59

While Klen worked to arrange a meeting with Professor Ptarin, Lavian moved through the household tasks she had grown comfortable with, then began getting ready for the opera with enough time to spare.

She showered again from the morning, fixed her hair, chose a fine dress, and took care in selecting her accessories.

“You look absolutely stunning with today’s dress. This fabric was woven with gold thread worked into the pattern from the very start.”

“Is that so?”

Lavian smiled warmly and met Camilla’s eyes in the mirror. The bright smile spread across her whole face.

Seeing her mistress in such good spirits, the usually composed Camilla grew cheerful too.

“My lady, you’re so beautiful that anything looks wonderful on you, but today you look like a queen from the opera.”

“That’s too much flattery.”

“I mean every word.”

Still smiling, Lavian gave her a playful look. Camilla stomped her foot once in protest and added one more hair ornament.

“Really?”

“Of course. Look at my face. Don’t I look terribly wronged?”

Camilla made the most serious expression she could manage. It wasn’t a look often seen on her, and it was a little comical, so Lavian laughed out loud.

The clear, bright sound made Camilla feel her heart lift. Her mistress only laughed like that when going out with the master.

“How can you not understand my feelings.”

“Oh dear, I’ve been quite rude. I’m sorry.”

Lavian dipped her head lightly, and Camilla took the opening to reveal her true aim.

“Then please wear the necklace I recommended earlier. Yes?”

“That one is too elaborate…… Oh, so that was your plan all along.”

“Will you wear it or not. Because I’m prepared to sulk quite seriously.”

“That would be a problem.”

“Then……”

“All right, all right. I was in the wrong this time, so I’ll do as you say.”

Triumphant, Camilla fastened a diamond-studded necklace around Lavian’s graceful neck with great satisfaction.

Mission accomplished, she helped with the finishing touches. Seeing Camilla so pleased, Lavian felt a warm, soft contentment settle over her too.

Then came a steady knock, followed by the voice of one of her personal maids.

“My lady.”

“Come in.”

At the gentle voice, the maid stepped in soundlessly and bowed.

“What is it?”

“The master sent word.”

“He did?”

“He says it seems the opera tonight may be difficult.”

Camilla’s hand, just fastening an ornament in Lavian’s hair, stopped completely. Lavian had been checking her reflection, wondering if her makeup was too light, and she stopped as well and turned fully.

The maid felt the eyes coming toward her asking for confirmation, and without being asked, she repeated the same message.

“He asked me to tell you that tonight’s opera seems difficult. He says the opera will continue throughout Her Highness the Princess’s birthday celebration, so he’d like to go another time.”

“Oh.”

Lavian sat perfectly still for a moment, as though time had stopped, then gave a brief sound and nodded.

“Thank you. You may go. Camilla, you go too.”

Camilla studied her mistress’s expression in the mirror and hesitated, her own heart sinking.

“Camilla?”

“Oh, yes. Call me if you need anything.”

“Mm.”

Lavian didn’t meet Camilla’s eyes. She sat with her head slightly bowed, turning the wedding ring on her finger.

Then she straightened up, intending to take off her accessories. The clean, well-polished mirror reflected her the same as before. But the person in the mirror was not the same as a moment ago.

The bright smile that had lit up the whole room, the curve of her lips and the warmth at the corners of her eyes, were gone. A blank-faced doll had taken their place. No, something dimmer than that. A quiet heaviness had settled over the room.

“Oh!”

Without quite noticing the change in herself, Lavian reached behind her neck to remove the elaborate necklace.

In that moment, a familiar but always startling sensation brushed against her through the skirt of her dress, and Lavian flinched.

She looked straight down, but of course Cora had already slipped past her legs.

“Hah.”

Lavian let out an instinctive sigh and looked around for the cat.

Where her eyes landed, a white ball of fluff was stretching up on tiptoe toward the door handle.

“You little thing.”

Lavian grabbed the vanity to push herself up and catch the cat. Then she paused.

She let her attention drift from the cat for a moment and stared at her own reflection.

Something was off. It was clearly her in the mirror, but something felt unfamiliar.

Was my face like this earlier too?

She rubbed her cheek with the hand wearing her ring.

There are all kinds of enchantments on this house, but surely none of them would affect a person. So what is wrong?

She had been studying the mirror quietly, but Cora straining on tiptoe and struggling to open the door pulled her out of the thought.

It’s just a face I see every day. Nothing strange is going to happen.

Lavian dismissed the thought lightly, crossed the room quickly, and scooped Cora into her arms.

“No matter how big you’ve gotten, you still can’t reach the door handle. You know that?”

“Mrow.”

Caught in her hands, Cora’s eyes went sulky.

The slightly dejected look on the cat’s face made Lavian forget entirely that she had meant to scold her.

“I can’t scold you when you look like that. You’re too cute.”

Lavian lifted the cat up, looked her in the eyes, and pulled her into a tight hug.

The gloom that had settled over her lifted a little, thanks to Cora.

“Let’s go to the sitting room. I need to write those replies I put off.”

She set out to finish what she had delayed because of the planned outing.

Lavian stroked Cora’s head as the cat sat quietly in her arms. The heart-shaped black fur that had been sticking up in all directions was smoothed flat in one direction.

“Lavian.”

She had been walking at a gentle pace and was just reaching the stairs.

A familiar voice reached her, and at the bottom of the staircase, Klen came into view.

Cora spotted him first and leapt out of her arms.

Lavian swayed slightly from the sudden departure, caught the railing, steadied herself, and looked down the stairs.

The lips that had been pressed firmly shut curved into a bright smile in answer to his call.

“Dear.”

The voice, half puzzled and half glad, carried softly through the wide residence, and without realizing it, Lavian’s steps quickened.

She was the kind of person whose grace was everything, so even walking a little faster didn’t change much about how she looked, but Klen had sharp eyes.

He noticed immediately that his wife was moving differently. To him, it looked rather precarious. He acknowledged Cora circling his feet, then started to say something with a faint crease between his brows.

“You’ll……”

In that moment, the precariousness became real, and just like that other time not long ago, Klen moved fast.

“Oh!”

With a short gasp, Lavian fell straight into his arms.

The body that caught her tensed with barely contained irritation.

The veins on the back of the hand gripping the railing to keep from being pushed back stood out and shifted.

“Developing a hobby?”

“Pardon?”

Klen asked while holding her and looked down. At that moment, Lavian tilted her face up toward him, and the tips of their noses grazed each other in the slightest, most fleeting way.

The ticklish sensation left Lavian unable to answer, and she pressed her lips together. When his brow creased, she stopped tormenting her lip and left it alone.

She remembered his warning that he would bite it if she did.

“Are you trying to ruin your ankle for good?”

“Oh, no.”

“Or checking how solid I am?”

“……”

“I don’t mind you being unexpectedly charming, but let’s not create disasters.”

Lavian nodded vigorously. And yet neither of them seemed to notice they were still pressed together, clinging like they had no intention of separating.

Settled quietly in his arms, Lavian found herself wondering.

“How did you get here?”

“The schedule fell apart.”

“The opera…… are we going?”

“Of course. Why else would I be here?”

The wide eyes softened into a gentle curve. Lavian smiled and dipped her head slightly. At that angle, he caught sight of her ear, flushed a warm pink.

Klen had a fleeting thought that he wanted to do something else, and then felt a sudden irritation.

She’s that happy about the opera. Happy enough to go warm all over like this.

Petty about it for no real reason, he moved the hand around her waist in a very deliberate way. The hand that knew every part of her body moved with a slow, lingering intent.

The hand crept gradually until it found a certain spot, and Lavian startled with a sharp inhale and gripped his clothing tightly.

The faint pink that had barely colored her ear and neck deepened into a full red.

Now that’s better.

Klen curved his mouth with great satisfaction and lowered his head toward her lips.

Lavian had no idea what had set him off. Of all the places, why here, in a corridor where the staff passed through.

She let him take her lips without a fight, but tapped her fist lightly against his chest in protest.

He was not the type to pull back easily.

Klen didn’t release her until he had smudged every trace of her lip color.

“I think they’re redder now, but the makeup…… you’ll need to redo it.”

He smiled with great mischief and ran his thumb across her glistening lips.

“Really……”

Lavian didn’t finish the sentence, but she stepped back from him and covered her mouth with her hand, sending him a look that said: I find you very irritating.

Klen burst out laughing. Ethan, who had never heard such a full laugh from him, went pale as though he had seen a ghost, but it was clear Klen was in very good spirits.

At the sound of his laughter, Lavian’s face went even redder than before, and she rushed upstairs in a way entirely unlike her usual self.