The Couple

Knock Knock. Luis knocked on the door. But since no one answered, he decided to open the door himself. And it turned out that Alex's figure was indeed standing there, staring at all the piles of documents on his desk with an empty look. "Prince Alex, you called me?"

"Ah, Luis, I kinda forgot something. So how about you remind me a bit?" Replied him. "I'm the crown prince, right?"

"...Of course you are."

"Then why do people still dare to threaten me?"

"Someone threatens the prince?? Who?!" Replied Luis angrily. "Just tell me the name, prince. I will immediately send skillful assassins to finish them off."

"Arina."

"..." Immediately speechless, Luis immediately looked back at his employer in confusion. "You want me to send people to her--"

"Of course not! Are you crazy?!" Reply Alex who immediately threw his ass into the chair. Only then did he take the box that Arina had given him earlier and took out the object inside.

Curious, Luis approached. "Is that a dagger? How does it look so weirdly fascinating?" He praised it. Because a dagger with a dark metal and blue luster like that was not something you could see every day.

"Gifts, she said." Alex chuckled bitterly.

When he met her earlier, Arina finally told him everything that happened when she tried to kill Effi that night. She also told him that she figured out about Gin's identity, who was an ajin--but of course she didn't tell him that she heard it from Felix, especially his plan to eat the priestess's heart.

Felix offered himself to help. But since Arina still doesn't know much about his true intentions--and most importantly, his weaknesses, Arina decides that it's safer to ask Alex to do it instead. After all, the prince often came to visit the trade union, so Alex's chances of dealing with him were definitely higher.

As a result, with a heavy heart, Arina lends her expensive dagger to Alex. Then happily too, alternately asking him to kill someone this time.

'But for a cursed being, doesn't that mean this dagger can also be used to injure her?' He thought.

"Does that mean she believes me…?" He muttered then, whether consciously or not, began to curve a small smile.

"Ah, Luis. Is Mr. Karma around?" He asked again while putting the dagger back into the box.

"Mr. Karma? Yes, he should. I saw him earlier."

"Then tell him to accompany me to practice now. I'll get ready first."

"Uh, now? But you have an appointment with--"

"Cancel it."

"...Then I'll move it to tonight." Luis replied softly. And because the meeting was indeed quite important, Alex decided not to argue with him. "But don't you usually practice with Mr. Deri? Why Mr. Karma?"

"What else? Of course because he's better at using daggers."

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Effi knew that she should've bent her back like Kilo when they had to part ways with Arina. But because Arina waved her hand instead, Effi unconsciously waved back at her too.

"...I didn't know you were close with Miss Arina." Kilo said then.

"Actually we only talked a bit during the welcoming ceremony." Effi replied with a chuckle. "But she's very kind, so unconsciously I also got a little comfortable with her." She added happily.

Immediately started walking, Kilo had no intention of replying. But because it kept bothering him, he finally spoke again. "But you better be careful with her. There are lots of strange rumors around her."

"Rumors…?"

"Well, you know, typical noble. Everyone says she has a bad unstable temper or something. So when she gets really angry, she can be very scary too." He explained.

Then after looking left and right vigilantly, he turned completely to Effi to talk more quietly. "They even said that she likes to send assassins to get back at the people she hates!"

"..." Effi was silent for a while, uncomfortable with all the stories. But since she didn't know much about Arina either, she could only reply in a small voice. "Miss Arina doesn't look like that at all…"

"Well, I warned you." Replied Kilo. "And that's real advice, you know. I'm worried about you." He added later with a fake smile.

That bespectacled man was actually one of the perpetrators of Effi's watering on her first day. But in front of her, of course he wouldn't dare to mess with the person who would become the head priest in the future. Though fortunately Effi also knows that, so she decides to start walking again.

But after some distance, Kilo stopped her again. "The shop is this way." He said as they were at the crossroads.

"Uh, mm, but the shop that sells Alas flowers seems to be around there. I saw one when I entered the town last week." She said as best as she could. "I need that flower."

"Is that so? Well, if you really need it…" And without the slightest suspicion, Kilo immediately followed her way.

Effi had only seen the streets of this town once, so she wasn't really sure how to get to her promised place with Gin. But for now, she planned to take Kilo to the crowded place in the town square first. That way, she should be able to find a way out somehow.

And after pretending to be confused looking for a way and jogging in all directions, Effi finally manages to separate herself from Kilo.

Wasting no time, Effi immediately bought a black robe from a beggar on the roadside so she could hide her conspicuous white clothes. Only after that did she buy firecrackers and ask a small child to blow them up, while she herself immediately went to the place Gin had secretly told her at last week's celebration, which was some empty fields on the outskirts of town.

The fireworks signal just went off a few moments ago, so Effi thought that she would be there first. But it turned out that as soon as she entered the empty warehouse in the middle of the fields, apparently the long-haired man was already there.

Unlike the image he's been showing to the nobles these days, he seemed to be wearing his casual shirt and pants. Even his hair looked quite messy right now, as if… He just went somewhere fun and comfortable.

Effi can already see that he might have drunk a bit, but she had more important business right now. "Gin, thank goodness you already came." Call Effi who immediately ran over to him. "You have to hear this. This afternoon I met the prince and then... And then--"

"Hey, calm down first." Cut Gin while hitting Effi's forehead softly. He chuckled weirdly, but he also seemed to be quite sober to talk with. "Take a breath first. Tell me what's wrong. You met the prince? Which one?"

"Prince Felix!" Answered Effi who started panicking again. "I don't know how, but… But it looks like he knows about our relationship."

"...!" Gin immediately opened his eyes widely in shock. Even though he didn't look as panicked as Effi, he's actually getting a heart attack too.

"Shit! Of all people…!" He grumbled first. "But how? You did something to him?"

"No, I just healed the soldier he injured…" She explained. "But after that he suddenly said that I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for you."

Having a second attack, Gin froze again. "Wait, you mean… He knew about me? My ability? My… Identity?" He asked, but Effi could only put on the same pale face as him.

'When I'm about to be inaugurated as a union member, why now?!' He complained silently. "Then what did you reply to him? Did he say something else?"

"N-Nothing. He just walked away after saying that." She replied. But because Gin was back to silent, Effi said again, "What should we do, Gin? If the prince really knows everything, we'll, oh my, we'll be in deadly trouble! Gin? Gin!"

"I KNOW, SHUT UP! I'M THINKING!" He suddenly screamed and startled Effi. But as soon as he noticed Effi's stiff face, Gin quickly lowered his voice again. "I-I'm sorry. I'm just freaking out. I didn't mean to get angry." He said as best he could.

"But come to think of it, even if he did know, he shouldn't be planning on spreading it out right away, right?" He muttered then. "Because if he had, he would have done it already."

"So…?"

"He wants something. And he clearly has other plans for it." He said and the two of them went back to silent for a while.

And for some reason, Gin started to get restless with his surroundings. "By the way, you left the palace alone, right? You already made sure no one followed you?"

"Ah, right! Earlier I went out with my senior." Said Effi who just remembered that she might have left Kilo for too long. "I left him in town and sneaked away here. But I have to get back soon or he'll get suspicious at me."

With a long sigh, Gin went back to thinking. "I'll send a letter if there's anything. So put your ribbons on the window."

"...But Gin, my dorm is right in front of Mr. Heka's residence. So don't send it in the afternoon or night because he might see it and ask me who it was from."

"Hm? Isn't it better at night? When he sleeps?"

"But I don't know when his bedtime is. So rather than night, morning before noon is safer because he has a teaching schedule after the morning assembly." She replied.

"Plus, the other priests will also be busy at that hour, so there shouldn't be anyone hanging around the dormitory." She added and Gin finally nodded.

"Then I better get back now before--"

"Hey, wait." Hold Gin while pulling her hand. "I'm a bit tired. Can I drink it today?"

Furrowing her brows, Effi immediately put on a displeased expression. "...But you already drank a lot last week."

"Yes, for protecting you!" Gin replied again. "Just a little bit, okay? Please." He begged again, which now has already pulled her waist.

So in the end, Effi can only close her eyes while enduring the pain when Gin starts biting her neck and sucking her blood.