Chapter 623

Chapter 623: To Be Continued

Returning to his room, Sakatsuki found Hakuno absent.

That girl... did she run off to the rooftop to cry again?

Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Sakatsuki closed the door—only to turn around and find Nero beaming at him, her radiant smile giving the illusion of a wagging tail behind her.

"Governor, thou hast returned!"

The image of a loyal dog waiting for its master instantly lightened Sakatsuki’s heavy mood. With practiced ease, he reached out to ruffle her head. Oblivious to his subtle amusement, Nero merely purred contentedly, her eyes narrowing in pleasure as she emitted soft "Umu umu" sounds.

She looked every bit like a dopey golden retriever.

Their encounter in the Second Singularity, their reunion in the Moon Holy Grail War where they failed to recognize each other... Through countless twists of fate, Nero had grown increasingly desperate to cherish every moment with Sakatsuki, terrified he might vanish from her memory again someday.

"But where is our Master?" After her brief indulgence, Nero quickly noticed Hakuno’s absence. "She claimed she was going for a solitary walk, but surely she came to see thee instead?"

Sakatsuki’s hand paused mid-motion, his smile tinged with bitterness. "You see right through me, Your Majesty. Indeed, Hakuno came to me—she asked me to return."

As the words left his lips, movement came from the bed. A small bundle under the covers lifted a corner with her tail, revealing a pair of wine-red eyes that stared unblinkingly at Sakatsuki.

Draco is watching you.jpg

Nero held her breath as Sakatsuki continued, "And I refused."

"Haah..." A synchronized sigh filled the room. Nero couldn’t conceal her disappointment, while Draco visibly relaxed. Before Sakatsuki could turn his gaze her way, she quickly pulled the covers back down, pretending nonchalance.

"Might I inquire as to why?" Nero pouted her crimson lips in mock indignation. "Both Hakuno and I are great beauties, are we not? Could the two of us combined not tempt thee?"

The golden-haired emperor planted her hands on her hips as she advanced step by step toward Sakatsuki. He stood his ground, so the first thing he felt was the softness of the maiden’s chest pressing against him. Startled by his lack of retreat, Nero blinked, her cheeks flushing pink—yet she didn’t pull away. Instead, she tilted her head up to meet the young man’s golden eyes, her gaze burning with genuine frustration.

How could she not want Sakatsuki to stay?

Faced with Nero’s current expression—ripe for the taking—only one thought crossed Sakatsuki’s mind:

So adorable. Must pet.

His eyes darkened as he reached out, cupping the maiden emperor’s chin and pulling her forcefully toward him. But rather than claiming her lips, he pressed his thumb against Nero’s soft mouth, rubbing slow circles with his fingertip.

He was no saint. Earlier, Draco’s third ascension form had already unsettled him, and now Nero had stirred darker desires. Every fiber of his being screamed to take this enchanting temptress right then and there.

Her long lashes fluttered as Nero seemed to sense something, her face growing increasingly warm until she finally closed her eyes without resistance. Only the tightly clenched hem of her skirt betrayed the emperor’s equal nervousness.

Yet that decisive kiss never came. Instead, it was replaced by a light chop landing on her head.

"Ow!" Nero crouched down protectively, rubbing her head. "This... this familiar feeling..."

Before her, Sakatsuki took a deep breath, suppressing the boiling desire in his heart as his usual teasing smile returned to his face.

"Since your memories have returned, I don’t need to pretend to be elegant anymore, you foolish emperor. Now if you’d kindly step aside—I haven’t had much chance to talk with a certain little red dragon since our reunion."

"Eh—how could you?!"

Nero’s protests fell on deaf ears as she was pushed away. Under the covers, Draco held her breath, choosing to play dead rather than face him, while Sakatsuki approached with a mischievous grin.

"Well, well, look who’s suddenly become so shy—our petite emperor. The grown-up version of you was much more straightforward."

The lump under the covers remained motionless, not even bothering to throw a dog at him. Seeing this, Sakatsuki’s ingrained mischief rose to the surface again. He quietly slipped into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of ice cubes. Nero instantly understood his intent. The two returned to the bedside, where Sakatsuki silently signaled. Nero licked her lips before suddenly making her move.

One grabbed the blanket, the other stuffed the ice cubes inside.

A perfect combo!

"GYAH!"

Without even a moment’s delay, the little red dragon under the covers shrieked and leaped up the instant the cold touched her skin. The scheming governor and emperor high-fived in celebration, completely oblivious to Draco, who was now grinding her teeth and approaching them with murderous intent.

←To Be Continued...

Moments later, Sakatsuki knelt in disgrace, his face and body covered in bite marks. Nero lay face-down on the bed, whimpering weakly, while Draco sat triumphantly on her back, hugging her dragon tail and glaring at her contractor.

"Thou hast grown truly bold, fool..."

"What can I say? It’s just my nature." Sakatsuki shrugged, his expression screaming, I’m sorry, but I’ll do it again.

Draco didn’t argue, only giving him a meaningful look. "Thou art not the real one—where is the true Sakatsuki?"

Hearing this, the young man fell silent for a moment before smiling mysteriously.

"Who knows?"

————

By nightfall, neither Hakuno nor Alice had returned. Though Nero was somewhat worried, Sakatsuki confidently assured her they’d be fine, so she set aside her concerns. She happily enjoyed the governor’s dinner, bid farewell to Sakatsuki and Draco, and went to bed alone.

The governor is so kind to me—why would he lie?

Then, in the dead of night, she inexplicably awoke to see tea-colored hair fluttering in the wind like a silken ribbon, wrapping around the girl’s indifferent yet beautiful face.

An ordinary person might have jumped in fright at this midnight ghostly apparition, but Nero wasn’t the type to be scared by such horror tropes. Even if she did jump, it would only be to push aside those long locks and see whether the ghost’s face was pretty enough to fall within Her Majesty Nero’s strike zone...

"Ah, it’s my Master."

As her blurred vision gradually cleared, Nero finally recognized Hakuno’s face: she seemed to have been crying, the corners of her eyes still slightly reddened. Yet her expression had completely settled into calmness now, like the blue bow tied at her chest, or like endless waters that had once been turbulent but eventually returned to stillness.

The twin red marks on the back of her hand glowed faintly under the moonlight.

This seemed to be her natural state—Kishinami Hakuno was never a particularly lively girl to begin with. Quiet, gentle, with a hint of mischievous cunning, she should have walked side by side with her Servant Nero to the very end of this moonlit Holy Grail War filled with both laughter and tears.

Yet who was it that made that delicate, tender heart ache again and again?

"Let’s go, Saber."

Perhaps their compatibility was truly exceptional. Despite having only recently renewed their contract, they already needed few words between them. The girl clasped her hands behind her back and took the lead toward the colosseum.

"I suddenly felt like training at the colosseum tonight. Sorry for calling you out so late—"

Turning around, Hakuno flashed Nero a playful smile.

"You won’t blame me, will you?"

Nero averted her gaze. For some reason, she found herself especially unable to meet Hakuno’s smile.

"Of course not, my Master."