TPOP 135

Chapter 135

***

The man was astonishingly impervious to any light around him. As far as she could recall, his irises had been a shade of blue, but—perhaps due to the backlighting of the sunset—they were almost indistinguishable from his pupils. They were simply pitch black, like a bottomless pit.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t read anything from him, though. Diana heard the sound of the man’s footsteps as he had, before she knew it, closed the distance to just five steps away. It was a sound completely different from what she remembered—a sound of movement driven solely by the need to reach his target quickly, with no time to hide his presence.

She could also hear his ragged breathing. She could see the veins bulging on the back of his tightly clenched fist. She could see his slightly furrowed brow, his lips pressed together in anxiety, and his impatient gaze.

Her fear began to fade. As he drew closer, the tension in Diana’s shoulders, which had been tightly coiled, gradually eased.

Now, only a single step remained. Even after confirming the clearly defined boundary of light on the floor, Felix did not slow his approach.

A transparent barrier, scattering a faint dust of light, stood between Diana and him. His toes bumped against the barrier. Felix, who had been about to invade Diana’s space without hesitation, paused and glanced sideways at the floor.

“……”

After a moment, he let out a low chuckle. Felix exhaled sharply, closing and opening his eyes slowly. As if to steady his surging emotions, he paused for just an instant before leaning forward toward Diana. Close, very close. Close enough for their gazes to meet at eye level.

His well-defined nose was just about to touch the wall. They were close enough for Diana to see herself reflected in his eyes, and for him to be the only thing in her field of vision.

Having thus captured Diana’s gaze entirely, Felix spoke in a weary tone.

“It seems you had a very pleasant time in Ormance, Diana.”

“…….”

“You vanished as if you’d never return, so I didn’t expect you to rush right back just because I had snagged a mere child.”

Instead of answering, Diana stared intently at the man. There were many things that couldn’t be discerned from his voice alone. Facing him like this made it all feel even more real.

There were emotions that could only be fully grasped after observing the subtle movements of the facial muscles that form an expression and the storms churning within the eyes. Things that were difficult to discern through hearing and touch alone unless seen with one’s own eyes.

But even so, why hadn’t she realized it? It was so clearly evident.

As Diana remained silent, even the faintest trace of a smile vanished from Felix’s face.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Come with me.”

His commanding voice was ruthless. Yes, his voice was indistinguishable from the voice of the demon in her memories. He possessed not a shred of human compassion; he was utterly impervious to persuasion, and his tone was just as merciless and unwavering—as if appealing to his emotions would be completely futile.

But that wasn’t all. Now Diana could fully grasp who she was dealing with. She casually lowered her gaze to stare at Felix’s right hand. He clenched his fist as tightly as he could, only to immediately open and close his fingers, unable to keep it still. His restlessness was evident in the way his hand kept brushing against the barrier. Anxiety was visible in the way his eyes quickly scanned the barrier, searching for any possible cracks.

The man was fidgeting nervously. It was just like the day they had faced each other in the audience chamber.

‘Why?’

Diana took a step back as a test. As if drawn by a magnet, Felix took a step forward to follow her. But as soon as the barrier stopped him, he muttered a vicious curse. Felix’s gaze, now back on Diana, wavered violently.

“Diana.”

He spoke in a voice strained with suppressed anger.

“Don’t back away. Next time, it won’t end with that brat.”

It was no longer a question but a certainty. The balance between them was no longer tilted in one direction.

Who held the upper hand in this relationship?

Diana’s hand shot up into the air and brushed against Felix’s nose. Though blocked by the wall, it didn’t actually make contact—yet it was enough to make him flinch. His gaze, held in suspended breath, followed the path of her finger.

The moment a distinct thirst spread across his face, Felix reached out impatiently. Thud! The wall, as thin and supple as a dragonfly’s wing, hardened solidly, rejecting the unwelcome intruder.

Whether he felt no pain or not, Felix’s expression remained unchanged. He was still focused on her fingertips, hovering just out of reach. As Diana let her hand fall, his blue gaze shifted to her lips. A shiver ran down Diana’s spine. She could see the image forming in her mind.

‘He wants to kiss me.’

Felix’s eyes moved down her shoulder. A dark desire flowed along Diana’s body.

‘He wants to hold me.’

Diana herself might not have seen it, but the desire he was radiating with his entire being was something she had already felt countless times before. Hadn’t she instinctively sensed it even after coming here? The Commander, despite his shabby appearance—his hair disheveled and his face smeared with dirt—couldn’t take his lustful gaze off her.

That man wanted to be inside her. Still, even now.

He wanted to possess her.

A sigh of resignation escaped Diana’s lips.

“Have you always looked at me like that?”

“What?”

“Have you always looked at me that way? Since when? Since you started drawing me?”

If she had known that, she wouldn’t have had to cling to him so pitifully.

Perhaps a single gesture would have been enough to move this man. It was always the one who agonized more who ended up at a disadvantage.

Felix, his patience exhausted, grew impatient.

“I told you to come out.”

“……”

“Diana!”

As if he’d already decided to abandon his right hand, his fists pounded the wall relentlessly. Startled by the force that shook the space, the spirits swarmed around Diana.

Though the spirits were invisible to anyone but her, the perceptive man sensed their presence simply by watching the fluttering hem of Diana’s skirt. A murderous glint flashed in Felix’s eyes.

Boom! This time, he kicked the wall. But the protective barrier didn’t budge an inch. Just as Felix’s impatience was about to reach its limit, Diana finally spoke.

“If I go out, what are you going to do to me?”

“What kind of answer are you expecting?”

“Are you going to lock me up in the palace again?”

“Don’t you like that?”

Felix glared at Diana. His lips parted as if he were about to spit out the question, “Why?” A moment of silence followed.

Then, the words that finally came out of his mouth were unexpected.

“Alright. I won’t.”

Felix forced a smile. His menacing demeanor, which had seemed ready to pounce and tear her apart at any moment, softened considerably.

“I won’t do anything you don’t want. I promise.”

“……”

“You hated being locked up, didn’t you? I get it. I won’t do that anymore, so come out here. Come out and talk to me.”

Now it was Diana’s turn to let out a hollow laugh. She was all too familiar with this kind of coaxing.

“You’re lying.”

He was the kind of man who always tricked her like this. If he really wanted to talk, he could have done so right here on the street. The moment Diana stepped over the threshold, he would snatch her up as if he’d been waiting for it. So that Diana could never again flee to a place beyond his reach.

As Diana couldn’t stop her scoffing, Felix ground his teeth under his breath.

“Why ask if you’re not going to believe me? What do you gain by testing me?”

“Don’t answer if you don’t want to. I never forced you.”

“Force?”

It was a tone of surprise. It was as if he had only just grasped the meaning of that single word after mulling it over repeatedly. He seemed like someone who had never once in his life been forced to do anything by anyone.

The rage that had seemed to subside for a moment surged up again. Diana clenched her jaw tightly.

“I don’t want to beat around the bush. Don’t lay a finger on my country and leave. And don’t ever show your face to me again.”

“…….”

“This isn’t a deal, and it’s certainly not a request. It’s exactly the way you’re used to. It means an order.”

No sooner had Diana finished speaking with emphasis than time seemed to suddenly stop. Even the spirits froze in place, holding their breath.

Felix, who had been staring at her with an inscrutable gaze for a while, let out a derisive snort. At that moment, the air—which had seemed to hold even time itself—tightened to a tension incomparable to what it had been just a moment ago.

Amidst the indescribable tension, the man’s aura shifted slowly but surely. It was an ominous sign.

***