Ariel, who had been sulking with his head hanging low, suddenly thr*st his face toward Merrien.

His face instantly brightened.

“Yes, yes. I understand, Merri.”

Not stopping there, he kissed Merrien’s lips repeatedly without giving her a chance to respond.

So she couldn’t speak anymore out of surprise.

“……”

Merrien took a moment to assess the situation.

Only after her neck turned red did she belatedly try to shout.

“Shh!”

But she couldn’t even do that.

Ariel’s long, beautiful fingers covered her mouth.

Not stopping there, he gazed seriously at something and led Merrien back into the shadowy alley.

Having roughly figured out what was happening, Merrien moved her lips silently.

Her posture was awkward, with her knees slightly bent.

‘Why?’

‘Look over there.’

Ariel’s index finger carefully pointed somewhere.

And what was there was….

“Charl…!”

Mmph! Merrien unconsciously tried to shout, but covered her own mouth.

She just stared blankly at the two people standing ahead.

Then she leaned dazedly against the wall.

“Ariel. Could you pinch my cheek hard?”

“Why?”

“This must be a dream, right? I really hope this is a dream.”

Even as she muttered, Merrien wanted to deny what she had seen.

Despite being wrapped tightly in a brown robe to avoid being recognized, the woman with silver hair peeking out from the side of her face and…

The butler Alex from the Hartez mansion were standing together.

Dear God.

Why on earth was the original female lead together with the Hartez mansion’s butler…

‘Why are Charlotte and the butler together?’

And so intimately at that, holding hands, laughing together while looking at each other.

Even if it weren’t for the silver hair, they couldn’t fool Merrien’s eyes.

No matter how much she tried to hide it, Charlotte’s radiant appearance couldn’t be concealed.

While Merrien was shocked, Ariel showed little reaction. He just glanced at the two and asked:

“Why? Don’t they match well?”

“No, it’s not that they don’t match. Ha….”

Right, whether they matched or not.

Honestly, her being the original female lead didn’t matter much anymore.

But of all people!

“The problem is he’s the butler. He was always recommending romance books to me.”

What kind of romance books did he use to deceive and seduce our sweet Charlotte?

The thought made her body tremble.

“I knew something was suspicious when he first handed me books with butlers as the main characters.”

That lecherous man.

The butler, who started as a best friend and was now a lecherous man in her eyes, had no way of knowing Merrien was sending murderous glares his way.

Merrien gripped Ariel’s hand tightly.

“Let’s follow them.”

Her gaze still fixed on Charlotte and the butler.

“Follow them?”

“We don’t know what he might do to my Charlotte. What if he takes her into an alley and does strange things like you did?”

Meanwhile, the butler received street food from a vendor and handed over some coins.

Charlotte and the butler began to move, seemingly about to leave.

The two, who appeared to be on a date, headed toward the fountain—right where Merrien and Ariel were.

Merrien pushed Ariel’s chest against the alley wall and pressed herself against him as well.

Thanks to the “face recognition impossible” spell, they wouldn’t be recognized even if they ran into each other, but somehow she felt they shouldn’t be discovered.

Merrien peeked out with just her head and observed Charlotte and the butler’s actions.

“…’Your’ Charlotte?”

Belatedly, Ariel’s quiet voice came from beside her, and Merrien had to glance at him.

She thought he was shocked by the “strange things” comment since he was standing still, but it was because of that remark.

“Ariel. I’ve told you many times. Charlotte is my closest friend.”

“And I am?”

“You’re my lover.”

“Right.”

Seeing his face that looked like it might sprout flowers in the background from happiness, Merrien turned her head again.

The two had already arrived at the fountain and were throwing coins and making wishes.

“Alex. What did you pray for?”

“It’s a secret, Charlotte.”

“Really?”

“Haha, I’ll tell you after we see the fortune teller.”

Wow, I really can’t get used to this.

Only after watching Charlotte and the butler head somewhere did Merrien detach herself from the wall.

Moving stealthily like a spy, she tapped Ariel’s shoulder.

“Ariel. Let’s go too.”

Based on the conversation they had just overheard, the two were likely heading to the fortune teller’s tent on the hill.

“If we teleport behind the tent with your power, we can hide and eavesdrop… Aah!”

Before she could finish speaking, Merrien’s body floated up into the air.

What came into her view was the clear sky and Ariel’s face looking down at her.

Soon his face filled her entire field of vision, as if he wouldn’t allow her to see anything but him.

Ariel had his head lowered and was holding Merrien in a princess carry.

“What are you doing? Don’t tell me….”

Merrien became anxious and couldn’t continue.

She rolled her eyes around, examining Ariel’s subtly changing face.

Slightly curved eyes, one corner of his mouth rising.

It was exactly the expression he made right before playing a prank.

As always, her bad feeling was spot on.

Ariel flew up into the air in that position. Merrien clung tightly to Ariel’s neck as if it were her lifeline and screamed.

“You, you crazy bastaaaaard!”

Before, when they came to the festival before, didn’t he do this too!

Due to the rapid ascent, the once-warm spring breeze now whipped around, disheveling her hair.

“Haha.”

Finding it amusing for some reason, Ariel just stroked Merrien’s fluttering hair.

“Please, please… couldn’t you at least warn me beforehand so I can mentally prepare?”

Merrien bowed her head deeply and took a big breath.

Unintentionally, her breath touched his chest, causing Ariel to noticeably flinch.

He told himself inwardly that he wasn’t such a beast that he would pounce regardless of the situation.

Then he pointed somewhere with his chin.

“Merri. Look there. They’re entering the tent.”

“…Where?”

Merrien, somewhat calmed down, turned her head slightly.

Just then, Charlotte and the butler were about to lift the fortune teller’s tent flap to enter… but instead turned toward a shabby shop next to it.

“Huh?”

Unable to see the sign clearly, Merrien squinted.

Ariel offered a magical device that looked like a telescope, though it was unclear where he got it from.

‘…This is certainly convenient at times like this.’

Clinging tightly to him for fear of falling, she looked through the magical device to check the sign.

[We protect abandoned animals]

The place the two had entered was, unexpectedly, an animal shelter.

The wait wasn’t long, and when Charlotte came out again, she was holding a brown puppy with folded ears.

“…Ariel. Is there some kind of magic that can make what those two are saying louder?”

“Of course.”

While comfortably holding Merrien, Ariel flicked one finger.

Suddenly, the voices of Charlotte and the butler, who were far away, could be heard as if they were nearby.

“I’ve been wanting to bring this little one home for months, and now I finally have it in my arms.”

“The adoption process for abandoned animals is complicated. But I’m glad, Charlotte.”

“…So, Alex. We decided not to see the fortune teller?”

“Yes. Knowing the future doesn’t mean we should neglect the present.”

“Then are you not going to tell me the wish you made at the fountain earlier?”

The butler, seemingly embarrassed, turned red up to his forehead and avoided Charlotte’s gaze.

It was a face that even Ariel and Merrien had never seen before.

“…You, you!”

As if watching a scene on TV, Merrien pointed in shock, but the butler, oblivious to this, smiled broadly.

“I wished that I could continue to be with Charlotte.”

“……”

Merrien slowly lowered her pointing finger.

Charlotte’s face, upon hearing the butler’s words, was brighter and more radiant than when reading any romance book.

There was no longer any excuse to suspect the butler or follow them.

Merrien tightened her grip on Ariel’s neck, which had become quite loose.

“…I don’t want to follow them anymore.”

“Why? Did you change your mind?”

“Yes. If Charlotte is happy.”

Be happy, Charlotte.

She swallowed her wistful words, as if she were an ex-boyfriend watching a former girlfriend.