For a moment, he didn't react. His gaze locked onto me—intense and unreadable. Desire flickered in his eyes for a fleeting second before twisting into something darker: anger . Then, without a word, he turned and walked away."Claudius, my lord, stop! Please!" Lassie called after him, but Claudius disappeared into the crowd. Lassie turned to me, scratching his head, trying—and failing—to suppress a laugh. "Stay right here. I'll be back." Then he ran off, leaving me sitting there, torn between embarrassment and the warmth of Claudius's gaze.
I exhaled, trying to calm myself, but an uneasy feeling crawled up my spine. Someone was watching me. I ignored it at first, pretending to be interested in a jewelry stall. But the sensation didn't fade; it intensified. I turned and walked faster. The feeling followed.
Panic seized me, and suddenly, I bolted. No, no, no. It must be Karen and her gang. They must have found me. I came here to have fun. I wanted to be with Claudius and Lassie, not to be hunted down! I ran.
The marketplace blurred around me. My heart pounded as I twisted through alleyways until—dead end. I turned around, breathless. This was just like those cliché moments in novels—the ones I used to mock. And yet, here I was.
A figure emerged from the shadows: tall, cloaked, and hooded. "Don't come near me!" I warned, trying to steady my voice. He raised his hands. "My lady, I'm sorry to frighten you." His voice startled me. It was familiar. "Who are you?" He pulled back his hood, revealing piercing eyes—cold, yet softened with something else. Recognition slammed into me. "It's you," I whispered. He nodded. "Yes, my lady. I am Jamin. I used to be your guard." Shock rooted me in place. "But… you and your partner… I thought—" "We were dismissed," he said simply. "Our lord said he could no longer trust us."
Claudius dismissed them? Not… killed them? Relief surged through me. My accusations, my doubts—were they all for nothing? "I thought you were dead," I admitted, my voice thick with emotion. He smiled gently. "We are still here, protecting the city. Just… not by his side." I barely heard the rest. A single thought consumed me: I need to find Claudius! I thanked Jamin hastily, barely able to contain the storm of emotions building inside me. Then I ran.
The festival was a blur of colors and noise. I searched, pushing past people, realizing I was lost! Panic started to set in, and I realized that since day one in this world, Claudius was the only one who made me feel safe. I wanted to see him. I didn't care about what he was in the war. He didn't kill anyone in the castle. He was different in Ojan.
And then— "Aly." The deep, familiar voice sent a shiver through me. I turned. There he was, standing beneath the small path bridge I was on. His face was shadowed, but I could feel his presence—heavy, commanding, overwhelming. I ran to him without thinking. "Wait for me!" I shouted, breathless. And then—just like last time—I leapt without considering the distance. "Aly, no—" Too late. I crashed straight into him. He caught me, but the impact sent us both tumbling to the ground. I landed on top of him, breathless.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then he chuckled. "You really can't judge distance, can you?" . I looked down at him, my heart pounding for an entirely different reason now. His expression was different. He was smiling—not mocking, not cold—just satisfied. Something inside me snapped. Before I could stop myself, I leaned in and kissed him. The world fell away.
When I pulled back, reality crashed down on me. What did I just do?! Claudius was staring at me, stunned. He didn't react, didn't move. Then, slowly, his hand came up, his palm warm against my neck. His fingers tangled in my hair while his other arm pulled me against him at my waist, and before I could react, he lifted me effortlessly. His magnetic gaze flicked to my lips. I smiled softly and whispered, "Be gentle." Before I could finish my comment, he crushed his lips to mine. Heat spread through me, thrilling and overwhelming. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist, losing myself in him. Time disappeared.
Then, as he pulled away and kissed my ears and neck gently, I saw it—his dark hair shifting. White strands bled through the black, spreading like wildfire. I gasped. "Claudius, your hair—"
He silenced me with another long kiss. And I let him.
I felt small bits of dirt falling onto us, but I barely registered it, lost in another world with him. Then—splash. Cold water soaked us, shocking me back to reality.
A group of laughter came from above. Startled, I pulled apart. Claudius was annoyed by my sudden push, unaware of what had happened, and followed my gaze up to the bridge. A group of kids peered down at us, grinning playfully. One of them mimicked us, sticking his tongue out and pretending to do a French kiss.
Claudius's expression darkened instantly. His entire aura shifted—dangerous, lethal. Oh no. Before he could do something very Claudius-like, I burst out laughing.
Still sitting on him, I cupped his big face and forced his gaze back to me. "They're just kids, Claudius. We're not in a war." His eyes flickered between me and the children, as if debating whether they were worth executing.
Then, before I could say another word—he caught me in another kiss. Firm. Intense. Locking me in place, as if he refused to let anything—not even the sky falling—interrupt us again. I smiled against his lips, surrendering completely.
Later...
Lassie found us sitting on a bench, quite dazed and dripping water..
I don't remember how we got here; I felt like we were both drunk and dazed from the long kiss. I couldn't recall how long we'd been kissing. We were actually kicked out by women shouting about how shameless we were. I couldn't stop smiling—if they only knew they did that to the general of the kingdom.
A sharp familiar sound hit me.
"Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere! I thought I lost you, and—" He turned to Claudius, suddenly serious. "And you! You should apologize to me. Your fingerprints are still on my bloody neck! cousin!!!"
I blinked in surprise. He was Claudius's cousin! Lassie exhaled dramatically, then turned to me. "Do you know that this man was ready to behead me? He was actually going to do it!" He placed a hand on his chest as if reliving his near-death experience. "Thank the gods you showed up… and with him, no less."
Then, his gaze fell on Claudius, and I noticed the faint fingerprints still visible on Lassie's throat. His white hair.
I looked at Claudius again. He didn't care about Lassie's outburst. His face was still flushed, his expression distant. He looked almost… dizzy. His eyes were heavy-lidded, and his entire body radiated warmth, like he was recovering from something intense.
Lassie narrowed his gaze. "Am I missing something here?" His tone shifted, and for the first time that night, I saw him serious. He studied Claudius intently. "What happened in my absence?"
Claudius didn't respond. Instead, he pulled me toward him and wrapped his heavy arm around me, trying to cover a sleepy yawn.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice calm.
Lassie's jaw clenched. He hesitated, then exhaled. "Your hair. It's completely white."
Claudius's gaze sharpened. He seemed to wake up at that moment, shaking off whatever daze he had been in.
I looked between them, confused. "What does it mean?"
Lassie ran a hand over his temple, visibly troubled, then looked at Claudius. "Your hair color changed in less than an hour.."
I gripped Claudius's sleeve. "Tell me what it means. The white hair—please."
His lips parted, but he didn't answer immediately.
Then he murmured, "It's your effect on me."
I blinked. "But… your hair turns white all the time."
Lassie suddenly let out dark laughter. "He means the effect of a woman."
My heart stopped.
A woman?
The words barely registered before a rush of thoughts flooded my mind. I'd always seen him with white hair. I had never considered why. Never wondered what it meant.
But now…
Memories surfaced.
The strange women in the palace who wore the same type of gown I was wearing… were they...? I was in disbelief. And the way the maids whispered when they passed us at night and early mornings!
Did that mean…?
My mind spiraled.
Was he in his chambers with them? A harem? Am I just one of them?
Am I delusional?
Blood rushed to my head. I felt sick. I didn't care if he was Claudius, if he was dangerous, if he could kill me. None of that mattered now.
I turned to Lassie, my voice cold. "Are you saying that if he… kisses a woman, his hair turns white?"
Lassie hesitated, then corrected me. "Not just a kiss. He has to sleep with many, and it will take 24 hours to show—not a minute!"
His gaze flickered, betraying the fact that he had revealed more than he intended. He glanced at Claudius, who remained expressionless. My mind, however, was preoccupied with the word "woman" and the consequences of sleeping with many. All I could focus on was that singular term—"woman."
Meanwhile, my weak legs were still affected by that damn kiss from the womanizer Claudius. "Sleep with many…" is all I heard. Before the kiss, I didn't care about his harem life; I didn't even think that he slept with them. But naïvely, after that kiss, I became the most stupid, jealous, possessive girl I ever read about or watched. I discovered that I was completely crazy! Of course, he has women; he has money, power, looks… Ugh, my heart is burning. I sprang up from the bench, my fists clenched. "I—" my voice trembled with anger. "Don't you dare come near me again." Those were words I never thought I would use in front of the dark harvester. I turned and walked away, fuming like a fire dragon. Lassie and Claudius both stared at me, confused.
Lassie sighed. "Don't get lost again." But I was already storming off. I didn't make it far. A hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back. I spun, heart pounding. Claudius stood before me, eyes steady, his grip firm. "You can't go anywhere," he said, his voice full of desire and need. "You're mine now." His words sent a shiver down my spine.
A part of me—the weak, foolish part—wanted to melt. Wanted to revel in those words, wanted to belong to him. But then I remembered. Woman. Women. I tore my wrist away. "You have other women. I'm not one of them. Leave me alone." I pushed against him, shoving at his chest. But, of course, he didn't even blink.
And then— in a single movement, he lifted me with one arm by his side, like he was carrying a sheep. My arms and legs were hanging in the air, and I felt stupid for a minute. Embarrassed, I couldn't see anything due to my hair. I screamed, flailing. "Let me go! You go pick your women and let them change your hair! Let goooooo!"
Lassie stood there, scratching his head. He sighed. "This girl… I don't think she knows anything." I snapped my head toward him. "Know what?"
Claudius looked at me with a satisfied, irritated smile, as if they were talking about a pet. He kept holding me firmly, but I could feel his gentleness. "Be quiet," he muttered with a sigh. "Or…"
I cut him off. "Or what? Kill me? Go ahead." Both of them were shocked. Lassie's eyes shifted from fear and worry to a bright curiosity and amusement. "I was worried that you lost your control and handed her your destiny on a platter, but from what I'm seeing, it's the opposite." He held back a chuckle. "Her temper reminds me of you—the kitten version of your wild leopard self."
Lassie examined us in silence, while Claudius surprisingly tried to calm me down, and I was still trying to get out of his grip and turning my head away from him. I heard Lassie say, "It's time to call Ramen from the Shadowland. We need a proper explanation,"