Chapter 22.1: —So····· you changed my face temporarily with magic?

—So····· you changed my face temporarily with magic?

Suddenly, a conversation I had with Igelto a few hours ago came to mind.

Because I had changed his appearance with magic without consulting him first, he couldn't hide his outrage, and his face distorted.

I meticulously explained to him why I had changed his appearance while he was unconscious.

An elf's comparatively extraordinary appearance attracts attention.

My rationale pacified Igelto, but his face still wore an uneasy expression.

"His Excellency is quite late."

Lida spoke to me as if she were thinking out loud.

Alastair and I always had dinner together. Yet the time for dinner had almost wholly passed when Lida mumbled when he still didn't arrive.

"Yes, I guess his work is keeping him very busy."

I replied nonchalantly, turning a page.

It has been a long time since I read a romance novel.

Whenever I was visiting the Duke of Agernia and bored, Lida would hand me a romance novel to appease me.

I don't particularly like romance novels, but I felt compelled to read because of Lida's sincerity.

At least the romance novels were a hundred times better than accounting and catalogue books in this mansion's study.

"How far have you read?"

"The two went to a masquerade ball."

I turned the pages for a while.

It wasn't very interesting, but it was worth reading as a diversion.

"Umm? Lady, I think the Duke is coming?"

As I looked out of the window along with Lida, I saw a carriage with the Agernian crest's seal coming in from a distance.

I closed the book and laid it down on the table.

"Lida, can you bring Alastair to me?"

"Yes, milady."

At once, the maid left. She opened the door and went outside without feeling a sense of awkwardness.

Usually, it wouldn't make sense for a visiting noblewoman to request the Duke's presence, lord and master of the mansion of where she is staying.

However, this mansion was anything but typical when it came to me.

The attendants here take everything as law and put my words above Alastair's.

The reason is simple because Alastair authorized such a policy.

'Treat Serina as the owner and true master of the mansion.'

After a while, Lida came up. But Alastair was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Alastair?"

"Err...That ......... He asks to see you after washing."

"What?"

You're going to take a random bath?

My eyebrows lifted slightly at the absurdity.

"Why, all of a sudden?"

"I don't know. He didn't look particularly dirty."

"Tell him to do as he likes." What can I do if he wants to wash up?

'I wanted you to match my dress...'

An unexpected idea popped into my mind, but it was something that had to be done anyway.

I needed a dress to wear at the King's International Banquet, so I wanted to go shopping.

Would I choose Alastair's suit?

While Alastair was washing up, I pondered about what to wear at the banquet.

Not paying attention to the time, I soon heard a knock.

It was Alastair.

He knocked lightly, came into the room, and snugly stuck next to me. "Serina, did you call me?"

"......so wet."

How hurried you came? Alastair didn't even dry himself off properly.

His body seemed to be roughly dried, but his head was wet.

The shirt was getting wet because of the water that fell off his soaked hair.

I felt strange for some reason to see his flesh explicitly through his wet shirt.

"Why didn't you dry your hair?"

"You called, so I came as soon as possible."

Alastair grinned with real joy. But there was a nagging suspicion at the back of my mind, and I frowned.

Something didn't add up. If you wanted to come as soon as possible, wouldn't I have to come as soon as I called you?

Instead, you did something else and then came.

If you're going to take a shower, you should at least finish your task.

I laughed at this ridiculous indecisive behavior that was neither this nor that.

"Go to the bathroom and get a towel. I'll dry your hair."

"Are you sure?"

Alastair opened his eyes wide in surprise.

"You don't want to?"

"No, I'll bring it."

Is it strange that I'm going to dry your hair?

Alastair blinked at me with an astonished expression.

Well, I didn't think it was bizarre.

It is not like I hadn't pampered this Duke only once or twice.

I reasoned that it wouldn't be wrong if I took care of him this time.

Alastair went into the bathroom attached to my room and brought a soft towel.

I took the towel, stood up from my seat, and put Alastair in the chair where I was sitting.

He looked a little stunned.

"Why are you donning such a blank expression?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, you don't need to apologize."

I could already feel the dampness seep into the towel.

I moved the towel around to absorb the moisture from his wet hair.

I didn't do anything special while drying his hair, but Alastair hummed and mumbled blissfully that it felt good.

My ears were flattered by his praise.

"I heard you called me."

"It was nothing much. Let's have dinner."

"Ah....... I must have come too late. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for that. What did you do today?"

Flinch.

I was drying Alastair's hair, so I felt it acutely when his body stiffened.

"Not much."

I snorted inwardly.

Only

Do you know how I am feeling right now? I wanted to lift the mirror in front of him.

For some reason, he's lying.

What the hell have you been doing?

"Really?"

***