‘What am I supposed to do now?’

That question followed Vincent now.

Even though the enrollment he had so desired was confirmed, the emotion of joy never came to him.

Yes. Today too, the start of the day was colorless.

Vincent had kept thinking even as he went to submit his enrollment documents. Was there truly no more light in the world?

What would change by going to the academy? Had he been born into this world to be despised?

If the title of being from the Rogato family were stripped away, was there anywhere that would want him?

In truth, perhaps he should never have been born into this world.

It was at that moment. The world suddenly shone brightly.

Right after submitting the documents, color suddenly appeared in the grey landscape. Vincent walked slowly toward that color as though entranced.

Each and every step trembled. It felt as though his legs would not obey him. He could not count how many times he had held back the tears that threatened to pour out.

How long had he walked?

Vincent had finally arrived at the source of the light.

A red-haired woman looking around with a bewildered face. Vincent could tell at a glance. That Adele had returned.

And right now she was moving vividly right before him.

It was not imagination but reality. The behavior of swinging her fist without warning at a stranger was Adele through and through.

From childhood, Adele had always enjoyed darting here and there while swinging her small fists.

Vincent smiled from the heart for the first time in fourteen years.

This moment was precisely what he had dreamed of for so long.

Now that the person he had longed for had appeared and the world had found its light and color again, he had thought everything was perfect……

Adele groaned and deliberated over Vincent’s question about who she liked, then suddenly put on a serious expression and said.

“Vincent. That is not what is important. Do not be curious about it.”

Her words stabbed into his chest like a blade. To suddenly appear and say she had someone she liked.

He himself had never once thought of anyone other than Adele all this time.

His heart beat abnormally fast and he grew short of breath.

‘Was the reason you did not appear all this time because of that person? Did you not think of me at all?’

Countless questions floated through his mind.

But he had no choice but to swallow them. He wanted to show only his good side to Adele, whom he had barely managed to meet again. It seemed he had already failed at that.

After a long while, the words that came out of Vincent’s mouth with great difficulty were something he himself found pathetic.

“Why? How? Tell me. Who is it?”

He was aware that his voice was trembling. Would she be put off by seeing him like this the moment they met and run away?

Perhaps she might curse at him like the duke and send him a look of contempt.

She might grow tired of him this very moment and disappear forever.

As Vincent’s despair reached its peak, the corners of his lips trembled on their own from the tension.

He wanted to take back the question he had just asked. The long sigh Adele let out slashed his heart to pieces.

‘She is going to run away again.’

How could he keep Adele from leaving?

Should he find a weakness to hold over her? But was she even someone who had weaknesses? Or should he break her legs? But could he actually do that? Where could he confine her right now? With that stamina of hers, would she not escape immediately?

Just as a storm of thoughts was swirling through him, Adele, wearing an adorably determined expression with eyes full of resolve, murmured to herself.

“I knew it, this won’t do. For the sake of connections…… no, world domination…… no, world peace, I need to enroll in the Academy too. I have to stay by your side.”

Seeing her like that, the raging storm of thoughts came to a halt, and a small smile crept onto Vincent’s lips. Right. It doesn’t matter who the other person is. Adele had said she wished happiness for that person.

‘Just as you are my happiness, I must be yours.’

Adele, with no idea what was going through Vincent’s mind, spoke seriously about her plan.

“I do need a status after all. Noble if possible. The family name will be Grey.”

Vincent nodded. Whatever she asked for.

Adele was greatly pleased by Vincent’s agreement.

She had been worried about what to do, waking up to find herself penniless again……

Ah, no. She had not been worried about being penniless. She had been worried because she had gone to such lengths to properly tame the villain, only for the time to have been too short for the effect to be good.

To think he had already met the female protagonist Layla, completely outside the range of her expectations. So she had to start taming him again from close by.

Adele rationalized her thoughts in that way.

Good. Self-hypnosis complete. Adele snapped open the eyes she had closed. Before her, the tall financier…… no, Vincent, was looking at her.

Now the most important thing remained.

“So, do you have any money?”

She was not a thug. Absolutely not. Telling herself that over and over.

It had been as many as fourteen years ago, so she was not sure whether Vincent would remember, but Adele had certainly received a promise. They had even written a contract.

I, Vincent Rogato, hereby sign my commitment to diligently save money and create a noble title for Adele!

That contract written in crooked, uneven letters. Where on earth could it be now? Since the sorcerer had even served as a notary, Vincent had no way out of helping Adele.

While she was wondering how to go about finding the contract, Vincent fortunately brought it up first.

“The contract did not specify how much needed to be saved, so I went ahead and set aside everything, tuition and the cost of purchasing a title, all of it.”

How admirable! It seemed possible because nobles had their food, clothing, and shelter taken care of even without pocket money.

To think he had maintained such steadfast loyalty all this time, with no telling when she would ever appear. For Adele, it was nothing short of moving.

When Adele showed visible delight, Vincent smiled bashfully, seemingly embarrassed.

It had not been saved with the hope of giving it to her someday. It had simply been one of the ways he kept remembering Adele.

And yet it had come to bring such great happiness. The fact that he had made her happy the very moment he met her again was something he could not contain his joy over.

“Let us prepare for academy enrollment right away. I will make sure you can enroll on the same day as me.”

“Sounds good, sounds good.”

“I think the dormitory room right next to mine would be best. What do you think?”

This fellow, his head is completely filled with thoughts of training day and night. But that will not do.

Adele shook her head with a still-satisfied expression.

“You, you do not want to?”

“It is impossible since men and women’s dormitories are separate. That is the standard, is it not?”

Vincent’s expression momentarily turned fierce. He felt like marching straight to whoever was responsible and protesting that such a ridiculous rule had no place in the world.

But thinking about it differently, he did not want strange men approaching her. Just the thought of it made him shudder, so this was a time for him to hold back.

Now then, only the most important matter remained.

“So where does one go to purchase a title?”

Vincent answered Adele’s question in a noticeably reluctant voice.

“There is…… one person.”

Unlike Vincent’s indifferent expression, Adele beamed and shook his arm. The flustered Vincent twisted his body trying to hide his face, which had gone red all the way to his ears.

Adele, interpreting that strange movement as directions, nodded and said.

“Good. Lead the way. Whether it is a back alley or a black market, I will follow anywhere. But since you are a noble, you will need to conceal your appearance.”

If word got out that a noble had been seen snooping around suspicious places, his reputation would suffer. Since Vincent was someone who would become the next duke, such situations had to be handled with care.

“Just tell me the location. I will run there right away.”

Vincent laughed again at the sight of her being considerate of him. The happiness had been making laughter spill out of him since a while ago.

“Adele, that is not it.”

“Hm?”

“There is someone who knows how to create a title. Though I would rather not meet them.”

The latter part, muttered quietly, did not reach Adele’s ears.

“Who is that?”

“Former Professor Kairos Hartman.”

“Wh, what. What kind of magnificent name is that? And a professor on top of it?”

Even a professor was involved in forging identities? To think this kingdom was a place so rife with crime.

For Adele, whose first memory had been war and who had not known what ordinary times were like, it could not help but be a shock.

When the war had ended and Adele had been praised as a national hero, there had not been any particularly major crimes happening.

Vincent hesitated briefly and then said.

“It is the sorcerer.”

“What did you say?”