Chapter 100: It’s too fast

Hearing Zephyr’s sudden, heartfelt confession, Lucien’s heart skipped a beat.

For a moment, he simply stared at Zephyr, too stunned to respond. Zephyr was waiting for his answer, his usually calm expression carrying a quiet seriousness that made the weight of his words impossible to ignore.

Then, the meaning behind those words finally sank in. If he accepted his feelings, everything between them would change.

Lucien instinctively tried to pull his hand away, feeling as though it wasn’t Zephyr’s cool fingers against his own, but countless needles pricking into his skin. The moment Zephyr felt his resistance, he released him.

Zephyr lowered his eyelashes and rubbed his fingers together, still faintly feeling the warmth that lingered in his hand. When he spoke again, his voice was as calm as ever, but there was a trace of nervousness and worry hidden deep within his gray eyes. It was almost as though he had gathered every bit of courage he possessed just to say what he had kept hidden for so long.

"Cien?"

Hearing his name, Lucien was startled.

His heart was beating so hard that he felt as though it might break through his chest.

At that moment, he was grateful that Zephyr couldn’t see. After all, he knew his eyes were filled with nothing but guilt.

His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

All this time...

He had been using Zephyr.

He knew that.

From the very beginning, Lucien had approached Zephyr with a purpose.

Every step he took toward him, every moment he chose to remain by his side, and every act of kindness or goodwill he showed him was carefully calculated.

And after he realized that Zephyr had feelings for him, he had gone even further, subtly manipulating those feelings while pretending he didn’t understand. Because as long as he refused to acknowledge what Zephyr felt, he could still convince himself that he wasn’t doing anything wrong—and that he had nothing to feel guilty about.

If... if he accepted his confession now, knowing full well that the feelings he held for Zephyr were nowhere near enough to make him give up his desire to return home one day, wouldn’t that mean he was only taking advantage of Zephyr even more?

The thought made his chest tighten.

For a long moment, Lucien remained silent.

And the longer he stayed silent, the more nervous Zephyr became. Even his hands were slightly damp with sweat. Lucien watched every change in his expression.

He knew he wasn’t a good person. Not anymore. Perhaps he had already crossed too many lines to pretend otherwise.

Lucien closed his eyes briefly, almost as though he were trying to force himself to make a decision. In the end, the choice he arrived at left a bitter smile on his lips.

He really was a bastard, wasn’t he?

And yet, despite cursing himself for it, the words still slipped quietly from his lips.

"Okay, but... give me some time."

His voice was soft.

He hesitated before adding.

"Let’s get to know each other more first. We can take things slowly. It’s too fast."

Zephyr’s eyes flickered.

Relief appeared in his expression.

And his tense body finally relaxed.

He hadn’t been rejected.

Although Lucien asked for some time, he had accepted his confession.

For Zephyr, the answer was more than sufficient. He had never been in a hurry when it came to Lucien. He could wait.

He wasn’t sure what Lucien was thinking, but he could tell one thing clearly—Lucien wasn’t completely indifferent to him. So, he believed that, with enough time, he would eventually win Lucien over completely. Even if Lucien didn’t like him as much as Zephyr liked him now, Zephyr was confident that, sooner or later, those feelings would grow.

"Okay."

A smile slowly curled across his lips.

It was simple and unguarded, completely different from the smile he usually showed.

Watching him, Lucien’s heart felt as though it had been dropped into a freezing cellar.

The sincerity in that smile made the guilt inside him sting even more sharply. For a fleeting moment, Lucien wanted to slap himself for wanting to use someone who looked at him with such genuine affection.

But before he could say anything else, Zephyr spoke again, this time with amusement in his voice.

"But Cien, you are only just realizing now that things are moving too fast? We’ve already done so much. Haha, how cute."

Lucien blinked, his chaotic mind going blank as he processed his words, only to flush red when he remembered what they had done before he lost consciousness.

"You—"

Zephyr quickly continued.

"Still, you are right. I haven’t properly pursued you yet. So..."

His voice remained tinged with a smile, but there was a quiet seriousness in his words.

"Let’s take our time and get to know each other properly first. But since you agreed..."

He reached out suddenly, caught Lucien by the hand, and pulled him into his embrace.

Zephyr rubbed his head against Lucien’s shoulder, then pressed his lips against his neck, murmuring softly against his skin.

"I can hold you like this, right?"

Lucien’s face flushed even more.

He was startled.

But he didn’t struggle. Instead, he simply remained still, feeling an urge to scratch the spot where Zephyr had pressed his lips.

The small dragon floating nearby quietly watched the entire exchange, confusion slowly filling his golden slit eyes. Hadn’t Zephyr already told him earlier that this person was his partner? Then why was Zephyr still confessing to him? Or had Zephyr been calling this person named Lucien his partner even before they had actually confirmed their relationship?

Wow.

Zephyr really had been confident that Lucien would agree if he confessed.

And judging by the situation, Lucien had indeed agreed—though not completely.

Onicus sighed, still unable to understand humans and their strange way of forming relationships. Unlike Zephyr, however, he had noticed the guilt hidden in Lucien’s eyes. It was clear to him that the person Zephyr liked wasn’t being entirely sincere.

For a moment, Onicus wondered if he should tell Zephyr.

But after thinking about it, he decided against it. Humans were complicated creatures. Onicus wasn’t even sure if his suspicion was correct in the first place.