CHAPTER 105
"Give it to me! That's my personal journal!"
Madden hastily reached for the journal in Lewis's hands.
Lewis didn't let go easily.
"I'm curious. Can't I take a look?"
"Of course not... Let go immediately!"
A strange scene unfolded over the research journal.
The nobles watched with amused expressions.
After all, these were not just any people, but ones who held positions of power through magic.
However, Madden was already in his middle age. He couldn't match the strength of the much younger Lewis.
The insolent brat! As Madden's face grew more distorted, Lewis, losing interest, finally let go.
"Guess it can't be helped. Take it."
Madden had been pulling the journal towards himself with all his might.
"Ugh!"
Madden stumbled back dramatically.
Losing his grip while flailing, the journal flew out of his hand.
"Oh no..."
The journal headed straight for the large candelabra, brightly lit with candles.
Thud— Whoosh.
The journal knocked over the candelabra, catching fire.
The nobles, who had been watching quietly, finally shouted.
"Fire, fire!"
"Where's the water? Get water, quickly!"
What a spectacle. Lewis raised one corner of his mouth as he watched the chaotic ballroom.
Servants nearby hurriedly splashed water, extinguishing the fire.
But the journal and the tablecloth beneath the candelabra were completely burned.
"You'll have to rewrite your journal. That's why you shouldn't write things down. Just remember everything in your head."
Lewis spoke as if he had no part in the incident.
He didn't sound particularly regretful.
In fact, it was Lewis who caused it all.
The journal flew towards the candelabra, the sudden flare-up of the fire—it was all due to Lewis's magic.
Unlike others, Lewis didn't need a staff to use magic, which was why he could use it silently.
"My journal..."
Madden looked devastated, as if important contents had been lost. He seemed oblivious to the nobles' relief that the fire had been put out quickly.
Madden quickly snapped out of it and yelled at the maid.
"Who told you to bring that journal here!"
"I really don't know anything about it, my lord!"
The maid looked confused and frightened.
Madden, with a troubled expression, turned away from the maid.
"Where are you going?"
"Something must have happened."
Some of the curious nobles followed him.
"What's going on?"
Meanwhile, Michael had dispelled his magic and descended from the upper floor.
Lewis quickly whispered to the bewildered Michael.
"The research journal caught fire."
"What?"
"Selina sent me to burn it. You follow Madden."
"Got it."
Despite his surprise, Michael immediately followed Madden.
Lewis moved upstairs along with the other nobles.
And then, at some point, Lewis's body disappeared. He had cast an invisibility spell on himself.
Checking Selina's location, he saw it matched the direction Madden was heading.
He had to get to her before Madden did.
The second-floor hallway was noisy due to the nobles and Madden coming up.
"Where are you going now?"
"Why did the Count's maid approach Marquis Bloomberg?"
"I'm heading to my office. I don't know why the maid did that. What I do know is that important documents from my office were leaked without my permission!"
'He's really angry.'
Lewis smiled silently as he moved.
Using teleportation magic, he arrived at the office. Selina was nowhere to be seen.
But Lewis knew.
She was under the table.
* * *
"Were you hiding there?"
A familiar voice came from above her hiding spot.
She almost let out a sound but managed to cover her mouth just in time.
"It's me."
Of course, she recognized Lewis's voice immediately.
"Where are you?"
Since he used magic, Lewis was invisible.
When she cautiously asked, Lewis's figure appeared soon after.
"You scared me!"
She had been so tense, thinking someone else was coming, but it was Lewis. She felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
It felt like she had just come back to life.
Lewis opened his arms as if to embrace her.
"Come here."
At other times, she might have hesitated, but in this situation, she didn't think twice.
"Oh, Marquis...!"
I thought I was really going to die!
Feeling immense relief at seeing him, she almost threw herself into his arms.
Lewis smiled as he embraced her.
Pressing his forehead against hers, he gently rubbed it.
Both of them were smiling, quite out of place considering they were supposed to be undercover.
Selina's smile came from relief, while Lewis simply enjoyed the moment.
The moment Lewis appeared, her worries melted away like snow.
Even this close contact didn't feel awkward anymore.
After a moment, Lewis pulled back and asked.
"Did you miss me?"
"Of course!"
Though still in his arms, she didn't find it odd at all.
Isn't that strange?
Soon, they heard footsteps approaching from outside.
"Just stay quiet. They won't see us anyway."
Yes. She nodded quietly.
Soon, the door burst open.
Madden and a few nobles entered.
"There's no one in the office."
What an intriguing tone they had.
Ignoring the nobles, Madden entered the office, scanning the bookshelves.
It looked like he was searching for something.
Wow, it would have been really scary if Lewis hadn't come.
"They only touched the research journal."
Madden's voice didn't sound pleased.
The journal must have contained important information.
At that moment, Michael, who had entered with them, suggested.
"My lord, there's no one here. Let's go back downstairs. Everyone's probably gossiping by now."
"Yes, we should."
People gossiping? Did the maid I sent downstairs do her job well?
I'll have to ask Lewis later.
Madden turned to leave, instructing his butler sternly on the way out.
"Make sure no one unauthorized enters here."
"Yes, my lord."
It's too late for that, my lord!
After the door closed and the footsteps receded, Lewis cast another spell.
They arrived in Madden's garden, where people were scattered around.
"Just act like we've been here the whole time."
"What happened downstairs?"
"I burned the research journal."
Lewis replied nonchalantly.
Wow, I sent the journal down for Lewis to see, but he just burned it?
"How did you find the journal? The maid had a spray and another spell on her. What was that about?"
"Oh, that?"
Seeing Lewis's curiosity, she explained what she had gone through earlier.
"It contained notes on curse research. It didn't mention your name directly, but..."
"You did well."
Lewis smiled and praised her.
"You should've seen Madden's face when he saw the journal."
Lewis even mocked Madden, saying his face turned pale.
Was it worse than when I saw him in the office earlier?
"Thank you for coming in time."
She said what she hadn't had the chance to say earlier, making Lewis react as if he had heard something strange.
"Of course. There's no need to thank me."
"Is it really that natural?"
"If you were going to be in danger, I wouldn't have come with you. I would've kept Michael on the first floor. I was dying to know what you were up to."
"I did chat with the maid for a bit. Haha..."
They spent a bit more time in the garden before heading back to the mansion.
Madden, who saw her, seemed to have a lot to say but ultimately remained silent.
He had no choice! To ask where she had been, he would have to explain himself first.
Like why the Count's maid tried to feed her something dangerous, and why she tried to harm her!
Now she would be on Madden's list of disliked people.
That day, they leisurely returned from the Count's mansion after enjoying the brief commotion at the banquet.
* * *
After Selina and Lewis left the mansion, the commotion at Madden's mansion spread through the social circles.
It didn't take long for Philip to hear about it.
"He was so confident about using hypnosis magic."
Philip muttered incredulously upon hearing the report from his aide.
The aide watched Philip's reaction carefully.
Philip was usually a calm superior, but on bad days, he was intimidating.
"I contacted Count Madden separately."
The aide spoke cautiously.
"But it seems that important research data was lost... It happened to be in the mansion."
What a mess. Philip let out a long sigh.
'Can I still trust him?'
Despite working together already, he felt increasingly uneasy.
While the lost data was being recovered, Madden couldn't go to the temple.
It was Philip's wish that led to the investigation of the magic circle in the first place, not Madden's will.
To recreate the lost information, Madden had no time to worry about the magic circle.
* * *
Lewis delivered unexpected news four days after the banquet.
"The duration has increased."
Duration? He must be talking about the time the noise persists when we're apart.
Wasn't it originally supposed to be three hours?
"How long?"
"Three days."
"What? That long? How did that happen?"
They had met once in the middle, so it wasn't like they hadn't seen each other for four days straight.
But still, the noise should have resumed after three hours of separation.
"The noise didn't come back after three hours?"
"Yes. It only started again today."
"What about the mana stone? The one at the tower."
That pesky mana stone that amplified the noise whenever I calmed it down!
"It was there. But the noise still didn't return."
"Yes. How could that happen?"
"I've been thinking."
Lewis offered his theory.
"Maybe it's because we were hugging at Madden's mansion."
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