Chapter 58……………………………….
Feeling a bit flustered, I changed the subject.
“Why worry? I can use magic now. I even used a 5th-tier spell recently.”
“What? You’re joking, right? Didn’t you say it hasn’t been long since your mana started accumulating?”
“They say it’s building up at an incredible speed. Thanks to Rion, I’m barely managing to keep it from going out of control.”
“Rion?”
For a moment, Riphey’s voice seemed to stiffen.
“Oh, we decided to call each other by nicknames… I came up with it. Does it sound weird?”
“You came up with it?”
“Yeah.”
For some reason, I suddenly felt like a child who had done something mischievous, and a bead of sweat rolled down my temple.
Just then, I spotted Lektarion leaning casually against a wall over there.
Around him, several young ladies seemed to be trying their best to strike up a conversation, hoping to exchange even a word with him. But he treated them as if they were invisible.
He doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.
It was obvious at a glance. He was smiling only with the corners of his mouth.
Then our eyes met.
At that moment, the eyes that hadn’t been smiling curved into crescents. It was a sweet smile, like someone who had just taken a mouthful of whipped cream.
That startled me. Why is he suddenly making that expression?
Caught completely off guard, I quickly turned my head away. My face felt burning hot.
“El?”
Riphey’s voice made me realize my mistake. In the middle of a dance, my attention had wandered to someone who wasn’t my partner. It was terribly rude.
“Sorry. I got distracted for a moment…”
“Do you perhaps… like the Duke…?”
Right then, the music ended.
It had been quite a fast song, so after dancing a full piece, I was slightly out of breath. But Riphey stood there without looking the least bit disheveled, his head lowered for a moment.
“Riphey?”
I reached out, wondering if he might be feeling unwell, but he turned away before my hand could touch him. My hand swept through empty air.
“Sorry. I’ll go get some fresh air.”
“Okay.”
For some reason, his expression didn’t look good.
“Will he be alright?”
Since he was a mage mercenary from Albach… hopefully no one would harass him. Riphey was so kind that if someone hit him, he seemed like the type who would just take it.
Just as I was worrying—
“El? Is something wrong?”
“Eek!”
I jumped when the Duke’s voice suddenly came from behind me.
“Are you alright?”
“Oh, Rion. I’m fine. Riphey… seems to have an upset stomach.”
I saw Riphey leaving through the door that led to the garden.
“Don’t tell me you stepped on his foot like you did with me…”
“No! The tempo was slower this time, and I didn’t mess up!”
“Is that so?”
At my indignant protest, Lektarion chuckled.
Why is he always smiling with that pretty face? It’s bad for my heart…
Still, the way he approached me playfully made things far less awkward than before.
“So you’re worried about that mercenary you only know through work.”
Duke Lektarion really was the type to hold a subtle grudge.
I gave a very humane and morally upright answer.
“If someone’s sick, it’s natural to worry.”
“Then will you worry about me too? I’m having quite a hard time right now.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, I thought he was joking.
But his complexion was pale. The chandelier powered by mana crystals was so bright—and his skin so fair—that I hadn’t noticed earlier.
Seeing him sway slightly, I hurriedly supported him.
“Are you okay?”
He was even breaking out in cold sweat. Yet his expression was so calm that he didn’t look sick at all.
“This is the first time I’ve stayed in a banquet hall this long… If you don’t mind, shall we take a short walk?”
The Duke’s voice sounded unusually weak.
“Let’s go outside.”
Trying not to make it obvious that I was supporting him, I draped his arm over my shoulder and wrapped my arm around his waist.
But the moment I touched him, I realized how feverish he was.
Has he been enduring this the whole time?
Lektarion was sensitive to other people’s mana. Even before, when the princess used magic, his face had quickly turned pale.
And inside this imperial palace banquet hall were countless magical devices, displayed to show off the authority of mages.
Lavish chandeliers lighting every corner, automatic temperature regulators, the latest music players producing soft melodies, and small decorative fountains meant to enhance the atmosphere.
Illusionary birds and butterflies sometimes fluttered around the hall as well.
In short, this place was overflowing with mana.
Ah… then maybe a mana-blocking barrier would help?
I remembered the large-scale mana barrier Beric had set up at the mansion.
The structure of the mana back then…
Quietly, I gathered mana and sent it through the activation trigger, weaving the spell as I had seen it.
Soon, a faint golden barrier appeared around the Duke and me.
But since I had activated it without an incantation, merely copying what I’d seen, the magic was extremely unstable.
“El?”
When I turned at his voice, his expression definitely looked a bit more comfortable than before.
“Do you feel better?”
“What did you do? Magic?”
“I tried copying the barrier Beric cast at the mansion. It’s very sloppy, so it probably won’t last long. Let’s get outside quickly.”
“I see.”
The Duke grinned broadly.
“So that’s why that picky fellow praises you so endlessly.”
“He just says that because I’m the Duchess. You don’t have to take it seriously.”
“No. If it’s him, he means it. Look at those foolish nobles. They boast about being mages, yet they didn’t even notice you using magic.”
“Normally people can’t sense others’ mana. And please stop talking—I need to concentrate.”
“Oh dear. As you command.”
Even at my curt attempt to hide my embarrassment, Lektarion smiled as if he were in a good mood.
Once we left the crowded hall full of magical devices and mages, the Duke’s complexion visibly improved. Only then did he look like he could finally breathe.
I quickly dispelled the unstable barrier.
“Should I call a doctor?”
“No. As long as I stay away from mana, I’ll be fine.”
“…That must be inconvenient, being so sensitive to mana.”
“It’s usually not this bad. Normally it’s just a little unpleasant. It only gets like this when someone with enormous mana—like the princess—uses magic, or when I’m surrounded by magical devices like earlier.”
“So that’s why you don’t attend banquets.”
Come to think of it, there had been magical devices at the mansion too, and Beric had used magic freely there without any problem.
Lektarion, wearing white gloves, tried to wipe the sweat from his forehead. I quickly grabbed his arm.
“Wait a moment.”
I took a handkerchief from my purse and gently wiped his forehead. Looking closely, beads of sweat had formed all over it.
He must be having a hard time. His forehead is hot too.
When Lektarion had bound my mana before, his hands had felt warm, but now it seemed even worse.
“All done—”
Just as I finished and tried to withdraw the handkerchief, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
For a moment, Lektarion stared at me silently.
His eyes, slightly moist, looked up at me. They seemed a little dazed.
Why is he staring at me like that?
Perhaps because of the fever, his cheeks were redder than usual, making his usual charm feel even more intoxicating.
My heart began to pound.
T-this is dangerous. D-don’t tell me… like this…
My imagination was starting to run wild when—
The Duke, who had been gazing at me quietly, suddenly smiled brightly as if he had met someone he longed for.
“Ria.”
What?
Startled, I yanked my hand out of his grip. The shock felt like being burned.
What was that just now?
“Ah.”
Focus returned to his eyes.
Then he placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head, looking dizzy.
“I’m sorry. I lost my senses for a moment. Did I say something just now?”
“…No. Nothing.”
He tried to stand from the bench but swayed slightly. I instinctively supported him before straightening up.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll bring you something to drink.”
“Sorry. Ha… If someone asks you to dance…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on bruising anyone else’s feet besides yours, Rion.”
At my answer, the Duke chuckled.
“I’ll be waiting.”
Seeing Lektarion return to his usual demeanor, I nodded slightly and headed back toward the banquet hall.
But my heart was beating harder than ever.
How does he know that name…?
“Damn it!”
Count Uberis was cooling off in the garden, trying to calm his anger. But the early summer air did nothing to cool him down.
“That brat who used to tremble whenever he read the room—now he’s grown a big head and dares to frame me?”
Fuming, he repeatedly punched the nearby tree.
Isabella, who had been watching him indifferently while fanning herself, spoke with mild surprise.
“It seems the Duke of Northdian is more taken with that girl than expected.”
“Damn it! If I’d known this would happen, I should have just sold her to him in the first place!”
Noticing that her husband was more agitated than expected, Isabella approached and gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“Calm down, dear. No matter how great the Duke is, he’s still in that person’s palm.”
“I must find that girl today. If the Duke won’t invest, there’s no reason to hand her over to him.”
“That’s right. I’m sure he will like that approach as well.”
“He said he’d help retrieve my daughter this time, didn’t he?”
“That’s right. I’m sure he’ll give us a good plan—just as he told me to meet you.”
“Good. Thanks to him, my fortune has grown greatly, and I’ve gained an excellent heir. And I even obtained a beautiful wife like you.”
“Hehe, you still know how to sweet-talk.”
Isabella smiled faintly.
What a foolish man.
He was still completely absorbed in fulfilling his own desires, unable to notice the stumbling stone hidden in the shadow right in front of him.
