Chapter 1 – Part 6

Normally, she would try to avoid looking at him by counting numbers in her head or thinking about something else, but not now. Reina couldn’t take her eyes off him. Until Patrick stepped down from the platform.

It felt like a shining gold nugget among countless rocks was catching her eye.

Was Patrick always this handsome?

She knew he had a neat and handsome appearance. But she had never paid attention to it before. She had never thought deeply about it.

To her, he was just the commander of the Lennox Knights, nothing more, nothing less.

But now, she couldn’t understand why she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

How can his skin be so white when he trains under the sun every day? Does he get special skin care? Why is his hair so soft? Does he use scented oils?

Clearly, he wouldn’t have time to groom himself because of training, but why does he always look so neat and unruffled? Why does he feel like he’s glowing, as if he’s mixed with all sorts of splendid and beautiful things?

“Lady Reina? Lady Reina?”

Reina, who was lost in thought, came to her senses when she heard Toby’s voice. Looking around, she realized there was no one else but her and Toby.

As soon as Patrick gave the signal to start, the knights all began running, so it was natural that no one else was in her sight.

“The commander gave the signal to start a while ago.”

“Oh, I-I need to run.”

Reina hurriedly started moving.

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

Confirming that she was running, Toby started running at his own pace.

“Okay. I’ll try to keep up today, too.”

No matter how confident Reina was in her running, she couldn’t keep up with the knights’ speed.

She tried every day to catch up with them, but it was no use. She had to give it her all to barely keep up with the trainee knight, Toby.

But now, the situation is different. Since Toby had started running late, he increased his speed to catch up with the other knights, making it too fast for her to follow.

Since she had fallen behind, she had to do her best, but the more she ran today, the more the gap widened. Maybe because she was feeling less energetic than usual, it felt like she was running out of breath more quickly.

Since it’s already like this, should I run a bit slower?

After a moment of hesitation, Reina started to reduce her running speed. As she ran lightly, scenes that she normally wouldn’t notice came into view.

The gradually rising sunlight began to bathe the training ground in a golden hue, and the cheerful chirping of birds seemed to welcome it, filling her ears.

It was a quiet and leisurely time she had missed while trying to catch up with the knights over the past five years.

Why haven’t I seen this beautiful scene before?

As her mind calmed down, the delusions that had been tormenting her moments ago seemed to fade away temporarily.

Maybe I need this kind of meditative time occasionally.

Reina listened more intently to the chirping sounds and took a deep breath of the clear morning air. It was at that moment, when the serene stillness of the morning felt refreshing, that a voice startled her.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Reina, surprised by the sudden voice, turned her head towards the sound. There she saw Patrick, who had already completed a lap.

He seemed to think that she had fallen behind because she was unwell and looked at her with worried eyes.

The sight of the man, shining so brightly that it was almost blinding, made Reina unable to keep her eyes open. The sunlight cast a halo around him, and at that moment, all the noises of the world disappeared.

Why does he, who usually exudes a cold aura, now feel warmer than the sun, enough to mesmerize me?

At that moment, her already pounding heart began to beat as if it would burst. Her face also turned red, and she unconsciously stopped walking. Patrick also stopped in his tracks.

“It seems like you have a fever.”

He mistook the sudden flush of her face as a fever.

As Patrick’s hand reached towards her forehead, Reina avoided his touch. It felt like her heart would explode if he touched her.

“I-I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine.”

Reina stammered with a trembling voice. She felt like she couldn’t have a normal conversation.

No, just being near him made all her nerves focus on him, making it impossible to treat Patrick the way she used to.

Why am I acting like this all of a sudden?

It was strange. Why did his very presence bother me so much? Especially his lower body….

Reina felt both frustrated and angry at her mind filled with impure thoughts. At that moment, Patrick looked at her with a peculiar gaze.

“Oh, I’m sorry if my touch made you uncomfortable. I wasn’t thinking.”

He apologized with a regretful expression.

Was I too obvious in avoiding him?

“Un-uncomfortable? No, I just felt fine, that’s all? Hahaha.”

With her mind in chaos, Reina didn’t know what she was saying.

“Huh? Lady Reina, why are you standing there?”

At that moment, a voice interrupted between them. Turning her head, she saw the knights approaching closer.

“I’ll end my training here for today.”

Not wanting the knights to see her strange behavior, Reina decided to end her training for the day.

“Yes. Please do. Go inside and rest. Should I call the physician if you’re very unwell?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Reina couldn’t say, ‘I’m not sick. It’s all because of the thick thing hidden inside your clothes.’ So she declined Patrick’s offer and walked towards the mansion.

Her flushed face cooled down as soon as she entered her bedroom. But the confusion in her mind remained.

Even though she wanted to deny her feelings by shaking her head vigorously, she couldn’t. Her clueless heart was still racing.

Why am I like this?

The question, which she couldn’t find an answer to no matter how many times she asked, only added to her confusion. How could she explain the reactions of her body that were out of her control?

As Reina continued to ponder, she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh! Why didn’t I think of this? Could this be what they mean by being physically attracted?”

To understand her helplessly drawn heart, which was being pulled by a powerful force beyond her will, there was only one thing she could do. She took out an item from the drawer that could explain her current situation.

It was the necklace she had received from her father a month ago.

* * *

“Why did you call me?”

A month ago, Duke Lennox suddenly called Reina to his study.

“I called you because I have something to give you.”

As Reina entered and sat on the sofa, the Duke, who was sitting at his desk, stood up and walked over to her.

“Take this.”

As soon as he sat down, he handed her a small box.

“What is it?”

Reina picked up the box and checked inside. There was a necklace with a transparent gemstone in it.

“Why are you giving this to me? It looks like someone has used it before.”

The necklace showed signs of use, so Reina tilted her head in confusion. Her father wasn’t the type to give necklaces as gifts, especially not one that had been worn by someone else, making the situation highly suspicious.

“That’s because it’s been passed down from Louis and Richelle to you. Now that you’re an adult, you’re eligible to receive it.”

“What does becoming an adult have to do with the necklace?”

Reina examined the necklace closely. No matter how much she looked, it didn’t seem to have any distinguishing features.

“That’s because it’s a magical necklace.”

“Magical?”

Reina’s eyes widened in surprise at the Duke’s words. Her heart raced as she exclaimed.

“What kind of magic? Can it blow away enemies in a single strike? Or can it cause explosions? Or….”

Having only had defensive artifacts, Reina’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

“Is attacking others the only thing on your mind? After training with the knights, you’ve learned violence instead of chivalry. Tsk.”

The Duke cut her off, looking at her with a disappointed gaze.

It was only then that Reina realized she had said something absurd. Shifting her golden eyes, she lightly tapped her lips twice.

Then, cautiously, she opened her mouth, worried that her father might tell her to quit training.

“So, what kind of magic does it have?”

“It’s a necklace that tells you if a man and woman are sexually compatible even before you physically check. When you meet a compatible partner, the transparent gemstone will turn red.”

“What?”

s*xual compatibility? If I understood the term correctly….

Shocked by the Duke’s words, Reina jumped up from her seat.

Her face started to turn red, and feeling suddenly hot, she fanned herself with her hand.

“Y-you must be joking, right? Hahaha.”

Seeing her father’s serious expression, it didn’t seem like he was joking. Maintaining her composure, she quietly sat back down.

“That’s right. Haven’t you noticed how your brother Louis, who used to be a playboy, has recently settled down with one woman? It’s all thanks to this necklace.”

“Brother Louis?”

Her father’s unbelievable story suddenly seemed more credible when it involved her brother Louis.