Calliphe paused and looked at Lynen with betrayed eyes.

Despite her fierce gaze, Lynen’s expression remained calm.

‘As expected of Duke Ortega!’

The vassals were relieved.

Duke Ortega wouldn’t be shaken by Calliphe’s scary expression or fists.

Look at him now.

“Are you really stopping me right now?”

“Yes. Excessive excitement will only harm your body.”

“But…!”

Paying no mind to Lady Calliphe’s threatening aura, wasn’t he elegantly tilting the teapot to fill a glass of water?

And boldly!

“Drink this water while you’re at it.”

Handing the glass to the young lady…!

‘Huh? To the young lady?’

The vassals who had been trusting the Duke opened their eyes wide.

In their eyes, they saw the Duke suddenly wearing an incredibly warm smile like ice melting in spring breeze.

“Getting excited is bad for your health. Take breaks while you’re at it.”

“…!”

The vassals’ jaws dropped.

Calliphe was equally flustered.

‘W-why is he suddenly smiling like a flower?’

Ah, could it be!

“The three guidelines for close lovers, you haven’t forgotten them, right?”

“Smiling, worrying, cheering.”

‘Is he executing the first guideline, smiling, right now?’

At this timing?!

It was unbelievable, but seeing Lynen still smiling brightly, it seemed true.

“……”

“Calliphe?”

Oops. I was staring without realizing.

‘Get, get it together!’

Anyway, she had to play along.

“Th-thank you. I was just getting thirsty.”

Calliphe reached for the glass.

Or rather, tried to.

She would have if Lynen hadn’t taken it back after seeing Calliphe’s hands trembling from using force just now.

“Why are you taking it back… oop.”

Lynen grabbed Calliphe’s chin and cheeks with one hand.

Then he tilted the glass directly to Calliphe’s lips.

“Let me feed you. Open your mouth.”

“Are you cra— gulp… pffft!”

Calliphe spluttered water while coughing.

Water splashed even on Lynen’s sculpture-like face.

“……”

The vassals flinched.

‘After that nonsense about being blinded by female charm, to suffer such rudeness! This time the Duke will surely be angry!’

However, their expectations were wrong.

“Cough cough, hah!”

“Calliphe! Are you alright?”

Lynen ignored himself and patted Calliphe’s back.

“Why are you coughing? Are you in pain somewhere?”

“Choked, because of you… cough cough!”

Calliphe’s genuine choking coughs grew stronger.

Wide-eyed Lynen urgently called out to the vassals.

“Calliphe is ill. Call a healer. Hurry!”

It was Lynen’s second lover’s guideline, worrying.

The vassals were flustered by the Duke’s demand.

“No, calling a healer just for coughing…”

“Can’t you see how red her face has become? She’s suffering so much there are even tears in her eyes. Shouldn’t a healer examine her?”

When even the righteous Duke Ortega showed signs of anger, the vassals truly felt like they had done something wrong.

“S-stop… stop it. Cough cough.”

Calliphe flailed and grabbed Lynen’s collar.

At that, Lynen calmed his anger and stroked Calliphe’s back, pitying her.

“I’m always worried because you’re so frail. Should I make you quit swordsmanship and learn healing instead, or should I just carry you around?”

“……”

Silence fell in the grand meeting hall.

The vassals’ expressions looking at Calliphe and Lynen were like they were watching a pair of cockroaches.

‘It seems they really are lovers after all?’

‘That shameless display is real. They’re really lovers.’

The operation was successful.

Though it was problematic that it went too far and embarrassed even Calliphe.

‘S-stop. Let’s cut this off before he executes the last guideline!’

Calliphe cleared her throat loudly to change the atmosphere.

It was to wrap up the political marriage matter with this momentum.

“We’ve gotten off track. Anyway, my marriage partner will be Duke Ortega, not Baron Rotten. Anyone else have objections?”

Flash.

Her aura suggested she’d kill anyone who did.

When everyone stayed quiet, she continued.

“The ceremony will be next spring. Until then, Lynen will stay in my annex and prepare for the wedding together. Keep that in mind.”

“Again with your immature words.”

Young Marquis Caiman, who had been quiet, stepped forward.

“You’re saying the future duchess will stay at the Marquis’s residence? You should go to the duke’s residence as soon as possible to learn internal affairs. You’re no longer a childish young lady, miss.”

Just as Calliphe was about to argue back.

Lynen slightly raised his hand to stop Calliphe. Then he spoke in a calm but powerful voice.

“It was my suggestion first. Until the wedding, I will stay at the Marquis’s residence with Calliphe.”

“…Why, Your Grace?”

“Because Calliphe’s grandfather, Marquis Graham Offensa, is nearby.”

At these unexpected words, Calliphe looked at Lynen.

“Having decided to marry Calliphe, I am the Marquis’s new family. How could I keep my distance before even greeting him?”

“……”

“Besides, I don’t want to take away the Marquis’s only remaining family.”

Before they knew it, everyone was listening to Lynen’s words.

Lynen finished his statement.

“So I will support whatever decision she makes.”

It was the third lover’s guideline, cheering.

The vassals were secretly impressed.

Duke Ortega was an exemplary person not just in status, but in character as well.

“Then, we will cancel the marriage with Baron Rotten and proceed with marriage discussions with House Ortega.”

The chairman’s declaration concluded Calliphe’s political marriage matter.

But Calliphe didn’t relax her tension.

‘Now then.’

After several agenda items passed.

“The final agenda.”

The matter of succeeding as young Marquis of House Offensa came up.

‘It’s my turn to overturn this.’

* * *

A place rarely touched by human feet.

There, where nature transformed by magical experiments and sculptures of unknown purpose were arranged in a strange order, the magic tower stood tall like a watchtower.

The top floor of the magic tower, being the space for the Archmage and Vice Archmage, was usually quiet but.

“Where, where is it? Find it quickly! The grand meeting will end at this rate!”

“Aaack, the pile of books is collapsing!”

“Gasp, it was a living book! Catch it before it escapes!”

Today it was being turned upside down in an especially noisy manner.

And under the direction of the usually composed Vice Archmage Marcel, no less.

“It’s not in Storage Room 3 either. Where on earth did they stash it!”

“Vice Archmage. Couldn’t you just take this ‘Decent Enough Magical Energy Diagnostic Tool’?”

“No! We need the precision diagnostic tool that detects sealed magical energy and hidden potential down to the last detail.”

“Honestly, if you need such a tool to detect magical energy, isn’t that basically the same as having no talent…”

The mages grumbled but continued searching through the dusty storage rooms.

Because not following the Vice Archmage’s orders resulted in very petty consequences. And being a long-lived half-elf, he wouldn’t forget even after several days.

After these exercise-deprived humans searched while breaking a sweat.

“Found it!”

At last, the precision diagnostic tool Marcel was looking for appeared.

“Ah, thank you Salictum!”

After giving thanks to the elven guardian deity, Marcel quickly ran to the teleportation circle with it.

It was a magic circle connecting to House Offensa’s residence, where the grand meeting should be in full swing by now.

‘The young lady’s magical energy I felt from the expelled sword instructor, and even opening the highest grade potion… There’s no mistake!’

The young lady has the potential to become the head of House Offensa! And this tool will prove it.

‘…Even though the young lady absolutely told me not to come to the grand meeting!’

The reason being that if Marcel’s plan failed, all of Calliphe’s plans would collapse too.

But mages were not the kind to ignore a hypothesis they could prove.

Above all, Marcel’s master wasn’t Calliphe so he had no obligation to follow her orders.

“Transport!”

Marcel activated the teleportation circle without hesitation.