MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin



"So, Adam—What does it feel like to work as a gigolo?"

Even as Shuri asked her questions and looked at him with a meaningful smile, Adam didn't miss a beat and was about to speak. But Shuri gently shushed him, placing a finger on his mask.

Right where his lips should have been.

"Before you answer, let me finish."

She was still sitting on his lap, and a hot breath mixed with wine escaped her lips as she spoke.

"You don't need to hide. I'm already sure you are Adam. Up until now, you could argue that you lied by omission, and I won't hold it against you. Don't lie to me anymore, Adam. It would make me very sad if you did."

Her expression was serious as she continued,

"Of course, I can't stop you from telling me what you want. So if, right here, right now, you tell me that you are not Adam, that I'm just a little too drunk and mistaken, then—I'll trust you."

The smile that formed on her face then held many hidden emotions.

But Adam could see the resignation in her eyes.

He knew very well that he stood at a crossroads of sorts.

Shuri was asking if she could trust him with his identity, and depending on his answer, their relationship would change greatly.

In the past, Adam might have hesitated about what to say.

But now—he didn't want to reveal his true face only at the moment she died. Nor did he want to be filled with regret because of his hesitation.

Sighing, he made the motion of taking off the illusory mask before placing it aside.

His black hair and his beautiful blue eyes were revealed, stunning Shuri for a brief instant.

Looking at his face up close, she suddenly became very aware of the compromising and suggestive position she was in.

Here she was, sitting on the lap of a young handsome man with her legs spread, her robe stretched, and hints of her panties showing.

Coughing to hide her awkwardness, she tried to move up, but a hand held her back.

This time, Adam looked at her with a mischievous smile and a glint hidden in his eyes.

"Not so fast, shall we?"

Sighing, Shuri stopped struggling and looked deeply at him.

"To think the shy young man would become a great seducer."

"Life is full of strange things, isn't it?"

Adam chuckled as he released his grip on her arm and hugged her waist.

His movements were so natural that they looked like those of old lovers already accustomed to being with each other.

She raised an eyebrow at the arm that was covering her small waist.

"You're quite bold."

"—Says the one who came to use my lap as a chair."

She had to admit that there wasn't much she could say against such a retort.

For a moment, silence fell between them as they sized each other up.

The one to break the stalemate, however, was Shuri.

"When did you plan to tell me the truth if I hadn't unmasked you?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"Of course."

| "Then most likely at any time before our relationship reached the next level."

His eyes blazed with desire and conviction as he said this, causing Shuri to blush slightly and avert her gaze.

"So in the meantime, you would have continued to act as Cinder and give me advice?"

"Everything is fair in love and war."

"How shameless."

"Shame is nothing but a brake stopping us from reaching the peak."

"Then what would you have done if I started falling in love with Cinder?"

Adam winced, "I guess we'll never have the chance to find out."

Adam quietly joked, but at the same time, he was quite serious. He had

indeed considered this possibility.

That's why he had done his best to maintain a certain distance from her even when working as Cinder.

"Now it's my turn to ask."

"Ask what?"

"How?"

Shuri understood the question and smiled. "I started having doubts when I realized that Cinder and you were wearing the same perfume. Once would have been fine, but two times in a row made me suspicious."

"So you memorized my scent?"

Shuri ignored this comment and continued, "Obviously, during the Thanksgiving party, you guys were a little too conspicuous. Then I remembered many things. Like how you became a delinquent when you were young or how your girlfriend was from the Yakuza."

She ruffled his hair. "Honestly, I feel like Yui intentionally gave me many conclusive clues. She's too smart not to have done this, knowing that I might put two and two together."

Adam agreed with this, and it was also one of the reasons he wasn't too surprised.

"Of course, all I had were guesses. But thinking about it, I decided to take a gamble."

"What would you have done if I hadn't told the truth?"

"I would have stopped believing in you and treated Adam like anyone else outside of Cecilia."

"I guess honesty once again proved invaluable."

"And it did."

They started joking again with half-sentences and chuckled aloud, allowing the mood and the tension that had slowly built up in the room to cool down a little.

Clearly, Shuri had many more questions she wanted to ask and discuss.

Mainly about how much protection he actually had as a criminal and how he could better hide but increase the benefits he gained from the Golden Court.

But not only was she tired because of the alcohol, but she was also tired because of the weight of what she was about to do with her family.

—Which made her drink more alcohol, creating a vicious cycle that few could actually break away from.

Lowering her head, Shuri whispered in Adam's ear, the scent of wine lingering in the air.

"Should we go to my home?"

(AN: Hehe. There will be many questions for Adam from Shuri in the future. But for now, it's not the time for questions or, at least, not this kind of question.)

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