“I’m leaving this country tomorrow—and I won’t be coming back.”
The stranger said goodbye to the dancer and pressed his lips to hers.
Through the defenselessly parted lips, a breath not her own seeped in.
His gaze, locking onto her widened eyes, burned like the midday desert.
“The thing I truly wanted, after coming to this country, was you.”
Leaving behind heat and a confession, the stranger turned away.
The dancer could not stop him, because she was hiding a truth she could never confess.
But that night, whether by chance or fate, that night they spent together, the stranger began to suspect the dancer’s identity.
That she was the beautiful queen of the Kingdom of Delba.
“What do you want?”
“You already know.”
“…I can’t give you that. Not that.”
Irien lowered her gaze. She was the queen of this country. She had to choose whom to seat beside her for the sake of the nation’s benefit.
“…Ah. I didn’t mean to make that kind of expression.”
Suddenly, a warm presence touched her face.
When Irene opened her eyes in surprise,
she saw the man leaning toward her, having risen from his seat.
A large hand—big enough to cover her entire face—gently brushed her cheek.
“Of course, you’re not a bargaining item. What I want is time.”
“…Time?”
“Yes. Time to meet you.”
Meeting her widened eyes, Usser broke into a grin.
“Even better if it’s just the two of us.”
