And on his chest was the artifact brooch Adelia had given him as a gift. He had pinned it to his chest where it would be most noticeable, as if showing it off. The red brooch harmonized well with the blue cape.

“Wow…… It really suits you.”

Though dark colors suited Lucian well, Adelia thought light colors suited him even better.

In Adelia’s eyes, no man sparkled like Lucian. Unlike his scary and blunt impression, his actions were careful and gentle. If he wasn’t light, what was he?

“Next time, clothes with deep red accents would look great too. Navy suits you well, but I prefer red—it complements Your Highness’s eyes beautifully.”

“Is that so? I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lucian imagined himself in a uniform blending white and red. Of course, beside him was Adelia in a red dress.

Unlike the current Adelia who only wore bright and plain colored dresses, she looked beautiful in dark-colored dresses too.

Lucian approached her, thinking he wanted to have her clothes made together while having his own made.

“Are you ready for the banquet?”

“I had the dress altered briefly. My measurements increased from having meals often with Your Highness lately.”

“That’s good. You need to eat a bit more. Health is important after all.”

Lucian spoke with a satisfied tone when Adelia mentioned the increased measurements.

Though it was strange to worry about a white mage’s health in itself, it was different when that white mage was Adelia who buried herself in work without taking care of herself.

Adelia was someone who didn’t even know that her face turned red when she’s overworked or tired more than usual, or that her eyes became bloodshot when exposed to particularly harsh summer sunlight.

Only a few of her closest maids, Lucian who always watched her, and Ariana who spent time with her frequently, knew these facts.

“How much did you sleep today?”

“Um…… About three hours?”

Adelia smiled awkwardly, tilting her head slightly while holding up three fingers.

Her sleep time had decreased lately due to various overlapping tasks. She had also pushed herself to handle work quickly.

“Does it show that I haven’t slept?”

“…… No, it doesn’t.”

“If you’re going to lie, at least pretend that you’re telling the truth.”

Adelia grumbled seeing Lucian answer while looking elsewhere.

She approached the mirror with a pouty face. Though her face was beautiful as usual, looking closely, her eyes were slightly reddened.

‘It wasn’t noticeable from far away so I didn’t realize earlier…… Should I fix this?’

Though she couldn’t eliminate fatigue, she could erase traces of it.

The problem was that it would require using white magic, which she was trying to minimize using for today’s work.

As Adelia contemplated while looking in the mirror, Lucian approached from behind.

“If you rest your eyes for a moment, you’ll recover quickly.  There’s still some time left before the banquet, so try closing your eyes, even if just for a little while.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“That guy is making sense for once. You need some sleep, Master”

“Ah, the Guardian of Light was here too.”

Lucian indifferently gave a brief show of interest. After throwing a quick glance at Kai, he looked back at Adelia.

Kai walked to Adelia’s feet, ignoring Lucian as if he was sick of him.

“His appearance is exactly like that guy’s.”

Kai, who knew the private life of the first emperor that wasn’t even in history, saw the first emperor in Lucian’s appearance.

A man who established an empire with the will to create a better world for his beloved wife and child. It seemed his blind love was being passed down through his blood.

“Go get some sleep like he said. You need to be in good shape for things to work out well.”

“I agree. For once, the Guardian of Light is speaking sense.”

Lucian paid back Kai’s sarcasm in kind. Kai glared at him, but Lucian was only looking at Adelia.

Lucian placed his hand on Adelia’s shoulder. He carefully gripped her shoulder and lowered his head.

“I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep. When it’s time, I’ll come back to wake you up, so please rest.”

“Yes, sleep well, Master.”

Kai nudged Adelia’s leg with his nose. Lucian also carefully guided her body toward the bed.

Adelia nodded as she sat on the bed, led by their hands as if she had no choice.

“Alright. I’ll sleep for a bit then…… Your Highness, please leave now.”

“I’ll leave after I see you fall asleep.”

“Um…… Why?”

“Because I’m displeased with both you and the Guardian of Light for neglecting your health until your eyes turned red. Don’t worry about it and just sleep.”

Lucian gazed at Adelia with straightforward eyes, as if he was only concerned about her health without any ulterior motives.

Seeing him even pull back the blanket on the bed, Adelia gave in.

Adelia crawled into bed reluctantly. Since she wore comfortable, light indoor clothes, lying down wasn’t uncomfortable.

“Sleep well.”

Lucian spoke in a low voice. His usual deep and calm voice calmed her troubled mind.

As the crashing waves turned into a gently flowing stream, sleep overcame her instantly.

Adelia blinked slowly. Her blue eyes gradually disappeared.

“Thank…… you.”

With that small mumble, Adelia fell into a deep sleep. The last thing she saw was Lucian’s face looking at her.

He had an expression as if he was looking at something incredibly lovable and precious. More gentle and tender than when he looked at Ariana…… An expression that couldn’t be fully described in words.

Adelia thought she must have seen wrong in her drowsy state. His expression, which she had never even read about, felt like a brief dream.

‘Still…… I’ll have good dreams.’

A faint smile spread across Adelia’s sleeping face.

Having seen something pleasant before falling asleep, her dreams were more peaceful and happy than ever before.

Lucian gazed at Adelia’s sleeping face. Her tightly closed eyes, small mouth breathing evenly, and happy smile—it was more beautiful than any work of art.

He took in the sight persistently, like someone who wanted to preserve it forever.

“Sweet dreams, Adelia.”

Lucian carefully lifted Adelia’s sleeping hand. Thanks to his slow movements, as if he was handling something extremely precious, Adelia remained peaceful.

He kissed the back of her hand. It was slightly longer than a greeting kiss, but too short to fully reveal his desire.

“You’ve changed since I last saw you. Do humans always change in an instant?”

Kai shook his head at the sight.

Lucian, who had been controlling his emotions until Adelia fell asleep, displayed his feelings unreservedly as soon as she drifted off.

From love that felt blindly devoted to the quiet obsession lurking beneath it.

His emotions were so blatant that they made Kai cringe.

“That’s human emotion. Humans can fall in love in an instant and become foolish enough to sacrifice everything.”

“If you like Master that much, why hide it from her?”

“…… Because I’m not ready yet. You don’t need to understand. This is a human matter.”

“Your feelings are none of my business. But if Master suffers because of you, I won’t stand by and watch.”

“Ha. If Adelia suffers because of me, I’d rather disappear myself.”

Lucian spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on Adelia. He whispered very quietly so as not to wake her.

After carefully covering Adelia with the blanket, Lucian remained motionless in his spot.

“You said you’d leave when Master fell asleep, but you had no intention of doing so.”

“I can’t be this clingy in front of her. I’m just watching for a little while. Just a little……”

Kai kept muttering about it being severe before suddenly leaving the room.

Though he didn’t understand other things, he figured it would be fine to leave her with someone who cherished his master so dearly, if only for a moment.

“Master will be the one suffering.”

Kai, who shared a connection with Adelia, expressed his concerns about his master from a distant room. Knowing her goals, plans, and past that no one else knew except for her and himself, Kai couldn’t support Lucian.

Because if Lucian expressed his love to Adelia, the person who would suffer most would be his master.

* * *

In a pitch-black space, Adelia stands at a point where direction and location cannot be determined.  

The silent, empty space could evoke fear, but Adelia feels nothing at all.

“Where is this?”

The brief question was interrupted by a presence felt from somewhere.

Larger than Ariana’s presence, but lighter than the maids’. A presence that’s somehow both familiar and strange.

Adelia slowly turned around. She was surprised when she looked where the presence was coming from.

“You……”

Adelia’s voice trembled. Her eyes widened, and her breathing quickened. She was terribly flustered, like someone who had seen something they shouldn’t have.

“Adelia.”

There stood someone familiar yet unfamiliar.

The real Adelia.