Chapter 108

Chapter 108

'Oh my god. It's Isidor."

My heart sank when I faced the person I had been secretly avoiding, but I managed to come to my senses and gave him the expression I had practiced.

'Since the Master said I looked like I was frowning, I should raise my lips a little.'

"Long time no see."

I pretended to be calm, swallowing the embarrassment.

"Hm. It's really been a long time. I'm busy, so I'll go now."

I spoke coldly and started walking, but Isidor quickly caught up with me with a wide stride.

"Where are you going? I came here to see the Princess. Why would I come to the Magic Department, if not for the Princess?"

"Me? Why... why?"

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know."

I let go of my conscience and feigned innocence.

"You haven't come to the social club lately and haven't been participating in club activities, so I was worried that you might be sick."

Amid all this, he cared about the health of a perverted drunkard. My abandoned conscience suddenly asserted itself.

"I'm not sick, as you can see, I'm busy..."

"Are you really alright? I thought you had a fever because your ears are red."

'My ears are red?'

I touched my earlobe without realizing it and cleared my throat once.

"It's because it's cold. The weather has gotten suddenly colder lately."

Actually, it wasn't very cold.

"Oh no, are you cold? Let's go get some warm tea. I also want to drink warm tea because my hands are cold."

My eyes twitched spontaneously as he suddenly held out his hand, pretending to be pitiful.

'Is he thinking of me?'

"How can they be cold when you're wearing gloves?"

I said in a blunter tone.

"This is made of thin cotton; you can touch it..."

Gasp!

"It's cold. Let's drink. The warm tea."

After becoming embarrassed for a moment and quickly cutting off his words, I walked alongside him with my soul half separated from my body.

Isidor walked towards the main gate of the academy, which was crowded, and crossed the busy street.

'I'm not even a celebrity and I'm getting a lot of attention.'

He was exceptionally glamorous today.

Since he was wearing the showy uniform of the Knights, with chains and epaulettes, the gazes towards him were even more excessive.

The problem was that people were glancing at me with astonished eyes.

"There are a lot of people today."

I muttered with embarrassment.

"Shouldn't this be enough to reach the ears of a certain shameless person?"

Isidor rolled the corners of his mouth like a badass.

'He's helping me.'

He must have heard what the Montez family had done.

It hasn't been long since they brought up the marriage talks again, but if word spreads that I was alone with Isidor, Philap, who hates him, will be pissed off.

'Serves him right.'

"But where are we going now?"

"I know a nice place. I'm sure the Princess will like it, too."

"It's farther than I thought."

"If your legs hurt, do you want me to carry you?"

I shook my head at his mischievous question.

Although it would stand out more, there would be not only rumors about me threatening Isidor, but also about treating him like a slave.

'I'm being swayed by the crime I committed, how can they say I'm threatening him? That's unfair!'

"You can't go that way."

He pulled my hand lightly. As he said, his gloves were thin, so I could feel his body temperature.

"O-Oh."

I quickly lowered my burning hand and Isidor entered the old-fashioned tea house without a word.

'It's a nice place.'

I casually cast my gaze at the craftworks displayed in the lobby of the tea house, and then followed the employee who came to meet us into one room.

It seemed to operate on a membership basis, and there were no prices written on the menu.

"I heard that this tea is good for your throat."

I used my voice quite a bit to give lectures in the academy due to the dean's intimidation, and he was considerate of my condition and recommended me a tea.

"I'll get that."

The tea we ordered was served in antique porcelain cups, and we enjoyed the teatime with ease.

"How is the tea?"

"It smells good and is delicious."

"I'm glad you like it. This tea house is the first to bring small amounts of tea from the Heint Plateau. I'll send the specialties to your mansion when new products come in."

"It's f-fine."

I got it as a gift last time as well.

"Hm? I'm sending it to Sir Rosad as a celebration of victory."

"..."

"I'm just kidding. You kept being cute⁠— ack!"

As I kicked his shin as he sat across from me, feeling a moment's embarrassment, he exaggerated that I had hit him in a vital point.

"It was a mistake. A mistake."

I said, fiercely opening my eyes, and he gave a smile that showed off his dimples.

"If the Princess says it was a mistake, it was a mistake."

"The Princess is correct."

Suddenly, without warning, I remembered the scene where he listened to my drunken frenzy and freaked out again.

Although it looked like a peaceful teatime on the outside, I couldn't help but feel dizzy the whole time, like I was riding a roller coaster.

When we finished the tea and went out to the lobby, he talked to the owner and then gave me something.

It was a white porcelain craft in the shape of a turtle.

I looked at it unconsciously when I walked through the lobby because it looked like Purple, and he seemed to have caught a hint.

"Wait."

After stopping Isidor, I called the employee and bought a porcelain in the shape of a cat.

"I should have bought a cat too."

He made an expression as if he had made a mistake.

"It's not for me. It's Sir Isidor's gift."

As I held it towards him, he looked a little surprised and perplexed.

"You said you like cats."

"You remembered that? I just said it casually."

"Well, maybe I remember..."

"... Thank you."

He hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

Seeing his silent smile, which felt somewhat clumsy, I felt embarrassed for no reason.

'It's just a cat made out of porcelain.'

Was it just me? Strangely enough, he looked happier than when he did when gave that bright smile that showed his dimples.

***

'She doesn't have to meet with that Visconti guy... I clearly told her I would take care of it.'

Deborah may have intended to upset the Montez father and son, but for some reason, even he was annoyed, so Duke Seymour's expression stiffened.

'But he seemed to be feeling good lately.'

'Why is he in such a bad mood today?'

The Seymour vassals and the guards who gathered for the meeting of state affairs were silent as they watched the Duke.

"Why are you all quiet like you're mute? Let's start the meeting."

Today's agenda was Rosad's victory event.

Rosad, who was in high spirits for being praised by the imperial family and the wizardry association, asked his father at the end of the meeting.

"Father."

"What is it?"

"I heard rumors that Deborah's marriage talks are back in place recently. If the marriage is achieved, the formula patent will be transferred to another family, so..."

"Pfft!"

Rosad frowned as he saw Belreck suddenly laughing hatefully.

'What's wrong with him?'

The question did not last long. Because Duke Seymour blew up in just one second.

"That Montez bastard is using such dirty tricks and you're worried about the patent rights? You benefited the most from Deborah, how can you be so obnoxious?"

"Deborah likes Philap..."

"Your sister loves magic the most!"

Duke Seymour, who was annoyed, stepped out of the room with a cold face.

"I can't believe you're thinking of getting your only sister, the treasure of the family, involved with that Philap guy. What a great character."

Rosad laughed at Belreck's whisper.

"Aren't you the one who wants to send Deborah away farther than anyone else?"

"When did I? Why are you accusing me?"

Belreck feigned innocence, confidently.

'This punk wouldn't have benefited like I did, right?'

While leaving, Rosad felt confused and perplexed by the vastly reversed internal power structure.

And just the next day, rumors began to circulate in the capital that Princess Deborah wasn't satisfied with the marriage talks that the Montez family brought back after three years.

It's not that she wasn't satisfied with it, she despised it and burned all the letters.

As if they had memorized it under the Duke's orders, the Seymour servants went around telling a detailed story about how she said she would never marry the arrogant, pompous, boastful, ignorant of magic Philap.

"I am confident that I am more cautious and charming than anyone else."

When Thierry, who heard the rumors, brought both hands to his chin, making a flower cup pose, the 5th Princess clicked her tongue with a scornful expression.

"You're ignorant of magic, so you're eliminated. And where in the world is a cautious gambler?"

"Except horse racing, I quit everything. Horse racing is undeniably a sport..."

"The more I think about it, the more I seem to meet those conditions?"

The 5th Princess muttered in a serious tone.

"... Anyway, Princess Deborah seems to have absolutely no lingering affection for Sir Philap."

Actually, she thought she would think about it a little bit.

She joined Epsilon, not Omicron, and partnered with Isidor, but no one seemed to believe that the Princess didn't have any lingering feelings for Philap.

Princess Deborah's obsession was that much notorious.

'Rumor has it that she was harassing Mia.'

The Montez must have thought so too, so they used the rumors in the same way to express their intention to refuse.

It wasn't the case for Seymour, as it was no different from hurting someone's feelings.