CHAPTER 059
Young Lady Yaniels went upstairs for a moment? I was about to tell her, but Philip spoke first.
"The gift you recommended was well received by Young Lady Yaniels."
Oh, so he didn't come to see Charlotte? It seems he came to thank me.
"Thank you for your help."
"No need to thank me."
"No, I am relieved that Young Lady Yaniels liked the gift I gave her."
Philip, who was in unrequited love, seemed to be happy with every little thing. Such a simple person.
"I would like to give you a separate token of appreciation. If it's okay with you-"
"That's not necessary."
At that moment, Lewis's voice cut off Philip's words.
Lewis was standing next to me, having returned at some point.
When did he come? Did he come as soon as he saw me talking to Philip?
"Do you have something to say to my friend?"
It was a voice that clearly conveyed a sense of territoriality.
Philip smiled.
"We were just having a casual conversation. The Marquis seems more vigilant than he appears."
"She's my one and only friend."
"Oh. Your one and only friend?"
Philip looked at me with a short exclamation.
I awkwardly excused myself.
"I'm afraid it won't be possible, Your Highness."
"It can't be helped."
Since Lewis was being so defensive, continuing the conversation would have been difficult.
Philip turned to leave with a sense of regret.
I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'll accept your gratitude in my heart!
As soon as Philip left, Lewis asked me.
"What kind of token?"
"He was choosing a gift for Young Lady Yaniels's birthday, and I gave him some suggestions."
Lewis frowned at my explanation.
"You met that guy again?"
"It was just for Young Lady Yaniels 's birthday gift."
"Still. You met him, didn't you?"
"Well, yes..."
"Don't meet him alone anymore. Even if it's for Young Lady Yaniels."
The Marquis is really... he told me to report if the Crown Prince said anything foolish last time.
The conditions have become stricter. But since he dislikes it so much, I can't help it.
I promised Lewis.
"Then I won't meet him one-on-one anymore."
"Good."
Lewis's expression softened a bit.
To think he would be so wary. It seems no one is exempt from the Croft family's persistence.
Not even family like Bella or a Crown Prince who already has an unrequited love.
* * *
The Duke of Croft called for me the day after the birthday party.
"Did you have fun at the birthday party?"
"Yes. Though I just hung out with people I knew."
"Michael was disappointed he couldn't join."
Michael couldn't attend the birthday party yesterday. The Duke had him stay at the mansion for some work.
"Lewis must have been thrilled to go to the party with you."
"He didn't seem that excited, though..."
Talking to the Duke naturally led to discussing Lewis.
When Lewis was mentioned, the Duke suddenly asked.
"Selina, is everything okay between you and Lewis?"
"What do you mean?"
"You remember what I told you before."
Oh, the characteristics of the Croft family?
The Duke was the one who explained the Croft family's persistence to me.
She told me to be prepared since I was the first outsider to enter Lewis's life.
I hadn't really prepared myself... Michael said it would become natural over time.
"Is everything really okay?"
I couldn't say nothing happened...
Judging by his question, she seemed quite certain about something.
So, I shared a small incident with Lewis.
"The Marquis and I got friendship rings recently."
"Oh my, rings?"
The Duke's eyes widened.
"Does Bella know?"
"No. I'm thinking about getting one with Bella too."
Otherwise, she might feel left out.
At my words, the Duke chuckled.
"It's a good thing Bella isn't very perceptive. She didn't notice you and Lewis had matching rings."
The Duke murmured, 'To think that a child who never wore rings would wear one.'
So, Lewis was wearing that ring even when he met the Duke?
I usually kept mine in the jewelry box. Since it was a friendship ring, it felt more like a keepsake.
"Lewis must be pleased. To have something matching with someone he considers special."
"It's just a simple ring we bought at the Founding Festival's stall."
"A kid who never wore rings. If it were just that, would Lewis keep wearing it?"
Hearing it that way, it seemed to make sense.
Lewis wasn't the type to keep wearing something like that.
That evening, Lewis came to the Duke's mansion.
Thinking about my conversation with the Duke, I glanced at Lewis's finger and saw that he indeed had the ring on.
As soon as he saw me, Lewis said.
"I'm a bit tired today."
"Are you tired?"
I placed my palm on Lewis's forehead.
At this point, I had done it a few times before, so it wasn't awkward anymore.
"Feeling better now?"
"Yes."
Lewis grabbed my hand as it was about to pull away. His gaze was fixed on my ring.
"You're wearing it today?"
"The ring?"
I had put on the ring just before Lewis arrived.
"I thought I was the only one wearing it. I've been wearing it all this time."
He had been noticing whether I was wearing it or not.
"You should have told me to wear it. I had it in the jewelry box."
Why didn't he say anything sooner?
Knowing Lewis, he would have already asked, 'Why aren't you wearing the ring?'
"It's better if you do it voluntarily."
"I didn't realize it held such meaning for you."
"You're more indifferent than I thought. How disappointing."
Lewis said, sounding disappointed.
But seeing the slight smile on his lips, it seemed he wasn't truly upset.
"No, I usually pay attention to these things."
Like that clover last time!
I suddenly remembered something small I had given to Lewis and asked quickly.
"Do you still have my clover, Marquis?"
"Of course."
He answered without hesitation.
"I placed it between my bookshelf. It's probably all dried up by now?"
He used to look down on it as a weed! I looked at Lewis in surprise.
At the same time, I realized anew.
I really do mean something special to Lewis.
While I was mulling over our changed relationship, Lewis brought up another topic.
"Remember when we talked about going somewhere together?"
"When did we make such a promise...?"
Pretending to search my memory, Lewis stared at me without blinking.
Oh my.
"We did. Yes, we did!"
"When are you available? I'm going on a business trip and would like you to accompany me."
"Me? To where you're working?"
"Yes. Just think of it as a vacation. It's a resort, after all."
"Where to?"
"Silon."
Silon is an island in the southern part of the Empire. It's famous as a resort among the Empire's citizens for its beautiful scenery.
I heard it wasn't a day trip.
Three nights and four days! We would be staying there.
There wouldn't be a problem going since we'd be using separate rooms, but...
"Wouldn't Bella want to come too? I don't think she'll let me stay with you for that long. She might want to come to Silon as well."
It seemed like a reasonable guess.
Surprisingly, Lewis just smiled nonchalantly.
"Bella can't go."
"Can't go?"
"Yes. She has something else to do."
* * *
When I was packing, Bella grumbled.
"What a detailed reason. He says he can't stand being apart from you for a few days?"
"Well, it might be more difficult without me around."
"No way. He traveled for long periods before becoming the Tower Master. He can endure it if he wants to."
Now that she mentioned it, I had forgotten.
He could manage his daily life without me. He just had to endure the inconvenience!
As I realized this, Bella muttered softly.
"I wanted to go too. Suddenly, I have all these things to do..."
"Sorry?"
"Nothing. Will you contact me while you're there?"
"Of course, of course!"
"Will you bring me a souvenir?"
"Got it, Bella."
I made a few promises with Bella.
On the day we were leaving for Silon, Lewis came to pick me up.
Bella and the Duke saw me off as I left the mansion.
"Goodbye, Your Grace. Bella, say hi to Michael for me!"
"Alright. If Lewis bothers you, tell me!"
"Come back soon!"
Seeing us exchange farewells, Lewis chuckled.
"It looks like we're leaving for a year."
Indeed.
We arrived in Silon six hours later. If Lewis hadn't cast a spell on the carriage, it would have taken much longer.
After traveling for a while and switching to a boat, we finally arrived in Silon. The scenery was quite different from the capital.
Such clear water!
"So what brings you here?"
"Remember that strange ring?"
"A strange ring?"
"The one that amplified noise."
"Oh, that one?"
The strange ring that created noise even when we were together!
I remember Lewis stopping his investigation because the magic level was insignificant.
"I let it slide thinking it was nothing, but I was targeted again."
"How?"
"Last time I parted ways with you, the same thing happened."
The noise appeared unexpectedly.
"So I attached a tracking spell to a few suspicious people."
"Suspicious people?"
"I picked those who were walking hurriedly. I figured the culprit wouldn't just stand around after targeting me."
So he attached tracking spells to these people one by one.
"I couldn't identify one of them. They traveled unusually far."
He could only tell that their trace ended on this island as the spell's effect wore off.
"You think that person might be the culprit?"
"Yes. Even after showing the assassins an example, they keep bothering me. Now I have to deal with it personally."
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