It was only a ring being slipped off. And yet Ribeta felt completely exposed before him. Vivid violet rippled in those impassive grey eyes.

“I want to keep you all to myself.”

“……”

“I want you to stay by my side.”

“I’m…… a two-year stand-in wife.”

“You could still remain by my side after two years.”

Her heart pounded.

Could she really stay by the Count’s side after two years? With only this ability…… this ability she had thought worthless, this ability to make ordinary beads that weren’t even real jewels? Was he saying he wanted to keep the real her close, even after she had no more value as a stand-in wife?

Hope takes root. Hope grows and becomes desire. If she let it, she would never be able to leave in two years.

She knew, of course. What Diego needed was her ability. But looked at another way, that meant he needed her.

Be honest. That’s just what you want to believe. Look at reality. Whoever had this ability, he would have made this offer to them regardless of who they were.

“…… Could you give me time to think?”

“As much as you need. But there’s one thing you should know.”

Diego rolled the ring he had taken from her hand around in his palm. His eyes were serious, without a trace of playfulness, and the weight of his gaze pinned her in place. Under that steady look, Ribeta found it difficult to breathe freely. She had the feeling she could never escape him.

“What I want is not Ilesia. It’s you, Ribeta.”

Diego set the ring down in her hand. The gesture seemed to say that whether she put it on or not was entirely her choice.

“You must be tired. Go to sleep first.”

He pressed his cheek lightly against hers and drew back, then walked away with his usual unhurried, elegant step.

Ribeta gripped the ring tightly. The jeweled setting dug into her palm, but her heart was pounding too hard for her to feel it.

Not ‘Ilesia’…… he wants me.

“And you don’t even mean it……”

She knew it was one of Diego’s sweet lies. Even so, Ribeta was happy. Happy and sad at once.

What would happen if she accepted his offer? Two years from now, after the divorce, if she could stand before him as Ribeta.

Pathetically, imagining it made her happy. She had thought she would have to leave his side the moment the divorce was finalized.

Ribeta didn’t ask for much. Only that by then, her love for Diego might have faded even a little. That was all she had been hoping for.

As time passed, her head cooled and she was able to think more clearly. She turned the matter over seriously.

Was this even an offer she could refuse?

Diego was a man who always got what he wanted. Not one of his ventures had ever failed. If he truly wanted her ability, he would keep her close by any means necessary. Was resisting him even meaningful? Was this something she had a choice in?

…… I don’t know.

Choice had always been something difficult and unfamiliar to Ribeta. Even now, long after she had escaped from Melissa.

One thing was certain: she had no intention of betraying him. Contract or no contract, she intended to help Diego whenever he needed it. She had been desperate to be of use to him in some way, and no opportunity could be better than this.

Ribeta closed her eyes to clear her mind and made a jewel, or rather, a magic stone. A round red bead dropped into her hands.

This is what the Count has been searching for so desperately. And I can make it.

Ribeta slipped the ring Diego had taken off back onto her finger and lay down. Sleep didn’t seem likely to come, but tomorrow was the day she had promised to bake cookies and share them for the first time in a while. She couldn’t disappoint the people who had been waiting.

Some time later, when Diego returned to the bedroom, Ribeta was already asleep.

He picked up the bead rolling near her pillow. His eyes moved between the bead and Ribeta, and the look in them was chillingly cold.

❀❀❀

“Good morning, Luca. We’re meeting at the door again today.”

“…… Yes. Good morning.”

Ribeta and Luca exchanged greetings at the door. Both of them were punctual by nature, and on days when there was a lesson, they often ended up meeting like this at the entrance.

They both tried to arrive ten minutes early to be there before the other, and still it happened.

“What kind of attitude is that toward the lady. Can’t you greet her properly?”

“My face just looks like this, and my expression is always like this.”

“Your face looks exactly like mine. Are you talking back to me?”

Luna stepped forward from behind Ribeta with a growl.

Ribeta quietly took a step back. Today was the tenth day of receiving magic lessons from Luca, and this was the tenth time Luna had started something with him. In other words, Luna had not let a single day pass without incident. The first few days Ribeta had been anxious and tried to intervene, but humans were creatures of adaptation. By now she had adjusted to the point where she could watch the two of them fight from behind without any particular distress.

“Enough.”

“What do you mean enough. You’re the one being insolent toward the lady. You should be the one to stop.”

“Don’t use the lady as an excuse. This is about the doll, isn’t it.”

Luna clenched her fist. Oh, should she step in now?

Luna’s fists were formidable. Unlike Luca, who specialized in magic, Luna was a fighter trained in physical combat and swordsmanship. She could use a protective spell to shield herself from external impact, but she would never use something like that on Luca. If Luca took a direct hit, he would feel it.

Ribeta was about to intervene when she sensed something serious brewing. Luna turned to Luca and smiled.

“What would you know, always trailing after Diego. Just go away.”

“……”

“I have nothing to say to someone who doesn’t know how much the lady looks after me. Just go.”

“You go. Don’t interrupt the lesson.”

“Please come inside, both of you. The weather is lovely today and I’m in a good mood.”

Ribeta hurried inside and called them in. Luna and Luca both tried to enter at the same time and got stuck in the doorway, setting off another round of chaos.

“I would appreciate it if you left that person behind next time.”

“I’m the lady’s personal guard. I can never be separated from her. My lady, rather than this, wouldn’t you prefer to learn magic from someone else?”

Ribeta spread a cloth on the table before another argument could start. Five red magic stones, each about half the size of her palm, were laid out on it.

“These are noticeably larger than the ones you made last week.”

“I kept your advice in mind while making them. The trade-off is that my energy runs out faster, so I can barely manage one a day, and it takes much longer.”

“As I mentioned, this is because you’re refining and crystallizing your innate magical energy. You already knew that the longer you concentrate, the larger they become.”

Luca picked up one of the stones and examined it closely with a tool.

It resembled a magnifying glass, and he had said it was specially made to analyze Ribeta’s magic stones. She had found that unsettling when she first heard it, but after he explained that she was the only person known to be able to make them, she had come to accept it.

“The compression rate is improving as well. The lessons are clearly having an effect.”

“They’ve been a great help. I’m glad to see results.”

“Please continue making magic stones as you have been until our next lesson. Keep in mind that you must not push your body past its limits. And if you notice anything unusual while making them, no matter how small, please tell me.”

“Yes. I also tried the other applications you mentioned, but nothing happened.”

Luca transferred the magic stones into the box he had brought and spoke with a careful expression.

“That’s as I expected. Comparing it to the analysis results, your magical energy seems to have a unique attribute. It appears to have no active ability on its own, but it has the property of being able to store magical energy.”

Ribeta nodded.

Since beginning magic lessons with Luca, she had tried many things. Lighting fire, flowing water, summoning wind, creating light or darkness, and more. But Ribeta had succeeded at not a single one. The only thing she could do with her magical energy was make magic stones.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t disappointed.

She had discovered for the first time that she had a latent talent, and she couldn’t help feeling excited. Even if she couldn’t do anything grand, she wanted to be of help to others.