Chapter 503 – I Love You

The warriors of Do-won were gathering here, their eyes gleaming with determination.

“Are they planning to apprehend me and conduct the marriage ceremony?”

The adult ceremony is still a week away, but considering the number of people mobilized, I can guess how the situation has evolved.

“Zodiac must have informed them. After all, she didn’t exactly keep silent.”

Heaven is a unique case, and the warriors of Do-won aren’t the type to lay down their lives for me. Zodiac’s affection for me was a separate matter.
They listened to Zodiac’s words and rapidly assembled forces here to abduct me.

“Can I hold out for a few days?”

I looked down to check on Heaven and Ebony.
Ebony was staring at me, as if asking what to do. Heaven was absent-mindedly holding my hand.

Heaven’s fist, resting on my chest, was as cold and pale as to make her veins visibly blue.

“Heaven.”

Her face seemed so desolate, aware of the impending separation, that I called her name in the gentlest way I could.
At my call, Heaven looked up at me in surprise.

“Yes. Should we… escape?”
“We should, for now. Are you alright? You seem to be in bad shape.”

Heaven gave a bitter smile at my concern.

“I’m fine.”

Her strained smile and the lie that tumbled from her lips belied her words, her face was as pale as death.
I knelt down.

“That’s impossible. Give me your hand.”

Suddenly!

“Oh, wait a moment….”

I took hold of Heaven’s wrist.
This time, it was my turn to convey warmth. When I squeezed her hand gently, a chill seemed to emanate from Heaven’s pale hands.

“How does it feel?”
“It’s warm, hehe. Your warmth is coming through.”
“Your response is strangely awkward.”
“Well, we are parting soon, aren’t we?”

Heaven managed a faint smile, her words seeping with desolation.
I lifted Heaven into my arms, her tears welling up.

Her bosom was full, her waist slender. Holding her buttocks and kissing her lips, I tasted the sweet scent of peaches.
Heaven was far more mature than I knew, in her heart and in her body.

“We need to endure until the day before the adult ceremony. Can you manage to sleep outdoors?”

I asked her, seeing that the warriors of Do-won were almost upon us.

“…Actually.”

Heaven hesitated for a long time, then slowly shook her head.

“Actually, I….”
“Yes?”
“I, I mean.”

Heaven looked at me, her face filled with guilt.
Why is Heaven acting like this all of a sudden?

From the reluctance to separate from my embrace, it was evident Heaven no longer wished for death. The guilt etched across her visage hinted at a lie she had woven for my sake.

A deception, I wondered, perhaps concerning our escape from this dreamlike existence?

“No… It’s nothing,” she said, her voice quivering with sorrow.

Maybe the method to liberate ourselves from this world was not as closely tied to a specific date as we had thought. The necessity of Heaven’s death and my departure from Do-won might be the correct sequence, but the belief that this should occur the day before the maturity ceremony may be erroneous.

In essence, Heaven had spun another falsehood, if only to spend a few more moments with me.

“Nothing at all?” I asked.
“…Yes.”
“It’s okay. You can tell the truth, Heaven. There’s nothing you could say that would make me despise you.”
“…It’s nothing. Truly.”

The heart of the issue was that even such a lie seemed to me a pathetic last-ditch effort, a struggle against the ticking clock that was her life. But still, she remained close, never straying more than a step from my side, ever endearing in her steadfastness.

‘Indeed.’

My inability to see through Heaven’s deception was the real problem. She was not to blame.

“We’ve wasted a lot of time,” I remarked.
“….!”

Heaven jolted at my words, and I spoke her name gently.

“Heaven.”
“Yes… yes.”

She responded twice, her voice trembling. My dry words were reaching her.

“How are you finding the day?”
“….”
“Do you think a day is enough time to sort out your feelings?”

I could feel her heartbeat pounding all the way over here. Heaven buried her face in my chest, her voice a desolate whisper.

“Could… Could you spare three days?”

The maturity ceremony was still a week away. The fact that Heaven specifically requested three days was an admission of her lie.

To escape this dream, all that was needed was to eliminate Heaven and exit Do-won. No specific date was necessary. I could have enacted it at that very moment.

‘It would be ideal if the time differences were not significant.’

Sensing the change in my complexion, Heaven, now more desperate than before, threw her arms around my neck. Her hands, once warmed by me, had long since returned to their winter chill.

“Then, two days, provide me just two days. I wish to spend a bit more time with you, dearest.”
“Heaven.”
“…Just a little bit, a tiny bit… It’s only a short while for you.”

To me, it was but a fleeting moment. To Heaven, it would be an eternity.

Regrettably, it seemed our conversation could not continue due to the impending arrival of Do-won’s troops.

“Shall we evade for now? Ebony!”
“Yes, mister.”

A fight was unnecessary; evasion was sufficient.

– Rustle.

Just before Ebony and I took off, the bushes rustled, and White Peach showed her face.

“Hey, courtesan.”

White Peach glanced between Ebony and me, her gaze fierce. Spotting Heaven in my arms, she rubbed her forehead as though a headache was imminent.

Heaven gazed at White Peach with a face riddled with anxiety. Naturally, she had assumed that White Peach had come to seize her.

However, what sprung from White Peach’s lips were words beyond expectation.

“…Follow me.”

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The location they reached under White Peach’s guidance was a dilapidated house, absent from any map.

– Squeak.

It was a single room where water flowed and warmth prevailed. Before the impending separation, I left Heaven, unable to find peace, seated on the bed. I then left the house for a clandestine rendezvous with White Peach.

“No one else might know, but I thought for certain you’d come to overthrow me.”
“…Tsk.”

White Peach, seemingly still displeased with me, protruded her tongue and balled her fists.

“I’m aware too… If you exert your power, no matter how much we resist, it’ll be in vain.”

White Peach turned her head to look at the ramshackle house where Heaven resided.

“And… it was Heaven’s choice.”

Was she suggesting she’d respect that decision?

“Why are the warriors pursuing me?”
“Because of Zodiac. She’s so naive, easily swayed by rhetoric. The people here knew in no time.”
“So, it wasn’t intentional. Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I leave, you’ll die too.”

White Peach lowered her gaze and looked at me, her fists clenched.

“Can I land one punch?”
“Go ahead.”

She drew her fist back, coiled around her waist, and using the momentum, she swung. The straight hook landed squarely in my stomach, and I theatrically collapsed onto the floor.

“…Pretending, are we?”

She caught my feigned fall. White Peach smirked and knelt.

“Heaven… comfort her well. Don’t overdo it just because it’s a ruse. Or she’ll come back to kill you.”
“I’ve said it twice now, what about you?”
“I’ll go in there now, and deceive her just enough.”

White Peach gestured towards the direction where Do-won was, shrugged her shoulders.

“Also… thank you for the apology.”
“You aren’t the White Peach I knew.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Even when you were with Do-won, right before everything fell apart, you were the most reliable and dignified.”
“Don’t flatter me. Not if you want to survive.”

White Peach, seemingly uncomfortable with the praise, turned her head quickly. Nonetheless, as Zodiac and Heaven had suggested, she was the closest embodiment of bravery. I asked her cheekily.

“But did I apologize to you?”
“When the memory was still distorted… you said sorry to me, didn’t you? You said it when you were out of your senses… I figured it out right away. You were sincere.”

So, this was why she made this choice. The words I unknowingly uttered in a state of delirium swayed the situation thus. Of course, in a positive direction.

White Peach walked back towards the foliage and glanced back at me one last time.

“Ecliptic is still concealing our location. She seemed pleased when you pierced through once.”
“A pleasure, no doubt, but also a regret.”
“Exactly. Ecliptic, the old one, said so. She feels she might lose control at your sight. That’s why she didn’t come.”

Even though it was a disappointment, it was understandable.
No matter how virtual, these three seemed extraordinarily close-knit. The two sisters had made such a sacrifice for Heaven’s sake.

“Then, I will go.”
“Hey.”

I halted the departing White Peach.
To White Peach, who scowled at my call, I smiled teasingly.

“You look rather pretty today.”
“Enough!”

White Peach, her face flushing slightly, turned her head and scampered away.
Then, she paused just before vanishing.

“Tell the real one that, too.”

With that, she hurried away. White Peach was still not honest with her feelings.

* * * * * * * * * *

On returning to the room and observing for a while, Heaven was not in the best state.

“Death… Can we extend our shared time to three days? Please.”

Unlike Zodiac, who had cleanly detached, perhaps it was due to the sticky affection shared over several days. Heaven, facing separation, had a hard time calming down.

“Ebony, would you go to your room?”
“Yes, sir.”

I’d likely have to stay up for several nights. Ebony went to her room, and I sat on the bed, continuing my consolation for Heaven.

If she wanted a kiss, I’d give her one.
If she wanted an embrace, I’d offer it.

“Sob… sob…”

For reasons unknown, Heaven kept feeling my hands and body. As if trying to etch the texture of me into her memory.

Nevertheless, she managed to calm down.

“… I’m sorry for my tantrum.”
“It’s okay.”

The Heaven here was emotionally weaker than the Heaven I knew.
Or rather, she was honest with her feelings. Even my master… was often hurt by my words and remembered them. Perhaps this young Heaven was modeled after my master’s inner self.

“Heaven.”
“Yes…? Oops!”

And so, the first day.
We consummated our relationship.

“Ah… Ah!”

When my manhood penetrated her.
It was rather challenging at first.

“Ah, ah… . Death, death…!”

Unlike Zodiac, she produced very little lubrication and lacked both experience and knowledge.

But the affection transmitted through our physical union was on a different level from a common kiss.
Even after the initial pain of penetration, Heaven displayed an extraordinarily excited expression.

“Ha… hah.”

Heaven, exposing her breasts, clung tightly to my body.

“I love you.”

A hot, passionate declaration stuck in my ear like a lingering note.

The naked form of Cheondo was incredibly captivating. If one were to judge solely by maturity, she was less developed than her Master.
The enticing body of a perfectly matured young adult.
Her adorably moaning image was something I felt I would never forget.

“Sss… Slurp, Paha… Slurp.”

The second day.
We made love the entire day, our lips interlocking.

Proficiency had made our kisses soft, yet now they transformed into something more passionate.
The more our relationship deepened, the more our feelings intensified.
Cheondo, who had been fervently sucking on my tongue, at some point began to sob while in my embrace.

“Huff…Ugh, Uh…Huff.”

Once again, emotions erupted.
With her waist encircled by my arms, I held Cheondo close to me again.

This time, the storm of emotions was even larger than the previous day.

“… Can’t we just… not leave…? Please stay here with me. Let’s live together forever.”

It didn’t matter.
Cheondo, who had once screamed that she wouldn’t care if I killed her, started to crumble.

“I love you more… I’m certain I can love you better than reality permits. I’ll fulfill your heart’s desires for a lifetime… I will never get angry… I’ll cook you delicious food too. Sobs.”
“Cheondo.”
“…I don’t want to die.”

Cheondo, who had begun to cry like a child, shed tears.
I found myself unable to comfort her as I watched Cheondo grow weaker and weaker.

“I love you more. More than he ever could!”

She wished to etch herself as a scar within me,
But Cheondo refrained from uttering words that could cause me pain.

“I still have more to say… I can still express my love-“

She couldn’t overcome the surge of emotions engulfing her.

“Sob, sob, sob….”

Shedding tears, she beat on my chest.
Each time, I could only hold Cheondo and soothe her.

Time, though seemingly endless, was in truth very short. We focused on our embraces, sharing a ceaseless passionate relationship.
Cheondo, always in tears, concentrated on exploring my body, even as her eyes swelled with her constant weeping.

“Listen…”
“Yes.”
“If you return to that world, let me be the first to fall in love.”
“So, you mean yourself?”
“Absolutely. I’m sure I will love you. Perhaps even more than I do now….”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“Listen.”
“Yes.”
“…please don’t forget.”

The third day.
Cheondo died in my arms.

“I love you.”

With those unchanging words as her last.

【 The ordeal, begins. 】