I’m Not the Mastermind

A walk at midnight wasn’t particularly enjoyable.

Without a proper light source, the darkness of the night spread across the surroundings, obscuring one’s vision. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to wander through the night without being able to see the scenery properly.

In fact, the stabilization treatment that Yujin had decided to initiate—more precisely, the walks he had enjoyed with the former Crown Princess—had never taken place at night. They had always been in broad daylight. Alicia had memories of walking with her mother, laughing joyfully as they watched the beautifully glowing foliage and flowers illuminated by sunlight.

Considering that, nighttime was, in many ways, an unsuitable time for her trauma treatment. Even if the moon was bright, it was not enough to bathe the world in light. It could not bring the same vibrant liveliness that the daytime provided.@@novelbin@@

More than anything, taking a stroll through the garden at night… as already mentioned, was quite different from what she had done with her mother.

And yet...

"...It feels strange."

"Does it?"

"Yes, now that I've become a demon, the darkness doesn’t seem that dark anymore."

For Yujin, a transcendent being, it was obvious. But even Alicia didn’t feel much discomfort. Both of them accepted the darkness naturally, absorbing the surrounding information through their senses.

As a result, the garden under the soft moonlight felt strangely alluring.

Yujin asked,

"Then, how do you feel?"

"My feelings..."

At those words, Alicia fell silent for a moment before turning to look at Yujin.

Yujin, his eyes still narrowed in that unreadable expression, was walking beside her.

She stared blankly at his face. She recalled those beautiful crimson eyes hidden beneath his ever-narrowed lids, the way they had gazed at her so seriously before. And as those memories surfaced, her chest swelled with an unfamiliar heat, her body growing warm on its own. Without thinking, she murmured,

"...It's enchanting."

"Enchanted, are you?"

"...Ah, ah!"

When Yujin glanced at her and repeated her words, she finally snapped out of her daze, jolting in surprise.

"I-I misspoke. I just meant… the garden under the moonlight, it feels enchanting."

"...I see. It certainly has its own charm."