Chapter 112

He wasn't a child, so he thought it wouldn't be too hard to carry her on his back. Isidor soon realized that it was reckless boldness.

Earlier, he thought he was able to pretend to be relaxed when he was taking care of her, but now he couldn't even pretend to be fine.

The moment her soft body touched his back, the tension quickly spread, and a heat began to rise up his neck.

His shoulder and neck muscles were tense, and his body gradually became stiff.

He even had the illusion that his vision was shaking because of his fast heartbeat.

It was the first time he learned that he could be controlled by his senses like this.

Princess Deborah, who usually threw puns with a blunt tone, was especially quiet, but he couldn't even notice that.

Because his focus continued to disperse.

Barely continuing his casting, Isidor realized that he had been hovering around the same spot for a while.

He slowly turned his body in the opposite direction and secretly faked a smile.

The blue slate they had departed from a long time ago was visible not too far away.

'This is ridiculous.'

Normally, he would quickly realize that he could never escape in a simple way like using levitation magic.

But he was distracted by the back of his neck.

Every time her regular, shallow breath touched the back of his neck, that spot felt sensitive, and he recalled her red lips.

In the end, they returned to the starting point, but unlike before, he felt like it was going to overflow with just a little touch.

It resembled a glass cup filled with water to the point it was almost overflowing but managed to hold out.

Being aware of his emotions was a much more powerful catalyst than expected, Isidor thought.

The unfamiliar emotion that blossomed towards her was only given the name of affection, but it was more unbearably lovely than before.

And in proportion to that, his desire to become her one and only special person grew deeper once again.

So that a bastard like Philap doesn't dare approach her.

With his lips lightly curled up, he slowly descended to the slate to find a new way of escape.

"Ahh."

Princess Deborah quickly gasped and slowly released the stiff arm around his shoulder.

As soon as they stepped on the ground, her knees faltered and Isidor quickly snatched her body, lightly raising her head.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

The Princess' complexion was not very good.

"..."

"I know you don't like to look weak and have good perseverance, but you don't have to be like that with me."

"... I'm a little thirsty."

She frowned as if her thirst had become more severe.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"... I thought I could endure it. They must be looking for us outside, too. I'm still fine."

"How can you endure your thirst? How painful is that?"

Just before coming here, Princess Deborah had come to the academy for a lecture, and she even had a nightmare and sweated after being swept away by the mana wave.

Unlike him, who maintained his condition with mana, she couldn't help but be thirsty to the point of having a sore throat.

"I'm sorry. I didn't notice."

Isidor hurriedly took off his gloves and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

"The water might be dangerous. Don't do that."

She was pale.

"My guess is that this is a place that embodies the spirit world, so it should be fine. Spirits don't live in contaminated environments."

"But... Wait!"

Before she had the chance to stop him, he bent down, reaching out his hands, and took a sip of water as if testing it.

"... There's no problem."

He reached out his long arms again, wiped his hands clean, and then brought his hands full of water near her mouth.

"Drink it."

"... You don't have to do this. I know you're well-mannered, but..."

"There's also no need for you to wet your hands."

He didn't want her to lean down and drink water the hard way, risking falling off the slate.

He was angry enough because he couldn't come sooner, and they had to fall into this stupid situation and have a hard time.

When he thought of Philap, his desire to kill soared.

"Hm? You said you're thirsty."

He comforted her gently and slowly reached out his pale hands splashing with water.

The Princess, who was nervous for some reason as if she was looking at a poisoned apple, slowly lowered her head.

Soon, Princess Deborah's long purple hair flowed down like a curtain and tickled his white hands lightly.

"..."

He heard the sound of her throat moving.

The moment he thought she was cute because she looked like a bird drinking water so that it would be satisfied, she lowered her head deeper and deeper.

Then, when all the water had disappeared, a soft sensation slowly rubbed the palm of his hands.

It didn't take long for him to realize that her lips were touching him.

Princess Deborah, whose long, purple eyelashes were lowered, raised her head in astonishment.

While looking at him with red eyes filled with embarrassment, her wet lips moved slightly.

"Sir Isidor?"

Drops of water flowed from the corners of her mouth down her slender chin, and seeing that, Isidor gazed at her even more intensely.

Even though he was able to last three days without drinking water, at that moment, an intolerable thirst soared.

"Deborah."

At one point, Isidor, who narrowed the distance between them, looked at the Princess' red earlobes and recited her name.

Until now, he had always faced her while keeping the distance of a wooden desk between them; but he could no longer be patient and narrowed the distance as much as he wanted.

Soon, the Princess' sleek eyes widened.

At that moment, he was under the illusion that blatant possessiveness was reflected in her red eyes.

At a distance where their lips were about to touch, he, who was breathing a slow, hot breath, brushed the drops of water around her mouth with his lips.

"..."

A sweet taste, as if there was sugar in her mouth, permeated through his lips.

"What do you think?"

Isidor's well-shaped lips reached her round earlobes.

"...?"

"About having a formal relationship with me."

***

... A formal relationship?

Does he mean for us to start dating?

He approached me with an enticing face, swept my mouth with his soft lips, and whispered as if he were telling me a secret.

It wasn't technically a kiss or a lip touch, but his low voice made it feel like a close skinship.

But how can he tell us to go out like this?!

I was stunned for a moment and belatedly moved my lips.

"I-It's still too early to go out."

I had no choice but to show my true feelings when he faced me directly in a way I had never imagined.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't attracted to Isidor, who was sweet, gentle, and even beautiful.

However, I wasn't yet sure if it was more than a good feeling, enough to have a sincere relationship with him.

"It's not that you don't want to, but that it's early?"

I nodded.

"The Princess is about to make her debutante, and I'm already an adult... Aren't we both old enough?"

"I meant there is a lack of understanding between the two of us to formally have a relationship."

In my previous life, I had a disease that I didn't want to be hated, so I was in a passive and pathetic relationship because I felt pressured to repay someone who confessed he liked me first.

Under the pretentious name of being in a relationship, there are many things that exploit, obsess, and hurt your feelings.

"To be honest, I am interested in you. So, I want to know more about what kind of person you are, and if you are someone I can give my heart to."

"The Princess needs time to know about me, but I didn't consider it because I was getting ahead of my feelings."

I tilted my head as he gave the nuance that he seemed to know me well.

'What was that? It's probably just my feeling.'

I felt like he was still hiding something, like the Master.

"I want to have a process of communicating with each other and getting to know each other by eating together often..."

Since he came out honestly first, I continued to speak with the utmost caution.

"In fact, I never usually thought about having a relationship, so if Sir Isidor doesn't like a low relationship like this..."

There was no way there would be something like an exploration period between friends and lovers in this world that forced marriages that benefited the family.

I thought Isidor might dislike such a vague relationship and didn't want to force him.

"I like it. There's no way I wouldn't."

But he cut off my words right away.

"..."

"Your thoughts or opinions are much more important to me."

His words made my heart drop.

"Let's try it. Getting to know each other."

He slightly raised his well-shaped lips.