So he would be wary, then finally open his heart, go a bit further to completely depend on them, then be betrayed.

Just like what happened to Spica.

The moment he started fleeing, Lepus had stepped onto an endless treadmill. Escaping from betrayal, trusting no one, then trusting someone who saved him, and being betrayed again.

“Keep saving him so he can’t even take his own life.”

“Yes. Until he crawls into government offices to turn himself in.”

“Then he’ll finally stand before the high judge he so wanted to become.”

Even after graduating from the Academy’s law department, it was very rare for a newcomer to enter the judiciary immediately. Usually they became circuit judges, traveling around the Empire from cities to remote mountainous areas for about ten years.

Viscount Atrain had still gathered connections calling him a future son-in-law and pulled Lepus out of there.

“Sucking up all the sweet benefits and then service……”

Alkaid chuckled.

Lepus would eventually want the death penalty, but the path there wouldn’t be easy either. Even judges wouldn’t believe the words of someone who had become half-mad.

‘Spica must have entered the imperial palace with the Crown Prince.’

Thinking that made him not want to go home.

His heart wanted to immediately storm the imperial palace and reclaim Spica, but the carriage carrying Alkaid and Megrez headed toward the mansion.

There were piles of work to do. When Alkaid returned to the mansion, the butler cheerfully handed over the accumulated tasks.

‘I went there every day to handle things, so what work could there be.’

When he said that, the butler lay flat and whined that there was nothing he could do without the mistress. Sometimes he wondered if his eyes didn’t work on Megrez or the butler.

“……Why, why are you doing that?”

When he stared intently, Megrez asked restlessly.

“Nothing.”

Alkaid withdrew his gaze. There was no way they didn’t work.

The Crown Prince’s private land receded behind the carriage. Then they passed through residential areas packed with pointed-roof houses, and after riding a bit more, it would be Winterhold’s mansion.

The familiar gatekeeper tipped his hat in greeting. Inside the gate, a forest-like path continued.

The carriage gradually slowed down. The mansion was ahead.

Then the front door opened wide and someone ran out. Alkaid, who had been forcing himself to sit in the carriage, jumped up when he saw her.

“Y-Young Duke?”

Megrez called out wondering why he was acting like that again, but Alkaid had already opened the door of the moving carriage and jumped out.

Holding Spica and burying his face in her smooth wheat-colored hair, he finally felt like he had come home.

“How can you jump out when the carriage hasn’t even stopped? Everyone was surprised.”

He liked Spica scolding him too. No, he was grateful just to hear her bright voice.

Only then did Alkaid realize he had been worrying about Spica. He had believed she would naturally succeed and had thoroughly planned strategies, but his worrying heart was separate from that.

“……Weren’t you supposed to escort His Highness into the castle?”

“No, His Highness said we’ll go to a potion restaurant. I declined and came back. I wanted to see you quickly, Alkaid.”

“Me.”

“Yes. Because it’s a happy day.”

His heart felt so full it seemed stuck in his throat. Spica fluttered a letter at Alkaid who couldn’t say anything.

“Then guess what news was waiting? That child, the one I saved, they found his parents!”

“……Won’t you tell me your story?”

“What story?”

“How the duel went.”

Spica giggled.

“You want me to show off in front of a Sword Master?”

“It’s not showing off, just stating facts.”

“I came back with all my limbs intact and I’m smiling like this, so you know everything.”

Still, he wanted to hear each moment from Spica’s mouth. Because Alkaid himself hadn’t seen it directly.

Spica’s smile grew softer and softer. Though she didn’t say it in words, she could feel Alkaid was disappointed. Like a puppy with its tail drooping.

‘Does anyone else know this person can be this cute?’

Spica knew the answer. Even if there were a few people who didn’t feel fear from Alkaid, she was the only one who would find him cute. That felt thrillingly good.

Spica rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Alkaid.”

Touch, soft lips briefly met and parted. Alkaid, for whom that wasn’t enough, felt thirsty and asked.

“That just now, was that praise for doing well?”

“It was a sign of gratitude?”

“……”

“Come to think of it, it was praise.”

“……Then praise me more.”

His stealing her lips was faster than Spica giving permission.

Alkaid firmly supported the back of her head and tasted the warm, soft inside of her mouth to his heart’s content.

Spica also clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Each time his hot tongue explored the inside of her cheek and grazed her palate, she felt increasingly weightless. Every time she sucked his tongue or explored the root of his tongue with her tip, the low rumbling sound from his throat created heat from her lower abdomen that spread throughout her body.

‘Ah, good……’

Whether from the relief of her heart’s knot being untied, pleasure was rising rapidly.

She felt like she might press her thighs together and rub them, but something hard kept poking her lower abdomen. Spica had tried to ignore it at first, but when it seemed to gradually rise upward, she finally pulled her lips away.

“W…… wait a moment. What’s here……”

Spica, who had been groping around her lower abdomen with her hand saying “what,” froze just like that.

This couldn’t possibly be what I’m thinking.

“Uh……?”

She glanced down but what she had imagined in her thoughts only became reality.

Herself with her hand on Alkaid’s bulging pants.

‘Should I…… remove my hand? Is that it?’

Naturally, she should pull her hand away and apologize out of courtesy.

But perhaps because her head had gone blank from the unexpected perverted act, far from removing her hand, more strength went into it.

Haa, hearing the sighing moan from above her head, Spica ended up making a tearful face.

“We only kissed but why did it get big…… No, why does it keep getting bigger?”

“……If you stimulate it, it’ll get bigger.”

“Aaah!”

Spica fled in horror. It was because her recent night with Alkaid had been too intense. She didn’t want to end her exhausting day by crying and fainting from feeling overwhelmed.

“……Ha.”

He was left alone in an instant. Alkaid let out a hollow laugh.

* * *

The next day.

Spica, who had been hovering around Alkaid since morning, asked slyly.

“Are you sulking?”

“……No.”

“So you’re not sulking.”

Spica narrowed her eyes and poked Alkaid’s cheek.

Instead of warm, soft texture, cold metal blocked her finger.

“But why are you wearing a helmet?”

“Just. I wanted to wear it after a long time.”

“I want to see your face.”

Alkaid cleared his throat and covered his helmet with the newspaper he had spread out. Spica glanced at the newspaper that had been on the same page for several minutes and sat across from him.

“Then can I ask about this?”

“……What?”

“Why did you choose a helmet in the first place? If you wanted to hide your face, there are many other things like masks or face coverings.”

To tell the truth now, Alkaid had actually prepared an ordinary mask.

But that damn…… no, that Crown Prince who liked to rampage said it looked interesting and ran off with the mask, which was the beginning of the disaster.

‘Right after the Crown Prince left, Spica came to work.’

Spica, who usually arrived a bit earlier than the set time, had arrived 30 minutes early that day because it was her first day……

Alkaid squeezed his eyes shut. He seemed to hear again the loud clanging crash when he pulled out the helmet that caught his eye and the full plate mail collapsed with a tremendous clatter.

He couldn’t honestly confess this episode to Spica.

“I suppose I was…… used to it.”

“The helmet?”

“I’m a knight. But Spica. Aren’t you going to prepare to go out?”

“Look at you changing the subject.”

Spica glared sharply, but the helmet deflected that gaze like a second skin. Alkaid, having regained his composure, called for a maid.

“Bring clothes for the young lady.”

“Which ones shall I bring?”

“Sky blue. With lace trim overall.”

Watching their conversation, Spica rested her chin on her hand and tapped her cheek.

Come to think of it, this mansion had a suspiciously large amount of women’s clothing. That is, clothes suitable for someone Spica’s age, and in sizes that fit her body perfectly.

She hadn’t noticed at first because there had been so many various incidents, but there was a wide variety from nightgowns to underwear.

‘It’s not like they brought my luggage from Mrs. Hudson’s house.’

It was also strange how when Alkaid asked for certain clothes, the servants would pick them out and bring them efficiently. Did men usually know women’s clothing that well?

The more she thought about it, the more puzzled she became. Spica finally stopped the maid who was about to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Could you bring everything? There seem to be quite a few clothes I could wear.”

What? The maid asked back in surprise. She tried to gauge Alkaid’s reaction, then trembled and bowed her head deeply.

Spica slowly waved her hand for her to calm down.

“I’m curious about what’s there too. I can’t ask the Commander every time I want to change clothes.”

“That, that’s……”

“There are too many to drag over.”

Alkaid sighed and stood up. He had wanted to delay Spica discovering that space as much as possible, but he had expected she would notice something strange soon.

He extended his arm.