Brown? Gold? It was hard to say they were human eyes. The menacing glow and vertically condensed pupils all indicated they were not human. There was a reason Siegfried’s golden eyes were a source of fear and awe among people. A pure gold that humans could not possess. Pupils closer to those of a beast.

But the eyes in front of her now were nothing in comparison. The pupils, constantly contracting and dilating, made her body shiver just by looking at them. It sounds foolish, but she felt as if she could hear the beating of her heart just from those eyes. The person in front of her was in a highly excited state.

“… Ma…”

She couldn’t get her voice out, as if her vocal cords were choked by fear. Her body stiffened involuntarily. Amelia covered her mouth with both hands and swallowed her breath.

“Huh…”

She tried her best not to make a sound, but a moan slipped through her fingers. However, she couldn’t just stand there silently. Holding back her scream was all she could do. Who exactly is this person in front of her? It didn’t seem like the master she knew.

Unknown black patterns floated above his face. Pupils glowing a bluish color that couldn’t be precisely defined. If he hadn’t had the same brown hair as the Master, she would have turned around and run away immediately.

“…”

Rough breaths. It was exactly like when an animal gets excited. Amelia covered her mouth as much as possible so as not to make a sound. Not to make even a slight noise might provoke him. Her instinct was telling her that the person in front of her was the Master.

When she thought about it, there were many strange things. His outstanding magical skills and unrealistic abilities. They were all hints. Not human. He wasn’t human. That’s why she always felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

“…How did you come here?”

“…”

Fortunately, it seemed that he had calmed down a bit. His pupils had contracted less than before, and her shoulders, which had been stiff, relaxed. The unknown patterns and changed eye colors remained…

“Amelia.”

Was this person really the master? His brown hair seemed to confirm it…

“Ma… Master.”

She didn’t know why it felt necessary. It wasn’t a thought-out action. Her hand reached out involuntarily… Yes, it was an instinctual movement. Like putting one’s hand into a lion’s cage, knowing it was foolish.

“…”

She touched the cheek where strange patterns floated with her hand. Somehow, it seemed like he looked distressed. She was startled by the heat at her fingertips but couldn’t pull away due to the desperate grasp of his hand.

It seemed like her hand was the only oasis for him. She was unable to retract it because of how desperately he clutched it.

“I… Just a moment…”

She wanted to ask him to hold her hand gently… But could he even understand her? The way he clung to her as if she were his lifeline, made her feel strangely emotional. It wasn’t just holding hands. The pitiful look in his eyes made it impossible for her to meet his gaze, so she turned away.

It was just… She couldn’t pass by someone who’s in trouble without helping them. There was no other meaning to it. But why did it feel like her cheeks were also heating up? She didn’t need a mirror to know that her cheeks were flushed.

“…”

How long had they been like that? The patterns floating on his skin gradually disappeared, and the heat that felt like it would burn her cooled down. The Master stood in front of her as he originally was, as if everything that had happened was a lie, looking completely normal.

But the heavy breathing remained the same.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

***

It’s been a while, Your Highness? I couldn’t help but chuckle at the greeting he so casually offered amidst this chaos. It seemed like an attempt to cover up the recent events. He was always like this. Trying to change the subject, as if nothing had happened.

“Could you let go of my hand if you’re back to your senses?”

The Master still had a tight grip on her hand. It was fortunate that no one else was around. They could have easily misunderstood the situation. She only intended to show kindness to someone in pain. There was no other reason.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

It was hard to say anything to someone who was still out of it… It seemed he wasn’t completely back to normal yet. His breathing had calmed down, and his unusual eyes were proof of that. His normally cloudy brown eyes changed to a brown hue with a bluish glow.

Was that really the true appearance of the Master?

“I’ve been terribly rude.”

“……”

I shouldn’t be fooled by his returning demeanor and appearance. The master was not human.

“That appearance just now…”

What was that about? What happened? I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t. The thought of receiving an answer that he truly wasn’t human was too much to bear… So I just bit my lip and glared at him. The secret was too frightening to confront.

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“……”

“It’s just a chronic illness.”

You don’t need to worry about it. It’s just a chronic illness? That wasn’t enough to explain what I saw earlier. Even someone unfamiliar with this world like me knew something was off. It definitely wasn’t normal.

“That’s not what it is.”

A normal human couldn’t transform like that. A monster. That was the only word that came to mind. A body temperature different from humans. Unknown patterns covering the skin.

At her words, the master’s expression stiffened, and Amelia flinched.

“Are you sure?”

“What… what do you mean?”

I couldn’t understand what he was asking. More than anything, I needed somewhere else to look since the Master’s face got closer. I wished he would return to his blurry face. It seemed like he purposely maintained that appearance for a reason.

The real face of the Master was too intense and somewhat inhuman to face directly.

“Are you sure you can handle the truth?”

I didn’t have the confidence to handle the truth.

“My identity shouldn’t matter to Your Highness, anyway, right?”

“……”

“Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.”

That was true. Regardless of the Master’s identity, it wasn’t highly relevant to her. Their relationship was merely that of business partners. But why did I feel so unpleasant? Even more so, that phrase was something she had said to Raphael.

Now I understand why he was upset when he heard it. It felt much worse than I thought.

“But how did you get here?”

“Howard guided me.”

“If it’s not your first time, you shouldn’t be able to connect…”

Amelia frowned at the Master’s words, who now seemed to doubt her presence. Was he implying that she forced her way here? Especially since she knew nothing about magic.

“I should go now.”

There was a reason she came here, but with the Master in such a state, she couldn’t discuss it further. Who knows when he might change again…

“Wait, just a moment.”

“What… are you doing?”

His action of pushing her shoulder down to sit again made her furrow her brows. She declined a repeat of the earlier events.

“Weren’t you here because you had business with me?”

“……I’ll come back another time.”

Her tone was full of disappointment. Was he acting this way because he wouldn’t reveal the truth now? Or because ignorance is bliss? Either way, this wasn’t a good situation. There was no reason for her to feel disappointed with the Master.

“There might not be a next time.”

There might not be a next time? Amelia looked up at the Master. He seemed much calmer now, returning to his usual blurry appearance. His eyes were the same, reflecting her in their ambiguous brown color.

“What do you mean there won’t be a next time.”

“I might disappear at any time.”

There was a playfulness to the Master’s shrug. It was something that couldn’t just be laughed off and ignored.

“Don’t go.”

Stay by my side.