Chapter 10 (Part 3)

Iris immediately noticed the subtle tension between the two. It was clearly something that could only exist between a man and a woman.  

But pretending not to notice, she tilted her head and asked.  

“Leo, isn’t that Sir Lowell?”  

Her question, which clearly meant, ‘Why is she here?’ made Leonardo flinch as if breaking free from a spell.  

Faced with Grace’s sharp gaze, he felt uneasy.  

“Ah— Iris. I’ll explain everything later.”  

Leonardo, out of habit, almost called Iris by her nickname but quickly corrected himself.  

Iris, noticing this, quietly observed him.  

Realizing that he wasn’t meeting her eyes, Iris glanced between him and Grace. Then, standing on tiptoe, she lightly kissed his cheek and said.  

“Alright. But come quickly. It’s important.”  

Leonardo frowned at Iris’s sudden action.  

But seeing her usual innocent face devoid of any ulterior motives, he couldn’t bring himself to scold her.  

Besides, it wasn’t the first time Iris had kissed his cheek.  

“Uh, okay.”  

Leonardo reluctantly replied, and Iris smiled brightly.  

As if to flaunt their closeness, she gently brushed his arm, gave a polite goodbye, and walked away.  

Watching her retreating figure, Grace smirked and said.  

“She seems very close to you.”  

At her words, Leonardo’s gaze unconsciously followed Iris.  

Grace, unable to contain herself, stepped forward, grabbed his face with both hands, and forcibly turned it toward her.  

Leonardo, momentarily dumbfounded, looked at her with a blank expression.  

“She even kisses you.”  

“Wow, lucky you.” 

Grace added nonchalantly before letting go of his face as if tossing it aside. Crossing her arms, she stared at him.  

Leonardo found her behavior oddly strange.  

But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off. Based on his understanding,  

“S-sometimes, people do that as a greeting.”  

Leonardo stammered, trying to respond to her words.  

At this, Grace, her eyes narrowing further, said.  

“Next, you’ll be drinking together and sleeping with her, won’t you?”  

“T-that won’t happen.”  

At that moment, a memory flashed in Leonardo’s mind of a Mage Tower party where he drank too much and ended up sleeping beside Iris.  

But that time, they had only slept.  

Leonardo thought he had answered well, but Grace, having spent enough time with him, could read his emotions.  

She could guess why he hesitated earlier.  

“So, it did happen?”  

‘Hmm, I guess it could’ 

Grace muttered to herself, smiling brightly.  

Her smile, tinged with coldness, made Leonardo flinch and step back. Seeing this, Grace smiled even more deeply and said.  

“So, rolling around in a dream means nothing to you, does it?”  

‘Well, it’s just a dream.’ 

Grace answered herself before brushing off her spotless hands.  

She then bowed politely and said.  

“Then, I look forward to working with you today.”  

Just as Leonardo realized that her words referred to the moment their “bodies switched,” he tried to ask about the schedule.  

“—!”  

But Grace’s face had turned icy cold.  

She stared at him with eyes devoid of warmth for a long moment before turning and walking away.  

Watching her retreating figure, Leonardo instinctively realized.  

“—I’m screwed.”  

He had clearly missed all the signals she had sent.  

The first was Grace openly mentioning their dream.  

The second was her apparent dislike of Iris.  

But there was one thing Leonardo still failed to realize.

Grace’s recent behavior reminded Leonardo of his own thoughts and actions when he looked at Liam.  

‘How should I calm her down?’  

Knowing that this situation couldn’t be resolved with something as simple as a lemon pound cake, Leonardo absentmindedly scratched his head.  

Truly, it was impossibly difficult.  

***

Stomping her feet, Grace returned to her office, slamming the door shut with a loud bang before sprawling across the sofa.  

Raising her arm to cover her eyes, she ground her teeth, unable to suppress the irritation that kept bubbling up.  

‘That woman was clearly showing off to me.’  

Subtly flaunting her connection with Leonardo, as if marking him as her own.  

The sudden kiss on his cheek in front of her couldn’t be explained any other way. That woman was essentially telling her not to covet Leonardo Fernandez.  

‘He’s mine, so don’t touch him.’  

Yet, Leonardo Fernandez wasn’t an object, and a mere kiss wouldn’t make him belong to anyone.  

If that were enough to claim someone, then Grace Lowell was certain she would have been first in line.  

‘He said it was his first!’  

She had always believed they shared their firsts, and Grace had never doubted it.  

Of course, there were moments when she thought otherwise, but that was in the past. Now, she was convinced she was his first.  

Moreover, a man who had passionately desired her couldn’t possibly fall for someone like that woman.  

‘Objectively speaking, I’m prettier, aren’t I?’  

Grace glanced at the mirror standing in one corner of the office.  

But the face reflected back at her, full of spite, was far from beautiful. Seeing her expression, Grace finally realized.  

‘I’m such an idiot.’  

If her interest in Leonardo was just a passing attraction, she wouldn’t feel so upset now.  

He wasn’t even her lover, and to be blunt, they had only shared a fleeting moment of passion. In fact, they had been worse than enemies before that.  

Given their history, there was no reason to feel so infuriated by that woman’s actions.  

‘I like him.’  

Just as she had realized that his face matched her taste, and later, so did his body, Grace had to admit that she now liked Leonardo.  

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so angry at the woman’s possessive behavior—or, more precisely, at Leonardo’s failure to stop her.  

‘Idiot, fool, sea cucumber, sea anemone, mutt Leonardo Fernandez.’  

In her dreams, he had been so affectionate, whispering sweet nothings and making her feel good.  

…But reality was a complete mess.  

‘Fine, whatever. I don’t care anymore.’  

As if Leonardo were standing right in front of her, Grace turned her head sharply, even rolling over to face the other side before closing her eyes.  

‘He can come and explain himself, or we can just go back to being strangers.’  

Clenching her teeth, Grace resolved.  

‘Why should I feel like this because of Leonardo Fernandez?’  

Though Leonardo was considered the empire’s most eligible bachelor, Grace, sulking as she was, didn’t care about such things.  

Her mind was consumed by the memory of that woman’s smug gaze, and she clutched her head in frustration before finally springing to her feet. 

Grabbing the sword hanging nearby, she stormed out to the training grounds.  

“Commander on the field!”  

Those training in the morning recognized Grace and bowed their heads in acknowledgment.  

Since Liam had the day off, everyone was engaged in individual practice. Watching them briefly, Grace pointed at a few knights with her finger.  

“You, you. Come out and get ready for a duel.”  

One of the knights, puzzled, looked around before asking,  

“Pardon? With whom?”  

“Who else? With me.”  

“W-with you, Commander?”  

The knight turned pale in an instant, gripping his sword tightly.  

Grace, motioning for him to step forward, picked out a few more knights who avoided meeting her gaze and rolled up her sleeves.  

The knights, aware that this was her habit when she was in a foul mood, gulped nervously.  

“One at a time, come forward for a duel. If one falls, the next steps in immediately.”  

“Yes, Commander.”  

Seeing the sharp glint in her eyes, the knights sighed and raised their swords.  

Rumor had it that she had met with the 1st Knight Order’s Commander earlier today. 

What could that man have said to make her this upset?  

Unaware of the truth, the knights’ resentment toward Leonardo only grew.  

“Begin!”  

“Argh!”  

Grace easily deflected the knight’s attack, gritting her teeth.  

‘Leonardo Fernandez! You bastard!’  

Meanwhile, alone in his laboratory conducting experiments, Leonardo scratched his ear absentmindedly and muttered,  

“Is someone talking about me?”  

He had no idea that Grace and most of the 2nd Knight Order were cursing his name.