Beneath the silent tent, a desk and chair rested atop the grass. Seated there, Abel was deeply engrossed in thought, shuffling papers with a focused expression.
Shh-scratch.
The intermittent sound of a pen gliding across paper could be heard. Accompanying it was the quiet sound of dipping an ink pen into its bottle, along with the low hum of a murmuring voice.
Reclining on the couch placed on the meadow, I quietly observed him. Just sitting there watching made me feel as though I had turned on an ASMR video.
‘Somehow, this feels relaxing.’
In my past life, I would sometimes come across such videos, right? The ones where good-looking people are studying together in a cozy study setting.
Maybe if I close my eyes now, I could fall right to sleep. Thinking this, I couldn’t help but let a slight smile escape me.
Was the sound of my laughter irritating? The scrapping sound came to a stop. Abel, placing the paper on the desk, looked over at me, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Due to the scar around his eyes, he looked fiercer, but he wasn’t angry. In fact, he seemed closer to annoyed. Spending several months together had made it easy to read these emotions.
Well, I suppose it was kind of rude to enter the tent abruptly, then lie down on the sofa and start laughing to myself.
To be fair, I just hadn’t seen a sofa in so long since being reborn that I couldn’t help but lie down, without realizing it.
Because it was more comfortable than I expected, I hadn’t been able to get up from it.
The slightly contemptuous look I felt coming from him wasn’t just my imagination, was it?
“What brings you here?”
“Isn’t it odd to ask about business when we’re already engaged?”
I nonchalantly replied. Seemingly astonished by my answer, he chuckled in disbelief.
Ignoring it, I tossed and turned on the couch.
Suddenly, the necklace around my neck felt uncomfortable, so I took it off and tossed it aside. Right after that, my silvery-white hair began reverting to its original black color.
I felt a sense of relief at this. Pretending to change my appearance always felt kind of suffocating, what with mana constantly clinging to my hair.
Seeing this, Abel put down his pen and reprimanded me.
“Hey, aren’t you getting a bit too cheeky?”
“That’s a skill I learned from someone, isn’t it?”
Abel had embarrassed me plenty by putting on an unrelenting face more times than I could count.
Maybe this way, I can reduce his cheekiness a little. They call it mirror therapy for a reason, don’t they?
Abel smirked slightly at my response.
“Didn’t you used to tremble like a frightened rabbit?”
It was true — at the beginning, I had. After all, my friend had always emphasized how ruthless Abel was whenever we’d talked about the original story.
Now, though, I could see how different this Abel was from the one in the original story. He was just as merciless and sharp, yes, but also showed warmth to those close to him.
“Me? When?”
But I didn’t want to admit that. Asking again with that same brazen attitude, I saw a faint smile form on Abel’s lips.
“Hmm? Seems like you don’t remember. After our contract ended, your legs went limp…”
“Eep! Don’t say that!”
I abruptly shot up from the couch, quickly covering Abel’s mouth with both hands. He grinned mischievously at me despite having his mouth covered.
And while I was distracted by his beautiful smile, Abel licked my hand with his tongue.
The strange sensation made me immediately pull my hand away.
“What?!”
“That’s the price for interrupting a Duke.”
I frantically wiped my slobbered-on hand on my leather armor. Who in the world licks the hand covering their mouth like this?
I turned my head to scold him, but there was Abel with a smug smile on his face, like he had won the argument.
I sighed, then lay back on the sofa. Abel watched me before addressing me quietly.
“I hear you used the ‘Panacea.’ ”
“Is the news spreading already?”
“That’s what I’ve heard.”
He nonchalantly responded, turning his gaze back to the documents. There was a sense of awkwardness in Abel’s expression that usually concealed any emotion.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
He tilted his head at my question, genuinely seeming not to understand.
“Like, why did you use it so carelessly on someone else…?”
Abel burst into a chuckle as if this was all very amusing. His continuous laughter subsided as his gaze returned to me.
“You seem to think that I am someone stingy with such things.”
I looked away from his penetrating stare. Not exactly—this was more like me being preemptively self-conscious, since using the ‘Panacea’ on someone so insignificant after only hearing about it by name felt uncharacteristically reckless for Abel.
Abel shook his head slightly as if negating my assumptions.
“The ‘Panacea’ was granted to you. How you choose to use it is entirely up to your heart.”
“…I see.”
He hastily signed the last document with a rough flourish. Placing the fountain pen back into the ink pot, Abel sat down across from me on the other sofa.
He stared at me with a serious expression, his eyes meeting mine directly.
“Do you regret your decision?”
“No, I don’t regret it…”
Trailing off, I gave my reply. Abel interlaced his arms and looked at me as if confirming I truly did not regret it.
His stare was so piercing I almost wanted to look away.
“…I’m not entirely sure.”
I quietly answered. Abel closed his eyes for a moment.
“I believe it was a good decision.”
“Eh?”
“The Pope is a crafty fellow. The fact that he’s still hanging onto his position for over a hundred years clearly shows that.”
Young people aren’t even his first priority—if he cared for them so much, he would have stepped down a long time ago.
Abel’s sarcastic remark felt slightly unfamiliar.
He didn’t outwardly show animosity toward the Pope but neither did he seem particularly fond of him. He continued pointing toward the paper tucked in my pocket.
“Would a person like that offer something as powerful as the ‘Panacea’ to you without hidden intentions?”
“You mean…?”
“Indeed. Ultimately, saving a priest from a Holy country was a good decision.”
We didn’t end up incurring a debt to them but rather received their favor instead. This would make any potential contact from the Pope more complicated.
The Pope’s method always involves subtly granting favors and using them to manipulate the debtor into a subordinate position.
“And, wasn’t her name Yurph? How well do you know her?”
“I don’t know much, it’s only been two days since I’ve met her.”
After tapping his fingers against his arm for a while, Abel continued in a lower voice,
“You’d be justified in not knowing much. She is one of the candidates to become the Holy Maiden of the Castle State.”
The Holy Maiden, Yurph?
Surprised, I turned to Abel again, and he nodded calmly. Well, now that I think about it, the divine power she wielded on the battlefield was formidable enough to earn her the title of Holy Maiden.
But I never imagined she’d be a candidate for such a prestigious position.
“So, do you understand why I believe this was a good decision?”
“…Ah.”
A knight from Ari Empire, using a ‘Panacea’ entrusted to him by the Pope to save a Holy Maiden candidate from the Castle State—this arrangement, even at a glance, paints quite a favorable picture.
“Politics is such a headache.”
Listening to Abel’s explanation, my head began to spin. These sorts of transactions between the elite classes were still foreign to me.
His expression agreed with my sentiments, as he grinned faintly.
“Yes, it’s complicated. And even I wasn’t this adept at it from the start.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As hard as it is for you to believe.”
Shaking my head slightly at Abel’s statement, I reflected on the past few months spent together. I had gradually come to understand his personality.
“It really shows how much effort you’ve put in to get this far.”
He hides his struggles and dislikes showing off his own efforts, even when things get tough.
As Lady Lora, the steward, mentioned, he rarely reveals a weak side even to his servants.
The fact that he shares his vulnerabilities with me must mean I have his trust.
“I respect that about you, Abel.”
“…”
At my words, Abel momentarily lost his usual composed demeanor, as though he’d swallowed honey and become speechless. His unexpected reaction caused a small laugh to escape me.
“Wow, were you flustered by what I just said?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Abel sighed and stood up from his seat, seemingly perturbed by my comment.
“Go on out.”
“You’re kicking me out?”
“Yeah. I need to rest now too.”
Considering the time, it was still quite early. As I thought this, I noticed Abel’s slightly red ears.
Seeing this, I smiled and stood up from the couch. Well, having witnessed this unusual side of him, it’s probably enough for today.
I put the necklace back on and activated its camouflage function. Confirming that my hair was entirely white, I left the tent.
Even the slightly chilly night air felt refreshing somehow.
§
“Hmm…”
To hear someone say they respect me, how long has it been since the last time? Only children like Arin or Evan from a long time ago might have said that.
The moment I heard those words, there was a slight ripple within me. Whether it was excitement or joy from being acknowledged, I couldn’t quite tell.
What I was certain of was that I held some degree of goodwill toward her as well. As for whether it was a rational fondness? Well, I’m uncertain about that.
“Looks like you’re getting along well with Mother.”
“…Arin.”
There was Arin, grinning widely. She was leaning against the tent’s post with her arms crossed.
“Who’s your mother?”
“Well, the person who will become Dad’s wife. Mom, right?”
To appear so confidently in matters of personal life? Honestly, where did she learn to be so playful?
