## Chapter 179 – Collusion (22)
Aser barely caught her breath only after running until the store was out of sight. She fanned herself, trying to cool down her flushed face.
“Oh, how embarrassing.”
It wasn’t just the full-on sprint that made Aser’s face red. Number 25, barely catching his breath, was laughing, seemingly finding the whole situation hilarious. Seeing him like that, Aser’s expression softened. There was something powerful about Number 25’s innocent, childlike laughter.
“That was almost a disaster.”
Some people in the castle, like the old man just now, knew about Aser and Number 25’s relationship, but most residents were unaware. A demon lord monopolizing a precious man – she wouldn’t be able to argue even if she incurred the jealousy of those around her.
“I don’t really mind, though? If people find out about us?”
Aser cleared her throat and spoke. There was no point in pretending to be strong now after running away with all her might. Number 25 carefully voiced his opinion.
“I’d rather not show you off to other people.”
Aser playfully wrapped an arm around Number 25’s shoulders, pulling him slightly closer.
“Really? Isn’t this a great opportunity to flaunt a demon lord of a district as your girl?”
“This might sound presumptuous, but I want to keep those cute sides of yours all to myself, Demon Lord.”
Aser clutched at her chest at Number 25’s sudden, direct words. This was big. It was the first time she hated herself for not being able to purely accept his pure favor. She wanted to consider his kindness as her sanctuary.
“Y-you’re saying presumptuous things.”
Aser said in a small voice, having barely caught her breath.
“And you don’t have to worry about that. You’re the only one who can see everything about me.”
“I want to see more of your different sides in the future too, Demon Lord.”
It felt like something was swelling up inside her chest, about to burst. Her body was heating up. Especially her cheeks. If he wanted, she wanted to have relations right away. But today, she wanted to share a mental connection more than sex.
Aser barely calmed her inner thoughts and said to Number 25.
“You must be tired from running. Let’s sit down and rest somewhere.”
“Okay.”
The two sat down in a park with frequent foot traffic and enjoyed a short break. They bought snacks from the street and fed each other, spending a pleasant time. Then, Aser leaned back against the bench and opened her mouth.
“By the way, it’s a shame.”
“What is?”
Number 25 immediately reacted, wondering if he wasn’t making her happy enough. As if to tell him that his worry was unfounded, Aser smiled and said.
“Honestly, our district doesn’t have many places to play or see, does it? We’ve been to all the places worth visiting, and there’s nothing special. It’s going to change in the future, but no one knows when that will be, right? So, if I ever get the chance, I want to take you to the sea.”
“The sea?”
It was a place he had only heard about in stories and books. A place where a vast area, seemingly without end, was filled with water. It sounded mysterious and beautiful just from pictures and stories, so how overwhelming would it be to see it with his own eyes?
Aser looked at Number 25, whose eyes were shining, and wore a confident expression.
“Yeah, and if we go there, you might get to see me and Charlotte in our swimsuits?”
He had heard of swimsuits too. Clothes made of thin pieces of fabric that only covered the important parts or revealed the body’s lines. In that case, wasn’t it no different from underwear or being naked? The fact that he could see them in swimsuits didn’t resonate much with Number 25.
Aser muttered something, perhaps for Number 25, who had been showing an interested expression since hearing about the sea.
“Hmm… the sea is in District 5, so maybe I can get permission later… but would it be okay to go to other places?”
She was worried about only one thing. The possibility that Clara Bell, the demon lord of District 5, might take a liking to Number 25, just like when they went to District 3 before. Judging from her actions so far, it was a definite possibility. She didn’t want to lose this child to anyone again.
But she didn’t want to confine him to this narrow district forever either. How could she call it love if she kept her favorite bird in a well-decorated cage and only watched it? Besides, wasn’t Number 25 a child who had lived his entire life in a rotting prison?
She wanted to give him freedom. She wanted to show him a wider world. After resolving to do so, she was afraid, lacking faith in herself. What could be more pathetic than this?
Aser’s expression suddenly turned serious, and Number 25 asked in a worried voice.
“Demon Lord, are you okay?”
Hearing Number 25’s words, Aser began to speak in a serious voice she had never used before. Accordingly, Number 25 naturally stiffened and listened to her words.
“There’s one thing I want to ask of you…”
Now, she wanted to receive trust. She needed the assurance that this child wouldn’t leave her. Number 25 smiled brightly at Aser’s words and asked back.
“Yes, what is it? I can do anything for you if it’s your request, Demon Lord.”
Aser’s fingers on her lap twitched. It was evidence that she was nervous. Number 25 knew that, so he didn’t urge her to answer. Aser’s lips twitched and then slowly opened.
“I want to call you by your name now…”
After finishing her words, Aser, unbefitting of her position as a demon lord, began to gauge Number 25’s reaction. Number 25 was secretly attached to his name. Number 25, who hadn’t expected Aser’s words, wore a flustered expression.
But did the shackles of being a slave still have meaning for him now? She wanted to give him freedom that no one could encroach upon. To do that, he first had to escape his miserable past. The beginning of that was erasing the name that was no different from a curse.
Then, she revealed her honest feelings. Freedom, curse, past, cage, etc. She listed plausible words and made excuses, but in reality, it was just the whining of a girl who was starved for affection.
“I get jealous when Row calls you by your name.”
As she began to speak, Aser grabbed Number 25’s hand.
She could feel the tremor in her touch. At the same time, she felt how sincere she was. That’s why Number 25 didn’t say anything and quietly waited for her next words.
“I don’t know what kind of feelings you have for the name Number 25. I can’t fully understand your past, but I think you need to escape that pain now. I want you to live with your real name, not the name you had when you were a slave.”
Number 25 thought.
The name Number 25. He thought that he had to carry the pain that name bore for the rest of his life. To remember everyone who had rotted in the cage. The memories of the past sometimes felt like shackles. They bound his feet and prevented him from moving forward.
At the same time, Hilda’s words from the morning came to mind.
Aser had given everyone the power to live a better life.
When he was by her side, she was so dazzling that he felt like he was shrinking. Because the light was strong, the darkness also deepened. It felt like they were whispering in his ear that he shouldn’t be the only one who was happy.
Shouldn’t he accept it now? He wanted to be by Aser’s side. He wanted to hold the light that brightly illuminated the darkness in his hand.
Number 25 leaned back in his chair and looked at the sky.
A sky so blue it was blinding, a scenery he could never have imagined in the past.
He couldn’t repay Aser enough for making today possible.
Let’s accept it now.
Her will.
Number 25 quietly looked at Aser and then nodded in response.
“Okay.”
Aser’s pupils widened at the words of Number 25… no, Ryu. Soon, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and tears began to well up in her eyes. Number 25 panicked and took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping away her tears and asking in a flustered voice.
“Why, why are you crying?”
“Just because I’m happy…”
After saying those words, Aser, who had been crying like a child for a long time, finally calmed down and began to reveal the things she had been upset about one by one.
“A-and now that I’m going to call you by your name, I want you to call me by my name sometimes too, like Charlotte does. It wouldn’t be bad if you called me ‘Noona’ like you did with Jane. I want you to treat me comfortably like you do with that maid friend. No, I just want to be a special existence to you… I don’t like it when you only call other people by friendly names.”
Aser finished speaking and said with an awkward smile.
“Sorry, I was being a bit unreasonable.”
“It’s not unreasonable. I want to grant all of Demon Lord… Aser’s wishes too. If I can contribute to your smile even in this small way, that would be my happiness.”
Aser looked at his face, carefully raised her hand and stroked his cheek, and then brought her face closer and kissed Ryu. It was short, but no kiss had ever been as intense as today. She no longer cared about how the people around them were looking.
It was a common kiss that they had repeated several times, but today, the trembling felt different. Aser barely moved away from Ryu’s lips and whispered with eyes that seemed to melt.
“There are too many eyes here, right? Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
