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“What? What? Is that so?”

“…….”

Am I a bit of a pervert? Why do I enjoy seeing Roan flustered?

…I don’t know, I guess I’ll just have to live with it.

“Ah, so Roan is really interested in me? That’s why…”

Roan, who had been flustered, seemed to have calmed down and was now quietly listening to me. Hmm.

Why is he just standing there like a statue? …Sorry, my dear husband, I had a terrible thought.

While I was wallowing in guilt over my bad joke, Roan suddenly grabbed my wrist, gently but firmly pulling me towards him.

Our gazes locked in midair. There was no trace of humor in Roan’s eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed it to this point. Moderation is key, after all.

Looking directly into my eyes, he spoke calmly.

“That’s right.”

Thud. His low voice hit me like a hammer, making my heart sink.

“But it seems like you aren’t.”

“…That’s not true.”

I am very interested, actually.

“How can you know so much about me but be clueless about other things?”

“About what?”

Instead of answering, Roan’s lips brushed my cheek and then moved away.

“About how you did something so cute and then ran away.”

“Cute…?”

I can’t believe Roan can say that. Did he learn it from when I teased Sophia? They say couples start to resemble each other.

“That was quite adorable too.”

Roan lowered his long eyelashes and started laughing softly.

Adorable…? It felt like getting hit with back-to-back critical hits in an RPG game.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

I stared at him with my mouth slightly open, unable to speak. I didn’t know what to say.

After an awkward moment, I just wrapped my arms around his waist. Somehow, hearing so many new things from him left me flustered. Cute… what an unexpected word. Sorry, Sophia, I get it now.

My previously cooled cheek started heating up again. Trying to cool off, I turned my head away, pretending to enjoy the cold breeze while still holding him.

“Ahaha, the breeze feels nice.”

It was obvious I was trying to change the subject, but I couldn’t think of a better way to transition.

Then, I remembered something I wanted to tell Roan. I pulled away from his embrace.

“Oh, Roan! Did I tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I can read Lena. Do you remember when I first met the fairies? I understood all their languages then. The same ability works with Lena too.”

Roan’s expression changed slightly as he listened. It seemed he was quite surprised by this revelation.

“Are you saying you understand Lena without learning it?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why that is?”

“I’m not sure.”

I suspect it’s some sort of buff, but I don’t know for certain. I can’t exactly tell him it’s a possession buff.

“Does he not know either?”

“Who?”

“The one teaching you now.”

“Oh, the prince? He doesn’t seem to know either. He just said I might be a genius.”

Talking about this in front of a real genius made me feel a bit prickly inside.

But it’s not like I’m making this up, so I have no reason to feel guilty, right? Sure, my language scores in my past life’s school days were pretty low, but… still, it might be a possession buff.

“I see.”

Roan accepted it surprisingly naturally, which caught me off guard.

“Are the lessons manageable?”

“Haha. Yes. Though I hate to admit it, the prince explains things in a way that’s easy to understand. He does lean towards encouraging self-directed learning, though. Oh, and I should call him master, right?”

“Master?”

Roan’s expression darkened slightly, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard.

“He asked to be treated as a master. He wanted me to call him when we’re not in an official setting, whether he’s present or not.”

It still didn’t feel natural. Despite my efforts after Jafflin’s tearful confession during the last lesson, it would take time to call him that naturally.

“So you accepted?”

His gaze seemed to gather all the seriousness floating in the air. Why does he get serious about strange things? I answered honestly.

“Yes. It didn’t seem like a bad idea.”

Roan was silent for a moment before speaking.

“That’s an interesting title.”

He said this with a face that looked anything but amused, which felt quite odd.

“Haha, right? Anyway, I really need to learn magic quickly. These days, I’m starting to doubt whether mana really exists. And the fact that the prince, I mean, Master said I have a talent for it. No, it’s probably just my lack of willpower.”

“…He’s not one to lie.”

“True, he can be a bit annoying, but… he doesn’t seem like a bad person.”

“Indeed, you chose well.”

“Sometimes he does seem very teacher-like.”

“…….”

“Why do you look like that?”

Roan’s intense gaze made me stop talking.

“You seem to have gotten quite close to the second prince.”

“Huh? Me?”

“You’ve been talking about him a lot today.”

There was a subtle hint of bitterness in his slightly tilted head.

“Have I?”

My muttering was met with Roan’s firm response.

“You have.”

“Well, I guess I’ve learned not to judge by first impressions… But wait, you were the one who asked about my teacher first, Roan.”

Why is he being so prickly after asking about him? I blinked in confusion.

Roan seemed like he wanted to say more, but then he closed his mouth tightly.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I thought I heard a faint sigh near my ear.

“My Dear.”

“Yes?”

“I have something to tell you.”

His voice was lower than before, sounding serious.

“What is it?”

Seeing his serious expression made me serious too.

“I might have to go to the front soon.”

“…What?!”

For a few seconds, I couldn’t comprehend what I heard, then I shouted.

“This soon?”

Given the flow of seasons, it was definitely earlier than the time for war in the original story.

“…Yes. I wanted to avoid it if possible, but it seems unavoidable. Even if not now, it would have happened eventually. Your previous guess was very helpful.”

“If you’re referring to my guess about…”

“We found evidence that the barbarians and the Carlin Kingdom have allied. They probably don’t know we discovered their alliance yet. We’ll strike before they complete their preparations.”

“Unbelievable…”

The unexpected news left me stunned. A war… I knew it was something that would happen eventually, but it felt so sudden now that it was actually approaching. There’s a big difference between vaguely expecting a situation and it actually happening.

“…But we should be more wary of the inside than the outside.”

Roan’s eyes still held a low, shadowed look.

“Threats aren’t just external.”

The noble faction. He realized they were involved. My earlier conversation with Cameron and Roan was just a guess that the barbarians and the kingdom might have allied.

I couldn’t reveal everything I knew, or I’d be suspected. But now, looking back, I think I always trusted that he would figure it all out.

“If it weren’t for you, we would have suffered significant losses.”

“…No, I just made a guess.”

I started to reflexively deny it, but then I stopped. In the original story, most of the Imperial Army was wiped out, and Roan sustained a crippling injury. It was undeniable that significant damage would have been done.

“No, truly, I am grateful. …I’m glad you’re here.”

Roan’s voice was devoid of any laughter, full of sincerity. His straightforward praise made me feel embarrassed.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories