I was utterly mortified by what I had just said. The moment I tried to run away, desperately avoiding his gaze, our eyes met for a split second, and I saw a deep sense of mischief in his.
"Oh, you're impossible." I covered my face with my hands and bowed my head, feeling my ears burn.
"I know I'm quite handsome," he said softly.
"It would be stupid not to know that," I muttered.
Isaac's eyebrows quirked. The tips of his ears were now slightly red. "This isn't the Mel I know. Are you serious?"
I quickly offered a frantic, honest apology. "I'm sorry!" But my crazy mouth wouldn't stop. "No, I really mean it. It's a foul to be as handsome as you are. You get people all flustered! It's not fair, is it?"
Isaac couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. He stepped closer, and now we were barely ten centimeters apart. I quickly turned my head away, wanting to die at the sight of his red earlobe.
"Foul, you say? Would you prefer me to be ugly, then?"
"No, that's not good! The disappearance of a national treasure like you would be a great loss to the Empire!"
I just have to die. Yes, this is how I die. Cause of death: shame. Just when the Pope thought he had me, I was going to die like this...
As I was having a silent meltdown, his smooth voice tickled my ear. "Mel, you really are serious."
He gently took my hand. Then, he bowed his head and placed a soft kiss on the back of it. The tickle sent a jolt through me, making my mouth even stiffer. Against my will, I blurted out, "Yes!"
I'm truly, completely losing my mind. My mouth didn't know how to be shy or how to pull back. I immediately covered my lips with my free hand.
"I must be crazy. So, please don't talk to me anymore."
"I don't want to."
I stared at him. It was the first time I had ever heard Isaac say the word "don't." He had always done what I wanted. He smiled, a slow, seductive expression spreading across his face.
"Can't you like me more than you do now? You can't do anything else but love me, can you?"
He leaned his head against the back of my hand, his soft hair brushing against my skin. His moist lips gently touched the back of my hand as he looked up at me from below. I could even see the muscles in his shirt straining, as if they were about to burst.
'This is insane. This is a total scam!' I squeezed the hand he was holding.
"Yes, it looks like it's already better!"
No, that's not what I was going to say! I was going to say I needed more time to think. Why did my sincere feelings have to come out at a time like this? My mouth was a weapon of mass destruction.
I buried my face in my other hand and barely managed to speak. "No, that's not it... it's not like that... I like you, Joe."
I couldn't stop my mouth. I squeezed the archway next to me, my face burning red. Isaac straightened his posture and looked down at me.
"If you like me, what else do you need?" He lifted my head. I opened my eyes to find his face right in front of mine. Slowly, his lips met mine.
I held my breath, but it was useless. His lips were soft and moist against my own. Then, he gently bit my lip. People say your head rings when you have your first kiss, but mine just felt dizzy and messy. It was my first kiss, and it was surprisingly intoxicating.
He slowly pulled away and whispered, "We're lovers now."
Just as I was about to open my mouth to respond, he kissed me again. I gasped, feeling dizzy once more.
"Wow…"
This is truly crazy.
The next morning, back in my office, I washed my face and sat at my desk, my head in my hands. Even though it was morning, the memories of last night were painfully vivid.
"Was it all a dream...?" I pinched my cheek and slammed my forehead against the desk.
I felt my mind slowly returning to normal. As I rubbed my throbbing forehead and stood up, I was momentarily startled by a pair of eyes staring at me.
"Uh, what?"
Dominic, who was sitting across from me checking paperwork, squinted. "That Pope must have done something strange to you, Mel."
"Really? Why?" I could already guess what Dominic was about to say.
"You're acting like you're possessed!"
I closed my eyes and shook my head. "No, that's not it."
"Then what? Who did you get into a fight with now?"
"I didn't fight anyone."
Dominic's expression grew serious again. "What's the matter, Mel?"
"It's... nothing. Nothing happened. I have something to tell you, though." It was difficult to say the words, "I'm in a relationship," as I felt so awkward about it. I nervously met his gaze.
"I'm in a relationship with Isaac."
Dominic simply stared at me for a moment. I had expected him to jump up in shock or be indignant, but his reaction was calm and carefree.
"Yeah. I thought it was only a matter of time," he said.
I tilted my head, still confused. It wasn't the reaction I had expected.
Dominic asked with a mischievous grin, "Were you worried I'd get angry?"
"I can't say no to that," I admitted. He was still a young man, and he had always hated Isaac. I was certain he would be furious.
"It seems you like him a lot," Dominic said. "And I don't feel like this is a situation that requires my permission."
I felt a strange sense of incongruity. Dominic's beautiful voice seemed a little deeper, the lines on his face a little sharper, and the thoughts in his head a little more profound.
"Are you... suspicious of him?" I asked.
"Yes. But..." Dominic clenched his fists. "If he ever bullies you, I'll kill him. Don't worry, Mel." His face was red and distorted with pure, sincere rage.
"You're so cute," I said with a grin.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes. You're a wonderful friend, and we share the same house."
I felt a surge of pride, but at the same time, I was puzzled by how much Dominic seemed to have matured. I shook my head at his sharp, angular face. No matter how I looked at him, he didn't seem like the Dominic of the past.
'Why did he always seem to exist in the same place, with the same face, even as time went on?'
I slowly let go of the unease I had felt. "Dominic, you really seem to be growing every day."
He let out a long sigh. "I've been talking with the demons. I'm..."
I leaned in, focusing on his words.
"I really am growing up."
"Growing up...?" According to our contract, Dominic shouldn't have been able to grow. He was sealed in the sword, and he couldn't mature until the contract was fulfilled.
Dominic muttered in a low voice, "Yes. Maybe because I don't have to protect you anymore."
"The terms of our contract..."
"I was protecting your life. But you've grown up. You have someone else to protect you, and you have the strength to protect yourself. So now..."
Dominic was right. I had a dragon, I had Isaac, and my alchemy skills were skyrocketing. I even found myself thinking of Isaac before Dominic when I was in danger. Dominic grumbled with a sad face, as if he had read my thoughts.
"It's not that I'm not bothered, but it can't be helped. I'm a great hero. I won't be petty."
I knew he was lying. His lips were already in a sad pout. But instead of teasing him, I patted his shoulder. "If our contract slowly expires, you'll become a human, too, right?"
"Is that what's happening?" Dominic ruffled his hair as if the thought had never occurred to him.
"But I like being your contractor, Mel. Honestly, I always wanted to be human."
"Yes, we have a special bond." I nodded. Dominic was my family. Since the moment I pulled the sword from the cemetery until now, he had been by my side.
"You know, Dominic?"
"Yes?"
"What do you want to do first when the seal is lifted?"
Dominic lowered his eyes and then looked up at me. "I've thought about it a lot."
"Yes?"
"I just want to be a real family with you."
Dominic's fingertips trembled. In his fragile state, I saw the image of a seventeen-year-old hero who had been alone for many years.