Chapter 37
Her exposed forehead and bare shoulders, not even draped with a thread of clothing, suddenly felt embarrassingly exposed.
“Damn… maybe it’s because it’s the first time I’m showing this side of myself to him. Why does it feel so awkward?”
Her fingertips twitched nervously.
Meanwhile, the fact that he hadn’t said a word—did that mean the Duke also found her appearance awkward?
Even as Frisia pondered this, Kaien’s gaze persistently stayed fixed on one spot: over her eyes, unobstructed by bangs that had previously concealed them.
After a moment, he finally spoke.
“Today… you look… different.”
At Kaien’s single remark, everyone held their breath, letting their imaginations run wild.
“Different? She’s completely changed!”
“It seems the Duke thought the old Frisia was beautiful too. How can that be?”
Amidst the awkward silence, Kaien spoke again, still staring intently into Frisia’s eyes, his expression slightly confused.
“But… have we met somewhere before?”
At that moment, the onlookers’ eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
“Met somewhere?! That’s such a cheesy pickup line!”
“Even with lines like that, why does he look so cool?”
“What?! Have these two known each other for a long time?”
In the middle of all the curious stares, Frisia blinked quickly.
“Well… we may have seen each other from afar before… but the Duke probably didn’t notice me.”
That fleeting encounter was clearly the only memory Frisia had of him—until she went to the secretary interview.
Kaien, who had been silently observing her, briefly closed his eyes as if feeling a slight headache.
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
‘Nothing? That can’t be nothing!’
‘Try recalling a bit more, Duke!’
The crowd internally shouted in silent frenzy.
Yet Kaien did not indulge their expectations.
When he reopened his eyes, the usual arrogance and composure returned to his golden gaze.
He lightly surveyed the silent surroundings, where no music played, and spoke.
“By the way, isn’t a ball supposed to be a place for dancing?”
“That’s true… but there was a bit of an incident just now.”
Frisia pointed to the collapsed Felix.
“You did that to Felix, didn’t you, Duke?”
Few in the empire could control gravity so perfectly.
Kaien twisted the corner of his mouth into a villainous smile.
“Yeah. He tried to steal my secretary’s magic again.”
Those words sent ripples of whispers through the crowd.
“What did he mean by that?”
“Steal magic…?”
Confusion filled everyone’s eyes.
Most commoners didn’t even know such a thing was possible.
Yet nobody dared to voice their doubts openly.
It was, after all, Duke Kreutz—the master of the Mage Tower—speaking. Not understanding that would be foolish.
His classmates exchanged bewildered glances.
“Wait… did he just say ‘again’? So Felix has stolen Frisia’s magic before?”
“Come to think of it… it is strange. Frisia was good at magic until the first semester of first year, right? But then suddenly she became… clueless!”
“Right. And Felix had no magic when he entered, so at first I thought, ‘What an incompetent guy!’ But then his magic suddenly surged, and he excelled!”
“That lines up perfectly. Frisia started losing her edge just as Felix began to soar!”
“So, are we saying Felix really stole Frisia’s magic?”
Everyone looked at the collapsed Felix in shock.
“Oh my… so all that incredible magic wasn’t innate?”
“He took Frisia’s magic and then just threw it away on graduation day? Sucked it all dry?”
The crowd cast scornful, incredulous, and contemptuous glances at the slumped Felix.
Watching this, Lorena trembled.
“That can’t be… Felix was a genius from childhood. He wouldn’t need Frisia’s trivial magic!”
Yet someone drove the point home, mocking Lorena’s doubt.
“If that’s all true, then the parasite was him all along, wasn’t it?”
“Wow. So he’s basically been introducing himself this whole time?”
Wahaha!
Laughter rippled through the classmates.
Even those who had joined Felix and his friends in calling Frisia a parasite now laughed at Felix instead.
Lorena, her face pale, quietly stepped back from Felix.
It was over. No amount of charm or eloquence could turn the situation around now.
At that moment, the guards appeared.
“I heard there’s a patient.”
“Ah, here! Over here.”
They carried Felix away on a stretcher, and the place where he had fallen became clean as if nothing had happened.
Then music began to play.
The musicians, who had been distracted by the commotion, regained their focus and resumed playing.
“Ah… the waltz.”
“Cough, hmm. I got too absorbed without refinement, didn’t I?”
People finally regained their composure, realizing the situation had settled.
Partners began taking each other’s hands.
Amid the swirling dancers, Kaien silently watched Frisia.
His hands were clad in black leather gloves, as always.
Lorena’s sharp eyes caught them.
“Duke Kreutz is famously a misogynist, right?”
The incident where a renowned countess tried to slyly hold his hand and got pushed away like a frog was still famous.
Even at a dance, he wore gloves to avoid contact with his partner.
‘Even without knowing the full story, this proves their relationship is strictly business!’
At that very moment, Kaien removed his gloves.
“Come here, rookie.”
His long, elegant fingers moved, then hesitated for a moment.
“…If you don’t want to, it’s fine just to pretend to touch.”
Most people fear contact with Kaien, worried that their emotions might be read.
Well aware of this, Kaien habitually gave Frisia the choice.
And Frisia…
“Yes!”
She grasped his hand without hesitation.
“…”
Kaien paused, holding his breath.
The bustling world suddenly became calm, as if submerged underwater.
‘…Just like back then.’
It was the same feeling as the first time he held her hand to check her magic.
Indeed, that sensation had not been an illusion.
Frisia radiated no impure emotions.
The endless malice, greed, and scheming that usually crowded his mind seemed to vanish.
It was like wearing an oxygen filter over his lungs.
How could this be?
Everyone around Kaien—even Aaron—usually viewed him with one of three emotions: fear, hatred, or lust.
But Frisia was none of these.
Her gaze only held shyness, awkwardness, and genuine goodwill.
The purity and warmth made Kaien feel strangely breathless.
It was unfamiliar and awkward.
Confusing and new.
Her magic, seeping through their bare contact, was infinitely warm and pure.
This was…
‘…what they call love?’
Snap.
In an instant, the back of Kaien’s neck flushed red, as if on fire.
Thanks to his coat collar, no one noticed.
He knew Frisia had feelings for him, but experiencing her magic so vividly firsthand was a first.
And it wasn’t disgusting at all.
Unlike all others who had blindly approached him before.
“…”
Yes.
For the first time, Kaien found another’s touch not repulsive.
On the contrary…
What if he touched her more deeply?
A curiosity, tinged with desire, coiled within him.
Deep in his unconscious mind, moist and unrecognized even by himself.
