“You could die if you go in. The water’s deeper than an adult’s height.”

Fazel nodded.

“It’s good that we can play safely.”

He smiled faintly and walked to the water’s edge. He dipped his hand directly into the water, then let out an exclamation, seemingly from how cool it was.

“May I go in?”

He asked for my permission.

“Of course. Ah, should we go in together?”

“I’ll wait.”

“Alright, just a moment.”

I folded up my skirt hem. Fazel also rolled up his pant legs and took off his shoes, waiting for me to finish preparing.

After putting on slippers, I handed a pair to Fazel as well. His were black slippers and mine were pink.

“What’s this?”

“Slippers. They’re enchanted so they’re not slippery.”

The stones in the water had moss on them, making them slick. Fazel had been about to go in barefoot but quickly put on the slippers after hearing my words.

Fazel and I slowly entered the water. The cold water touched our toes.

“Wow, it’s cool.”

I exclaimed in admiration and went in deeper. Then Fazel followed and took my hand. At this action of his, I smiled wordlessly.

He was faithfully fulfilling the contract clause about being friendly as my fiancé. I was happy with this small contact with him.

We didn’t go in too deep since our clothes might get wet. He went in until the water barely covered his ankles and gazed quietly into the water.

“There are fish in the water.”

“Can you catch them?”

“Of course.”

He said that and immediately drew a magic circle on his palm. Then when he clapped his palm, a fish shot up into the air.

“Wow.”

When I exclaimed in admiration, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Master Loctaron taught me through a letter.”

“Ah! Lord Loctaron said he’d be coming soon, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he sent a letter saying he’d come once he finishes this one matter.”

Loctaron had decided to take Fazel as his disciple. And Father and I had invited him to our territory at great expense. Loctaron agreed because of Fazel, coming to the territory on the condition that Fazel wouldn’t learn from other mages.

Fazel caught several large fish. Though he caught them, we planned to eat meat, so we released the fish.

“It’ll be convenient later when I go to the beach with Fazel.”

“To catch fish for you to eat?”

“Yeah.”

Fazel shook his head.

“Why?”

“I just thought you’d go to a fancy restaurant to eat.”

“Well, that’s true.”

I laughed, then took Fazel’s hand and came out of the water. My feet were cold, making it hard to stay any longer.

We settled under a tree. Wind blew through the valley, making it very cool.

“I want to just fall asleep like this.”

Fazel nodded.

“I’m sleepy too.”

While the knights stood guard, we took a brief nap together on the mat. When I woke up a while later, Fazel was still sleeping.

‘Ah, right.’

He wakes up when someone looks at him. Should I say he became sensitive to people’s gazes after being abused?

I looked at him for just a moment, then turned my head away.

When the knights came to wake Fazel, I shook my head.

“Let him sleep.”

the knights nodded and returned to their positions.

I walked to the water’s edge, dipped my hands in the cold water, and washed my face. The cool water cleared my mind.

“How cute.”

Even sleeping Fazel was incredibly lovely.

When he grows up later, he’ll become an even more handsome man.

Imagining that time, I wandered around the area.

When Fazel woke up, about half an hour had passed. As soon as he got up, he swept his hair back and looked around.

“You’re awake?”

Fazel frowned briefly, then confirmed where he was.

“The valley.”

“You were sleeping, so I just left you.”

“Did you wait long?”

“About 30 minutes?”

Fazel put his hand on his forehead for a moment, then sighed.

“It’s been a while since I slept this deeply.”

“Really?”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been sleeping poorly lately, so I made you wait.”

After being abused at the Duke’s house, Fazel couldn’t sleep deeply. But here he seemed refreshed, having slept well.

“There are no dangerous people here.”

Fazel nodded.

“I know. That’s why I think I unconsciously feel comfortable.”

Fazel said this while smiling at me. I stared at him, captivated by his pretty smile.

“Shall we go down then? Everyone will be waiting for us.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Mm, I might have woken you if a bit more time had passed.”

he quickly got up. The knights came to clean up the mat and we went down from the valley.

When we went down, lunch was already prepared. Marlene saw us and smiled brightly.

“You’re finally here. I was getting hungry.”

“We played so enthusiastically that we even took a nap.”

Marlene giggled.

“I thought you’d be late, so I told them to prepare the meal slowly. Since the weather is hot, I’ll bring the meal to your room.”

Marlene, seemingly hungry, proceeded with things swiftly.

“You seem used to coming down late.”

Fazel asked me curiously.

“Father and I often go up to the valley and take naps. So when Marlene saw me packing the mat earlier, she might have guessed.”

Fazel and I naturally headed to my room. We planned to eat together and then spend time separately later.

While eating lunch, I told Fazel like he shouldn’t forget.

“Fazel, dinner is meat.”

“I know.”

“We’re having a barbecue party, you know? Don’t eat too many snacks.”

Fazel smiled slightly.

“Of course. I won’t even look at snacks without you saying so.”

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

When we’re about to eat delicious meat, eating other things doesn’t make sense.

* * *

After spending individual time, Fazel and I put on light clothes as soon as evening came and went out to the garden. In the garden, a fire was blazing and meat was being deliciously grilled.

Fazel swallowed his saliva. The delicious smell seemed to reach all the way here.

“Miss, Lord Fazel. Enjoy your meal.”

Marlene brought grilled meat and placed it in front of Fazel and me. Fazel picked up his fork and knife and quickly cut the meat to eat.

“It’s really delicious.”

Fazel exclaimed in admiration and smiled brightly at me. I felt good seeing his smile so often today.

I floundered, more distracted by Fazel’s smile than the taste of the meat.

“Fazel is my fiancé. Every time you eat with me, I’ll feed you delicious food.”

It also meant we should come play like this and spend time together often in the future. Fazel seemingly understood that meaning and widened his eyes.

“This is a good thing about being engaged to you, my lady.”

He needs to eat well. That’s how he’ll become a handsome man.

And Fazel liked delicious food.

Since he likes it, maybe it wouldn’t be bad to tempt him with food so he can’t go elsewhere.

After all, they say when eating and sleeping are comfortable, you don’t go anywhere.

“You have to eat meat regularly. That’s what Master Trean Arnold says.”

“Of course.”

Fazel enthusiastically agreed with my words from the side.

Seeing him clean his plate made me feel proud. The meat was delicious, but not sweeter than Fazel’s smile. Having eaten our fill, we lightly drank tea for dessert.

“Wow, today was really fulfilling.”

Fazel was enjoying his rest, away from studying and training for the first time in a while.

“When we go back, it’ll get busy again.”

“I know.”

He said that and looked at his teacup. The teacup had a cute rabbit picture drawn on it.

The rabbits were a silver rabbit and a yellow rabbit.

“Who drew this?”

“I did.”

“Ah, you drew the picture directly on the teacup to make it.”

Before meeting Fazel, while waiting for him, I drew a silver rabbit resembling Fazel’s silver hair and a yellow rabbit resembling my blonde hair.

But I couldn’t tell him this yet.

We drank tea and ate cookies.

“The cookies are too sweet?”

Did they make the cookies this sweet? Fazel also ate a cookie, then quickly shouted at me.

“Don’t eat them, it’s poison!”

He chanted a spell and grabbed my hand.

“Fazel?”

“You ate a small amount, so this level of spell should restore you.”

He said this and smelled the cookie.

“It’s the poison they gave at the Duke’s house.”

What on earth happened that he knows how to identify poison?

But these cookies—all the maids and knights must have eaten them!

I recalled the maid who had distributed the cookies.

She was someone who had arrived not long ago.

‘No way!’

With an ominous feeling, Fazel and I quickly opened the door and went out to the living room.

“Good heavens.”

The knights who had been standing guard in the living room and the maids who had been working were all collapsed on the floor.

Were they dead?

“Marlene!”

I quickly approached Marlene. She was sleeping like she was dead, but fortunately she was alive.

“How calm.”

Then I heard an unfamiliar voice from behind.

Fazel and I turned our heads. Now that even the escort knights had collapsed, a man in black clothes was walking toward us where only we remained, making deliberate footsteps. His chilling red eyes visible between his black mask were like sharp blades. He was a man who exuded a sharp atmosphere just by standing there.

We both tensed up.

“Who are you?”

Fazel asked.

“Me? Well, an assassin?”

My premonition was right after all. This man had come here to kill someone.

“Of course I came to kill the handsome boy. It would be troublesome if the young lady died.”

I was royalty. If I died, the Emperor would step in. That’s why he had no intention of killing me.

“You think we’ll just let that happen?”