Chapter 15 (Part 2)

Grace woke up feeling refreshed and frowned upon realizing the sun was setting outside the window.  

Since coming here, she had experienced a strange routine of staying up all night with Leonardo, falling asleep as the sun rose, and waking up to find it gone.  

Watching the peaceful scenery outside, Grace muttered to herself,  

“I haven’t been able to stay awake during the day lately.”  

When she grumbled to Leonardo, who had woken up before her and was reading a book, he smiled and replied,  

“I was simply following orders.”  

His words reminded Grace of the nonsense she had spouted—telling him to listen to her and offering rewards—and her face turned bright red.  

Noticing what she was thinking, Leonardo chuckled, sat beside her, and kissed her forehead.  

“What orders will you give me today?”  

Reading the playfulness in his tone, Grace glared at him and replied,  

“Today, I’m ordering you to sleep soundly!”  

“Oh no, that’s such a sad order just thinking about it.”  

When Leonardo exaggeratedly pretended to cry, Grace smacked his back.  

He winced as if in pain and said,  

“No matter how I think about it, you seem to enjoy hitting me, Grace.”  

“No! When have I ever done that?”  

“You just hit me on the back.”  

“That’s because you keep teasing me!”  

“If you keep hitting me whenever I tease you, I might disappear from all the blows.”  

Leonardo embraced the pouting Grace tightly and said,  

“I can’t help it. Being around you makes me act like a childish boy in the lower grades of the academy.”  

Grace rested her face against his arm and closed her eyes.  

She understood what he meant.  

‘He’s saying he feels like being playful around me.’  

Through Leonardo, she had come to realize that she, too, had a mischievous and flirtatious side.  

But it was time to end this abnormal lifestyle.  

‘He said he needed just one more day, so today must be the last.’  

In truth, Grace had woken up shortly after Leonardo left the bed the previous night.  

Having shared a bed with him for the past few days, she woke up instinctively when his absence made the bed feel cold.  

Too weak to get up, she had lain there with her eyes closed, waiting for him to return.  

‘Investigating the forest is just an excuse.’  

Hara and Hymen had already taken care of the strange occurrences in the forest and sent the Pla beasts away.  

That meant there was nothing more for Grace or Leonardo to uncover. And yet, he had said what he did.  

‘Does he want to stay here longer?’  

Grace hoped that was the case—that Leonardo wanted to stay because he enjoyed being with her.  

Unconsciously rubbing her face against his arm, Grace asked,  

“When are we going back?”  

Leonardo stroked her long hair and pretended to be hurt as he replied,  

“Do you want to leave?”  

“We can’t stay here forever.”  

Her calm response made Leonardo loosen his embrace. He gently turned her body to face him and asked,  

“Do you want to leave?”  

Though it was the same question, Grace couldn’t answer as she had before.  

Seeing the subtle tremble in her eyes, Leonardo sighed and pulled her back into his arms.  

Her expression told him everything he needed to know.  

Instead of waiting for Grace to share her feelings, he decided to speak first.  

Closing his eyes, he began to talk slowly.  

“When we return, I plan to receive a noble title.”  

“A title?”  

“Yes. It’s time for me to become independent.”  

For a moment, Grace thought that if Leonardo formally distanced himself from the Ducal family, it might be okay for them to be involved.  

But she knew better.  

And as if he understood her thoughts, Leonardo continued,  

“Then, I’m going to establish a new tower.”  

“…A tower?”  

Startled by his unexpected words, Grace turned to look at him.  

His serious expression made her realize he wasn’t joking.  

“Is that even possible?”  

“In theory, yes. And the ‘tower’ I’m referring to isn’t a physical one—it’s an organization, a new association.”  

The word “association” felt unfamiliar, and Grace repeated it a few times as if testing its sound.  

Finding her adorable, Leonardo kissed her cheek and continued,  

“The current Mage Tower is too narrow-minded.”  

“…That’s true.”  

Leonardo narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion at her response, and Grace laughed softly, placing her hand on his cheek.  

“It doesn’t mean knights are any less narrow-minded than mages.”  

Leonardo chuckled, grasped her hand, and intertwined their fingers. Then he began speaking again,  

“One of the reasons we ended up like this is due to that narrow-mindedness.”  

“…”  

“That’s why I want to create an integrated association that includes mages, knights, sorcerers, and priests.”  

Grace’s eyes wavered at his words.  

Seeing her confusion, Leonardo gently stroked her fingers and smiled softly.  

“Then, I can stand proudly by your side.”  

Grace snapped out of her daze at Leonardo’s words after only a brief moment.  

Perhaps it was because he kept stroking her hand, but his words grew clearer and clearer in her mind.  

“…You said you’d inherit your Master’s Mage Tower.”  

Grace knew her voice was trembling terribly, but she couldn’t even think to calm herself as she gripped his hand tightly.  

Leonardo gently soothed her, who was holding on so tightly it almost hurt, and replied,  

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”  

“B-but—”  

“Inheriting my Master’s Mage Tower would simply be the easier route. But I want to carve a new chapter into history.”  

He made it sound like it was a simple task, but Grace knew better.  

Pioneering a path no one else had walked could never be easy or comfortable.  

And yet, he was saying he would do it.  

‘Because of me.’  

As Grace’s eyes trembled uncontrollably, Leonardo smiled softly and said,  

“It’s not because of you, Grace. Through this experience, I’ve come to truly understand how important talent from various fields is.”  

At his words, Grace squeezed her eyes shut.  

She looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment. Leonardo gently stroked her back to calm her and continued speaking.  

“Until now, we’ve ignored each other, disparaged each other’s abilities, and refused to acknowledge one another.”  

“…That’s true.”  

“But there always comes a moment when we must rely on others for help.”  

Leonardo added with a smile, “Like now.”  

Listening quietly to his words, Grace sighed and reached out to hug his waist.  

The path he had chosen to walk would be anything but smooth.  

“Why not just ask for help?”  

“You know just as well as I do that that’s not the current atmosphere.”  

At Leonardo’s words, Grace tightened her arms around him.  

All the traditions they had maintained and the sharp gazes of others would weigh heavily on him.  

And yet, he was saying he would walk that path. Perhaps, because of her.  

Hearing that made her feel overwhelmed, and she buried her face in his chest, whispering softly,  

“It will be difficult.”  

“I like difficult things.”  

“Is that… because of me?”  

Her bold question, as though there were no other choice, made Leonardo laugh as he rested his head on hers.  

“Isn’t that a bit overconfident?”  

“Leo.”  

When Grace called his name in a firm voice, Leonardo let out a soft chuckle.  

He gently pulled her away and looked at her tear-streaked face before saying,  

“The Goddess sure has a lot of tears.”  

“Don’t joke around.”  

Even at a moment like this, he was joking. Grace glared at him through her tears, and Leonardo wiped them away with his hand before kissing her eyelids.  

Seeing her gaze filled with unmistakable affection, Grace asked,  

“Leo. Leonardo Fernandez. Do you really… like me?” 

Leonardo could tell from her expression that she wasn’t asking because she didn’t know, but because she wanted confirmation.  

Smiling, he wiped away another tear rolling down her cheek and replied,  

“You know better than anyone how I treat people I dislike, don’t you?”  

He was indirectly referring to how things had been between them in the past. Grace stared at him for a long moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.  

Though her action was sudden, Leonardo welcomed it wholeheartedly, savoring her kiss.  

He sucked deeply on her tongue, lightly bit her lips, and ended with a soft kiss. Then, as if it hadn’t happened, he slid his tongue between her teeth again and licked her even rows of teeth.  

As the kiss grew deeper and rougher, Grace, out of breath, pulled away, gasping.  

“You really don’t know when to stop.”  

Grace muttered, slightly backing away, and Leonardo burst into laughter.  

Reaching out to wipe her saliva-slick lips, he said,  

“How could I know when to stop? The more I touch you, the deeper I want to go.”  

At his words, Grace bit her lip lightly.  

She could feel her emotions for Leonardo growing so much that they were overflowing.  

Taking a deep breath, she decided she couldn’t hold back anymore.  

“I was eight years old. It was the first time I went to the Imperial Palace with my father, and it was also the first time I saw a boy prettier than me.”  

Leonardo tilted his head at her words. He couldn’t recall the day Grace was talking about.  

Seeing his reaction, Grace chuckled softly.  

“You don’t remember, do you? Do you know what you said to me back then?”  

Leonardo shook his head. Nothing came to mind.  

“‘What are you looking at, ugly.’”  

Grace mimicked his expression as she spoke, and Leonardo flinched.  

The moment she said that, a memory flashed in his mind.  

Stammering slightly, he tried to explain,  

“Well, back then, you were a little… very…”  

“Different, right? I had just recovered from chickenpox back then.”  

No matter how hard the maids tried, they couldn’t stop her face from being covered in scabs.  

Grace knew her face was a mess, but after being cooped up for days, she was bored out of her mind.  

As soon as the royal physician assured her that she could go outside and that her face would heal without scars with proper care, she begged her father to take her to the Imperial Palace.  

“When I first saw you in the rose garden, I thought you were a fairy.”  

Among all the fascinating and new sights in the Imperial Palace, the most beautiful thing was a boy.  

He was clearly there with his father, just like Grace. The boy wore a mage’s robe, and his shimmering golden hair sparkled in the sunlight. Grace stared at him, entranced, until their eyes met, and then she heard those words.  

“In that moment, I was furious. Who were you to call me ugly?”  

So, she ran up to him, grabbed his sparkling golden hair with both hands, and yanked it with all her might.  

Leonardo shuddered involuntarily as the vivid memory resurfaced.