"Yes, you are welcome to touch me."

Zerkan said, barely exhaling.

It was very strange for an answer to the question of whether it was okay to kiss the vow, but Zerkan was not conscious of it.

Raphine let out a small laugh, and it was only then that Zerkan felt that what I was saying was strange.

"So... ... ."

"I know. It means to play comfortably like before."

"... ... ."

"Is it difficult because you were too immersed?"

At Raphine's question, Zerkan only blinked. immersion? What do you mean?

"Actually, I was a little too immersed, so it was difficult. It is also worthy of my lord. You've been feeling pretty good about your acting lately."

"... ... ."

"Still, don't hate me for being too immersed. We are on one side."

Raphine, who had been drowsy in the meantime, said as she tapped his arm lightly.

Zerkan could not understand the meaning of Raphine, and stood there for a moment blankly. No, I understand... ... .

Somehow he got frustrated. While he was confused for several days, Raphine seemed to have made a strange misunderstanding.

He said that he really hated Raffine because he was immersed in the role.

That's nonsense. rather... ... No, wait.

Rafine also said that it was difficult because she was too immersed. Raphine was a role that Zerkan fell in love with... ... That's right.

'Is it hard because it seems like you really fell in love with me?'

It felt like a pleasant bell rang in my head.

It was then.

Cleverly, I heard the voice of a courtier saying that we should enter with Sori.

"Shall we go?"

Zer Khan, awakened by her voice in her Raphine, held out her hand to her.

The two entered holding each other's hands and had to walk the wedding road together from start to finish.

It was an imperial tradition that meant that they would spend the rest of their lives together.

The door to the large waiting room opened. The bright lights artificially created by the wizards lit the two of them.

Raphine took Zerkan's hand and slowly walked along.

The sound of beautiful music, pleasant to listen to, rang through the huge hall. Far away, at the top of the table, sat the emperor and his wife, and in front of them stood the high priest with a serious expression.

The guests put their hands together and prayed for the Crown Prince and couple who will lead the future empire.

It was a very different atmosphere from the wedding of Adrian and Violet that took place recently.

It felt more solemn, majestic, and weighty.

Raphine relied on Zerkan's body temperature transmitted through her fingertips. Thanks to that, the tension seemed to be relieved little by little.

The two of them walked to the end of the wedding road and faced each other in front of the Great Hall.

Then she found her crying father and her mother comforting him.

The moment a warm smile appeared on the corner of Raphine's lips, Zer Khan and her eyes met through her thin veil.

"... ... !"

Raphine was a little surprised. Zer Khan's eyes looking down at her were very sharp and hot.

After that, the high priest's voice continued.

It was about respecting each other and swearing an oath for eternity in the name of God... ... . Not a single one was heard.

Raphine's head was filled with only the ceremony of kissing at the end.

She used to do a lot of skinship with the excuse of acting, but kissing was different from those things.

'Of course, only the lips touch and fall, but... ... .'

Raphine felt his heart beating hard and tried to calm herself. He was nervous and he didn't want Zer Khan to find out.

'This is just an unavoidable act. It's just acting.'

It was around the time he had brainwashed himself dozens of times.

"Now, swear an oath for eternity with the kiss of the covenant."

At the priest's words, Zer Khan raised his hand. The thin veil was lifted by him, and Zerkan filled Raphine's sight.

Zerkan's face approached slowly. Raphine held her breath, holding her breath.

"... ... !"

The tip of their noses touched each other first, and the cold touch finally settled on their lips.

It felt as if I had touched the cold ice that was holding a flame. When their lips overlapped, Raphine closed her eyes involuntarily.

The soft touch and the breath that permeates through the nose.

The sweet and tender scent made Raphine want to hug Zerkan.

'Is the kiss so good?'

But before he could get drunk with ecstasy, Zerkan's lips fell apart.

Raphine looked at Zerkan with somewhat regretful eyes.

The moment his eyes touched his skin, he felt strangely burning his skin.

Zerkan's eyes were filled with terrifying heat. But rather than being scared, his eyes were trembling in his heart. Am I supposed to say that it makes my heart beat more bizarrely?

After that, his high priest and the voices of the guests mixed and made noise, but nothing was heard in Raphine's world.

* * *

Contrary to the strict ceremonial atmosphere, the reception was bright and pleasant.

Light but elegant music flowed, and in the center of the stage were nobles dancing to the melody.

The rest of the people gathered and chatted with glasses of champagne.

Among them, a group of people standing on the other side, coughing loudly, whispered.

"Have you seen it before?"

"what? Oh, is that the kiss of the covenant?"

"Yes. I heard that the relationship between the Crown Prince and his wife is not so good... ... . I think it's really true."

"Ttttttttt. The people who will become the future emperor and couple are already creaking. The future of the empire is not very bright."

Those with whom they were conversing were the nobles of the Babylonian kingdom.

Among them, a man who had been silently listening to the story raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

"Let's all talk."

"Yes, yes. Prince."

The Babylonian nobility began to engage in more explicit conversations as their worshipers disappeared.

"Having such a beautiful rain, what is the Crown Prince dissatisfied with? How can you kiss a promise with such a firm expression... ... ."

"It was the same with the Crown Princess. With such a trembling expression... ... "

The kiss of promise held at the end of the wedding ceremony.

People who witnessed the scene were arguing, saying that the rumors of a feud between the Crown Prince and his wife were true.

Probably because, in the eyes of others, both of them had very hard expressions on their faces, and it seemed like they didn't want to kiss them.

While there are some well-founded speculations.

The party, Rafine, went into a quiet terrace away from the public eye.

'driving me crazy.'

At that time, Raphine's expression was so stiff that she seemed to hate kissing Zerkan, but... ... The reality was different.

'Bitter, how can we kiss again?'

Actually, what Rafine was worried about was this.

Raphine was very serious.

To be honest, it made me laugh every time I heard that a bell rings in my ear after my first kiss... ... .

In fact, when I first kissed him, it was really bullshit.

This was not at the level of a bell. It was the sound of destroying all common sense I had known so far and opening the sky.

I didn't know that the simple act of kissing lips was such a pleasant and reassuring thing.

It's ecstatic just to put it on, but if you go beyond that... ... .

'Let's calm down for now.'

Raphine calmed her burning cheeks.

The touch of Zer Khan's lips and the scent of the breath that permeated the tip of her nose revolved around her mind.

At that time, the servant who had entered the terrace approached and spoke softly.

"Hey, Vision."

"Why?"

"That's right, someone from outside requested a conversation with Master Vision. It is said that he is the prince of the kingdom of Babylonia... ... ."

"Babylenia?"

what? Raphine nodded once, and the servant hurried out of the terrace.

And after a while a man came in. Raphine's eyes widened as she looked at his face.

'Oh, that person... ... .'

He was a member of the Babylonian Kingdom with whom he had a conversation when he went to the Lenchest estate.

At first glance, he was dressed in noble clothes, so I thought he would at least be a noble or royalty, but he was a prince.

Prince Saladin came in accompanied by a man who appeared to be an escort and a maid.

He couldn't bring any weapons into the banquet hall anyway.

Nevertheless, the fact that he was accompanied by an escort was taken to prevent rumors that Raphine and the two were staying on the terrace alone.

As he approached, he bowed slightly on his knees and bowed.

"Now is the time to formally greet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Raphine also received his greetings in the imperial manner.

It is the responsibility of the emperor and his wife to welcome foreign guests, so Raphine, the main character of the wedding, did not have time to greet the prince.

"Do you remember me?"

Raphine burst into laughter at his blunt questions.

"I remember. He took the people of the Babylonian kingdom who were flirting with me."

"ah."

At that, Prince Saladin smiled a little. Then he shrugged his shoulders and said.

"I don't think I remember anything other than that."