Lakis had gone out while Yuri was away and was currently on his way back. As always, in order to move as quickly as possible and not be noticed by other people, he chose to move on the roof of buildings.

It was something that could be called a feat, if anyone saw it. Lakis moved swiftly across the roofs without the slightest discomfort, as if he was running on the ground.

.

“Who says ‘be my woman’ out of nowhere, is it the trend among nobles to hit on each other like that?”

.

Then he suddenly recalled what Yuri said yesterday and changed directions to the coffee house. He wanted to personally see which bum was telling her such nonsense.

But on his way to the coffeehouse, Lakis found Yuri.

‘Do they know each other?’

That very moment, Lakis’ raised brows twitched as an annoying voice rang out in his head.

—Hm? Come to think of it, they both have black hair, don’t they? That’s a rare color, are they blood-related? Gasp, Lakis! Won’t you totally get cut off?[1]

‘Enough with your nonsense.’

He coldly bellowed.

How could the owner of the house he was staying in and East’s Crawford family be related? The King of the dark world, Lakis, and the ruler of the East, Crawford, did not agree with one another.

Moreover, Lakis was planning on hiding his identity till he went back to Carnot so if Yuri has any connection to the Crawfords, the situation would get weird.

Most of all, when he thought about how Kalian Crawford and Yuri truly attacked each other last time at the black market, the bug’s suspicion made no sense.

However…

Why then were the two of them facing each other right now? In such a friendly manner, at that. Of course, their friendly relationship was only Lakis’ misunderstanding but he was yet to know.

—You always say I’m wrong when I point out something. Then why are the two of them together?

The voice in his head curtly asked the same question in Lakis’ mind.

—Ah…! Don’t tell me…are they in that kind of relationship?

And the next moment, it uttered a cry in his head like it had been enlightened.

—Of course, that’s the normal thought when a young man and woman are together! Gasp, is this one of those novel plot-lines where the man doesn’t know the woman’s identity and falls in love…?!*

The air around Lakis grew colder. He was inexplicably more upset than when the bug babbled nonsense about Yuri and Kalian being related.

‘…is he that punk? The one who told Yuri that bullsh*t yesterday.’

Suddenly, Lakis’ body surged with murderous intent.

His blue eyes stared the two who had now parted and began to go their separate way then he turned around. Behind him, was the setting red sun.

* * *

When Yuri arrived home after work, it was dark inside. Yuri had grown used to arriving at a dimly lit house for the sometime now, so she paused after opening the door.

Slam.

The sound of the door closing behind her echoed vividly in the quiet room. That said, it wasn’t completely pitch-dark. A reddish glow peeked in from the slightly lifted curtains.

Lakis stood in front of it, quietly gazing at Yuri.

Yuri suddenly remembered what happened yesterday and felt a little awkward. Then she abruptly remembered that whenever she came back from outside, Lakis always greeted her. So Yuri hesitated for a moment then impulsively opened her mouth.

“I’m back.”

The words she was saying for the first time felt oddly foreign and awkward to her lips.“Yes, welcome back.”

Lakis replied to Yuri in a quiet voice.

As she reached the table, Yuri suddenly felt something was out of place. The air around Lakis was different from the air in the house.

‘Did he go out again?’

“Yuri.”

Right then, Lakis whispered her name and began to move towards her. His dark shadow was approaching fast. His blonde hair dyed in the evening glow shook softly before her eyes.

Before she could think of reacting, she was covered with warmth. Lakis drew close in the blink of an eye and held Yuri’s hand, entangling his fingers with hers.

A huge flood surged into her from their entangled fingers.

“Ah…”

A faint sound came from her slightly parted red lips, but it was hard to say if was a sigh or a moan. The hairs on back of her neck stood on end and her body overflowed with an emotion akin to joy. Strangely enough, the waves today were more intense than usual.

Yuri unknowingly staggered and stepped back. But there was a table behind her stopping her movement, and Lakis’ other arm was around her waist so she couldn’t withdraw any further.

Tumble.

Yuri’s grip on the paper bag in her hand weakened. The green apple she brought on the way back fell to the floor, broke, and its sweet smell spread in the air.[2] The paper bag fell and Lakis’ body filled the gap. She could feel the body temperature on her hands even clearer.

“Ms. Yuri.”

Lakis once again whispered her name. Yuri’s gaze was caught by the blue intensity that was right in front of her.

“I have something I’m curious about…”

His low voice trickled into her ears.

“Will you answer?”

His blue eyes, as deep as the sea, were so close to Yuri and they captivated her.

Yuri gave a small nod, like she was possessed by something. Then Lakis’ lips drew a gently arc like he was complimenting a child for the right answer.

“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t seen any sign of anyone but you in this house.”

His low, muffled voice pricked her eardrums. Somehow, listening to his voice, she felt like a bee drenched in honey.

“Tell me about your family.”

Yuri was a little dazed and replayed Lakis’ words in her mind.

Why is he asking me that?

‘Oh…maybe he’s wondering if anyone might come to visit while he’s here?’

Yuri replied, a bit absent-minded:

“I don’t have…anything like that.”

“You don’t?”

“Yeah, I’m an orphan so…I’m alone.”

Lakis’ gaze hovered on Yuri’s face for a bit. After a while, Lakis asked his second question.

“Then…even if it’s not family, what about the person who stayed with you till now?”

With their hands clasped, Lakis’ finger slowly caressed the back of her hand in a ticklish manner.

“No one…”Yuri could feel even that tiny movement of his and her breathing was shallow as she replied.

“There wasn’t anyone.”

That instant, an inexplicable gleam seemed to flash in Lakis’ eyes. His large hand gripped hers harder. The firm body obstructing Yuri’s view leaned a little closer to her.

“I see…then I guess I’m the first.”

Somehow, his whisper seemed strangely satisfied. His subsequent voice was a pitch lower.

“Is there anyone you’re seeing right now?”

“Someone I’m seeing…?”

“A lover.”

When Yuri asked quizzically, Lakis kindly explained again.

“Not just in this house but…”

The spread of his soft voice was way too sticky.

“Anyone on your mind.”

The stimulation flowing into her was too strong that she felt strength leaving her body.

Ah…like she thought, touching him like this felt so good, she couldn’t explain it with words. But she couldn’t help but wonder, why? She had adapted to it lately so when she touched Lakis, the stimulation was not this intense. But now, her heart was filled with a feeling of satisfaction that was almost pleasurable.

“There is…no such person.”

“Really?”

Her body, which had lost strength, gradually tilted backwards. Her hand pushing against the table also came lose. Yuri was almost leaning entirely on the table. But the arms wrapped around her waist pulled her closer instead.

Now, their faces were so close that their noses almost brushed. His scent lingering under her nose made her mind reel, like it was some type of drug.

Yuri once again replied with, ‘Yea…’, her voice sounding a little scattered.

“The man you met in the square earlier.”

And the next moment, slight suspicious crept into Yuri’s mind.

“Why were you with Kalian Crawford?”

How did Lakis know she met Kalian Crawford? Obviously, he went out today while she was away.

“We just happened to meet today…and greeted each other…”

Instantly, Lakis’ eyes took on a shine.

“Today?”

He didn’t miss the word that she casually said.

“It sounds like you see each other often.”

For some reason, Yuri felt Lakis was being jealous right now.

“Perhaps…”

And soon, a very subdued voice flowed from his lips.

“Is the person you talked about yesterday, Kalian Crawford?”

Yesterday? The person I talked about yesterday…

Yuri didn’t understand what Lakis meant immediately. But she soon realized he was talking about Damon Salvatore.

Translator’s Corner:

[1] The last sentence is once again censored, and I think he’s trying to say Lakis might get f**ked over, esp since it’s censored and looking at the context.

[2] Apples are not watermelons.