In the stillness of the warehouse where not even the air seemed to move, I felt Sophien’s breath touch the tip of my nose as she lay over me, her body fitting against mine without a word.0

The Empress was far too close for comfort, and normally my instincts would pull back since hygiene and personal boundaries mattered to me, but because it was Sophien, I managed to bear it.0

In that moment, the Empress’s vitals appeared normal with even breathing and no change in her pupils just as they always were, but there was a slight irregularity in her heartbeat—her heart was trembling, meaning that she was not making light of it.0

“Your Majesty,” I said.0

“You needn’t worry. It’s curiosity, nothing more. My predecessors must have done such a thing to bring me into this world,” Sophien replied, licking her lips.3

“Such a thing is not a kiss.”2

Sophien did not answer, but her eyes drew into a deep curve, a look that alone was enough to put me on edge.0

“Then…”0

Tap—0

Sophien’s lips touched mine for the briefest second—too quick to be called a kiss and not even warm—but her heart pounded like it had been something more, feeling more like a childish mistake than anything else.3

“Your Majesty, I can hear the sound of your heart beating.”0

“... I see, how strange,” Sophien replied with a nod before lowering her head and leaning against my collarbone.0

“Your Majesty?”0

“... A headache,” Sophien muttered.0

At that moment, a crimson flare burst from Sophien, flooding the air around us, and in less than a second, the entire warehouse was swallowed in crimson as a Death Variable, so I didn’t hesitate and wrapped the Snowflower...0