The day when Lynen had a private meeting with Dietrich in the carriage.

Bump!

“Aaack!”

Thump!

“Ugh, D-Duke!”

Dietrich was having a terrible time, bouncing up and down like a mole in a whack-a-mole game.

Sitting across from him, Lynen had his elbow propped against the window frame, legs crossed leisurely.

A blue aura swirled in his eyes.

The carriage jolted because of the aura’s power.

“W-why are you doing this!”

“Doing what? Please sit down and talk instead of constantly getting up.”

“I want to sit, but…!”

Bump!

“Huuuck!”

Dietrich’s bottom, which had been trying to stay put, flew forward.

He nearly landed in Lynen’s arms, but Lynen slightly moved his crossed legs to kick Dietrich back to the opposite seat.

“Kuhup.”

A movement so smooth that others wouldn’t have noticed.

Only Dietrich, who had been kicked, knew of Lynen’s tyranny.

“Uncomfortable?”

“You son of…!”

“Son of?”

“S-such an honorable person to share a carriage with, how could I be uncomfortable? My body and mind are quite at ease…”

“That level of comfort might be problematic.”

“……”

Veins popped on Dietrich’s smiling face.

‘What do you want from me!’

Do others know? That this ‘eternally upright and moral Duke’ is quite skilled at tormenting people while maintaining his clean facade?

But Dietrich’s voice never rose. If anything, it became more polite.

“Is this about the flower bouquet I received from Calliphe?”

“……”

You just flinched, didn’t you?

Dietrich grinned with a face that mixed irritation and a smile.

This is it.

Having gained certainty, he carefully prodded just enough without crossing the line.

“That was really nothing… Besides, there’s no reason why Calliphe should only give flowers to you, right?”

“There isn’t.”

“…Pardon? No, if you say it like that.”

“But it’s strange that Calliphe gave you flowers. That’s absolutely impossible.”

“What did you say?”

Dietrich felt another surge of anger.

What’s wrong with me! Calliphe might feel grateful and give me flowers… could she?

‘It’s annoying because it’s true!’

He was going to confess it was all the fish-brat’s clever scheme and get released, but now his pride was hurt.

Dietrich roughly brushed back his side hair and sneered.

“That’s quite hurtful. Do you know how useful I am to Calliphe? If anything, it’s surprising that you received flowers!”

“You must know well that Calliphe and I are engaged.”

“Engaged in name only! Don’t you know what the fish br… Noah says? That you two are like wooden blocks lately? Like people about to divorce? The rumors are already everywhere. If even Noah knows, everyone knows.”

“……”

For the first time since boarding the carriage, Lynen showed a slight disturbance.

‘I didn’t know.’

True, things had felt a bit awkward.

But he thought he was faithfully maintaining the act. He showed skinship when servants were watching and used embarrassing terms of endearment.

As Lynen took a step back, an emboldened Dietrich snickered.

“The child was so troubled that he even sighed during my lesson. Said you two seemed to be fighting.”

“……”

“If that’s how it looks to the child, how must it look to others? At this rate, even if you announce a broken engagement, it would seem natu—”

Bump!

“Ack!”

Once again, only Dietrich’s seat bounced violently, causing him to hit his head on the carriage ceiling.

“Aaagh, my head.”

While he curled up and groaned, Lynen was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Broken engagement. Well, we’ll have to do that eventually.’

After all, even the engagement act didn’t have a set time period.

But somehow it twisted his mood.

‘Calliphe is dismissing my actions as mere impulses.’

Just as the Calliphe doll said, treating it as the dark history of a mana-thirsty patient. She’s probably preparing to use it as leverage to tease him.

‘She’ll be so pleased.’

Since now the person who used to desperately chase her is pursuing her instead. With Calliphe’s personality, she could tease him for 50 years and still not be satisfied.

In this state, expressing his feelings would only backfire.

“Um, Duke? Frost is forming in the carriage. I’m freezing here?”

‘I can’t reveal my emotions now.’

He resolved to keep his feelings from leaking out. It wasn’t the right timing to show his heart.

‘But it’s unfair that I’m the only one experiencing this shock.’

He felt frustrated and indignant. He wanted Calliphe to feel the same shock he felt when he realized his feelings.

Only then would the right timing come.

But how to shock her?

Lynen carefully recalled when Calliphe had shown signs of being shaken.

Then he had a sudden realization.

‘…She seemed to waver whenever I acted like a patient?’

Despite (the doll) verbally dismissing it as mere impulses of a mana-thirsty patient, Calliphe’s actual reactions were different.

She even swallowed hard at times.

“Duke? Did something good happen? The carriage temperature dropped?”

Suddenly, he remembered when the three of them lay in bed together.

When he impulsively kissed and bit her finger. When he apologized and tried to pull back.

Surprisingly, Calliphe didn’t let him withdraw.

‘Rather, she held onto me.’

In that case, the method I should use…

“Ah, finally comfortable. Duke, what thoughts made you warm up?”

“……”

Bump!

“Ack! W-why again!”

Seeing Dietrich roll off the seat made Lynen feel a bit better.

Thanks to that, he had an idea of what to do.

‘I should test it.’

And so, in the present.

Calliphe, who had fallen into Lynen’s arms due to his precise aura control, was perplexed.

‘Is this acting too?’

The dry sensation of lips on her fingers. His gray-blue eyes staring at her were intense without a trace of humor.

While Calliphe was bewildered.

“……”

Lynen lowered his gaze and quietly removed his lips from her fingers.

His face was flushed when he pulled away.

‘Is he getting embarrassed now?’

She thought he must have been drawn by the mana.

Unlike moments ago when she wanted to push him away, now she wanted to pull him closer.

“You asked me to touch you?”

“…Calliphe.”

“Should I touch you like this?”

Swoosh. Her hand slowly caressed Lynen’s thick forearm.

Pressing firmly with the sensation of transferring overflowing mana to him.

[Mana +0.01]

Lynen’s mana increased just like when she used her ability.

‘Oh. Does the ability work now just by pressing?’

Though it took effort since she had to press hard. It seemed to be thanks to becoming more familiar with using the ability.

Like that, press press. While practicing pressing Lynen’s forearm, she smiled at him teasingly.

“Pressing like this has the same effect as hitting. You didn’t know?”

“…Now I know.”

Lynen’s voice was slightly hoarse.

“Which method is effective.”

The hand around Calliphe’s waist pulled her even closer. Calliphe flinched but didn’t push him away.

Instead, she gulped.

Though she probably tried to hide it, Lynen had been carefully observing her reactions.

Ever since he deliberately made his face flush.

After all, a master-level practitioner can temporarily raise their body temperature using their mana or aura.

Lynen slightly lowered his head to hide his expression from Calliphe. A look of obvious confusion and embarrassment.

But his lips held a subtle smile.

“Please take good care of me from now on.”

“…Huh?”

“As you know…”

Lynen whispered.

“I’m your patient.”

Noah watched the two pressed together with excited eyes.

[Filial Piety +2]

* * *

The Magic Tower was like a giant tree.

No, it would be more accurate to say it was a building formed by several giant trees intertwined together.

“It’s called Luminasil.”

Marcel, who had come to greet them, explained while guiding them to the reception room.

“Hello, Vice Archmage Marcel.”

I, Lynen, and Noah greeted him in turn.

Marcel exchanged pleasantries with them warmly.

A half-elf man with light green hair braided and draped over one shoulder.

His loose hair covered his ears, which were shorter than an elf’s but longer than a human’s.

“Do you know about Luminasil, my lady?”

“Roughly. That it’s a sacred tree of the elves.”

“Luminasil generates pure mana that cleanses elven energy. It’s one of the sacred plants that helps elves breathe easier when they’re away from the forest. But what elves in foreign lands need most is—”

He spoke nostalgically for a moment before catching himself and smiling awkwardly.

“Ah, no. You didn’t come to hear about this now… Here, this way.”

We sat across from Marcel in the reception room sofas.

While Marcel maintained the warmth of a kind teacher throughout…

‘That look in his eyes.’

As someone who had received much contempt as a villainess, I could tell.

‘He doesn’t like me, does he?’