I never expected such a question.

Lynen quietly observed me as I hesitated, caught off guard.

“…You’re saying I knew what would happen at the banquet.”

I opened my fan to cover my mouth. The bewilderment gradually subsided.

‘I was a bit surprised but it’s fine.’

When I went looking for the silver-haired man, I had guessed he might be suspicious of me showing up with exactly what was needed at the right time.

So I already had an excuse prepared for this.

“Remember when the magical tools went berserk?”

“You mean when all the magical beasts used in the fighting went berserk at once. It was because of the magical tools.”

“Right. I knew something like that would happen. Because.”

I snapped my fan shut again.

When my mouth was revealed again, there was a smile on it.

“I had been constantly looking for an excuse to break off the marriage with Dietrich.”

“…Then is that why you went to the Sack District too?”

“Right. I noticed Dietrich had made some suspicious deals, and I guessed that would make a good excuse. After meeting his trading partner, I knew my guess was right.”

“So you predicted what would happen at the banquet?”

“Yes.”

At that, Lynen’s eyes sharpened. His suspicion towards me became more blatant.

“Talk sense. How did you get contact information without any connections?”

Ugh.

“They’re quite organized and dangerous, not easy targets to get information from. It took me quite some time too.”

“……”

“Yet you’re saying you found out the information alone? Without Baron Rotten knowing?”

Lynen didn’t seem to believe me at all.

But if I said I figured it out by piecing together information from the game ‘My Little Noah’, he’d think I was a crazy woman.

‘No choice now.’

I had to bring out another of Calliphe’s specialties.

Combo 1. Pick a fight!

I distorted my eyebrows up and down while glaring. The aura of an annoying troublemaker overflowed.

“You could do it but I couldn’t? Are you saying I’m inferior to you? That I’m naturally an inferior person? Is this your chivalry?”

“…No. That’s not what I meant.”

Combo 2. Insist!

“I managed fine alone. Because Dietrich blabbed when he was drunk. What’s with that expression? Don’t believe me? Got proof that I’m lying? Are you the type who only trusts others with evidence, huh?”

“…Not necessarily.”

“I came to the banquet with magical tools instead of straws to make Dietrich cancel the marriage. Then I saw you and changed my plans.”

Finale. Quickly change the subject!

“Because you would recognize the value of my ability! The ability that saved you!”

Lynen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“So it was an ability after all. Is your ability to infuse magical energy?”

“More like whipping someone into proper shape.”

Even if my ability was basically a secret, there were times when I needed to reveal it.

Especially when I needed the other person’s trust, like now.

“Don’t ask how someone with magical energy incompatibility awakened an ability. I don’t know either.”

“……”

Lynen fell into quiet thought. My 3-combo had succeeded brilliantly, and he seemed to be organizing the information while setting aside his suspicions for now.

Hiding my anxiety, I asked.

“What are you hesitating for? Don’t you want to get rid of your magical energy thirst?”

“Do you think you can solve it?”

“Try getting hit by my hand and then decide.”

“……”

A dumbfounded look returned.

Finally, he rubbed between his brows and brought up the problem he’d been pondering.

“There’s a fatal issue.”

“Issue…?”

“As you saw, when I use aura beyond a certain point, symptoms of magical energy thirst appear.”

Remembering Lynen clinging to my hand, I cooled my face with my fan.

“U-um. Right.”

“Magical energy thirst is like a hole in one’s magical energy vessel. It makes you consume more magical energy than necessary. The vessel has natural recovery properties that try to fill that hole.”

This could be compared to a clay pot.

When a clay pot gets a hole, the way to repair it is to fill the hole with the same material.

But since you can’t use external materials, you end up pulling clay from around the hole to use.

“…Then the magical energy vessel would get smaller by the amount of the hole. The threshold for magical energy thirst symptoms would lower too.”

“Correct. This process repeats.”

Lynen looked at me.

His gaze was still sharp, but seemed shadowed with resignation.

“The effect your ability gives is too minimal. It can’t keep up with how fast the magical energy thirst worsens.”

So the 0.01 increase is the problem.

I couldn’t do anything about that either.

But.

“Phew. What’s the big deal.”

“Do you understand what I’m saying? That brief ability won’t do any…”

“Then what are you hesitating for?”

The solution is clear.

I grabbed and pulled Lynen’s hand.

“If it’s not enough for a moment then we just need to stay together continuously, right?”

“…!”

“Forgot? We’re making a lovers’ contract. It’s not strange for lovers to be together all day. It would be stranger to be apart.”

“…With you, all day.”

“…Every day.”

Both our expressions darkened.

I steeled myself and said.

“Put everything else aside and think about what’s most important, Lynen. Your magical energy.”

“……”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

“……”

Lynen stared straight into my eyes.

Then suddenly, he pulled me in with the hand I was holding.

The corner of his mouth lifted crookedly.

“Well. I don’t believe you can properly act as a lover though.”

“Ha, how hard could it be, darling?”

“……”

“……”

Blegh.

Lynen and I dry heaved at the same time.

“Don’t attack without warning, d*mn it.”

“Did you just curse? Blegh.”

“Did you just gag? Urgh.”

This is painful. Is this what they call a self-inflicted disaster?

Anyway, with this the deal was made.

“We should draw up a contract.”

Of course, everything discussed here about my ability and his magical energy thirst was all secret.

Lynen skillfully took out parchment to use as a ‘contract’ and spread it before me.

We specified everything from our secrets to the responsibilities we had to take for each other and finished signing.

“Seal.”

When Lynen spoke, magic circles were engraved on the parchment with the contract contents, then it rolled up on its own and was sealed with string.

It was a contract scroll that enforced binding through magic when notarization wasn’t possible.

After sharing one copy each of the contract with him, I said.

“Don’t forget, Lynen.”

“What?”

“From now on, we’re ‘lovers who’ve been meeting in secret for the past 3 years.'”

“……”

“The moment this being fake is exposed, the six-month contract and everything else is over. So we need to pay attention to even small details. Like how we address each other.”

“You don’t mean that, ‘that word’ from earlier, do you?”

“Ha, how hard could it be, darling?”

Lynen’s and my eyes wavered.

“L-let’s get other people’s opinions.”

“Other people?”

“Um, my maid and your close aide. We should tell those two.”

It’s tiring to hide secrets even from close aides who are always by your side.

It would be safer to bring them in as collaborators instead.

It would be efficient too, since we might need help from others while acting as fake lovers.

Lynen agreed with my explanation.

“Alright. Let’s call them right away.”

Soon the burly maid and Raul came in. They said Noah was sleeping in the guest room, tired from crying.

‘Perfect.’

I had no intention of telling a young child about fake lovers and such anyway.

I briefly explained to the two about the contract we just made.

“What?!”

The two showed opposite reactions upon hearing the truth.

“Oh-oh my, young lady! Goodness… young lady! Oh my, I can’t believe it!”

The burly maid was excited and kept smiling repeatedly.

“My loooord! Aaagh, that imperial villainess is after our innocent lord!”

Raul glared at me like a mother-in-law while chewing on his handkerchief.

Lynen was expressionless but seemed a bit embarrassed.

“Be quiet, Raul.”

“You’ve never even properly held a woman’s hand! How could you! This villainess, if she looks down on our lord for being a virgin, I’ll—”

“…Raul, I said shut up.”

Lynen gritted his teeth.