‘No wonder. I’ve been feeling off all day.’

Haaah……

Agnes rubbed his throbbing head in front of the drawing room door.

He had been in a foul mood since this morning.

From the moment he woke up, he felt inexplicably nauseous and irritable.

He even wanted to smash everything in sight.

At the Tower, he couldn’t control his anger and ended up taking it out on the magicians around him.

Just when he was starting to feel a bit better.

“Sir Agnes. You, um, need to go to the drawing room.”

“……Drawing room?”

“Yes, he said to come immediately. You should hurry.”

Seren had suddenly appeared with this message.

Agnes didn’t even understand why there was a drawing room in the Tower, but strangely, the person who visited the drawing room was always the same.

Ariel, the master of the Tower.

Agnes glared at the door in front of him as if he might destroy it at any moment.

‘……Isn’t it ridiculous that the Tower Master visits the Tower’s drawing room?’

It was a sarcastic thought he would never express out loud.

In fact, he had been standing here for five minutes already.

“Agnes. When are you going to come in?”

As expected. Ariel would certainly know he was standing outside.

Ariel’s relaxed voice could be heard from inside the drawing room.

No, someone who didn’t know him might have thought it sounded relaxed, but to Agnes, who knew his temperament well, it was like a threat to come in quickly.

‘I really don’t want to go in.’

Agnes barely swallowed that thought and turned the doorknob.

He expected to find Ariel sitting arrogantly with his legs crossed inside the drawing room, but…

‘What the hell?’

Agnes immediately frowned.

He even forgot to close the door.

“Ariel.”

“Yes?”

“Have you really gone mad now?”

“Why?”

Ariel shamelessly asked back as if he had no idea what Agnes meant.

‘No wonder I didn’t want to come in.’

No, it was clear that his bad mood since morning was because he didn’t want to see this sight.

Agnes gritted his teeth.

And for good reason.

“Why are your eyes like that?”

Because Ariel’s eyes were sparkling at him the way they did when he looked at Merrien.

Normally, he would have gazed at him lifelessly with eyes like dead fish.

Agnes made no attempt to hide his disgust as he looked Ariel over again.

With his hands tightly clasped together, really.

It was so nauseating, mimicking the holy Saint’s appearance, that he wanted to stab his own eyes.

But Ariel didn’t care about his reaction at all.

“I have a favor to ask you.”

Then he flicked his finger.

And forcibly seated Agnes, who had been standing poised to flee at any moment, in the chair opposite him.

It happened in an instant.

“……”

Agnes was momentarily stunned, having had no chance to resist.

Did he just get pulled over without even a teleport spell?

Because of that, his hair was slightly disheveled, and even his shirt collar was turned up.

Agnes glared at Ariel while fixing his appearance.

“Is this how you treat someone when you have a favor to ask?”

“I’m a bit hurt.”

“By what exactly?”

“I feel like you’ve been too cold to me lately. Is our relationship really just this much?”

“Ha……”

Today’s fortune is terrible. Really, really terrible!

Agnes pressed his temples firmly as his head throbbed to the point of bursting.

If he didn’t, he might unconsciously attack Ariel.

Although it was obvious he would lose if they fought, honestly, if it hadn’t been a losing battle, his hands would have already lashed out.

‘If I were just a bit younger, I could have predicted what would happen today.’

Agnes began to blame his age.

If he were just a bit younger, then.

He would have dumped today’s Tower duties on Seren and fled somewhere far where Ariel couldn’t find him.

But it’s all because I’m old…

As Agnes grumbled to himself, Ariel grabbed his hand.

“You, crazy…!”

“Agnes. I need your tears.”

The hand holding his was warm.

Ariel’s voice pierced his ears faintly.

Agnes felt goosebumps all over his body and nearly fainted.

***

“So… you’re getting married soon.”

“Yes.”

“And a fortune teller said that if you have ‘Dragon’s Tears,’ you’ll be happy until you die?”

“Yes.”

Ariel smiled with satisfaction.

His cheeks were flushed, showing a face he would normally only show to Merrien.

Agnes had to try hard to suppress the anger rising within him again.

In truth, Agnes had not the slightest intention of granting the absurd request for his tears.

Of course, it wasn’t that the fortune teller was wrong.

That fortune teller had not only guessed his past correctly but also told Merrien how to avoid trauma.

And…

They had also correctly predicted that he wouldn’t be able to forget Merrien.

Although Agnes couldn’t show it, his heart had momentarily sunk when Ariel said he was marrying Merrien.

But pretending to be unbothered, he picked up the teacup Seren had brought and asked:

“I thought you didn’t believe in that fortune teller?”

His voice came out rather grumpy despite his efforts.

“I didn’t. Ah, honestly, I still don’t.”

“…?”

What on earth is he saying? Agnes examined Ariel’s expression.

Ariel leaned comfortably against the chair back, wearing a benevolent smile he must have learned from somewhere.

“Merri really wanted to see a fortune teller before the wedding. She got excited when the fortune teller said they knew a way to be happy until death, but then became dejected as soon as they said it was ‘Dragon’s Tears.'”

“……”

‘Did she become dejected because she felt awkward asking me?’

Yes, that was probably it.

Given Merrien’s character, she wouldn’t do something as inconsiderate as asking for “tears” from someone who had confessed to her.

Only Ariel would come barging in like this, demanding tears.

“I wonder why?”

The biggest problem was that Ariel had also noticed something strange.

Ariel’s previously languid gaze sharpened.

Agnes deliberately avoided that gaze and cleared his throat.

“Yes, I wonder why.”

“I thought you would know, Agnes.”

“Haha… I don’t really know.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

If he revealed that he had confessed to Merrien, he might actually die.

No, he definitely would.

Agnes forced a smile while unable to wipe away the cold sweat running down his back.

Yet Ariel’s persistent gaze wouldn’t leave him.

Perhaps if he continued to feign ignorance like this, he might fall into a trap.

Agnes rolled his eyes secretly and spoke.

“Perhaps she thought it would be difficult to obtain tears from a dragon.”

It was a plausible answer.

“…Hmm.”

Fortunately, Ariel seemed to find it convincing, and the oppressive atmosphere that had filled the drawing room immediately subsided.

Ariel rested his chin on his hand, pondering something.

“That’s true. I’ve never seen you cry.”

“Of course. The great dragon wouldn’t shed tears… Ariel, what are you doing?”

Thinking he was safe, Agnes had puffed out his chest proudly, but then belatedly noticed something strange.

Ariel was preparing something while keeping his gaze fixed on him.

Crackle-.

Soon, sparks began to fly from Ariel’s hands, and his eyes flashed like a predator eyeing its prey.

“Maybe it’s because you’ve never been beaten to death before.”

“…Huh?”

He had feared this.

Somehow, Ariel was taking a fighting stance.

“Haha, that can’t be right, my friend. Even the first time, I was beaten nearly to death.”

“No. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad.”

“No, I think I briefly visited the afterlife that day.”

“That’s debatable.”

“……”

Ariel had already completed all his preparations.

Ah, no wonder he had been feeling so uneasy today.

Agnes gulped.

He was screwed.