Chapter 01

Prologue

“Ibi, you have to hide really, really well!”

“Not even a strand of your hair can show!”

Remembering the children’s adorable warnings, I giggled to myself and quietly closed the door to the library.

“Hmmm~ Where should I hide so they won’t find me?”

Just as I was looking around for somewhere to hide, the figure of someone caught my eye.

‘Isn’t that Hess?’

He was lying asleep beside a long mahogany table, several chairs pushed together beneath him.

The warm sunlight streaming through the open window and the gentle breeze made the sleeping man look like something straight out of a magnificent painting from an ancient myth.

I approached him as though entranced.

Up close, his finely sculpted features stood out even more.

His sharp, elegantly shaped eyes and long eyelashes. His nose bridge was high without being overbearing, ending in a sleek, pointed tip.

And then there were his full, reddish lips, as though they had been stained with flower petals…

Without realizing it, I swallowed hard.

I couldn’t help remembering the day I had first pressed my lips against his.

Of course, I’d only done it because I had to in order to survive, but I could never forget how it had felt.

Even after several days.

Again and again.

Constantly.

If I wanted to feel those lips one more time, then I really must have been crazy.

Just as I was about to step away with a sigh, it happened.

“Is this… a dream?”

In the suffocating silence, a deep, low voice that sounded as though it had risen from underwater made me flinch.

He let out a sigh, then looked at me through hazy eyes and murmured,

“Of all dreams, why did it have to be—”

As though trying to confirm whether the person in front of him was real, he reached a hand toward my face.

I instinctively took a step back.

“Ah!”

He suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled.

As a result, I ended up falling right onto his firm body.

I was occasionally held in Hedius’s arms, but I’d never consciously paid attention to it before. Perhaps because we were pressed so closely together now, I could feel every one of the muscles beneath me.

Heat rushed to my face.

“H-Hess!!”

Flustered, I pushed against his chest and tried to get up.

“…Ibi.”

Perhaps he was still half-asleep. He slowly blinked his eyes.

Even so, his grip around my wrist was surprisingly firm.

‘Seriously, why is he this strong even in his sleep?’

As I squirmed on top of him, he suddenly let out a long breath and murmured,

“…If you keep moving like that, it’s going to be dangerous.”

Before I could properly interpret what he meant by “dangerous,” I found myself wishing he would just fall back asleep.

The reason was simple.

The spacious library was completely silent, with only Hedius and me inside.

And because of our position, my face was practically right in front of his.

Once he woke up properly, he might really think I was some kind of pervert.

I gave an awkward smile and patted his chest.

“I-I’m Ibi from your dream… So let’s close our eyes again, okay? Good boy…? Hmm?”

Hedius frowned slightly.

“…As if.”

At the same time as he calmly spoke those words, his previously hazy golden eyes suddenly became as clear and bright as stars.

He abruptly sat up.

I naturally ended up sitting with him, but I was still straddling his firm thighs.

Facing my face from up close, he let out a languid breath.

“How did you know I was here?”

His voice was no longer husky with sleep.

And even though he had only just woken up, not a single part of his face looked disheveled. If anything, perhaps because he’d just gotten out of bed, there was only a strangely languid quality to him…

Was it because he was, after all, the leader of the thieves’ guild?

That handsome face, combined with that languid air and his pleasant, deep voice…

He was practically a thief who specialized in stealing women’s hearts.

My shoulders drew up guiltily.

Thump, thump.

My heartbeat was so loud I could hear it in my own ears.

Besides, it seemed he thought I’d come here specifically to see him.

“I-I didn’t come here on purpose—”

When I hesitated over my answer, he gave a knowing little smile, as if he already understood without me having to say anything.

“Well, this is a place where no one would be able to find us. You’re more proactive than I expected, Ibi. In that case…”

He tilted one corner of his mouth upward and met my gaze.

“I’ll allow you to do whatever you want to me right now. But not outside.”

In other words—

Only when the two of us were alone.

His shining golden eyes said exactly that.

His tone sounded less like a warning and more like an invitation.

‘Does he really have to say it that sweetly? It makes me want to do something even more.’

When there were people around, it was actually easier to casually make physical contact.

But now that we were completely alone, my body had stiffened like a wooden board.

Because right now, this felt exactly like a secret meeting between lovers.

“Wait… No.”

After thinking it over, he suddenly muttered to himself before leaning toward my ear and whispering,

“You’ve always been the one to approach me first. So this time, I don’t think it would be bad for me to make the first move.”

My eyes widened at his unexpected words.

He was going to make the first move?

What exactly did he mean?

This was something I hadn’t expected at all.

‘Besides, Hest doesn’t need to go this far anymore…’

“If you don’t like it, tell me now. If you refuse, I’ll obediently back away.”

He flashed a grin at my bewildered expression.

Yet, contrary to his words, his voice remained unbearably sweet as he continued to tempt me.

Somehow, it felt as though our positions had been completely reversed.

While I hesitated, Hedius brought his heated hand up to cup my cold cheek.

Warmth flowed into me through our touching skin.

…That was unfair.

I liked the sensation of his warmth so much that my body seemed to melt. I rubbed my cheek against his palm.

His long, dark eyes sank into shadow.

His firm thumb gently traced my lips before applying the slightest pressure.

My lips parted slightly, and a satisfied smile bloomed across his face.

In his characteristically languid yet low voice, he whispered,

“May I take that as permission?”

The sunlight filtering through the curtains of the library’s large windows illuminated his mesmerizing golden eyes.

Everything I’d done to Hedius until now had been solely for the sake of everyone else.

And yet—

Hedius had suddenly offered to make the first move.

I still couldn’t believe it.

But—

‘Who could possibly resist being seduced by a face like that?!’

God of this world, system, demon of the Gates!

Please, please don’t lead me into temptation!

Yet contrary to what my mind was saying, my hands had already found their way onto his broad, solid shoulders.

Instead of answering, my trembling fingers tightened around his shoulders.

As though taking that as permission, he carefully placed a hand around the back of my neck and slowly drew me toward him.

Little by little, his face came closer.

And just as I could feel Hedius’s heated breath through his slightly parted lips—

“Angel, you’re here, right?!”

Someone suddenly flung open the library door.

But Hedius noticed the approaching presence first.

He pulled me toward himself and wrapped a blanket around me before the intruder could see anything.

Caught completely off guard, I found myself trapped in his arms.

From within the blanket, I could hear someone’s heart pounding rapidly.

“What’s the matter, Leo?”

His voice eventually came from beyond the blanket.

“Huh? Lord Hedius! Ah… So you were looking at books. Have you perhaps seen Angel?”

At the sound of Leo’s voice, I flinched.

“If you mean Ibi, weren’t you with her earlier?”

“I was. We’re all playing hide-and-seek together, but I can’t find Angel anywhere. Hmm… Anyway, I guess she’s not here.”

“No one has come to the library.”

“—Hmm, really? Then I’ll be going. Where on earth is Angel hiding?”

Soon, I heard the door close.

I let out a relieved breath and rubbed my chest.

“Phew… That was close. Leo almost got the wrong idea.”

“…The wrong idea?”

At the low voice, I looked up.

Hedius had already pulled the blanket away and was staring at me with a deeply furrowed brow.

‘…Why does he look like that?’

I couldn’t understand why.

I merely opened and closed my mouth in confusion when—

“So you came to the library solely because of hide-and-seek.”

Not because of him.

I nodded absentmindedly.

Then, all of a sudden, he let out a small laugh.

Looking down at me with an unmistakably displeased expression, he soon brought both of his large hands up to cup my face.

There was a strange, simmering heat in his eyes.

Why?

‘Did I do something wrong?’

All I’d done was spend some enjoyable time with everyone before coming to the library.

It had all started with the children’s surprise event.

“Ta-da! It’s a flower carriage for Ibi!”

They had decorated a little carriage for me with flowers and ribbons as a present.

“From now on, none of you will be able to live without Ibi! So let’s stay together for a very, very long time, Ibi!”

Then there were the residents of Shadow Village, who had laughed heartily while joking around.

And then—

“All right! I’m in the mood! Who wants to play hide-and-seek?!”

At my suggestion, adults and children alike had rushed over to play.

And eventually, I’d chosen the library as my hiding place.

Just as I was wondering how things had suddenly ended up like this and thinking back on what had happened moments ago—

A reproachful voice came from above my head.

“Ibi, are you thinking about something else even at a time like this?”

Before I could react, a shadow fell across my face, and a heated breath gently brushed against my lips.

“—!”

How had I ended up becoming entangled with Hedius like this?

All I’d wanted was to stop Leo, who was destined to become the villainous emperor.

I squeezed my eyes shut and remembered the moment when I’d traveled back in time—

Back to an era in the world’s brilliant history.