“…What?”
There was no answer to my stupid question. Instead, a large hand wrapped around my cheek. The tips of our noses, which were slightly touching, gently swept across the skin. He tilted his head. However, our lips didn’t touch. His lips stopped at a distance where even the warmth could be felt and stayed like that for a moment. Although our lips clearly weren’t touching, it strangely gave the illusion that their lips were overlapping.
Around the time my whole body became stiff from the tension, Ilya dropped his head and muttered in a slightly subdued voice. “I too am just an ordinary male angel who can be seduced by a beautiful angel.”
The response was quite embarrassing.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Dopamine Addiction’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[Gasp, gasp, I was holding my breath just now.]
Only then did I come to my senses and try to get off his lap quickly. However, I failed because of his arm was tightly wrapped around my waist.
“Excuse me, Lord Ilya. Can you please move your arm away?”
“Why?”
“Why? It’s because it feels strange to be like this.”
“Weren’t you doing well until just now?”
I looked at him with an absurd expression. “Weren’t you offended that you gave in to the seduction?”
“I’m offended that I have done exactly the same thing as a man who I thought was stupid. But that doesn’t mean I want to let you go.”
He obviously had the same expressionless face, but strangely, there seemed to be a smile on it.
Ilya leaned deeply on the sofa while holding me in his arms. “Just stay like this for a moment.”
“Yes? Why?”
“When I’m in contact with you, I feel like I’ve felt it once in a while.”
“…What do you feel?”
Ilya agonized for a moment with the look of being asked a difficult question. “I have a twin brother. It’s similar to the feeling I get when he does something crazy or when he comes to visit me by chance. But this is neither joy nor welcome…”
The name of that feeling would probably be happiness.
My mind got mixed up. ‘Happiness’ is a feeling that he didn’t even know the name because he barely experienced it. It was upsetting and sad at the same time.
Feeling a sense of guilt welling up inside me, I hugged Ilya. I wish he was happier. I’m also a person who’s not good at happiness, but I hoped that Ilya would get used to happiness from now on.
Ilya stayed still for a moment, then, with a clumsy movement, he hugged my back and placed his cheek on the nape of my neck. From those small actions, I could see that he had let go of all the tension he had always maintained, even without being aware of himself. Right. He was now leaning on someone for the first time.
“…”
Ilya muttered under his breath. His words didn’t seem to be meant to be heard by anyone but rather came out like tears flowing suddenly. So I couldn’t hear it, but I didn’t ask what he was saying. Instead, I stroked his hair as if praising him for doing a good job so far. I just felt like I should do it.
We hugged each other for a long time as if we were having a warm conversation.
* * *
That day, Ilya had a dream. It was an unpleasant and strange dream in which he became a fallen angel and made a contract with some kind of human being.
“If you make a contract with me, the day your life ends, every human being in the Bernstein family will be dragged to hell. Are you still going to sign a contract with me?”
Duke Bernstein, who seemed to have given up everything in life, knelt down and spoke.
“It doesn’t matter. If the truth becomes known anyway, everyone will die.”
Duke Bernstein had a sick wife, an eldest son who was incapable of being a human being, and a smart second son with a so-so character. However, his second son, whom he thought to be his successor, was lying in the corner of the room as a cold corpse.
Duke Bernstein had killed him. He thought it was an inevitable choice. Otherwise, his second son would have immediately run to the emperor and told him that the Bernstein family was the one who was involved in treason, not the Squire. His son didn’t know how scary Emperor Euges was.
Duke Bernstein, who saw with his own eyes how the emperor punished his mother, could never reveal his family’s misdeeds. Only the Squire family was falsely accused in the process, but that’s what politics is all about.
“It’s impossible to conceal the fact that my son died from my wife. That would lead to an investigation, and evidence of the family’s misdeeds that this child has hidden might pop up from somewhere.”
Duke Bernstein begged for the evidence to be destroyed. He also begged for a replacement for his dead son.
Ilya suddenly thought that this wasn’t a bad situation.
“I will be your second son. In return, I will not accept any more wish.”
Ilya appeared in the human world just as he was. His pitch-black wings disappeared, and his burning red eyes also turned dark green. Pretending to be human was disgusting, but living as a shell of Bernstein’s second son was even more unpleasant.
“L-Lord Abblo. That figure looks different from my son…”
“It’s enough to manipulate people’s memories. And from now on, call me Ilya.”
Ilya didn’t like the name Abblo, which he received after becoming an archdemon. Therefore, neither Abblo nor Ron, the name of Duke Bernstein’s second son, was used, but the name was given to him when he was an archangel. He had a foolish expectation that if he used that name, his twin, who was born half-human and half-demon, would awaken memories of his past life. His twin was once again ‘Clyde,’ so he also had to be ‘Ilya.’
Like a short play, his life as a human professor began. He became a professor in the field of <Attribute Magic> and taught students, but honestly, he had no enthusiasm. He deliberately became a professor of a very difficult subject so that only a few students would take it. So, he was a little happy when Clyde chose it as his major.
Then, some stupid girl followed Clyde and became his student. Honestly, he seemed to have erased that girl’s existence from his memory. But one day, this happened.
“Professor!”
The moment the student he hadn’t paid any attention to approached him with a friendly face and called him, he instinctively realized that something had changed. It was a change not in that student but in himself.
…What feeling is this? He didn’t know at first.
As he watched Theresa struggle with her insignificant human body, he began to become interested in human life for the first time. It was an annoying change and variable.
Ilya was a man who devoted his whole life to his cause. He had lived and was going to live for only one thing. However, Theresa began to take root in his mind at some point. That kid was strange.
He sensed that the original Theresa was already dead, and from the moment he realized that a spirit of unknown origin had entered her body, he couldn’t take his eyes off her even more. She stimulated his curiosity, which was limited only to academics.
It was comfortable and fun to be together. This was a feeling he had very rarely felt. So much to the point that he wished if he was to have a companion, it would be this woman. But does he deserve it?
“—!”
Ilya’s eyes widened as if he had been stabbed by a sharp awl. It felt like there was a hole in his heart. No, it felt like his body had been torn in half. He had already forgotten the contents of the dream.
When he woke up unpleasantly, all that was left was hatred, anger, and sadness. Marin clearly said there was nothing wrong with him, but why did she show symptoms that a broken angel might experience? Ilya let out a painful groan and raised up his upper body.
“Lord Ilya?”
At that time, a thin, elegant voice rang out from the bedroom he always used alone.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Theresa approached with a worried face and wiped his cold sweat-soaked forehead.
Ilya closed his eyes for a moment. He suppressed his wildly boiling emotions and regained his senses. …I brought Theresa to the Tower of Light.
Theresa, a low-level angel, had no place to live. So, without much thought, he brought her to his residence and told her to stay there.
Theresa was sitting on the sofa in the bedroom reading a book, and he watched her for a moment before unconsciously falling asleep.
Only after Ilya sorted out his memories one by one did he finally return to his usual state. But his eyes didn’t open. It was because Theresa had snuggled into his arms.
When she hugged him, he felt like his condition was becoming better. It was an appropriate action. Just like at the ranch, an unidentifiable gentle and soft energy enveloped him and took away the pain that was wracking his insides.
Ilya slowly lifted his eyelids. Her back was visible. He raised his arms and hugged the spot where her wing had been burned. He felt satisfied that Theresa couldn’t leave him on her own.
“…What?”
There was no answer to my stupid question. Instead, a large hand wrapped around my cheek. The tips of our noses, which were slightly touching, gently swept across the skin. He tilted his head. However, our lips didn’t touch. His lips stopped at a distance where even the warmth could be felt and stayed like that for a moment. Although our lips clearly weren’t touching, it strangely gave the illusion that their lips were overlapping.
Around the time my whole body became stiff from the tension, Ilya dropped his head and muttered in a slightly subdued voice. “I too am just an ordinary male angel who can be seduced by a beautiful angel.”
The response was quite embarrassing.
Ding!
[The Constellation ‘Dopamine Addiction’ has sponsored 100,000 coins.]
[Gasp, gasp, I was holding my breath just now.]
Only then did I come to my senses and try to get off his lap quickly. However, I failed because of his arm was tightly wrapped around my waist.
“Excuse me, Lord Ilya. Can you please move your arm away?”
“Why?”
“Why? It’s because it feels strange to be like this.”
“Weren’t you doing well until just now?”
I looked at him with an absurd expression. “Weren’t you offended that you gave in to the seduction?”
“I’m offended that I have done exactly the same thing as a man who I thought was stupid. But that doesn’t mean I want to let you go.”
He obviously had the same expressionless face, but strangely, there seemed to be a smile on it.
Ilya leaned deeply on the sofa while holding me in his arms. “Just stay like this for a moment.”
“Yes? Why?”
“When I’m in contact with you, I feel like I’ve felt it once in a while.”
“…What do you feel?”
Ilya agonized for a moment with the look of being asked a difficult question. “I have a twin brother. It’s similar to the feeling I get when he does something crazy or when he comes to visit me by chance. But this is neither joy nor welcome…”
The name of that feeling would probably be happiness.
My mind got mixed up. ‘Happiness’ is a feeling that he didn’t even know the name because he barely experienced it. It was upsetting and sad at the same time.
Feeling a sense of guilt welling up inside me, I hugged Ilya. I wish he was happier. I’m also a person who’s not good at happiness, but I hoped that Ilya would get used to happiness from now on.
Ilya stayed still for a moment, then, with a clumsy movement, he hugged my back and placed his cheek on the nape of my neck. From those small actions, I could see that he had let go of all the tension he had always maintained, even without being aware of himself. Right. He was now leaning on someone for the first time.
“…”
Ilya muttered under his breath. His words didn’t seem to be meant to be heard by anyone but rather came out like tears flowing suddenly. So I couldn’t hear it, but I didn’t ask what he was saying. Instead, I stroked his hair as if praising him for doing a good job so far. I just felt like I should do it.
We hugged each other for a long time as if we were having a warm conversation.
* * *
That day, Ilya had a dream. It was an unpleasant and strange dream in which he became a fallen angel and made a contract with some kind of human being.
“If you make a contract with me, the day your life ends, every human being in the Bernstein family will be dragged to hell. Are you still going to sign a contract with me?”
Duke Bernstein, who seemed to have given up everything in life, knelt down and spoke.
“It doesn’t matter. If the truth becomes known anyway, everyone will die.”
Duke Bernstein had a sick wife, an eldest son who was incapable of being a human being, and a smart second son with a so-so character. However, his second son, whom he thought to be his successor, was lying in the corner of the room as a cold corpse.
Duke Bernstein had killed him. He thought it was an inevitable choice. Otherwise, his second son would have immediately run to the emperor and told him that the Bernstein family was the one who was involved in treason, not the Squire. His son didn’t know how scary Emperor Euges was.
Duke Bernstein, who saw with his own eyes how the emperor punished his mother, could never reveal his family’s misdeeds. Only the Squire family was falsely accused in the process, but that’s what politics is all about.
“It’s impossible to conceal the fact that my son died from my wife. That would lead to an investigation, and evidence of the family’s misdeeds that this child has hidden might pop up from somewhere.”
Duke Bernstein begged for the evidence to be destroyed. He also begged for a replacement for his dead son.
Ilya suddenly thought that this wasn’t a bad situation.
“I will be your second son. In return, I will not accept any more wish.”
Ilya appeared in the human world just as he was. His pitch-black wings disappeared, and his burning red eyes also turned dark green. Pretending to be human was disgusting, but living as a shell of Bernstein’s second son was even more unpleasant.
“L-Lord Abblo. That figure looks different from my son…”
“It’s enough to manipulate people’s memories. And from now on, call me Ilya.”
Ilya didn’t like the name Abblo, which he received after becoming an archdemon. Therefore, neither Abblo nor Ron, the name of Duke Bernstein’s second son, was used, but the name was given to him when he was an archangel. He had a foolish expectation that if he used that name, his twin, who was born half-human and half-demon, would awaken memories of his past life. His twin was once again ‘Clyde,’ so he also had to be ‘Ilya.’
Like a short play, his life as a human professor began. He became a professor in the field of <Attribute Magic> and taught students, but honestly, he had no enthusiasm. He deliberately became a professor of a very difficult subject so that only a few students would take it. So, he was a little happy when Clyde chose it as his major.
Then, some stupid girl followed Clyde and became his student. Honestly, he seemed to have erased that girl’s existence from his memory. But one day, this happened.
“Professor!”
The moment the student he hadn’t paid any attention to approached him with a friendly face and called him, he instinctively realized that something had changed. It was a change not in that student but in himself.
…What feeling is this? He didn’t know at first.
As he watched Theresa struggle with her insignificant human body, he began to become interested in human life for the first time. It was an annoying change and variable.
Ilya was a man who devoted his whole life to his cause. He had lived and was going to live for only one thing. However, Theresa began to take root in his mind at some point. That kid was strange.
He sensed that the original Theresa was already dead, and from the moment he realized that a spirit of unknown origin had entered her body, he couldn’t take his eyes off her even more. She stimulated his curiosity, which was limited only to academics.
It was comfortable and fun to be together. This was a feeling he had very rarely felt. So much to the point that he wished if he was to have a companion, it would be this woman. But does he deserve it?
“—!”
Ilya’s eyes widened as if he had been stabbed by a sharp awl. It felt like there was a hole in his heart. No, it felt like his body had been torn in half. He had already forgotten the contents of the dream.
When he woke up unpleasantly, all that was left was hatred, anger, and sadness. Marin clearly said there was nothing wrong with him, but why did she show symptoms that a broken angel might experience? Ilya let out a painful groan and raised up his upper body.
“Lord Ilya?”
At that time, a thin, elegant voice rang out from the bedroom he always used alone.
“Did you have a nightmare?” Theresa approached with a worried face and wiped his cold sweat-soaked forehead.
Ilya closed his eyes for a moment. He suppressed his wildly boiling emotions and regained his senses. …I brought Theresa to the Tower of Light.
Theresa, a low-level angel, had no place to live. So, without much thought, he brought her to his residence and told her to stay there.
Theresa was sitting on the sofa in the bedroom reading a book, and he watched her for a moment before unconsciously falling asleep.
Only after Ilya sorted out his memories one by one did he finally return to his usual state. But his eyes didn’t open. It was because Theresa had snuggled into his arms.
When she hugged him, he felt like his condition was becoming better. It was an appropriate action. Just like at the ranch, an unidentifiable gentle and soft energy enveloped him and took away the pain that was wracking his insides.
Ilya slowly lifted his eyelids. Her back was visible. He raised his arms and hugged the spot where her wing had been burned. He felt satisfied that Theresa couldn’t leave him on her own.
