Chapter 19: The Emperor’s Birthday Banquet (3)  

Chloe and Tehis tidied up their disheveled hair and clothes.  

Nothing beyond kissing had happened. It was just that, in the middle of it, they occasionally lost control of their strength and gripped each other too tightly, messing things up.  

Both of them were inexperienced when it came to kissing. They didn’t know where to hold or how to hold, so their hands wandered aimlessly.  

‘Still, he seemed pretty good at it…’  

Maybe he had wanted to go further but had held himself back.  

Chloe had this reasonable suspicion. Thinking back to how his hands had touched her waist or chest before quickly retreating, it seemed plausible.  

“Is this good enough?”  

Unaware of her suspicions, Tehis turned to ask her. He had fixed whatever he could on his own, but his still-flushed face and the lipstick smudged on his lips made it obvious what had just happened.  

“Come here.”  

As Chloe wiped his lips directly, she suddenly stopped mid-motion, struck by a thought. She looked him up and down and let out a hum.  

“What is it?”  

“Wouldn’t it be better if we went out looking a bit disheveled?”  

Since they had entered with a certain air about them, looking too neat might raise suspicions. After all, they had spent quite a bit of time here.  

Understanding Chloe’s intent, Tehis glanced down at his attire. He reached for his cravat, tugging it slightly, then hesitated and looked at her.  

“Then, should we… one more time…”  

“We can just go out like this.”  

Chloe quickly shut down his sly attempt and roughly fixed her hair.  

Tehis, whose shoulders slumped slightly, silently followed her lead, wondering if she hadn’t been satisfied with the kiss.  

Having spent such a blissful time together, it was time to return to reality. Still, he couldn’t completely let go, so his hands lingered wistfully, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes.  

Though they had kissed, that was the extent of it. Chloe, who had acted impulsively without thinking ahead, and Tehis, who couldn’t bring himself to ask why, both avoided delving into a deeper conversation.  

For now, they were both content with what they had and avoided doing anything that might jeopardize their relationship.  

‘Something feels strange…’  

Chloe rubbed the roof of her mouth with her tongue. Even though her mouth was empty, it felt as though something lingered inside.  

Since he had claimed never to have been with another woman, he must have been inexperienced too. Yet somehow, she felt like she’d been swept up and overwhelmed by him.  

She felt indignant about it. The fact that she had been out of breath, panting as she struggled to keep up with him, hurt her pride.  

All she could do was console herself, thinking, ‘How could a mage possibly match the lung capacity of a knight?’  

Of course, as a novice in romance, she didn’t yet realize that kissing for a long time wasn’t about lung capacity.  

“Are you ready?”  

“Yes, let’s go now.”  

In any case, Chloe placed her hand on Tehis’s. She was about to start walking, but the one who had asked if she was ready didn’t move.  

“Tehis?”  

“…Hmm. Isn’t this a bit too revealing?”  

“What is?”  

Chloe tilted her head in confusion at his words. Looking down at herself, she saw that her outfit hadn’t changed much from when they first entered. The only difference was that she had removed her shawl because it was warm.  

But Tehis’s perspective was different. Her slightly messy hair and her still-flushed cheeks stood out.  

Then there were her lips, reddened and slightly swollen. And her dress—her shoulders and back were completely exposed. Though she was slender overall, her chest was full, and the dress revealed just enough cleavage to make him uneasy.  

Just imagining the lecherous gazes of the trash who had been ogling her earlier made him seethe with killing intent.  

“Tehis?”  

When Chloe called him again, Tehis snapped out of his thoughts. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, offering a plausible excuse.  

“This will help make what happened on the terrace seem more convincing. Besides, there are too many people targeting you. This will also keep the pests away, even if we’re apart for a moment.”  

Was that so? 

Chloe tilted her head, then nodded in agreement. She didn’t like having to wear something heavier right after taking off her shawl, but Tehis’s reasoning seemed valid.  

“Alright. Oh, how do my lips look? They’re not too smudged, are they?”  

Unable to see for herself, she touched around her lips. She had left some smudges intentionally for effect, but if they looked messy, she wanted to fix them.  

Tehis stared intently at Chloe’s lips. Slightly swollen, they looked plump and enticing.  

It took a great deal of self-control to resist the urge to grab her chin and kiss her again. The sensation was already addictive.  

He had never imagined that a person’s lips could be so soft and tender. Maybe it was because she loved sweet things, but even her lips tasted sweet.  

The sound of her breath, shallow and uneven, had sent shivers down his spine. He couldn’t count how many times he had fought the urge to sink his teeth into her pale, delicate skin.  

‘You’re really losing it, Tehis Escalante.’  

Ignoring his body’s reaction to her, he raised his hand. With his thumb, he gently wiped the smudged lipstick from her philtrum. For the blurred edges of her lower lip, he carefully used the broad side of his index finger.  

Though he regretted erasing the traces of their kiss, he chose to respect her wishes.  

However, he left the smudges on the sides of her lips untouched.  

“You look beautiful, Chloe.”  

“…So, I look fine now? Thank you, Tehis.”  

Chloe linked arms with Tehis and began walking, signaling that it was time to leave. As she pulled him along, he quietly followed her lead. At the last moment, he stepped ahead, pulled back the curtain, and opened the door for her.  

Thanks to the banquet being in full swing, there were fewer eyes on them than before. Only a few groups of nobles chatting near the terrace showed any interest.  

Of course, there were exceptions. One such exception was the Imperial Princess, who had been keeping an eye on the terrace where the Grand Duke couple had disappeared.  

“Chloe! And Grand Duke. What were you talking about for so long… Well, I can see it was worth it.”  

As soon as Helena adjusted her wording after assessing the overall situation, Chloe chuckled softly.

“Thank you for understanding, Helena. I didn’t think it would take this long, but here we are.”  

“It happens. Hmm, it’s a relief that even the Grand Duke seems to be enjoying His Majesty’s birthday banquet this time. The swept-back hairstyle suits you well.”  

“Glory to the Shining Star of Superia. Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness.”  

After the reconciliation meeting last time, Helena had decided to use formal speech with Tehis, though it still felt a bit awkward. Tehis, who responded briefly with his usual expressionless face, positioned himself as a wall so the two could chat freely.  

Leaving the silent Tehis alone, the two women exchanged lighthearted conversation. Instead of social topics that a mage might find uninteresting, the main subject of their talk was the new scrolls that the Mage Tower had recently commercialized and started selling.  

Helena, who seemed to meet with the Imperial Mages regularly despite being a layperson, was surprisingly knowledgeable about the magical world and got along well with Chloe.  

As the two women chatted animatedly, a man’s voice interrupted their conversation.  

It was Kaishan Harpeon, a popular figure who had arrived with several nobles trailing behind him.  

“Chloe, I’d feel left out if you only favored Helena. Didn’t you promise to be friends with me too?”  

Chloe let out a soft laugh at Kaishan’s shameless attitude. Just because she had agreed to call him by his name didn’t mean they were friends.  

‘The Crown Prince must not have many friends.’  

She brushed off the cruel thought and nodded lightly in greeting.  

“Good evening, Kaishan.”  

“I didn’t get the chance to properly greet you earlier. You were already beautiful, but tonight you’re especially radiant… The Grand Duke must be on edge, right?”  

As Kaishan smiled meaningfully and extended a hand toward Chloe, Tehis rejoined the group.  

“Glory to the Shining Star of Superia. If you’re aware, Your Highness, please withdraw your hand.”  

“Grand Duke, haven’t you been getting a bit too bold lately?”  

“My confidence has grown since my lady is so exceptional.”  

A small gasp was heard from someone nearby. Despite having seen many new sides of Grand Duke Escalante recently, it was still surprising to discover yet another unexpected facet of him.  

Ignoring the reactions of those around him, Tehis adjusted the jacket draped over Chloe’s shoulders. Pretending not to notice her bewildered gaze, he whispered softly.  

“At banquets, you shouldn’t let others hold your hand so easily, Chloe. They might mistake it as accepting a dance request.”  

“I can hear you, Grand Duke. I was merely going to kiss her hand as a polite greeting, and now I feel quite wronged.”  

“Even that seems excessive to me.”  

“Indeed. It’s too late to woo Chloe, so please maintain your distance, Your Highness. I’d hate for the trouble to come back to me.”  

Helena joined in, reinforcing Tehis’s clear boundary.  

Kaishan, suddenly branded as a scoundrel, was left speechless. Shaking his head, he wondered how he had ended up being treated like this. His attempt to tease the Grand Duke had backfired spectacularly.  

‘Now they’re finally acting like a pair.’  

Back when Helena had been chasing after Tehis one-sidedly, the two had been completely at odds. They still didn’t seem particularly close, but it was clear that they now shared the same opinion on at least one matter.  

The reason was obvious: Chloe, the Elder Mage. Tehis Escalante’s lover.  

Kaishan found her fascinating. He was curious about how she had managed to change a man who seemed as though he wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed. She had even succeeded in making Helena, who had once been her rival, side with her.  

Though the latter was likely due to Helena’s relentless pursuit, it was still remarkable how Chloe had untangled their complicated relationships so cleanly.  

‘What a shame.’  

How wonderful it would have been if she were his.  

Kaishan desired Chloe, but he had no choice but to give up. It wasn’t simply because she was already taken.  

When she smiled at the Grand Duke, gently patting his shoulder as if to soothe him, and then turned to look at Kaishan, her gaze made it clear that there was no hope.  

It was a look he had never received before, so he had been confused until now. But at this moment, he was certain.  

He had already moved past denial. Since she was a mage, it didn’t hurt his pride as much as it might have otherwise, but the feeling was still strange.  

Chloe found Kaishan Harpeon bothersome.  

“So, what brings you here, Kaishan?”