Chapter 1: Fake Ideal (8)

‘A gift as a lover?’

It took Chloe a moment to digest those words. He wasn’t expecting anything in return but was giving it as a gift because they were in a temporary relationship.

She didn’t expect the Grand Duke to take the contract relationship so seriously, and she blinked in bewilderment. She was already satisfied with his actions so far, as they were enough to show his consideration for her, but now he was even giving her a fairy’s egg.

As a mage who valued rationality and efficiency, she couldn’t understand his actions, but one thing was clear.

‘He’s completely sincere about this fake relationship…?’

Chloe hugged the pouch containing the precious item and smiled brightly. Her heart raced with joy at the unexpected gain.

“Then I’ll gladly accept it. Thank you, Tess.”

Even if he had other motives, she was too happy to care, as the item was so precious. Since he gave it to her as a lover, she thought it would be enough to reciprocate appropriately later as a lover.

‘What do lovers usually do in such situations?’

…A kiss of gratitude?

That’s going too far. 

Chloe quickly dismissed the thought and reached out to him. The mage, who tightly held the rough hand of the knight, quietly added a word.

“I mean it.”

“…Yes, Chloe.”

Unable to find other words, the Grand Duke gave his usual response and hesitantly held her hand. He carefully wrapped his hands around the soft warmth as if handling glass, then quickly let go.

“The mandrake root and wyvern blood you requested as an advance payment are over here.”

“Ah, yes.”

Tehis, who diligently guided her, silently watched Chloe from behind as she was quickly absorbed in the materials. He remained silent until she packed the two boxes into her pouch and turned around, then finally spoke.

“How would you like to set it up?”

Set up?

For a moment, Chloe didn’t understand what he meant, but then she realized.

‘Right, we were supposed to decide on the background of our relationship.’

The fairy’s egg had been such a shock that she almost forgot about it. She was too excited to discuss it immediately, so she gave a straightforward answer after a brief consideration.

“Let’s decide next time. I have too much to do right now.”

“Alright.”

Holding the Grand Duke’s arm, Chloe smiled gently and bid farewell.

“Then I’ll see you in two weeks, Tess. Thanks again.”

“Yes, Chloe. I wish you good luck.”

Before letting Tehis go, she carefully examined his face and stood on her tiptoes.

With a playful smile, she kissed the scar on his left cheek.

“…!”

“I’ll let you off with this today. It will disappear in an hour.”

A bright red kiss mark was left on the Grand Duke’s cheek. Since she hadn’t applied anything to her lips, it was a simple illusion magic.

A kiss that wasn’t necessary.

But without explaining, Chloe quickly left him, her figure blending into the air as she approached the stairs. She disappeared without a sound, as if flying away busily.

“…”

Tehis, watching his fake lover’s last position, touched the lingering warmth on his cheek. After a moment of contemplation, he went upstairs from the storeroom.

Under the closed door, the still-lit fire continued to warm the space for a while longer.

* * *

Two weeks passed much faster than Chloe had anticipated.

It took nine days to search old books for the fairy’s hatching, create the environment, and set it up. Wondering if the motionless egg needed more time, she continued her existing research for just four days.

After staying up for two nights and waking up when the sun was high, she yawned at the sound of the communication sphere beeping and left her bedroom.

“What is it?”

• You finally responded! Miss Chloe, a letter arrived from Grand Duke Escalante yesterday. Can you open the transmission path to your private room?

Wondering what the letter was about, she blinked and then froze.

‘…What day is it today?’

With no sense of the date, Chloe checked the magic calendar with a pale face. Fortunately, it was still the 14th day, so she hadn’t broken the contract.

• Miss Chloe?

“Ah, yes. Please send it.”

As she spoke, she activated the transmission magic circle in the living room and picked up the shyly appearing letter. Tearing open the sealing wax with the elegant Grand Duke’s crest, she read the contents, which began with a polite greeting.

[Chloe,

It is still a cold spring day. Knowing it is against etiquette, I will get straight to the point to avoid taking up your time.

Tomorrow, April 23rd, marks our two-week anniversary. I have reserved a private room at a restaurant for lunch. Could you come to the Grand Duke’s residence by noon?

The time is flexible, so you don’t have to come exactly at that time.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Tehis Escalante]

Sitting leisurely on the sofa, Chloe laughed softly at the structure that seemed to reflect his personality.

‘He’s so consistent.’

Though it hadn’t been long since they started meeting, the encounters had been intense enough to say such things.

Anyway, she stood up to prepare to leave slowly, but then she stopped abruptly.

“Wait…”

Reading the letter again and checking the clock, she suddenly felt rushed. The hour and minute hands were pointing to higher numbers than she had expected.

‘Less than 10 minutes left!’

Although she didn’t have to match the exact time suggested by the Grand Duke, this was still their first official date.

I’m starting off late?

Even if a mage wasn’t interested in romance, she wasn’t ignorant of common sense and dashed to the bathroom.

Throwing off her clothes like shedding a skin and using magic, Chloe quickly finished her shower and brushing her teeth. She then headed to the wardrobe like the wind, drying her hair with wind and temperature control magic, and put on the dress at the very front, one of the gifts.

It took a total of seven minutes to leave her private room and reach the warp gate of the Mage Tower.

Upon arriving at the Grand Duke’s residence, she waved off the coachman who greeted her and took a deep breath.

‘The location… was around there?’

Gauging the invisible distance with narrowed eyes, the mage drew a large circle with her arms. Her magic stone earrings shone, and her purple hair fluttered in the swirling air.

「Space, open my path and guide me.」

The runic words from Chloe’s mouth dissolved into the air in a strange shape.

The space wavered for a moment, then gradually shook and split open, swallowing her whole. It then calmed down as if nothing had happened.

The only thing left in the space where she disappeared was the coachman, frozen with a stiff face.

* * *

Tehis, prepared for the lunch appointment, had just stepped out of the main gate. As he was checking his attire one last time, since the carriage hadn’t arrived yet, an unexpected event occurred.

Whooosh-.

“…!”

The Grand Duke instinctively grabbed the sheath at his waist as he felt the wind gather above the mansion. He was startled to see a woman appear, tearing through the space.

Though it was quite high, Chloe floated in the air as if unaffected by gravity and looked around. Spotting Tehis, she smiled softly and landed gracefully in front of the door, greeting him.

“I’m glad I found the right place. I’m not late, am I?”

“…No, Chloe. You arrived just in time.”

Having never seen such high-level magic before, Tehis answered in a daze. She hadn’t used a warp gate but had directly crossed the space herself.

‘Was she worried about being late for the appointment?’

He couldn’t decide whether to be astonished by her use of advanced magic for such a trivial reason or to be impressed by her abilities.

But it was always difficult to know how to deal with Chloe, so he rather calmed himself and extended an arm for the escort.

“Shall we depart?”

“Sure.”

Though she hadn’t interacted much with nobles, Chloe, who had a broader knowledge base than other mages, placed her hand on his arm without hesitation. She even accepted Tehis’s help when boarding the new carriage, though it wasn’t necessary.

Not because she needed it, but because the servants were watching.

‘Will I have to be carried like a princess someday?’

The inexperienced mage, who had read only a few romance novels, sat down heavily on the carriage seat, thinking of scenes described in those books.

Having initially sought out explicit novels to understand human birth, she was more familiar with intense Eros than pure Agape. Thus, she often ―or frequently― missed the mark, but unfortunately, neither Chloe nor Tehis noticed the disparity.

If Aide Lisa knew, she would lament, ‘This is why amateurs pretending to be lovers is a disaster!’

“Is there any food you can’t eat?”

“Not really. I’ve even eaten monsters, so don’t worry.”

“…I see.”

He had asked about allergies or food preferences, but received an extraordinary answer.

As Tehis awkwardly closed his mouth, Chloe added some trivial information.

“Most monster meat is poisonous to humans, but it can usually be separated enough with alchemy.”

“Is it tasty enough to go to such lengths?”

“No, I just ate it out of curiosity.”

“…I see.”

The same pattern repeated. Tehis, not knowing how to respond, chose silence.

The mage, who could be considered the cause, paid no attention to him and looked out the window. Unlike the quiet Grand Duke’s mansion, the faint sounds of the bustling street filtered through the door cracks.

‘Did they modify wind magic? It sounds incredibly faint.’

Did they maintain it at this level on purpose? Can it be adjusted arbitrarily?

Habitually searching for traces of magic, Chloe felt his gaze and turned to Tehis. She naturally asked a question as if she had never intended to dissect the carriage.

“How many people know about our relationship?”

“Aide Lisa is the only one who knows everything. The rest know only what was intended.”

“That you’re meeting me?”

“Yes, Chloe.”