“Your thoughts are all visible on your face.”

“……I thought I was hiding them well.”

Serena said, scratching her cheek. She actually thought she was good at hiding them.

“You’re just quick to notice.”

As she mumbled with flushed cheeks, he kissed her nape and chuckled softly.

“How did you end up catching my eye……”

“…That’s my line.”

Magnus laughed softly, gently biting Serena’s neckline and kissing her cheek.

“…No, don’t start the engine. I hate it.”

“Engine?”

“Don’t try to set the mood sneakily!”

As Serena struggled to get off his lap, Magnus kissed the back of her neck with a somewhat regretful look.

“Really?”

“It’s daytime! It’s morning! And I’m going back.”

“……You’re leaving like this?”

“I said I’d stay at the Marquis’ house for about 2 weeks.”

Although she had barely escaped and returned on her own accord, it was unavoidable, but Nocturne was waiting downstairs.

“Nocturne is waiting too….”

“I can tell my brother-in-law to stay overnight.”

“Father is waiting too……”

“I’ll send a separate message to the Marquis’ house.”

Magnus said as he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He kissed her and sneakily started to untie the strings on her back.

“Wait, hey! Magnus!”

“Calling your husband ‘hey’ is too much.”

“It’s broad daylight, you human. And if you had any conscience……”

“I threw away my conscience when I raised a baby wild boar.”

What’s that supposed to mean, you idiot.

Serena let out a deep sigh. Magnus hugged the struggling Serena from behind and kissed her shoulder blade.

“What’s with the baby wild boar? Why raise it just to abandon it.”

“Well, because I ate it later.”

He said, biting Serena’s shoulder with a chomp. It didn’t particularly hurt, but her shoulder felt a bit ticklish from his canine teeth.

“……You cruel human.”

“Humans are naturally cruel, Serena.”

He chuckled softly and whispered in her ear as if revealing a secret.

Serena frowned deeply. Pecking kisses on her back like a bird pecking at feed, he opened his mouth.

“Are you really going today?”

“……I’m, I’m going.”

“Really…?”

Magnus leisurely asked, lightly kissing the earlobe of Serena, who was lying face down with her face buried in the pillow.

Serena’s body trembled momentarily at the breath touching her ear.

She took a deep breath and gripped the sheet tightly. He chuckled softly at her pale white knuckles.

“Serena.”

“……What.”

“I love you.”

“……”

As soon as the words ended, Serena’s nape turned bright red. Magnus was quite pleased thanks to her still lacking immunity to such things.

He whispered again in Serena’s ear with an amused expression.

“When will you answer me? Serena.”

“……”

“I might get tired of waiting.”

“…W-wait. People need time to prepare… there’s that kind of thing. That’s all.”

It was obvious that she was blurting out words in her flustered state, but Magnus nodded willingly.

He didn’t want to go against her mood, nor did he need to.

After all, Serena always managed to please him.

“Serena.”

“Mmm….”

“I really like you.”

“……I still don’t understand what you like about me. Was a woman living in chaos your type?”

Come to think of it, it seems like it all started when he became interested in her, who was cooped up in her room.

But Magnus was the type who couldn’t bear not pulling out someone living in such a cave.

“…Well, maybe.”

“……So you’d pull out anyone living in chaos in a cave.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? I’m just questioning your taste.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes while hugging Serena. He slowly took off his shirt and threw it away.

“Well… you fell for me helplessly because I treated you kindly, didn’t you?”

“……What?”

“If it wasn’t me who treated you kindly, you would have fallen for that person.”

Serena paused at Magnus’s words.

‘What, are you picking a fight?’

Serena narrowed her eyes and imagined for a moment, then nodded unconsciously.

“That’s… maybe you’re right.”

“……What?”

“I didn’t know it well myself, but I think I’m weak to people who treat me kindly and cling to me.”

“……So you could have fallen for someone else if it wasn’t me?”

Magnus said discontentedly, removing Serena from his arms.

Serena, who had been lying face down, turned slightly to sit on the bed, hugging a cushion and scratching her cheek.

“Why does that matter? What’s important is that you were the first.”

“So you’re saying if I wasn’t the first, you could have gone to another guy.”

“No, who said that? Why imagine such a future, I’m by your side anyway.”

Magnus made a discontented face.

It is important, why wouldn’t it be? It’s good to be the first, but the fact that there could have been a first if it wasn’t him was a painful thing.

No, you could at least say it’s not true. Magnus’s lips were tightly closed at the quite hurtful words.

“……Magnus?”

“Yes.”

“I might not have gone for it if it wasn’t you, considering looks more than I thought.”

Serena added subtly.

“So you’re saying if there was a handsome and kind bastard, you could have gone to him.”

“Are you really going that far?”

Serena let out a hollow laugh. Groaning, she slowly crawled to him and awkwardly hugged Magnus.

Clumsily patting his back, Serena slightly opened her mouth.

“I… I like you.”

“……”

“I’m glad it’s you. I’m not good at this kind of thing, so……”

Serena said discontentedly with a face flushed bright red. At her mumbling voice, Magnus unconsciously reached out and hugged her tightly.

“…Ah, sorry.”

He quickly kissed Serena’s lips. Biting her lips and mixing saliva, Magnus smiled slightly.

It was quite cute how she clumsily tried to follow him with her eyes tightly shut.

“Mmm… sorry? For what……”

“It seems you won’t be able to leave today either.”

He said slowly as he laid Serena down on the bed.

“……No, wait. This isn’t it. I have to see Father……”

“I’ll explain well to your father. Serena.”

He said with an amused voice as he kissed her.

“I love you.”

As soon as the words ended, his body quickly covered Serena’s body.

* * *

“……”

“The contract was successfully made, Serena.”

Magnus said as he came out with a quite refreshed look.

But the problem was that Professor Lemerun, who followed behind him, had a not-so-good expression, as if the world had collapsed.

Even Serena felt a strange sense of sympathy for that expression, and she scratched her cheek.

“Uh… okay. But what happened… for Professor Lemerun to look like he’s dying……”

The old man with disheveled hair and a dark face raised his head with a very haggard look.

“I can’t believe it was really you, Kiel……”

“Did you tell him?”

“Well, I thought it would be better to explain the situation. It’s better than… being caught off guard.”

That’s true, but…….

Serena glanced at the old man. In fact, he looked a bit younger than when she last saw him, though he was still an old man.

Serena lightly scratched her cheek and glanced at Magnus.

“I didn’t use violence. I just wanted to show him what would happen if he used magic on me one more time, since he kept using it.”

“To think you’ve been acquainted with such a monster……”

“He’s my husband.”

“I oppose this marriage! As your teacher, I should have at least that much right to claim.”

At Lemerun’s outburst, Magnus’s smile deepened.

“Alright, it seems we need to talk more. Professor Lemerun.”

“……No, I don’t want to have any more conversations with you……!”

Magnus grabbed the back of Lemerun’s neck without hesitation. Lemerun struggled as if begging for help and reached out his hand towards Serena.

“Kiel! Kiel! This old man is dying, save me!”