Chapter 6 – Part 2

“Did you find the culprit?”

“No, not yet.”

Olivia’s breathing became slightly shaky. Marsden gently lifted her chin to steady her.

“I will find them. To do that… I need to stay by your side…”

Before she knew it, they were so close they were almost touching.

“Since you promised earlier, you have to keep it, Buddy.”

“You too.”

Olivia held Marsden’s hands with both of hers. She noticed he was still wearing gloves and almost took them off but stopped herself.

“Promise me you’ll never use magic again, even if it’s for me.”

Marsden’s brow furrowed slightly. Olivia, exasperated, pressed her fingers against his furrowed brow.

“If you don’t promise, I won’t either.”

“…Alright.”

For some reason, Marsden hesitated briefly but eventually gave in to her.

“Shall we seal the deal?”

“With what seal?”

“What we did earlier.”

Marsden looked puzzled for a moment before his face flushed red. It was almost as if the fireplace was unnecessary.

“Buddy, I told you not to say things like that…”

“You said we did worse. Why can’t we kiss?”

“Because I can’t stop there.”

Although she had expected it, hearing it still made Olivia quite embarrassed. She shifted the topic to hide her embarrassment.

“We weren’t even lovers, yet you say we did it a lot.”

“I kept my distance, afraid it would be dangerous if we became lovers…”

“And then suddenly, it ignited?”

“Yes.”

Marsden couldn’t hide his blushing face, and his gaze never left Olivia’s lips.

“I regret those days so much. Every moment we were apart haunts me.”

“Then make one more promise, Mas.”

Olivia pulled Marsden’s hand closer. His large hand was helplessly drawn to her.

“Promise me that when we interrogate Gael Abyss tomorrow after the rain stops, you won’t get agitated. I believe he’s involved in this, and I want to find out as soon as possible.”

Their lips were tantalizingly close. A deep desire flared in his black eyes, unlike before.

“I promise. So now…”

Let’s seal the deal.

With those words, their breaths intertwined. Whether they would remember today’s promises was uncertain, but one thing she would certainly remember was how maddeningly well he kissed.

* * *

“Did you sleep well?”

When Olivia came down to the first floor in the morning, Glenn greeted her with a highly displeased look.

“Don’t make that face. While it’s true we almost went that far, thanks to someone’s insane self-control, we stopped in the middle.”

Olivia grumbled as she slowly sipped the warm water Glenn handed her. Her lips were so chapped that even the slightest touch stung.

“Did you sleep well, Marchioness?”

Ronae, fortunately looking no different from the day before, greeted her.

“Thank you for giving up the bathwater yesterday.”

“There was only one bathroom. It was right to let you use it.”

“Thank you for saying that. But…”

Ronae’s gaze lingered near Olivia’s collarbone.

“Your wound seems to have healed quickly. It must not have been deep.”

Oops. Olivia flinched and debated whether to cover it up but decided against it, thinking it would look more suspicious.

She forced a nonchalant smile.

“On closer inspection, there’s still a mark. I was planning to apply medicine.”

“Then get proper treatment as soon as we reach the Count’s estate.”

Hmm. As Olivia pondered a way out, Marsden descended the stairs from the second floor.

“Buddy, did you sleep well?”

Marsden grinned at her, ignoring the presence of the two others. Despite looking tired, he checked her complexion first.

“Your lips look…”

“That’s… later, Mas…”

Olivia signaled Marsden to be discreet. Marsden finally put on a business smile and greeted Ronae.

“My Lady, I apologize for yesterday’s rudeness. I was in such a hurry I couldn’t greet you properly. Please forgive my discourtesy.”

Marsden’s courteous demeanor was entirely different from the raging monster or the bashful herbivore, leaving no room for fault.

“You were concerned about the Marchioness. I understand. I’m fine.”

Ronae replied with equal courtesy, nodding slightly.

“The rain seems to have let up a bit. We’ll leave in about ten minutes. A proper greeting can wait until we reach the Count’s estate, okay?”

“Of course, at your convenience.”

Olivia looked between the two. On reflection, there was a strangely tense atmosphere between them.

Oh, right, there was a connection between them.

“And if it’s not too much trouble, it would be an honor if you could attend one of my sister’s garden parties.”

Lottie Bartram. The heroine’s sister in the original story had a keen interest in Marsden. It was irritating.

“Marchioness, the knights are coming.”

While Olivia was wondering how to handle it, Glenn broke her thoughts. She looked up to see the others also gazing outside the door.

Marsden, in particular, had a very, truly displeased expression.

“I’m glad to see you all safe.”

Gael, the first to arrive, glanced at Ronae and then smiled gently at Olivia.

***

Later, Olivia would recall this day as such: even when it was as quiet as a mouse, some days felt like a complete disaster.

Olivia was, quite literally, having a tough time. She had to navigate the tense dynamics between Gael and Ronae, and also between Marsden and Gael. On top of that, she had to keep an eye on Glenn, who was watching the situation unfold like a duck egg left by the Nakdong River.

Ronae, who was waiting quietly for Gael to call, wasn’t much of a problem. The real issue was Marsden. When Gael Abyss fixed a steady gaze on him, Marsden stared back as if ready to tear Gael apart.

“Things are still working out fine, Buddy.”

“Maybe for you.”

After mediating between them, Olivia managed to stay alone in the cabin with Marsden. However, she couldn’t forget Glenn’s grumbling, who ended up running an errand for clothes.

“Can I really go alone?”

“Would you prefer sending Melanie into this dangerous forest? Please get some clothes, even if it’s inconvenient.”

Initially, Gael had urged Olivia to go back to the count’s manor for treatment and rest, but she refused. She wanted to continue investigating the forest.

When Olivia declined, Marsden silently signaled that he wouldn’t leave either. Gael looked displeased, glancing back and forth between them, then sighed deeply.

“Then I’ll just take my fiancée and be back.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Seeing Marsden ready to lash out again, Olivia quickly intervened. She sent the trio off with Glenn and stayed with Marsden in the cabin. The rain had nearly stopped, so it seemed like they could start investigating soon.

“Buddy, are you cold?”

“My heart is cold. Do you think I enjoy seeing Gael Abyss’s face?”

“Well, it’s because of you that I haven’t killed him yet, Buddy.”

His kind, smiling eyes made him look like a handsome murderer. Instinctively, Olivia felt she didn’t want to become enemies with Marsden and leaned back on the sofa.

“Anyway, let’s head out in ten minutes. It looks like we can start the investigation now.”

“Just to be cautious, we might not find any concrete evidence. Even in Kettlelin Forest, not every random stone is used for magic. And if someone knew about it, they wouldn’t have left it lying around.”

Yesterday, his voice had been filled with anger and anxiety, but now it was full of concern and affection. Olivia nodded, understanding.

“I know. Honestly, it’s mostly my intuition. If we don’t find anything, we’ll have to interrogate Gael Abyss.”

Olivia looked up at Marsden, who was sitting beside her.

“But if you can’t hide your emotions like now, it’ll be hard to have you there. Please hold back, Mas.”

She expected him to show clear reluctance, but Marsden simply nodded slightly.

“Alright. Being together is better than cutting Gael Abyss’s throat.”

“Do you always have to talk like that? Are you a thug or a duke?”

“I can be anything for you.”

Marsden leaned in as if using his face as a weapon, causing Olivia to involuntarily blush and pull back.

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go.”

“The ground is still slippery.”

“So what, are we going to stay here forever? Let’s go.”

Before Marsden could argue, Olivia stepped out of the cabin. Marsden watched her and muttered softly to himself.

“Really, I would do anything for you.”

He kept the rest of his thoughts to himself.