Ume's tightened grip forced blood from her palms, slicking the hilt and running down onto the sword. The cold tip of the blade already rested against her neck.

"What happened? Why are you hesitating?" she asked.

I instantly let go of the hilt and removed her hand from the blade before snapping, "What are you doing, idiot!?"

Before any more of her blood could fall from her hands, I immediately tore the sleeve of my shirt and wrapped it around her wounds.

"Hehe~! And here I thought you only care about Sister Nym," Ume said with a playful smile.

Without replying to her teasing, I tied the cloth on her hand and flicked her forehead.

"Don't do anything stupid like this again!"

"Ouch! Such impudence! How could you flick a goddess!" Ume hissed, rubbing the reddened area.

"The goddess was being an idiot, so as her friend it's my duty to punish her," I replied firmly.

"What do you mean by idiot?" she mumbled. "Your reaction made it clear that you are not becoming a demon, so the test was successful."

"Silly, even if I do turn into a demon, I can never hurt you," I stated, rubbing her head. "So you mustn't hurt yourself like this again."

"But you can do it, huh?" she groaned, giving me side-eyes. "You infiltrated the enemy's base as their prisoner, endured their inhuman torture for two weeks, and then fought multiple people of higher rank than yours in an injured body.

Removing my hand from her head, she continued her nagging with a frown, "What if they had done irreversible damage to your body?

To make it worse, you didn't inform either Jambavan or Vyaghra about this reckless plan of yours.

What if they had injured you to the point of no resistance before that sickening festival? You could have died without being able to ask for anyone's help."

Her fluffy ears dropped to her head, her voice turning low as she murmured, "I would never be able to forgive myself if another person I cared about died because of me."

I gently placed my hands on the back of her head, drew her closer to my chest, and whispered as I embraced her in my arms, "I deliberately didn't tell Vyaghra and Jambavan about my plan because I knew they were sending you updates, and I was afraid that you wouldn't let me do it."

"You—"

She was about to snap, but I continued, "However, I was wrong. You have chosen me as your betrothed, so it is the least of your rights to know my whereabouts. I'm sorry, Ume. It won't happen again."

"At least you are aware of your mistakes," Ume murmured, accepting my embrace.

The two of us stayed like that for almost two minutes and only drew back when I asked, "By the way, where are we?"

"Shouldn't you know better? You were the one who infiltrated this place without telling us."

I raised my eyes to scan the surroundings of the room.

Black stone walls coated with gold and silver, expensive utensils on the table, and several small Soul Stones embedded into the ceiling appearing like a night sky.

It was definitely the room of Victor Kale I had seen inside the castle when I scoured this place.

However, all of his belongings were removed from the room, and it no longer carried his cloying smell.

"Instead of taunting me, you could have directly told me that we are inside Victor's castle," I chuckled, smiling at Ume warmly.

"Hmph, I am a woman as well. You must hear my taunts for your mistake for the rest of your life."

Her adorable pouting involuntarily brought calmness to my heart. I couldn't help but keep looking at her breathtaking visage.

"Is… is there something on my face?" Ume asked, flustered by my continuous gazing.

"Ethereal beauty," I stated, still looking.

"I already know that," she replied, flaunting her hair with a smug look. "Have you only realized it now?"

"No, I'm aware of your enchanting looks, but looking at you now made me realize how much I longed to see your face in the mines."

Her face, which had been wearing a confident expression, finally brushed with a blush as she shyly averted her eyes.

As I was gazing at her constantly, I realised something.

"Ume, may I style your hair?" I asked.

"Huh? That's an unexpected request. I don't mind it, but why do you want to do it?"

"Because you don't know how to style your hair."

Surprised by my sudden remark, she demanded, "H-how do you know that?"

"Your hair is combed clumsily, and you always keep it open."

"It's embarrassing to admit, but you are correct," Ume sighed. "My personal servants used to comb my hair, so I never bothered to learn it."

"It's alright. I'm here now," I declared. "I used to style Maa's hair, so I unknowingly learned various hairstyles."

"Who is Maa?" she asked, her voice turning sharp as she glared at me.

"My mother," I said, my voice laced with sadness.

Before the mood in the room could turn somber, she handed me a comb from her space ring and sat in front of me, turning her back toward me.

"Here, do it."

Her hair was soft like threads of silk and carried the scent of plum blossoms. I grabbed some strands of her hair and murmured, sniffing them, "Your hair has such a lovely fragrance."

"You have changed from before," Ume replied.

"So you noticed!" I exclaimed with excitement. "I have reached the Essence Realm now."

"I'm not talking about your physical form, dummy," she sighed before continuing in a low tone, "Previously, you tried to put a boundary between us whenever we became a little closer, like in the bathroom of the inn or when I wore that night suit. However, now you are breaking that boundary yourself."

She turned her face and looked at me with worried eyes as her breath brushed against my skin and asked, "Is it just a momentary whim, or will you stay like this?"

"Ume, there is a reason why I was trying to create the boundary," I whispered.

"Can you tell me the reason?"

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for a shower of countless questions as I confessed, "I'm not from this world."

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