, that one step covered more ground than my two.
As I tried to back away again, his hand shot out and grabbed mine firmly.
“Don’t back away. Everyone’s watching.”
“Then you don’t come closer.”
“That might be difficult.”
“What the—!”
Without letting go, Ateol brought my hand to his lips and kissed it.
I tried to pull it back, but was stunned first by the soft press of his lips, and then again by his eyes—looking straight at me. In the end, I couldn’t move.
“I don’t plan to ever let you go.”
“……”
“So give up, Tower Master.”
He pressed his lips firmly once more, then pulled back, dropped to one knee in front of me, and kissed the back of my hand again.
Like a proposal.
Two raccoons were running wild across the room.
Were raccoons always this energetic?
Compared to me, they seemed ten times more active.
When Cloden had first brought them in, they seemed a little timid—but that hadn’t lasted more than ten minutes before they acted like they owned the place.
I watched the noisy raccoons dashing around like I was living vicariously through them.
Three days had passed since the lantern festival.
Ateol hadn’t come to the tower even once during that time.
Why ask for access to the tower if you’re not going to use it?
Should I just revoke it?
Trying to distract myself from my unsettled mood, I’d done this and that… and finally ended up bringing Ray and Roy up here.
Watching the two fluffy creatures play, tumbling and sticking together, then bouncing apart again, I felt a little calmer.
So this is what they call animal therapy.
Luckily, the raccoons weren’t shy at all about the space and adjusted quickly.
If not, I would’ve had to take them back to the greenhouse.
Day three of Ateol’s absence.
His image kept floating in my mind—kneeling in front of me.
One kiss while standing, another after kneeling. It was a typical proposal ritual in this place.
There was no ring, but still…
Strangely enough, even here, people give rings when proposing.
They have the concept of wedding rings too.
I suppose because they’re jewelry that’s easy to keep on and easy to see.
Anyway, I was a mess.
People who’d seen the show at the lantern festival and the emperor’s apparent proposal were cheering and singing like it was a celebration.
But I had just stood there, dazed, until Ateol gently guided me back to my seat.
Anyone would react the same way if they got something like a proposal—okay, not a full one since there was no ring—from someone they’d only just realized they had feelings for… and then that person disappeared for three days.
I let out a sigh as I lay on the bed, and the raccoons paused their play to run toward me.
The way their bushy tails flapped behind them was almost comical.
Using their impressive jump, the two of them landed on the bed and waddled their way into the spaces by my sides.
The sudden warmth wasn’t bad.
They wiggled around to get comfortable, sighed deeply as if satisfied, then melted into my arms.
Yeah… that’s what kids and animals do.
They play. Especially baby animals.
I don’t really like animals, and I hate having fur stick to me, but their softness under my palms was enough to make me put up with it.
Their big tails swayed gently.
I hadn’t slept properly in three days.
Even the little sleep I did get was riddled with dreams.
I was exhausted, and with these two little heaters by my sides, my body started to relax, my mind growing hazy.
No… I shouldn’t… I think I’m going to…
As soon as I realized how sleepy I felt, a wave of unease crept in.
I started stroking the raccoons more, trying to soothe myself. It helped a little.
At some point, I must have nodded off.
Just as I felt my head float, a strange sensation hit me.
Like someone was watching me.
What…?
I cracked open one eye—and shrieked.
Ateol was leaning over the bed, staring straight at me.
“What are you doing!?”
“You looked like you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You did wake me up!”
“Touchy, aren’t we.”
“I’m not the one being touchy here!”
Ask anyone.
If a guy the size of Namsan—wait, they probably don’t know Namsan here.
Anyway, if a giant man with boulder shoulders was looming over you with glowing red eyes—literally glowing—you’d wake up too.
The raccoons had woken up at some point and were now standing alert, tails up, glaring at Ateol.
“You called them Ray and Roy, right?”
Ateol pointed to each one accurately as he spoke.
He’d only seen them once before—how did he tell them apart?
I didn’t think he’d hurt them, but just in case, I scooped both into my arms.
Ateol smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up.
“Don’t make me jealous of raccoons.”
“What kind of nonsense—”
“Is it nonsense?”
He lowered his gaze to the two raccoons.
Ray and Roy flinched, then started trembling and clung tightly to me.
Their bravely raised tails had drooped down and curled around their bodies.
Maybe it wasn’t nonsense after all.
I hugged them tighter and looked up—just in time for Ateol to lean closer, brace his hand beside my head, and kiss me.
I reflexively covered the raccoons’ eyes with one hand.
Ateol saw it, and I felt the corners of his mouth lift again.
I must’ve looked ridiculous.
* * *
