Muen felt his heart pounding.

The world had gone quiet. Every other sound had drifted far away, leaving only that maddening heartbeat, clear as day, like a powerful minotaur pounding a great drum inside his chest.

"What’s wrong?" Ariel asked softly.

"Nothing."

Even though he was in the middle of running at full speed, Muen’s attention never truly landed on the road ahead.

He kept lowering his head, looking at Ariel’s profile.

The faint scent of a young girl had already driven away the damp, moldy smell of the haunted house. Ariel, who was usually so sharp and forceful in the way she carried herself, unexpectedly suited this kind of soft, understated fragrance.

She was curled up in Muen’s arms just like that, her expression utterly calm.

From childhood until now, Ariel had gone through no one knew how many hardships, how many life-and-death crises, how many desperate dead ends. Naturally, a little danger like this would never shake her, which was why she could remain so calm.

Even while being carried bridal-style by someone she used to hate more than anyone.

But...

Thump, thump.

When Muen finally recovered a little from his irritation at his own uselessness, he sharply caught a second heartbeat.

It was hidden right behind his own, stuck to the far side of that pounding drum, to the point that he had not noticed it at first.

So where was that second heartbeat coming from?

Violent killing intent came crashing toward them, and a large section of the structure behind Muen exploded into flying debris.

The "noblewoman" chasing them was clearly some kind of evil spirit that had gained power and a physical form. Forget a heartbeat—she did not even count as a simple living creature. She belonged among the dead, among things without life.

So in that narrow space, with only himself, Ariel, and the "noblewoman" present, that heartbeat could only belong to...

Muen’s eyes shifted.

Ariel’s long, delicate lashes trembled softly like butterfly wings about to take flight. Her fingers had been clutching the fabric at his chest ever since earlier, and she was gripping so hard that her knuckles were starting to pale.

She had placed all her weight in the crook of Muen’s arm, as if she did not care about anything at all. But if one looked closely, there were little motions—motions that did not resemble her at all—that revealed she was not nearly as calm as she wanted to seem.

She was wavering.

But if a little danger like this could not possibly shake her, then what exactly was it that was shaking her?

"What are you smiling about?"

Noticing the strange smile that had suddenly appeared on Muen’s face, Ariel felt inexplicably annoyed and glared hard at him.

"Nothing."

"Really nothing?"

"I just thought of something a little funny, that’s all. Really, it’s nothing."

"Hmph. You’re acting weird."

Ariel gave a cold snort. She seemed not to have heard the duet of their two heartbeats—or perhaps she had heard it and was deliberately pretending not to.

"By the way, why have you slowed down again?"

Ariel bared her teeth a little. "Didn’t you say it was faster than ever?"

"Did I?" Muen said, sounding puzzled. "This already is my top speed."

"That’s a lie!"

Tilting her head, Ariel looked past Muen’s arm at the "noblewoman" stubbornly chasing behind them.

The "noblewoman," who had nearly been shaken off just a moment ago, had somehow caught up again, and was maintaining that infuriating state of wanting to catch them without ever quite managing it, which only made her angrier.

"This is definitely not your top speed. Otherwise how could something like that still be on your tail?"

Ariel shot Muen a suspicious look. "You’re not secretly brewing up some despicable little scheme again, are you?"

"Absolutely not."

Muen looked righteous to the core.

"I’m just a little unwell physically, so my top speed’s dropped a bit."

That was true. When your heart was under too much strain, naturally you could not run as fast.

He was not lying.

And he definitely did not have any childish idea like deliberately stretching out this moment for as long as possible.

"Hold on tight."

No matter how deliberately Muen might act, the place he was sprinting through was, in the end, only a mansion with somewhat more floor space than usual.

This road had an end.

And that end came quickly.

With Muen’s warning and that final leap, Ariel narrowed her eyes. The brightness of the exit instantly drove away the darkness, as if time had finally begun moving again and the real world had returned to her sight.

By the time she came back to herself from the daze, that stretch of road had felt impossibly long—and impossibly short.

The two of them stepped out through the haunted house’s front doors and came to a stop.

Muen lowered his head and met Ariel’s eyes again. Neither of them spoke, as if they were still savoring what had just—

"Roar!"

The "noblewoman" tore through the doors behind them, roaring, "Human! Don’t run! Let me eat you!"

"..."

Muen let out a quiet sigh and looked around.

Naturally, the duke’s estate had not staffed this place with only the ordinary people playing ghosts earlier. A magical barrier had already been raised, and the visitors invited to tour the amusement park were still wandering about with curious expressions, completely unaware that just beyond a single barrier, a vicious evil spirit had appeared.

"Have all the people inside the haunted house been evacuated?" Muen asked one of the men standing by. The man’s face was bruised and swollen, and Muen had no idea what he had been playing in there.

"Yes, Young Master Muen. They’ve all been safely withdrawn."

"Good."

Muen set Ariel down, then abruptly turned around.

At that very moment, the "noblewoman" finally burst through the doors completely and lunged at Muen with a savage expression.

After playing cat and mouse for so long, she could finally enjoy that blood so full of life—

Shing—

But what met her was not the living flesh and blood she had dreamed of.

It was a blade of light.

Blinding, brilliant, blazing blade-light.

Compressed into a single line, it swept silently through space. Other than its brightness, it did not seem threatening at all, like a glowing strand of spider silk drifting through the air.

But in the next instant, the "noblewoman’s" savagery froze on her face. Her killing intent froze with it, as though time itself had become eternal.

Muen’s running just now might have been a fair bit slower because of his "heart condition," but he had shown absolutely no mercy with this strike.

As everyone knew, a racing heartbeat affected your running.

It did not affect your ability to cut someone down.

If anything, it was a bonus.

And so that vicious evil spirit—together with the entire haunted house behind her—was split cleanly in two from top to bottom.

Before long, the "noblewoman" scattered into nothing beneath the sunlight. And the haunted house, already ruined by the evil spirit’s rampage and then by Muen’s final slash, could no longer hold together and began to collapse in earnest.

Realizing belatedly that he had accidentally used a bit too much force, Muen came back to himself and muttered in pained despair:

"Damn it... another tenth of my old man’s estate... gone..."

"Well, my condolences."

Ariel patted Muen on the shoulder, openly gloating.

"I understand exactly how you feel."

"..."

Muen drew a deep breath. He did not dwell on the issue for long before smiling again.

"Forget it. Money’s only an external thing. That little bit of loss isn’t enough to shake me."

"You really do take it well." Ariel curled her lip.

"And you?"

Muen reached out and casually smoothed Ariel’s bangs again. They had been carefully arranged by a professional makeup artist earlier, but the escape had left them a little messy.

"Can you keep going?"

"Are you looking down on me?"

Ariel knocked his hand aside with her head, clearly displeased.

"I said I’d go on one date with you. Even if I know this was never going to succeed, quitting halfway over something this minor isn’t my style."

"Good. Then let’s go to the next—"

"Wait."

Ariel cut him off, arms crossed, her little face full of annoyance.

"We can keep going, but the next one isn’t going to be the same routine again, is it? The first time it was an explosion, the second time it was an evil spirit. What’s next? A charging horde of evil cultists? Give me a break. I have no interest in getting the whole damsel-in-distress treatment from you three times."

"...Don’t worry."

Muen pulled out a transmission stone. He was gripping it so hard that veins had already risen on the back of his hand.

With an extremely friendly smile, he said:

"I’ve had enough of that troublemaking dead bear too. I’m dealing with it right now..."

...

...

"Oho! Love carry accomplished!"

In some dark, hidden corner, Pink Bear had secretly watched Muen carry Ariel out of the haunted house in a bridal carry. At once, he yanked off the little cat headpiece and let out a cry of total satisfaction.

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

What other master of romance in this world could come up with a plan as flawless as his? With only a slight nudge here and there, he had managed to get two people who originally hated each other to hold each other that intimately.

A saint of love. He was simply a saint of love.

Pink Bear felt that his skill in this area had already transcended mortal limits, surpassed even the level of a master, and entered a higher realm.

A realm beyond human comprehension. An inhuman realm.

"It’s done, Lord Oranriel!"

At that moment Parls came running back as well, wiping sweat from his brow, excitement practically spilling off him.

"The target pair successfully embraced, and it was even a bridal carry. With Miss Ariel’s personality, the fact that she was willing to be carried like that means we could probably march them straight into a church and have them married on the spot!"

"Not so fast!"

Now that he had become a saint of love, Pink Bear felt that every move he made carried style. He lifted one hand and calmed the overexcited Parls.

"Now is not the time."

"R-right, right. The date’s not over yet. I shouldn’t be this hasty." Parls looked somewhat ashamed. He was supposed to be the hired expert master here, yet in his excitement he had made such a basic mistake.

"The roller coaster and the haunted house are nothing. According to our intelligence, the next attraction is the real highlight! If that step succeeds, forget marching them into a church—even sending them straight into the bridal chamber..."

Flames practically burned in Pink Bear’s eyes. He could already picture Muen and Ariel, under the guidance of his saintly talents, successfully getting down to—

Ring ring ring ring—

But the transmission stone suddenly rang, cutting off Pink Bear’s glorious fantasy.

"Who the hell is it, calling at a crucial moment like this to ruin my good work?"

Annoyed, Pink Bear snatched up the transmission stone and snapped:

"Idiot, do you even know—ah, my dearest, dearest, dearest... what? You’re coming back right away? Weren’t you supposed to need a few more days... oh, oh, it got moved up. Where are you now? I’ll come pick you up once I’m done here...

What? You’re at the palace already?"

Cold sweat began to drip down Pink Bear’s forehead.

"Me... where am I? I’m obviously busy with important work. Inspection... yes, inspection of Belrand’s residents and their living conditions, doing my part for the people’s happiness... go back immediately? I-I-I-I..."

You damned woman, didn’t I say I was busy? Why can’t you understand human speech?

Glancing at the pair in the distance, who seemed to be heading toward a new attraction, Pink Bear’s chest filled with boundless rage. He wanted nothing more than to let that inconsiderate woman on the other end know what a real man was. In the past, maybe she could still keep him in line, but now he was a saint of love!

He would show her the power of a saint of love right this instant!

"Okay, okay, okay..."

Pink Bear immediately put on a fawning smile.

"I’m coming back right away. Right away... give me five minutes... no, one minute. I’ll be there in one minute!"

"..."

With a beep, the transmission stone disconnected.

Parls tilted his head up toward the clear sky and whistled, pretending he had heard none of that and had certainly not witnessed such a miserable display from the mighty saint of love.

"Ahem."

Pink Bear coughed twice, as if that weakness had never existed. Once again he was calm and stylish as ever. Then he solemnly patted Parls on the shoulder.

"Godfather, something urgent’s come up. I’m leaving this to you."

"Me?"

"You won’t have enough time alone. Forget the next attraction for now—leave that to the young people. Isn’t there still one final place that matters more?"

"This..."

"Don’t disappoint me. You’re Belrand’s famous godfather of romance. Once this is finished, the title of saint of love will be yours."

"I’m not worthy, not worthy."

Parls answered with great humility.

But deep in his eyes, something obscure seemed to flicker.

"My abilities are limited, but if it is Lord Oranriel’s request... then naturally I will do my utmost to complete the task."

...

...

"Come on. We’re going to the third attraction."

"The third attraction?"

Ariel tipped her head back and saw a massive wheel more than a hundred meters high standing in the center of the amusement park. Its iron spokes made the great ring look extraordinarily sturdy, while along its rim hung cabins like pieces of fruit. Colored magic stones were set into them, and though night had not yet fallen, they were already beginning to glitter beautifully.

"What is that?" Ariel asked.

From the very beginning, this was the attraction Ariel had been most interested in, because it looked unusual, and its appearance matched most people’s sense of beauty. It had a strangely evocative air to it.

"That’s a Ferris wheel."

"Ferris wheel? Nice name too."

Ariel lifted a brow. "How do you play on it?"

"You don’t need to play. You just sit on it."

Muen pulled open the cabin door with perfect gentlemanly grace. "After you."

"Just... sit in it?"

Though somewhat puzzled, Ariel obediently sat down inside.

Muen followed and climbed into the cabin as well, sitting across from her.

Ariel looked around with curiosity. In some ways, this style of ride seemed a little similar to the roller coaster from earlier, but the actual feeling was completely different.

For example, just sitting together like this in such a cramped enclosed space gave off a distinctly strange feeling.

If she had not known the guy across from her was not the sort to do anything bad to her in a confined space, she absolutely would not have gotten in while stripped of all her strength. If danger showed up in a place like this, there would be nowhere to run.

"And then?"

"And then..."

Muen waved to the staff outside the cabin.

"Then it starts moving."

The moment Muen finished speaking, a faint hum rose from the very center of the enormous wheel. The whole cabin trembled ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) once, then began to rise slowly with the turning wheel.

Ariel kept watching the surroundings with a trace of expectation, but after waiting quite a while, nothing changed except their height.

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

"What’s supposed to be fun about this?"

Ariel was utterly baffled.

This slow, steady ascent moved like a snail. In terms of excitement, it was nowhere near the roller coaster.

And at least on the roller coaster you got some wind in your face. Shut inside this enclosed space, the only thing she could feel was the breathing of the person opposite her.

"It’s not especially fun."

Sitting in an enclosed space and waiting for the Ferris wheel to make one extremely, extremely slow rotation absolutely did not count as fun, at least not from the perspective of "play."

"But from another perspective, a Ferris wheel isn’t meant for playing," Muen said.

"If it isn’t meant for playing, then what is it for?" Ariel asked curiously.

Muen did not answer directly. He just gave her a gentle smile that seemed to mean something more.

"Did you know? They say confessions made on a Ferris wheel have a ninety-five percent success rate."

"..."

Ariel’s breathing caught.

Her pupils widened slightly, and her whole body suddenly tensed. It was just a line that sounded like casual trivia, yet for some reason it threw her completely off balance, leaving her unsure how to respond.

"Wait."

Ariel came to herself and huffed angrily.

"Didn’t you invent this thing for the first time? What’s this ninety-five percent confession success rate? You’re lying to me."

"Do you really think I’m lying to you?"

"..."

Ariel pressed her lips together. She had very nearly blurted out that same line again—I believe you.

"You do still trust me."

Muen’s smile grew even gentler, but he did not linger on the topic for long. Instead, he turned to look outside the cabin.

"Looks like I timed it perfectly."

"Timed what?"

"Look outside."

"At what?"

"The view."

"..."

Ariel’s brows drew together faintly. She really could not understand what there was to admire about the scenery Muen was talking about.

She had once used levitation to fly above the clouds—far higher than this mere hundred-meter Ferris wheel—and even then she had not cared enough about the scenery to spare it more than a passing glance. So what could possibly be different now, sitting in this little cabin?

But Ariel still turned to look.

She saw the sunset.

An orange sunset.

Half the sky had been dyed crimson by blazing evening clouds. Scale-like clouds dotted the edge of the world, and when Ariel’s eyes met that sinking sun, it felt as though the light of sunset had caught in her gaze as well.

The world was full of brightness, yet darkness was also beginning to lift its head in the far distance. Unspeakable colors and vastness poured into Ariel’s mind all at once, making her feel as if she were standing in the very center of the world.

She rose with the Ferris wheel while the sun, still casting its final glow, descended.

The boundary between light and dark stretched from one end of the world to the other. Ariel found herself unconsciously chasing that line, inexplicably wishing it would move a little slower.

That time itself would move a little slower too.

But of course time would not slow, and the dividing line never paused for a moment as it raced into the distance. Ariel watched it sweep across the districts of Belrand below, and suddenly those places looked strangely familiar.

She saw narrow, cramped alleys. She saw the bakery factory that had gone bankrupt long ago. She saw the convent that had been renovated not long before. And on the little hill at the edge of the convent, she saw that tall tree still standing straight despite having been hacked by wooden swords no one knew how many times.

These were places she had once lived in.

When she had been at her weakest and most helpless, she had struggled through those alleys just to find some little place to stay for the night. She had worked from dawn to dusk in that black-hearted bakery factory just to get enough bread to fill her stomach.

Luckily, she had then been taken in by that once-shabby little convent. There had been nagging nuns with bad tempers, and tedious, boring morning prayers, but at least she had enough to eat there...

And beneath that tree, she had met Liya for the first time.

Painful memories and beautiful ones alike rolled up and sank away with the shifting light. The dividing line continued onward, as though it meant to leave time itself behind.

Ariel saw Saint Maria Academy too. It was far away, but she could still vaguely make out the tip of the academy’s tall bell tower gleaming beneath the sunset.

The academy was so far away that it was blurred, yet even though she had only studied there for a few short years, she already found herself unable to remember clearly what that blond bastard she had hated most back then had actually looked like.

The current Muen Campbell—infuriating, but no longer hateful—was becoming clearer and clearer instead.

"Pretty?" the infuriating Muen Campbell asked.

"...Pretty," Ariel answered honestly.

"Beautiful?"

"Beautiful."

Ariel turned her head back.

Then she realized she was not the only one who had been looking at the view. The infuriating Muen Campbell had been looking at her too, and he was very close, because there was only about a foot of space between them to begin with.

"You’re beautiful too," he said.

In that instant, the sun sank completely below the horizon, and the world fell into darkness.

But Muen’s eyes still held light.

The sunset had not disappeared.

The sunset was still in his eyes.

And it was brighter than before.

Thump... thump...

The silence was broken by some maddening sound. Ariel could no longer ignore that uncontrollably rapid drumbeat. This tiny cabin was so quiet that there was no other sound at all.

Except another heartbeat.

Under that gaze, Ariel suddenly found it hard to breathe. The temperature seemed to rise. Even in that light gauze dress, she felt inexplicably hot.

At last, she understood why this thing called a Ferris wheel had a ninety-five percent confession success rate.

It was not because it held some magical power.

It was because in here, you could not escape danger—and you could not escape a gaze like that either.

A cramped space. A great height with nowhere to retreat. In that mutual gaze, every layer of your disguise would be stripped away, one by one, until even the deepest part of you had nowhere left to hide.

And on the other side, opposite her, Muen’s breathing had grown heavier too. Yet he still held himself steady, looking at Ariel with a gaze utterly free of lust.

He had been looking at Ariel since earlier, since the beginning of the date—many, many times.

But this time was different.

Simply looking at that pretty face was no longer enough for him. He wanted to take one step further.

First it had been holding hands.

Then it had been embracing her.

One offense after another, each one more intimate than the last.

So with the atmosphere this perfect—so perfect it felt like the stars themselves were gradually growing hazy...

It would be all right for him to offend her just a little more, wouldn’t it?

Muen rose from his seat, then slowly leaned down.

All the remaining light disappeared completely. This moment, like the instant before dawn, was the darkest point of all.

Dark enough to make it easy to accept something deeply embarrassing.

Ariel’s delicate body tensed, then relaxed, tensed, then relaxed again, trembling faintly now and then in an endless cycle.

But in the end, she still did not push him away.

She only stared at him with wide eyes, a little dazed.

And so, full of anticipation, Muen gently leaned in for the kiss.

There was no obstruction, no resistance. He moved closer and closer to the girl, drawing in the scent that belonged to her, and then...

He kissed something soft.

But it was not her lips.

It was the hand she had raised in front of them.

"No..."

Ariel was breathing hard, her cheeks flushed red. As if she had used every ounce of strength in her body, she spoke in a low voice.

"Not yet..."