ALL NOVEL Chapter 54
How did she know?
Rakrensius had to try not to show his surprise.
Was it just a guess?
Selleana’s gaze was still fixed on his forearm, making it hard for him to guess her intent. Should he brush it off casually, or should he answer seriously? And if so, how much should he reveal?
Rakrensius glanced at Saendi by the door.
If I lie to the lady here, will Saendi give me that disdainful look again?
Recalling his secretary’s irreverent gaze, which lately seemed to view him as a hopeless case, Rakrensius was choosing his words when Selleana spoke again.
“I thought I heard it speak that time.”
“That… time?”
“At the masquerade ball. A guard stopped you from entering because you were carrying a weapon. I lied for you, saying it was a wooden sword.”
Rakrensius tried not to show surprise again. No, he ended up strengthening his forearms again without realizing it…
Did Selleana hear its voice?
[It seems like she did react to my words back then.] His companion, who had been silent, suddenly chimed in, just as surprised.
As the pause stretched a bit longer, Rakrensius noticed Selleana looking at him with one corner of her mouth lifted in amusement.
“…
Cough,
I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I wonder how long Master of Tower intends to keep up this act…” A beautiful smile graced Selleana’s face. “Didn’t you notice I haven’t asked anything about Wilshe?”
“…”
“For your information, I consider him, at the very least, one of your closest associates.”
[Just don’t say anything. I wondered if it was you who wasn’t good at lying or Lady Elard, who is just sharp, but it seems to be both.]
Rakrensius spared himself from verbal and mental replies. Instead, he did what he could do best. Change the subject.
“By the way… Did that thing you mentioned last time succeed?”
“What thing?”
“Getting the prince of Laten to return home.”
“
Ah
… You saw the newspaper.” Selleana’s lips curled into a bittersweet smile.
Today’s edition of the capital’s weekly paper featured an article about Prince Erenst’s return home.
“The Prince of Laten, who attended Emperor Tashur III’s 44th birthday celebration as the head of the Laten delegation, will return home on the 5th of the 9th month. He has been forging ties with the people of the empire (…) He plans to revisit next month to attend the Harvest Festival hunting competition.”
It’s not every day that a royal from another kingdom makes a private trip and returns, yet he made sure his revisit was noted in an article.
It was creepy enough that he came to visit as soon as I returned home… His strategic side is truly worthy of the main character.
That was when Selleana vowed to buy the newspaper company so that something like this would never happen again.
“I made something like this, but now it seems useless.”
“
Oh
? Glasses?”
“Lady Branto always wears them, so…”
Rakrensius presented glasses similar to those Michi often wore, large enough to cover half her face.
“They change the color of your hair and eyes. They also blur your features a bit…”
“
Ah
, did you use this magic when we went to the Benichi salon together?”
“…”
Rakrensius was momentarily at a loss for words while Selleana chuckled.
“Thank you for thinking of me. It’ll be useful since he’s coming again next month.”
“That’s good.”
“May I try them on?”
“Of course.”
Selleana delicately placed the glasses on and turned to reflect her image in the window glass. She saw a woman with brown hair and blue eyes.
“Wow… It’s amazing.”
However, it was hard to tell how much her appearance had changed from the reflection in the window.
“How do I look? Did it work?”
Turning back to Rakrensius, her brown hair swayed significantly. Through the waves, Selleana’s face, altered in eye color due to the disguise magic, appeared. The magic made her features somewhat vague, yet…
“…Pretty.”
“Yes?”
“
Ah
.”
Realizing he had unwittingly spoken his thoughts aloud, the man was visibly flustered. He couldn’t hide his flushed face, just as Selleana couldn’t hide her own surprise. The atmosphere became irrevocably awkward.
Stop speaking out loud your thoughts…
Why does he keep rejecting me so blatantly when he’s like this…?
[…What a situation.]
* * *
That evening, Rakrensius lay sprawled on the sofa in his quarters, feeling utterly drained. It had been just over two weeks since Selleana discovered his secret. Her seemingly earnest or jesting advances were a significant stimulus for him. Even disguised by magic, her bright smiles directed at him were irresistible.
It’s because her expression is the same, so I could recognize her…
Even with the magical disguise, he subjectively found the Selleana he was attracted to in her appearance. The deep crescent moon-like curves of her eyes, the twitch of her nose, the flutter of her eyelashes… Mesmerized anew by that image, he had inadvertently let his true feelings slip.
She must have recognized me for the same reasons.
A combination of expressions, habits, and speech patterns makes up a person’s appearance. Realizing the limits of his magic, Rakrensius was contemplating various modifications to the spell when,
[I was truly surprised earlier.]
His companion spoke up.
[I tried talking to her because I felt like I could communicate with her even though she wasn’t you.]
“You spoke to her?”
[Well… you’re only my second contractor after all.]
Rakrensius remembered his friend had spent a very long time alone in its world.
[I didn’t mention it because although she seemed startled by my words, it wasn’t proof of communication.]
“I thought only contractors could communicate with you?”
[I never really tried before.]
“And that attempt was successful…”
[If Lady Elard truly heard my voice, then yes.]
“Selleana doesn’t lie.”
[…]
For a while, complaints about a dark-headed creature murmured in Rakrensius’s mind.
[Is there something special about Elard’s blood, I wonder? But since there was no communication with Elard’s ancestors, I can’t confirm. Even if so, after dozens of generations, would that bloodline still exist? On the other hand…]
Perhaps because he had been quiet all evening thinking about her, Di spent some time picking up its guesses.
Could it be because Angel is a special person to me? Rakrensius couldn’t guess anything other than that.
[Anyway, it was fortunate you didn’t reveal more about me and managed to change the subject well.]
“Well, there wasn’t much more to say anyway.”
[Knowing how dearly you cherish me… Well, it seems Lady Elard is aware of that.]
At the sound of his friend snorting in amusement, Rakrensius’s expression hardened with displeasure.
“Whether it’s her or anyone else, it’s something I’ll never reveal.”
[Of course. It wouldn’t do to let anyone know that you’re being watched by the saintess because of me…] The sword’s voice trailed off.
“There’s no need for you to feel sorry.”
[It seems I can’t help but feel sorry.]
“…”
[It’s not like you can choose your parents, so I feel sorry that you became my contractor because of your bloodline.]
Parents. When he thought of ‘parents,’ Rakrensius instinctively remembered only his mother, never considering the emperor, whom he had barely seen during their time in the same palace. His mother, with whom he had parted ten years ago, who had given him his silver hair and the qualities of a wizard, his only connection.
“Collin, I’m sorry. Mom… can’t ever go to the imperial palace.”
Rakrensius learned of his father’s existence ten years ago when the emperor’s personal knights found them at the far eastern end of the continent, where he and his mother were living. The emperor’s knights called the boy ‘Your Highness,’ telling him that his father ruled the empire and he was of noble blood.
“Mom tried my best. Now, Collin, you’ll be fine without me.”
The farewell was simple. His mother gave him up too easily as if she had always known it would end this way.