The Herrscher of Ice passed away with a smile, escaping the fate of being soloed by Rosemary.
Otto carefully wiped the bloodstains from her body. Aside from the fatal wound on her chest, the rest of her form remained intact.
He carried Anna out of the icy cage. The Herrscher of Ice had created this frozen prison, and her death caused it to begin melting.
Then he placed Anna into an ice coffin, sinking the casket down into the Abyssal Depths.
Watching the coffin sink into the Abyssal Depths and enter the bottom of the sea, Otto let out a breath.
Anna could rest quietly now. No one would be able to disturb her.
"Satisfied?" Irene asked softly, having watched Otto complete all of this. For some reason, a sense of holiness washed over her as she looked at him.
This was a boy who had not yet been defiled. He had never spoken a single word to this girl, merely seeing a resemblance to an acquaintance, yet an aching sorrow still gripped him over her death.
How truly cute.
Otto scored another point in Irene's heart.
"Yes." Otto nodded slowly. Then he turned his head, looking at the beautiful woman. "Sister Irene, I am truly sorry. I wasted so much time."
Apologizing, Otto explained that burying Anna was his own stubborn insistence. Irene did not have to wait for him.
Yet Irene watched the entire process, offering no complaints about his methods.
"Feeling better?"
Crossing her arms, Irene fixed her bright eyes on his face. Otto shook his head.
"No."
Seeing a dead body for the first time was not something he could easily recover from.
"Mm." Irene nodded. "Remember the way the Herrscher of Ice died today."
Raising her right hand, she pressed her soft fingers against Otto's chest. "To prevent the same thing from happening, etch that sight into your heart."
Irene could tell that the Anna Otto knew was not actually dead. He needed to cherish her, ensuring he did not wait until she was gone to feel regret.
He had experienced the heartache now. In the future, he should not let similar tragedies occur.
"Mm, thank you." Otto took a deep breath. "Irene, you are a good person."
Caught off guard by the sudden praise, Irene smiled. Her already fair cheeks appeared even more crystalline against the backdrop of the surrounding snow.
Otto met Irene's gaze. The woman's burgundy eyes rippled with moisture, radiating an alluring charm that captivated the mind.
"My name actually isn't Irene Adler."
Irene spoke, wanting to see Otto's reaction, but she could not detect any change in expression on his face.
"Actually, my name isn't Alpha either."
Hearing Otto's words, Irene paused. She had not expected that the seemingly innocent Otto had also deceived her during their first meeting.
Was this little guy unexpectedly dishonest?
A feeling of having misjudged him rose within Irene. Raising a hand to tap Otto's head with very little force, she spoke with a hint of playful reproach.
"Little rascal?"
The delivery used a questioning tone, yet the voice carried an indescribable sense of allure.
While speaking, Irene leaned her body forward slightly, bringing the long, slender legs beneath her skirt close together. Unlike Rita, this Rosemary Rita did not wear stockings, boldly exposing her bare legs instead.
The dark purple dress could not hide her graceful curves, while the expanse of white skin below her smooth shoulders and delicate collarbones caught the eye even more.
Ash-blonde hair draped down her back, but following her leaning motion, a single strand slipped over her shoulder.
Slender fingers caught the fallen hair, tucking it behind her ear.
Otto caught the faint scent drifting from Irene. He swallowed reflexively, his body stiffening as if struck by lightning.
His gaze wandered, unable to resist the pull of the eye-catching fullness at Irene's chest.
Otto's heart gave a violent thump.
He was still a hot-blooded youth. The seductive charm radiating from Rosemary Rita stirred up impulse and desire within the boy.
He desperately wanted to embrace the woman before him. He desperately wanted to take those rosy lips into his mouth.
This was a primal urge.
But Otto averted his eyes. He stared at the snow, no longer looking at Irene.
"Pfft."
A chuckle sounded right by his ear. He turned his head with furrowed brows, finding Irene covering her mouth with her fingertips.
She smiled brightly, as if she had discovered something peculiar.
The beautiful woman withdrew her seductiveness, returning to an elegant posture. Her eyes and brows curved in amusement, a hint of slyness flashing through her wine-red gaze.
"So you really are just a little boy, exactly like you look."
Otto understood. Irene had just been teasing him, and he had been flushed red from the act.
Purely by sensation, Otto knew his face had already turned flushed.
Irene's laughter embarrassed him slightly. She did not continue teasing Otto, merely standing on her tiptoes to pat his head.
Although Otto was rather lean and handsome, he stood slightly taller than the tall Irene.
"Do you feel a little better now?"
Irene spoke with a smile. Hearing her words, Otto realized his heavy mood had relaxed. The gloom of seeing a dead body for the first time had somewhat dissipated.
Did she do all that just to cheer him up?
Otto suddenly realized a strange feeling had emerged in his heart.
A feeling that made him slightly displeased.
Seeing Otto seemingly step out from his earlier gloom, Irene breathed a sigh of relief. The deceased was not someone the young lad knew after all, so he shouldn't invest too much emotion into the matter.
She was just preparing to turn around and search for more clues in this Palace of Ice when a hand grabbed her right wrist.
Irene halted her steps, turning her head to look at Otto's hand. That hand held her wrist, preventing her from leaving.
"You can't do that."
Irene spoke softly. Their relationship was quite intimate now, but it had not reached that step yet.
"Sister Irene." Otto spoke up at this moment, looking at her wrist with a conflicted expression. Grabbing her hand was presumptuous of him.
But he did not let go.
"Yes, I'm here. What is it?" Seeing Otto had something to say, Irene waited quietly. She would not mind as long as his words were not out of line.
If it was a confession of love, Irene would properly reject it. After all, their relationship really had not reached that stage.
But the future was a different story.
"Sister Irene, are you..."
Otto weighed his words carefully. Even he felt he was being a bit unreasonable.
"Like this to everyone."
"Whenever someone is hurting..."
"You will comfort them like this?"
Otto did not know what this emotion welling up in his heart was. His mind was rather chaotic, since he was someone prone to overthinking.
Hearing Otto's question, Irene did not react for a moment. A short while later, understanding dawned on her.
This was a young boy's jealousy and possessive desire.
This kind of emotion was truly dazzling, making one want to praise the beauty of youth.
My dear boy, how could you be so adorable?
Looking at Otto, Irene felt no resentment toward him treating her as his possession without her permission.
Being liked so much by someone meant she possessed great charm, so shouldn't she be happy?
Besides, Otto was exactly her type.
Otto's emerald eyes met Irene's gaze. A deep yearning filled those lively eyes, making her wonder what answer the young man was seeking.
Thinking for a moment, she turned her captured right wrist, grasping Otto's hand in return.
Feeling the man's hand trembling slightly, Irene smiled and said in a soft voice, "You are the only man who has touched my skin like this."
Fallen Rosemary was the unattainable flower in the Sea of Quanta, remaining noble and elegant in front of others.
Even when meeting Otto for the first time, she had maintained an appropriate distance.
Throughout these years.
Only the handsome blond man before her had ever touched her.
"And during my travels, you are the only one who has accompanied me like this."
"So, can you let me go?"
"My lovely travel companion."