Chapter 57…………………………………………….
I subtly turned my head at the quietly joyful tone in his voice.
“…You have far too many secrets.”
“I haven’t exactly tried to keep them secret.”
“Then… would you tell me if I asked?”
I looked straight into his dark red eyes as I asked.
The Duke had far too many dangerous secrets.
Why a human magic circle had appeared on his back. Why he had been a mage in his youth but had now completely lost his magic and become an Aura Master. And…
‘Who that person is.’
More than any other question, this one weighed on my mind.
Even though I didn’t particularly want anything from him, I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
What do I want from him?
Lost in a question with no answer, my feet had come to a halt.
“El, we’re still dancing.”
“Ah.”
The Duke’s low whisper tickled my ear and sent chills down my neck. Only then did I begin moving again.
“I told you before, Aura Masters have keener hearing than mages.”
He had said that back when I was at the Count’s residence. I wondered why he brought it up now.
“Are you curious about the person I’m looking for?”
He closed the distance in an instant.
‘So he heard my conversation with the princess that day.’
I let go of his hand and stepped back.
Yet he gently held my hand again.
The song ended, and applause erupted around us. Strangely, despite the noise, only his voice reached my ears clearly.
“If you ask, I will answer honestly anytime. So when you’re ready to hear, I’ll tell you.”
The Duke smiled softly and lightly kissed the back of my hand.
After that, we left the dance floor.
‘Can I really ask? About the human magic circle…’
It was a question not easily asked, but the massive barrier I had felt from him had clearly thinned a bit.
Then, suddenly, a bronze-colored hand appeared before me.
“Huh?”
I looked up, and Ripay had approached, extending his hand.
“If it’s alright, I would like to ask the Lady for a dance this time.”
“Eh?”
It was a sudden prelude to a storm.
Lektarion was flabbergasted.
‘Someone who sends that kind of gaze and yet she just sees as an acquaintance?’
The man, from the Albah Desert Kingdom, had dark bronze skin and bright gray hair braided to one side. Despite being a mage, he had a strong physique.
It was obvious that she liked well-built men.
He often noticed Elroa looking at his arms or back with curious, round eyes. Sometimes, her thoughts spilled out: “Arm…”, “Muscles…”, she would mutter.
‘If she asked, I’d show her anywhere.’
That sly squirrel was clearly just waiting for him to remove the barrier of those blazing golden eyes.
After that day, she avoided him for several days, showing she was not used to men.
Yet now, she shared secrets with a man she had been hiding them from.
Lektarion felt extremely uneasy.
He had noticed the man from the moment Elroa had entered with the princess while performing her role. In a banquet hall filled with pale faces, his skin color stood out.
All eyes naturally fell on him, yet his gaze focused solely on Elroa.
As if she were so adorable he couldn’t look away.
‘What on earth is their relationship?’
Curiosity was killing him. He was also surprised that he could feel jealousy.
Just as he was about to dig deeper, Elroa led him to dance. The moment her small, warm hand touched his, Lektarion forgot what he was about to say.
When he regained his senses and tried to tease her slightly, it backfired.
‘Could it be… Elroa is interested in me?’
She had avoided him constantly, running away whenever he appeared, so he had thought there was no hope. But now, she claimed to be interested.
Heat rushed to his neck. Thankfully, his high collar hid it. With his pale face, it would’ve been obvious otherwise.
‘Right, the princess did mention that person to El.’
While bringing a magic book from the next room, he accidentally overheard their conversation.
It was important to him, but because of that, he wanted to let Elroa know beforehand.
Since “that person” would appear again in the distant future, they would inevitably meet. It would be troublesome if she misunderstood him then.
But Elroa still needed time to prepare to hear his deep story. Lektarion decided to give her that time and left the dance floor with her hand in his to rest for a while.
‘Maybe a walk while telling her about my days as a mage would lighten the mood.’
Just then, a mercenary dared to ask his wife for a dance without knowing the context.
“Ripay, are you crazy?”
I glared at him with my eyes wide open.
But he, as if unaware of his mischief, guided me along with the rhythm.
“Why? We’ve been introduced. Isn’t dancing once for camaraderie acceptable?”
I was surprised he danced so well, but then scowled at him at what he said.
“Are you serious? I crossed the doorway to meet you! I did that to prevent suspicious situations!”
Since we immediately brushed past others, I closed my mouth quickly.
“That’s not what you should be saying now, El.”
Ripay’s unusually serious face made me flinch. The same expression he had when I once said I’d take any medicine first and see.
‘Wait… so he’s really mad.’
A cold sweat ran down my cheek.
“Ah, hahaha.”
“El, look me in the eye and say it again. What’s your new last name?”
I hesitated, then murmured my name, barely opening my lips.
“N-No… Nordian.”
I sneaked a glance at Ripay’s face mid-sentence and nearly screamed. He looked like he might flip a table. If anyone had been around, I’d have spent the day listening to a lecture—or rather, a scolding.
And Ripay didn’t disappoint.
“Nordian? Are you out of your mind? That family has always had crazy heads as leaders. The current Duke is even called a bloodthirsty hunter. And you’re entering a contract marriage with a man like that? Even if leaving home was urgent, you should’ve told me first. I would’ve brought you out immediately, contract or no contract.”
I danced in high heels, feeling like my ears were bleeding. I smiled awkwardly and replied.
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. You’ve always wanted to protect me. I’m grateful, but I don’t want you in danger.”
I confessed sincerely.
He had been one of the few people in my life who had genuine goodwill, my friend. Losing him would feel like losing my childhood.
“…Because we’re friends?”
“Yes, because we’re friends.”
Yet somehow, Ripay’s dance movements slowed.
“Ripay?”
I looked up, and he gazed at me with an unreadable expression.
“What if we weren’t friends?”
“What?”
What was that all of a sudden?
“What kind of strange thing is that? You mean not friends?”
Judging by his expression, he wasn’t joking or speaking out of anger.
“Ripay?”
At that moment, the music suddenly sped up. It was a trendy dance song with a mid-song tempo change.
“Careful.”
“Ah!”
Ripay tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me close. I ended up half leaning into him unintentionally. Although not the first time he hugged me, it felt different from usual.
“Oh, sorry.”
A pair in matching purple outfits quickly brushed past us. They probably missed a beat in the sudden tempo change and nearly collided with us.
Once they passed, Ripay loosened his grip slightly.
“Thanks, Ripay.”
“We have to be careful. People are bumping into each other.”
The dance instructor, Lady Baroness Aide, had said that with the new trend, many didn’t know the moves yet, so such incidents were common. Indeed, apologies could be heard all around.
‘He only held me to prevent a collision. I was startled.’
It was all because of the Duke.
Having been overly aware of my contact with him recently, I reflexively reacted to Ripay’s touch.
‘Embarrassing.’
We had been friends for five years. Just by looking at each other, we could understand each other completely.
The brief chaotic moment passed quickly, and we resumed dancing steadily.
“El, if we divorce a year from now, would you come to my house?”
“Your house? You live in the guild dorm.”
“There’s a usable place in Albah.”
I frowned, puzzled.
“You hate Albah. And now you want to go there?”
“I think it’d be fine if you went with me.”
“Don’t tell me you mean to use me as a shield?”
He chuckled.
“Of course not. Protecting you is my role. As it always has been.”
His smile felt unfamiliar.
No, I had seen that look before, but always dismissed it as a trick of my eyes.
‘No, it can’t be… Ripay wouldn’t…’
