Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that this is a re-uploaded chapter. The earlier version felt a little off and didn't quite live up to the standard I want for this novel, so I decided to rework it.
I also promise I won't upload chapters while I'm sick again, so you won't have to read anything that feels unpolished or unworthy.
Thank you so much for your patience and support!
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(Yuuta- POV)
I lay still on the floor, my head resting on her lap. It was soft, warm—so warm—and her scent, faint and sweet like lilies in spring, filled my lungs. Erza always carried that fragrance with her, but today… it felt different. Today, it told me I wasn't alone anymore.
Sister Mary had been right. All those years ago, she promised someone would love me as I was. And here she was. Erza loved me—truly loved me. She never looked at my crimson eyes with fear or disgust. Where others called them cursed, she painted them, capturing their glow as if they were something to be cherished.
How different she was from the world I once knew. Fiona—my old crush—had turned me away. She said my proposal was "too old-fashioned," but deep down I knew she was just afraid. Afraid of me. Afraid of my eyes. Erza was nothing like her. Erza had stood tall, declaring in front of our entire class that I belonged to her. No shame, no hesitation—only certainty.
I still remembered the day she first came into my apartment. Back then, I thought it was all just a dream, some kind of ridiculous drama. Who would ever believe a story like that? That I slept with the Dragon Queen in a dream… only to discover it wasn't a dream at all.
She loved me. Truly. Erza—she could have killed me for tarnishing her name, for threatening her throne, for being nothing more than a fragile human in her world of dragons. But she didn't. No, she chose the unthinkable. She was willing to throw away her crown, her kingdom, everything, just for me.
That's how deeply she loved me.
She painted me, countless portraits where my face was all she could see. She whispered to those paintings through the long, empty nights. She searched for me across worlds, refusing to give up until the day she finally appeared before me.
And me? I never imagined I'd find my soulmate like this.
I closed my eyes tighter, pretending to be asleep. I wanted to savor her warmth a little longer. Just a little more, I thought. Let me stay here like this.
But the truth was, I was afraid. Afraid because I was weak. I kept telling myself I could protect her, even promised Sister Mary that I would never let my wife cry again… yet deep down, I knew I wasn't strong enough. The very thought of it hurt.
It was laughable, really. Imagine an ant swearing to protect an elephant from danger—that was me. That's how ridiculous it sounded. She was a being of immense power, and I… I was nothing more than a powerless boy who didn't even understand the depth of strength, the weight of scales, or the levels of magic.
A tear slipped down my cheek before I could stop it. I couldn't even hide it, my own tear. And there I was, still thinking about protecting her. What a pathetic man I was.
Then, her voice broke the silence. A whisper—soft, teasing, yet sharp enough to pierce right into my thoughts.
"Stupid mortal," she murmured with a small laugh. "I know what you're thinking. You're worrying about how to protect me, aren't you?"
My breath caught in my throat. How could she possibly know that?
She continued, her tone firm but tinged with affection. "From the moment Sister Mary left you, you've been carrying this on your shoulders, haven't you? Thinking about how to take care of me and Elena all on your own. Idiot. Absolute idiot."
Her words cut straight through me, not because they were cruel, but because they were true.
"You've always tried to carry the burden alone—back then, and even now. Never once thinking about sharing it with me, Fool."
Her lips pressed against my forehead in a gentle kiss. I didn't move, afraid the moment would shatter if I did.
"Don't hide your pain from me, My mortal" she murmured, her fingers brushing through my hair. "Let me carry it with you. That's what a wife is for. Whatever comes, we'll face it together… as one soul."
Her words sank into me, each one heavier than the last, yet strangely gentle—like a mother making sure her child was tucked in, safe and warm.
"You know, mortal…I too actually hide something from you" Erza's voice lowered, softer than I had ever heard it. "I actually wrote poetry for you. Long ago. When you disappeared."
I froze. Poetry? I didn't know what she was talking about. The Dragon Queen, proud and untouchable, writing poetry for someone like me?
She gave a quiet laugh, but there was no mockery in it—only the faintest trace of embarrassment. For a moment, the Dragon Queen looked nothing like a ruler of endless skies, but like a woman struggling to bare her heart.
"When we first met…" she whispered, her eyes drifting as though seeing a memory far away. "I painted you. Because I was terrified—terrified that one day I might forget the face of the man who gave me a reason to keep living."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she spoke, brushing againsty hair as though they were a canvas themselves.
"My hands were clumsy, my skill poor. Again and again, I ruined the Countless Painting. And yet… I never asked for help. I refused. I wanted no one else to touch the image of you. No one. So I painted, over and over, thinking only of your face… your smile… those eyes of yours that I could never forget. I painted until my fingers swelled, until the brushes broke, until the nights blurred into dawn."
Her voice faltered, soft but steady enough to reach me. "And after countless failures… finally—finally—I managed to capture even a fragment of you."
She fell silent, the weight of her confession pressing into the stillness between us. She lowered her gaze, as though ashamed of the memory, before continuing.
"After that, I wrote poems. Line after line, verse after verse… foolish little things, but they carried my heart. I thought—when we meet again, you'll understand how much you mean to me. How much you've always meant."
Her words trembled now, unsteady, caught between confession and regret.
"But my pride…" she breathed, her lips quivering. "…my foolish pride always stood in the way. I wanted to show you. I wanted you to see me. And yet, every time, I faltered. Even now—" Her eyes flicked toward me, then quickly away, as if the sight alone burned her resolve. "Even now, I find it easier to whisper my love while you sleep. But when your eyes are open… when you're looking at me… I lose every shred of courage and My Foolish Pride took over me."
Her voice broke into silence, and the only sound that remained was the pounding of my heart.
I turned my head slightly, watching her. The way her voliet eyes flickered with vulnerability, the way her voice softened with each word—it hit me harder than any blade could.
And in that moment, I understood. She had always wanted to be honest with her feelings, but honesty was a battle even the Queen of Dragons struggled with. Pride had built a wall around her heart, yet still… she reached for me, again and again.
I decided to open my eyes. I couldn't bear pretending any longer. I needed to tell her—the words were already forming in my mind. It doesn't matter who you are… Erza, for me, you're my Lizard Queen.
I wanted to lean up and hug her, to finally let her know everything I felt.
I was still lying on her lap, feeling the warmth of her body, the steady rise and fall of her breathing, and my heart pounded in anticipation.
But the moment my eyes cracked open, my chest froze.
Erza wasn't looking at me. Her gaze was fixed on the door, sharp and alert, as though she had sensed something approaching.
The calm, tender moment I had prepared for… vanished in an instant.
Then the door creaked open.
My breath hitched. Shit. I forced my eyes shut again, feigning sleep. I couldn't let Erza know I had heard her earlier Conversation. Not yet.
The door opened wider, hinges complaining in the quiet. Erza's voice cut through the stillness, sharp and cold.
"What are you doing here?"
I didn't dare move. But my heart pounded faster, curious and uneasy.
Then came a voice I recognized instantly. A girl's voice, heavy with Panicked.
"Erza… we need your help." Her tone wavered, then hardened into bitterness. "Not you two. Not… in front of me."
Fiona.
The air shifted. Even without opening my eyes, I could feel Erza's killing intent filling the room like a storm cloud.
Her words slithered out like ice.
"Don't make a sound, Stinky Human. Not unless you want to die."
The silence that followed was suffocating. I could almost see Fiona's lips clamp shut, her body frozen under Erza's gaze.
"Yuuta is sleeping," Erza went on, her tone softer but no less dangerous. "And I don't take kindly to anyone disturbing him."
The room stayed still. Even the air seemed to hold its breath. I pictured Fiona standing in the doorway, her usual sharp tongue swallowed by fear. She knew too well how obsessive Erza could be when it came to me.
Finally, Erza's voice broke the silence again. Low, commanding.
"Now speak. Why have you come here Fiona?"
Fiona inhaled shakily. Her words tumbled out, rushed, edged with panic.
"We… we caught him."
The cold mask of Erza's voice cracked for the first time, laced with disbelief.
"Caught him? Are you serious?"
"Yes," Fiona said quickly. "The Chief caught him. But he wasn't low-ranking like we thought. He's far more dangerous."
A pause. Long, heavy. I had never heard Erza sound uncertain before, but now… hesitation crept into her tone.
"Far more… dangerous?"
"Yes." Fiona's voice trembled now, as though the weight of her words pressed down on her chest. "That's why we need your help. To send him back."
The silence that followed was heavier than chains.
And there I was, lying with my head on her lap, listening to all of it. I didn't move, I didn't breathe too loudly, but inside my chest questions were burning. Who the hell was this "chief"? What enemy could be so dangerous that even Fiona sounded terrified? And why… why did it feel like Erza was part of a world I still didn't understand?
Erza bent down, her arms sliding beneath me with that same effortless grace she always had. To her, my weight was nothing—like lifting a pillow. "I'll put him in bed first before we leave," she muttered under her breath, though loud enough for Fiona to hear.
My stomach knotted. She's leaving… without me?
I couldn't believe it. She's… working with that secret agency?
Erza had never lied to me—not exactly. She just said she couldn't explain what kind of work she was doing. I thought it was something simple, something normal. But in reality… she was making thousands of dollars doing missions for the agency.
It hit me in a quiet, sinking way. All this time, she had been handling dangers I didn't even understand, keeping it from me—not out of deceit, but to protect me.
I shook my head. She didn't lie. She just… didn't tell me everything.
No. Not today. I wouldn't let her walk into danger alone.
Before she could move, I opened my eyes. "I'm coming too."
She froze mid-step. Her violet eyes widened slightly. For a moment she just stared at me, as if unsure I was even awake. "…Yuuta? You're awake?"
"Yes," I said, sitting up in her arms a little. "I just woke up."
She froze for a second, and I could tell she was lost in thought. Maybe… just maybe, she was remembering that minutes ago, when she whispered her feelings to me while I was pretending to be sleep. The memory must have rushed back to her, because her face turned crimson in an instant.
And then—without warning—she dropped me straight onto the floor like a rock splashing into a river.
"Ouch! That hurts, Erza!" I groaned, rubbing my back while glaring up at her.
Her eyes narrowed, sharp as a blade. "Don't tell me you were awake the whole time… pretending to be asleep."
I scratched at my cheek, avoiding her gaze. "Eh, no, no. I just woke up. Really. Don't mind me."
Her lips curved, but not into a smile. In a flash, her hand shot up and tugged my hair—not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make me wince. "Don't lie to me. You heard my confession, didn't you?"
My heart skipped. I tried to play it cool, even as my face burned. "Confession? I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't hear anything like… ' Poetry ' or anything like that. Nope. Nothing at all."
Her mouth twitched between anger and embarrassment. "So you did hear it," she muttered.
I swallowed, staring at the wall like it was suddenly fascinating. My ears burned.
Before she could press me further, Fiona's voice rang from the doorway, sharp and impatient. "Sorry to cut in, but we don't have time for your little couple's drama, Chief Sara Can't hold him much longer."
Erza's sharp glare snapped toward Fiona, who instinctively folded her arms across her chest, almost as if in a quiet plea.
"Whatever this is," Erza said coldly, her voice like steel, "we'll settle it later. For now, we have to move."
Then she looked at me, clicking her tongue in mild annoyance, but she let go of my hair.
"You mortal… we'll discuss this later," she said, her voice sharp yet calm, "for daring to deceive me."
"I'll start the car," Fiona snapped, turning on her heel. Her footsteps echoed down the hall until the door clicked shut behind her, leaving us alone again.
Erza looked back at me. Her violet eyes glowed faintly in the dim light, her expression unreadable but heavy with warning. You can't run from this, that look said.
I forced a nervous laugh, scratching my cheek again. "…Guess I'm definitely coming with you now, right?"
Her voice hardened. "No. You're not coming. At all. I won't allow it."
"Why not?" I asked.
"It's office work," Erza said, her tone clipped and professional, the way it always was when she wanted to shut down the conversation. "You wouldn't understand a thing about it."
I frowned, propping my elbow on the armrest. "Oh, please. Don't play dumb with me. I already know what you really do."
Her hand stilled mid-motion. "...What do you mean by that?"
I leaned forward, lowering my voice like I was letting her in on a secret. "You're part of that group, aren't you? The one that hunts demons… or aliens."
For a heartbeat, silence. Then she turned, her voliet eyes narrowing. "You know?"
I smirked, trying to look more confident than I felt. "Of course I know. I've known for a long time."
Truth was, I'd only guessed. But the day of her rampage, I'd seen Fiona moving like no normal woman could—calm, calculated, armed. An agent of Lebius' Secret Agency. The pieces fit, and my hunch had just struck home.
Her lips parted, faintly startled. "So you actually believe demons exist?"
I gave a small laugh, though it came out more bitter than amused. "Believe? Come on. I'm married to the Dragon Queen herself—Erza, a living legend. It's not exactly hard for me to believe there are demons out there too. And besides…" my voice dipped, softer, "I've already encountered one. That's not something you forget. It left me with scars I can't even explain… scars I still carry."
Erza's eyes sharpened, the way they always did when she sensed a secret. "What do you mean by 'encounter one'?"
I froze. My throat tightened. I hadn't told her a thing about it. If she found out that the one I faced in the Torture Cave was Allen—Aaron's secretary—she would be furious. And worse, I didn't want her to remember how broken I'd been when she found me. That day… she nearly lost control herself.
I forced a crooked smile, scratching at the back of my neck. "W-Well, I mean… I've just been running into a lot of trouble lately, that's all."
For a heartbeat, her eyes softened. The steel melted just enough to glimpse the woman behind the queen. Then, like a blade sliding back into its sheath, the cold returned. She looked away.
"That's exactly why I'm saying you're not coming with us," she said quietly. "You've suffered enough. This isn't your world, Yuuta. These beings—this fight—it isn't yours."
My chest tightened at her words. I should have felt relieved. Instead, something else stirred beneath my skin—anger, hot and bitter.
"So you'll just leave me behind?" I said, my voice trembling with something I couldn't name. "Again?
Her gaze snapped back to me, sharp as a blade. "You're human, Yuuta. You're fragile. This is something you cannot face. You'll only get hurt."
Maybe she was right. Maybe I was fragile. But the way she said it—like I was something that had to be wrapped in glass and hidden away—made my blood burn.
I clenched my fists. "Then let me get hurt. At least it'll be beside you."
"What we're facing is a demon from two thousand years ago," she said quietly, her eyes darkening. "I can't risk you being there. What if he takes you hostage?"
"Oh, come on. Who would dare hurt me when you're with me?" I tried to grin, but my chest felt tight.
Her cheeks flushed red—anger or worry, I couldn't tell. "Don't expect me to protect you if something happens."
I tilted my head, smirking a little despite the tension. "So… that means I'm coming, right?"
Her glare could have cut stone, but she didn't answer.
But one thing was certain—I was coming along. I had wondered for far too long about how this agency actually worked. And now, at last, I had the chance to see it with my own eyes.
To be continue...