Even though he knew it was impossible, he still found himself to be angry.
All he could see were these: the red lipstick stains on Aushuvel lips, the mess that the dress had become, the imperial garden that was full of trees and bushes.
Obviously, these things stimulated anyoneâs imagination, but in this situation, that was simply not the case.
He now noticed the playful light in Aushuvelâs eyes, and the bewilderment thatâs apparent in Miss Popoâs demeanor as she felt off balance.
These observations clearly pointed to the fact that what he thought happened, didnât happen. And apart from that, he himself could rationally judge the situation, so his anger wasnât justified.
A vivid sense of outrage filled him entirely. Once again, he was feeling the same suffocating frustration that he felt beforeâthe same feeling that he couldnât name.
Just seeing another manâs hand touching those small shoulders, for reasons unknown, grated at his nerves.
His mind was filled with questions he had no answers to. These unfamiliar emotions left him confused.
Amidst the many unanswerable questions, Helios glanced towards Sera.
As she covered her face with both hands, he saw that the sides of her cheeks and even her ears were pink.
When their gazes met, her clear eyes were brimming with incredulity and embarrassment.
A sigh slipped through her lips, intertwining with the cool, morning breeze. This sigh seemed to be paired with the unsaid question of, âHow could you have thought of such a silly idea?â
âMy lipstick isnât red.â
With furrowed brows, Sera frowned.
âAnd my dress is like this because I fell and sprained my ankle.â
With her pink lips pursed, she muttered once again with the same tone as before to express how she felt about being falsely accused.
As she claimed that she was not guilty, her blue eyes stared pointedly at Helios, Jean and Raphael, one after another.
Feeling embarrassed by their hasty judgments, Raphael and Jean scratched their heads.
âItâs because it happens so often,â Raphael replied.
On the other hand, Jeanâs laughterâwhich was full of reliefâresounded throughout the quiet garden.
âAbsolutely nothing happened, Your Majesty. I mean, if you think that I acted inappropriately as Their Highnessâ tutor, itâs all a misunderstanding.â
Sera cried out once again, and there was a look on her face that said how unfair she thought this was. At the same time, Heliosâ anger died down, but the coldness in his demeanor remained.
She wondered to herself, why on earth was he so angry? Was he afraid of rumors going around that his younger siblingsâ tutor was behaving uncouthly? Still, Heliosâ fury was excessive.
She looked up at him impatiently, but Sera was left flustered because he gave her no answer.
And it became increasingly uncomfortable for her because she wasnât so used to seeing this side of Helios, who usually smiled instead.
Did she really have to be more serious about explaining the situation? Or should she ask Prince Aushuvel to do the explaining?
âI know, Miss Popo. That it never happened.â
After a moment of contemplation, Helios finally spoke in a low voice.
âYes, Your Majesty. Truly, nothing happened! Your Highness Aushuvel, please say something here. Stop joking around, please.â
Sera protested slightly, elbowing Aushuvel as he still had his arm around her shoulders.
Right there. Aushuvel still had his arm over her shoulders.
Heliosâ forehead was once again crumpled.
âMiss Popo, come over here.â
Helios called Sera with a gentle voice, as he would with a sulky RosĂŠ.
His eyes were curved beautifully as they usually did, but there was still a sharpness to his gaze whenever his eyes turned to Aushuvel.
Again, he called her with a low voice.
She didnât know why he was calling her over to his side, and so Sera was confused. Even more so because he called her in such a saccharine voice, as though it was the voice of a sweet devil seducing an innocent young lady.
He was angry just a moment ago, but this time, he was persistently asking her to come to him.
âIâm sorry. I guess I took the joke too far.â
With a sly smile, Aushuvel released Sera. She was suspicious of whether or not he truly meant that apology.
At the behavior she couldnât understand, Sera sighed briefly.
Then, she took a step forward between Aushuvel and Helios.
However, as soon as she did, her body tilted to the side.
Pain shot up straightaway from her sprained ankle.
However, Helios and Aushuvel reacted faster than she could fall. They quickly reached out to Sera before she could reach the ground.
Heliosâ arm was wrapped around Seraâs waist, while Aushuvel was holding her arm.
As she unintentionally got caught in an uncomfortable position in the middle of Helios and Aushuvel, Sera thanked them, though rather perplexedly.
Sera waited calmly for either of them to let go first. However, no one moved.
Neither Helios nor Aushuvel back away. She felt that, somehow, a subtle war of nerves had broken out.
âWhat on earth is all this about.â
Sera just waited silently between the two, but she soon looked troubled.
Did they fight? Or was there another reason why theyâre acting like this?
While caught between these two tall men, Sera turned to Raphael and Jean, wordlessly asking them to rescue her from here.
But the two other men didnât seem to understand the situation either.
âAushuvel. Iâll be taking Miss Popo home.â
Amidst the air that had been teeming with so much uncomfortable tension, Helios was the first to speak.
âOf course, Heli. Of course.â
Aushuvel slowly loosened his hold on Seraâs arm, gracefully and deftly.
There were no other two words that could describe Aushuvel. He nodded slowly as though he expected this to happen.
Now that Sera could finally stand upright again, she looked up at Helios when he called her.
When their gazes met, his deep violet eyes, which looked like the dark night sky, were warm. Because of this, even more, she couldnât understand why heâs acting this way.
Aushuvel had just been joking around this whole time, but that wasnât something that Helios would do.
Right here, in this moment, Helios was acting as though he was entirely wary of Aushuvel. As if he was being jealous.