Chapter 21 – Run(?) and Chase(!)

In Leticia’s small, cozy space, Valerio’s things began to accumulate one by one. Without her noticing, a matching cup appeared next to hers in the cupboard.

Next to her mage’s staff, a gentleman’s cane that could transform into a sword was placed.

On the hat rack hung her daily hats and the spare ones Valerio had brought.

“Shia, do you have time for dinner tonight?”

Valerio, heading straight to her lab after work, naturally hung his coat on the rack. It was all so smooth.

Leticia, who’d been absentmindedly watching him approach, snapped out of it and answered reflexively.

“No? I’m busy.”

After all she’d been through, her mind now automatically stayed centered, even in a daze, fending off his temptations.

They’d already shared dinner and spent evenings together, and the number of times they’d had intimate conversations was countless.

To protect her aching waist and sore legs, she had to refuse tonight.

“So you’re free? Thanks for making time.”

But Valerio wasn’t the type to be fazed by a direct refusal. He smiled kindly.

He’d expected her to refuse, so he was ready to hear only what he wanted. It was overwhelming. Cold sweat ran down her neck.

“I’m really busy today. I have plans.”

He raised his eyebrow as if he hadn’t heard about any plans, but what did it matter? If she said she was busy, she was busy.

Leticia subtly put on her shoes, preparing to escape, and reached under her desk for a hidden restraining magic tool.

Valerio wasn’t a mage, but he’d chosen swordsmanship for self-defense and was knighted, and he was skilled in using magic. So he could undo her binding spells.

After learning that, Leticia had a special restraining magic tool custom-made, just in case she ever needed it.

“Shia, honestly…”

Whether he knew he was about to be ambushed or not, Valerio approached with quick strides. His smile was gentle as he began to persuade her.

“I want to lock you up in a secluded villa where no one knows and have you look only at me for a long, long time.”

“Uh…?”

“That way, you’d cry. But I’d like that too. These clear blue eyes would only reflect me anyway. If I made you pant, unable to collapse above me…”

“Um…”

“I think that’s the only way you’d understand my feelings. What do you think?”

Valerio kissed her lifted hair, smiling sweetly like honey dripping.

Then, with a longing look, he gazed at her long hair and played with it. He had a knack for making threats sound thrilling.

Her years of experience sounded the alarm. He spoke in a roundabout, complicated way, and it was almost too much to hear with a clear mind, but the meaning was obvious.

If she didn’t want tonight to be hard, she’d better give in now.

“Thinking about it, maybe I do have time…”

How likely was it that she’d succeed in escaping after binding Valerio with a magic tool?

Leticia was skilled at using magic tools, but not athletic, while Valerio had great reflexes and could use magic. Their contest would likely start with her small success and end with his grand victory.

Even if she managed to escape tonight and celebrate, there was no guarantee she could escape again tomorrow.

After all, Leticia Blanc and Valerio Lester were dating with marriage in mind. Lately, he’d been pushing for engagement more often.

He usually did so when she was sleepy or crying on top of him, unable to collapse.

She wondered why she’d ever said they should get to know each other before marriage.

Now, she could recall every detail of Valerio’s body with her eyes closed.

After calculating her low chance of success, Leticia, foreseeing the pressure of engagement, weakly changed her answer.

“No, actually, I have plenty of time…”

She tried to move her chair away to put distance between them, but ended up returning it to its place. It wouldn’t do to make things easy tonight and suffer even more tomorrow.

“Good thinking.”

His gentle smile returned as if to reward her for making time out of nowhere.

Valerio didn’t care about the minor skirmish that occurred while getting the answer he wanted.

“But, Shia, did you really have plans? With whom?”

Correction: he did care about minor details. He was bothered by the made-up excuse of being busy.

Leticia, about to use her family as an excuse out of habit, hesitated.

Her brother Johan had been trapped in endless overtime at the Lester family’s request, as punishment for refusing a marriage proposal.

Thanks to a note-delivering errand Johan had done, he was allowed to go home, but Leticia didn’t want to cause him more trouble.

But if she said it was just a made-up excuse…

Leticia glanced at her lover, who was looking only at her. If she told the truth, he’d probably feel hurt.

He’d think she lied just because she didn’t want to spend time with him. She was only tired, but imagining Valerio looking dejected made her heart soften.

“There’s nothing like that…”

She decided it was better to confess the truth and possibly regret it than to watch him be heartbroken.

Leticia, who had finally come to terms with the feelings she’d felt since their first meeting, sighed and revealed everything.

Above all, even before she realized her feelings for Valerio, she had always been the one to defend him.

“Yeah.”

Valerio seemed satisfied with her answer for now, smiling gently.

He approached and interlocked his fingers with hers, raising their joined hands to kiss the back of hers. Leticia’s eyes slowly blinked, enchanted by the way his eyes curved as he smiled.

Once, the magic he’d guided for her flowed through their joined palms.

Behind Valerio’s languid smile, the sun slanted through the window, flooding the room with light.

It was the season of new leaves, and the afternoon sky, turning pink, was preparing to yield to night.

Sunlight embroidered in the sky shone down on the man who looked only at her.

Leticia unconsciously reached out her free hand. A magic befitting the shining man came to mind, and a gentle glow began at her fingertips, moving to his golden hair.

Valerio took her other free hand as well. His mysteriously shimmering eyes narrowed. A soft whisper traveled through their hands.

‘I won’t let you run away anymore. Sorry for being late, Shia.’