As the unfamiliar word escaped his lips, tears strangely burst forth.
Hadn't he cried enough already? Was there still so much left to shed? Navia, who had been by his side, also found herself crying uncontrollably.
It was inevitable.
'No one understands Creed's feelings at this moment better than I do.'
She embraced Creed, who was sobbing, with her eyes tightly closed and her head bowed.
Sorrow, self-loathing, regret, and pity turned her heart into a muddy mess.
But it wasn't poison. It was merely rain, a rain that dampened the heart.
Once the tears dried, Creed would become stronger.
Navia knew that once the heart's dampness evaporated, it would surely become fertile soil for a more fragrant forest.
Creed slowly stopped his sobbing and raised his head.
"Why did you cry so much?"
Even with his own face drenched in tears, he tenderly wiped Navia's cheeks.
Navia's heart ached at his tender touch. It was Creed himself, not her, who deserved such caring.
Navia reached out her hand and gently rubbed his cheek, wiping it clean. They wiped each other's tears and shared a small laugh.
Navia asked, "Are you feeling a bit better now?"
"Yes, I'm okay."
Creed was the type to always reply that way, not wanting to worry her, even when he wasn't okay.
That's why Navia, after a moment of hesitation, opened her mouth to speak.
"Do you have any special plans for today?"
"No."
"Then, shall we stay together?"
Creed's eyes widened slightly at her suggestion.
Navia wanted to be by his side and stay with him, especially on a day when he desperately needed comfort.
"But aren't you busy, noona?"
"It's okay. My time revolves around you."
The impact of her words, spoken so casually, was immense.
For a moment, he forgot where he was, suppressing the urge to rush at her like a beast, wanting to kiss her passionately.
In a low, simmering voice, Creed spoke.
"Do you know? Noona always makes me lose my mind."
Navia always shook him up nonchalantly.
She generously offered her presence, coddling him like a child, daring to hope for so much from him.
How much did she think she could ask of him?
She was truly fearless.
He wanted to be a good loving partner to Navia. His eyes, engulfed in passion, were veiled by a layer of tender smile.
"I'm happy to hear that, but I still don't want to interfere with my noona’s work."
However, he was not a boy who was entirely satisfied with such childlike affection.
"But Creed..."
Navia was about to say, "Today, of all days, you will need warmth," but her words were abruptly cut off.
Creed slightly tilted his head as if to kiss her and met her gaze.
His voice, still tinged with a hint of crying, whispered low.
"Instead, come find me after you're done with your work."
He hoped that at the end of the day, when she came to spend time with him, she would feel no burden at all.
So, he wished for nothing but to spend the sweetest of times together.
Navia responded to his yearning.
"Yes."
Hearing her answer, Creed lowered his head a bit more. They were close enough for their foreheads to touch.
His gaze drifted from her eyes down to her lips, which were plump and neatly closed.
Unknowingly, he slightly pursed his lips.
He already knew the taste of her lips.
He knew too well how sweet it would be to press flesh against flesh and draw her into his mouth, making him thirst for more.
Staring intently at her lips, he said,
"Stay with me even late into the night."
Navia's red lips parted lightly with a pop.
"I will."
She certainly knew how to appease him.
Knowing exactly what would please him, she handed him the sweetest candies one by one.
That made him more impatient. He endlessly craved the sweet rewards she offered.
He chastised himself for not being greedy here.
"But I want to keep being with you."
It wasn't just the night he desired, but he also longed for her dawn.
He wanted to witness again, just like the first day he saw Navia, the morning sunlight pouring down serenely, drenching her.
Yes. He wanted to welcome the morning with her.
Creed, like a cat who cautiously approaches after making a mistake, gently asked her.
"Stay and sleep, noona. I won't do anything. Just fall asleep beside me, okay?"
He thought he would surely be rejected and behaved like a child throwing a tantrum.
Asking her not to leave his side and to share the joy of sleeping in the same bed and waking up together in the morning.
Navia's answer came easily, without a hint of hesitation.
"Okay."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll sleep with you in your room tonight."
Creed dropped his head with a dazed look, as if doubting whether this was a dream.
"You mean, sleep and leave from the same bed, beside me?"
When he asked again, seeking assurance, Navia let out a soft laugh.
"That's right. I'll sleep with you tonight."
They were no longer children. In their childhood, they had often fallen asleep in the same bed, but now they were both adults.
Being adults, they were not at an age where they could pretend not to know what it meant to spend a night together in the same bed.
Of course, he had firmly stated that he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate. However, the mere fact of sharing the same bed felt tremendously bold.
He thought it was too much to ask and expected her to refuse.
But she readily agreed.
Creed's cheeks gradually became flushed with warmth. He let out a soft sigh and gently touched his forehead to Navia's, murmuring almost inaudibly.
"...I'm happy."
He was already eagerly longing for the day to pass so that she would come to his room.
Navia, overwhelmed by how much she liked him, felt a surge of emotion as she clasped his hand.
'I need to go to Creed as soon as possible.'
First, they had to leave the royal treasury, but it was not easy at the moment.
To anyone watching, her face was clearly filled with tears, and it would have been strange for her to go out with him without arousing suspicion. Therefore, a measure was necessary.
As Navia lifted her chin, their noses naturally brushed against each other, and their lips met.
A faint static electricity seemed to sweep over the surface of their lips, giving a tingling sensation.
Startled, Creed tried to pull away, but before he could, Navia grabbed the back of his head.
His shoulders flinched at her bold touch.
But that was momentary, as Creed pulled Navia into his embrace, twisting his head to part his lips.
In an instant, their hot breaths entwined as his tongue invaded her mouth.
The kiss was not long.
Navia, having absorbed as much magical power as she needed, parted her lips.
"Let's go out now."
Creed, not yet releasing her from his embrace, let out a small groan.
Such a sharp person he was.
To make her so elated and then suddenly pull away.
With a bit of resentment, Creed cutely glared at Navia.
"Quickly. So I can visit your room soon."
She couldn't complain further as it was a request to hasten things for her sake.
Creed, with a face full of regret, gently kissed her lips and then stood up.
He only took his diary, leaving the rest of the relics. He planned to have court servants send them to the mansion.
As soon as Navia left the report room, she manipulated the knights' memories.
"...Hmm."
The knights, standing in place, briefly fell asleep. During that time, their minds were filled with new memories as Navia desired.
The knights were supposed to remember that they had just completed official duties and left the royal treasury room.
Creed spoke with curiosity.
"You should have asked me to do such a thing."
Certainly, Creed, capable of using most magic, would have easily handled such memory manipulation.
Navia, pulling his hand nonchalantly, said,
"I just wanted to do it myself."
This shook Creed even more, already intoxicated by the sweet candy she had generously given him with both hands.
He urged Navia for a precise answer with a mischievous expression.
"What exactly do you mean by 'wanted to'? A kiss? Or magic?"
As he blatantly probed, Navia raised her head with an incredulous look.
Creed impulsively bowed his head and left a light kiss on her lips, as she looked up at him.
"…What are you doing?"
Navia's expression now seemed utterly incredulous and absurd.
Creed felt a solid love when she looked at him with affection, but when she looked at him with an expression bordering on disdain...
Somehow, he felt a strange thrill, as if he were a pervert.
"It’s because your expression is cute."
At his hardly convincing excuse, Navia shook her head in disbelief and muttered.
"Ridiculous."
After just having poured out such a sorrowful cry, to kiss because her expression was cute?
Although she rebuked him, her heart fluttered. Still, such behavior needed to be corrected immediately.
"It'll be trouble if we're caught. The funeral has just started. Now is the time when you should appear sad in front of others."
Creed laughed at those words.
"I like noona who nags."
Instead of saying more, Navia thought it best to change their location. Just as the knights' eyelids began to flutter open, she snapped her fingers like Lark.
Snap!
Their location shifted from in front of the royal report to Creed's annex.
Since Creed always made sure no one could enter his bedroom, there was no one around to be surprised by their sudden appearance.
That's why Navia had used spatial teleportation to get here.
Despite the need for intricate control in spatial teleportation magic, she executed it flawlessly as if it were a spell she always used.
Creed couldn't hide his amazement and kept expressing his admiration.
"To have magic and to use it are two different things, but at times like this, noona, you seem more like a magician than actual magicians."
"Is that so? Maybe it's because there are so many sorcerers around."
If just being around them made it possible to use magic so freely and effortlessly, there would be no one in the world who wasn't a great sorcerer, but Creed didn't bother to explain that far.
Whatever it was, what mattered to him was the fact that Navia was remarkable.
"Then, see you later."
"Yeah."
They briefly hugged in farewell.
Despite their light contact, Black Moon was diligently absorbing magic, so Navia felt like she truly became a complete mage.
She snapped her fingers to move to the annex.
Snap!
Imitating her father was quite a fun thing to do.
Navia blinked once and then opened her eyes, adapting to the changed view.
Pause.
Navia stiffened.
"Where is this?"
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Otherwise, it made no sense for the lavish annex assigned by the royal family to be replaced with a dark, bottomless space like this.
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