Chapter 47
Riana’s hand.
Yesterday, when it had touched him, it had been warm, and the way it had touched him had been gentle.
Gray couldn’t get that memory out of his head. It had coiled up in his mind, refusing to leave—so much so that, even though he wasn’t one of the Isolation Tower’s maids, he had ended up staying awake all night.
Since joining the knight order, Gray had experienced a lot of changes.
He had learned what it was like to feel full for the first time in his life.
He had learned what it was like to see someone’s eyes look at him with genuine trust.
Even though he planned to leave someday, he was grateful for those sensations and relationships he had managed to hold in his hands for a short while.
Even if it had an ending, he wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible—get as used to it as he could while it lasted.
That feeling from yesterday that had made his chest tingle… that was one of those things.
It was new, but it pulled at him.
“…Check something?”
Riana looked at him in puzzlement, so Gray averted his eyes before speaking.
“It’s just…”
How was he supposed to put it?
Would it sound weird if he said her skin had felt nice?
Probably better to make a joke like usual. He drew a light breath to turn it into a tease—
—but a noisy sound interrupted.
He flinched slightly, and Riana spoke first.
“What’s that noise?”
The Isolation Tower’s surroundings were usually one of the quietest places in the Duke’s estate. Even now, she couldn’t see anyone else around.
But she seemed to have lost all interest in their conversation. She stood up suddenly and started looking around for the source of the sound.
“…Seems like it’s coming from the main building.”
Gray, with his sharper hearing, pointed toward the direction.
Sure enough, cheering could be heard from that way, followed by applause.
“Some kind of event in the main building?”
First thing in the morning, too.
Riana started walking toward the main building, drawn in by curiosity.
“Ah…”
Of course—second most important place after the royal palace.
At the Droche Duke’s estate, there was yet another grand event happening today.
It wasn’t the usual sort of visit from a business partner, either.
The guests now being welcomed in front of the main building, amid applause, were children.
Tiny kids in matching dark blue uniforms were standing in formation in the plaza in front of the main hall.
Familiar faces—probably executives—were clapping as they welcomed them.
A stage had been set up in the plaza, and like all things made with magic, it didn’t show the slightest sign of being hastily built.
When the prince walked up onto the platform, the murmurs died down, and he began his speech.
Spotting Sophia nearby, Riana went over to her.
“What’s going on? Who are those kids?”
“They were born without parents, but with incredible magical talent,” Sophia explained.
Her eyes flicked briefly to Gray, who had followed Riana, before returning to Riana as she adjusted her clothes and continued:
“The royal orphanage gathers kids like that and raises them to be valuable people for Diares. To motivate them, they send the fifth-years here to tour Droche’s magic company every year. This is the place every young magician dreams of working at someday.”
“…The royal orphanage?”
Pages of An Introduction to Tea Blending for Professional Maids flipped in Riana’s mind.
When she had drunk the memory potion, she had jotted something about this episode:
Royal orphanage visit to the main building plaza.
Second scene after Killian♡Deborah at the lake.
No wonder her feet had wandered here on their own.
‘What exactly happened in this scene again?’
She hadn’t written it down in detail, so she couldn’t remember clearly.
The potion’s effect had a time limit, she had several webtoons to skim through, and there was only so fast her hands could move—there had been no time to write thorough notes.
‘Should I just drink it again?’
The thought tempted her, but she shook her head.
This was how addictions started—telling yourself “just one more time” until you couldn’t stop.
Besides, there was no way to get more of the memory potion.
Still, knowing this was one of the original story’s episodes made her tense up. She swept her gaze stiffly across the plaza, when Sophia spoke again.
“Come to think of it, you said you were from an orphanage too, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Must bring back memories.”
Her stiff expression had been misunderstood that way.
Riana tried to relax her face and forced a crooked smile.
“Not really. We didn’t have uniforms that fancy, so I don’t feel much of a connection.”
The kids from Eppindor Orphanage hadn’t had such healthy faces. They hadn’t been chubby either.
“Then why are you watching so intently?”
Gray, standing beside her, glanced at her expression.
“Not going back to sleep?”
“The bright future of this country is so dazzling it woke me right up,” she said vaguely.
Still, her eyes stayed fixed on the plaza, watching the scene closely.
What was supposed to happen here? Killian was seated with the executives. Where was Deborah?
She didn’t see her yet…
“Must be bringing back a lot of memories…”
Sophia looked at Riana with pity as she murmured, speaking to Gray, who stood on Riana’s other side.
“She really looks worried.”
Gray nodded vaguely. “Yeah, she does.”
Sophia’s hand swept gently over Riana’s back.
“For a girl who loves to sleep in, she must be feeling pretty troubled…”
That finally made Riana turn her head toward Sophia.
Left alone, Sophia was going to write a full-blown tragic novel about a poor orphan girl.
“I’m not worried. And I’m not troubled. And I don’t sleep in that much.”
“I’m a firsthand witness to the unbreakable bond between you and your blanket, so don’t even try to deny it.”
She must have remembered the desert folk’s illusion banquet, when she’d been tasked with waking Riana up.
With that on her conscience, Riana couldn’t deny it—just clicked her tongue.
“You hold grudges…”
Taking that as admission, Sophia perked up and started talking more, again addressing Gray.
“She’s really close with her blanket. Not easy to get her up in the morning.”
“…She’s not easy to deal with in any situation. I can agree with that.”
Somehow, Sophia and Gray ended up fist-bumping over Riana’s head.
After that brief contact, Sophia’s cheeks turned slightly pink.
She looked Gray up and down with a strange gaze, then whispered to Riana,
“All that effort showing up at the knights’ club, and you caught a big one.”
Riana’s expression twisted.
She’s treating this like the wrong genre again.
“That’s not it, and I’m not even part of the knights’ club. I’m just someone who sits between them.”
Sophia tilted her head.
“Isn’t that the same as attending?”
“I’d say so,” Gray added.
Sophia went even further.
“Well, you should forget a man with another man—preferably the most well-built man you can find.”
“What—”
Riana shut her mouth mid-protest.
Sophia must be thinking back to the story Riana had told her about her “relationship” with Duke Veloci.
It had been a deliberately planted misunderstanding, but still—Sophia probably believed they were ex-lovers.
Which meant…
That dopamine addict just saw me standing with Gray and jumped to another conclusion.
This time she hadn’t even done it on purpose.
With Sophia’s personality, it had been useful last time—but now it was just annoying.
Deciding to end it once and for all, Riana met Sophia’s eyes directly.
“I have nothing going on with him. And even if I needed to get over someone, it wouldn’t be with him.”
“For someone saying that, you’re awfully friendly this morning.”
“I am not friendly with him. Him.”
Riana pointed not at Gray, but at the leash in his hand—at Willie.
Up until now, “him” had meant Gray. This time, “him” meant Willie.
“…We are friendly,” she admitted.
Even though they’d just met today.
We had fun earlier. I scratched your neck. You panted and smiled.
Willie just rolled lazily on the ground, pretending not to notice her gaze.
“So you really mean you’re nothing?”
Sophia’s narrowed eyes flicked between the man and woman standing together.
When Riana nudged him with her elbow, Gray spoke up.
“Well, if I had to call it something, I’d say ‘rivals.’”
“Not even friends, then,” Sophia concluded.
Their answers were firm enough that she seemed convinced, nodding.
“Alright then. Anyway, I have work to get to. Enjoy the event, and don’t get too lost in old memories…”
“I said I’m not.”
“Sir Gray, nice to meet you.”
Sophia offered her hand, and Gray shook it.
Riana thought she could finally focus on the event and turned her eyes forward.
But then Gray spoke, distracting her again.
“She gave me this just now.”
It was the same hand they’d just shaken with.
In his palm was a handkerchief.
“What’s that?”
Gray read aloud the lipstick-scrawled message on it.
“‘End room, 4th floor, main building’?”
“That’s Sophia’s place.”
…No wonder her ears had turned red when she said they were nothing.
