CHAPTER 095
"Why did you call for me?"
I felt a bit embarrassed about prying into Lewis’s business earlier. Thankfully, the twins had kept me busy enough to lessen my embarrassment.
"I have something to say about earlier."
Huh. He mentioned earlier? That made me tense up involuntarily.
"What is it you want to say?"
"It's not something I want to discuss here."
So, we’re not going back to the drawing room?
Instead of heading back inside, Lewis pointed outside the window.
"Would you like to take a walk in the garden?"
"Oh... okay."
No reason not to.
I followed Lewis outside the mansion. We walked along the garden’s path. The weather was nice, the sky a clear blue without a hint of gloom, in contrast to my unsettled feelings.
But why did Lewis suddenly suggest a walk?
Curious, I broke the silence.
"Is there something you want to talk about?"
"Yes. I think you’re misunderstanding something."
"Misunderstanding?"
"Yes."
What could it be...?
I looked at him, puzzled.
"Rozalyn and I aren't involved in any way."
"······!"
So Lewis knew after all?
I blushed, feeling caught.
I didn’t care about that anymore! But my mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.
"Really? You seemed pretty close."
No, don’t ask that!
Even as I scolded myself, the words were already out.
Lewis responded calmly.
"Just as I said before, she visited me while traveling in the Empire. She asked if she could visit when she was here, and I said it was fine."
His tone was indifferent.
Like how one would talk about a friend?
If Lewis had a female friend, this is probably how he’d speak about her.
"She was surprised to find out I’m the Tower Master. She’s getting married this year and invited me, but I said I couldn’t go because of work."
Ah, she’s getting married.
Why did I even let myself think otherwise?
"I gave her a congratulatory gift and bought lunch yesterday."
So that’s why they had lunch yesterday?
When he first asked me to stop the noise, he gave me a magic wand as a thank-you gift.
Phew. I sighed in relief.
"I didn’t know that..."
But why does my heart feel so at ease?
As I stumbled over my words, Lewis extended his hand. That’s when I realized.
"Oh, I forgot to calm the noise for you today."
"Yes. Please hold my hand."
I took his hand, my voice hesitant given the situation.
"I forgot to hold your hand in the drawing room earlier."
"Today is relatively fine. That’s why I didn’t insist in the drawing room."
That seemed true. He usually reaches out for my hand right away.
"Are you okay now?"
I checked his condition, intending to let go soon.
"Yes. But being with you makes me feel much better."
"That’s good to hear."
But as I tried to withdraw my hand, Lewis didn’t let go.
Why? I looked at him in confusion, and he asked an unexpected question.
"Didn’t know what?"
"Pardon?"
"You said earlier that you didn’t know. You seemed relieved."
Oh no. Was that why he asked me to hold his hand? So I couldn’t escape like earlier?
"Tell me, Selina."
Lewis’s face already had a smile on it.
Not the fresh, clean smile from before! It was the mischievous smile he often wore when making things difficult for me.
"Why did you react like that when I said Rozalyn and I aren’t involved?"
"I wonder. I don’t know either."
I don’t know!
Feigning ignorance, I avoided his gaze.
"Do you really not know?"
"·······I don’t! You must be mistaken!"
Pulling hard on the hand he held, he finally let go.
How was I supposed to answer when I didn’t understand my own feelings?
Embarrassed, I fled again.
As I ran out of the garden, I glanced back to see Lewis watching me with an amused look.
What is that? Why does he look so victorious!
Ignoring him, I turned my eyes forward.
But I didn’t get far. Just around the corner outside the garden, I stopped.
"Ah, I’m out of breath."
Running like this was unusual for me.
I stopped and caught my breath.
My heart was racing, and my face felt hot. It felt like my face must be as red as a beet.
But this heat wasn’t just from running.
My heart was pounding, likely not just from the brief run...
Was it because my feelings, hesitant to reveal themselves, had been noticed?
"Sigh."
I exhaled deeply and sat down.
At that moment—
"You’re here instead of heading back to the mansion?"
Lewis had followed me out of the garden.
"Ha, I was just catching my breath..."
"Your stamina is terrible."
Excuse me, do you like me or not?
Feeling dejected by his sharp words, I watched him chuckle.
He squatted next to me.
"Then I’ll sit here too."
"That must be uncomfortable."
"No more than you. Tell me when you catch your breath so we can go back."
"Yes."
It wasn’t long before we got up. My endurance wasn’t so poor that a few seconds of running required several minutes of rest.
"Are you sure you’re okay?"
"Marquis, I’m not that weak. I just lack exercise."
I assured Lewis of my health as we reentered the mansion.
Talking with Lewis cleared my mind. I wondered why I had fretted so much alone.
"Still don’t have any special feelings for me?"
Lewis asked quietly as we walked.
Why does he ask such things?
Feeling awkward, I avoided looking at him.
"Not yet."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Then it must be a transitional period."
Lewis murmured.
A transitional period? Did he mean an uncertain phase?
If so, that might be an accurate description. I didn’t fully understand my own feelings yet.
* * *
Philip was meeting with Madden.
This was due to the investigation of the magic circle from the temple he had mentioned previously.
"Have you discovered anything?"
"We haven’t uncovered anything yet."
Madden shook his head.
Philip had asked, and the temple was now open to them to examine the magic circle.
But Madden wasn’t pleased about it. From his perspective, it was just an added burden.
"Why are you so interested in the magic circle?"
Madden couldn’t understand.
Though he couldn’t show his annoyance to the crown prince, he asked as politely as possible.
"It’s a personal curiosity. I thought someone as knowledgeable about magic as you could find the answer."
He had roped the head of the royal mages into a personal interest.
So Madden couldn’t be pleased about it.
But he had already decided to side with the crown prince.
‘I should delay this magic circle business as much as possible.’
Madden planned to use his busy schedule as an excuse to postpone it.
For Philip, the magic circle was a significant matter.
It was personal curiosity, but wasn’t it possible something extraordinary was hidden there?
"Aren’t you curious? What purpose that magic circle from the modern era might have served?"
"I didn’t expect you to be so interested."
"I don’t think that magic circle was intended for trivial magic."
Philip spoke with conviction.
But Madden still couldn’t understand.
"What do you expect it to be?"
"They intended to use it in a secret place. If it were a trivial magic, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths."
Yet there was no record of the magic circle ever activating.
Since it was likely a failed magic circle, Madden couldn’t see the point of Philip’s interest.
A while later, Philip left Madden’s office. Sir Schuster accompanied him on the way back to the crown prince’s palace.
Sir Schuster, walking beside Philip, asked,
"Did the conversation go well?"
"More or less?"
Philip’s answer was vague.
His expression alone showed he wasn’t satisfied with the conversation.
"We’re on the same side now, but he doesn’t seem very reliable."
One of the closest aides to Philip, Sir Schuster, was always by his side.
So Philip could speak openly with him.
"He seems reluctant to take on the task and tries to delay it."
"Are you referring to Marquis Madden?"
"Yes. I don’t like lazy people... it’s unfortunate."
Philip had noticed Madden’s reluctance to handle the magic circle matter.
Even though Madden tried to hide it, Philip saw through it.
‘If I ask, shouldn’t he willingly accept?’
Still, Madden was much better than Lewis, as he didn’t openly defy him.
‘Speaking of which, I forgot to receive a report about the magic stone.’
Simultaneously, Philip wondered why Lewis had been so quiet.
"I think..."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Though they were outside, Philip lowered his voice.
"I think the Marquis has something protecting him."
"A shield of some sort?"
"Exactly. A shield. Considering how Count Madden insists the magic worked, it seems some magic was activated."
Philip believed the reason Lewis was still unharmed was due to some unknown protective measure.
In other words, simply increasing the strength of the curse wouldn’t solve the problem.
They needed to find another way to fatally harm Lewis.
Something that would be Lewis’s undoing.
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