'Why are you here...?'
For a moment, Sylvia thought she had seen something wrong as the night grew deeper. However, due to her momentary absentmindedness, her magic was disrupted and Randall fell onto the bed with a thud.
“Hmm.”
The shock brought her to her senses as Randall groaned and shifted around softly. Sylvia bit her lip and muttered a small curse under her breath.
'Shit.'
I see you weren't mistaken.
“...Who are you?”
Likewise, Auston, who had regained consciousness at the sound of Randall, aimed his magic at Sylvia and spoke in a wary voice. His face was a mess of confusion and doubt. Sylvia first raised both hands in surrender to stop Auston's rash actions. Her mind was spinning.
'What do I do?'
The moment his eyes met with Auston's, the first thought that came to mind was whether she should erase his memories. Unlike the time with Marquis Seicrine, since the opponent was a magician, there was a high possibility that Auston would get hurt if her magic clashed with his resistance.
Sylvia, who was hesitating, let out a deep sigh when she heard Randall's body moving as if he was about to wake up again.
'This is a total mess.'
Finally, she gave up and waved her hand lightly with a slightly distorted face.
“Let’s get that out of the way first.”
Then, a sound barrier appeared around Sylvia and Auston in an instant. Auston, who saw it, dropped his jaw in shock and unconsciously scattered his magic circle. He muttered as if he was surprised.
“What is this... That cynical expression is definitely that of the madam...”
Sylvia asked back in bewilderment.
“Can you tell people apart by their facial expressions?”
“You could use magic? How on earth...”
But Auston didn't even seem to have the presence of mind to listen to Sylvia and only spouted out incoherent words. Sylvia, who had been desperately racking her brain in front of Auston who was rambling nonsense, raised her chin and decided to shamelessly leave.
“I told you once before, you’re a genius.”
"...Yes?"
'This is a total mess.'
Finally, she gave up and waved her hand lightly with a slightly distorted face.
“Let’s get that out of the way first.”
Then, a sound barrier appeared around Sylvia and Auston in an instant. Auston, who saw it, dropped his jaw in shock and unconsciously scattered his magic circle. He muttered as if he was surprised.
“What is this... That cynical expression is definitely that of the madam...”
Sylvia asked back in bewilderment.
“Can you tell people apart by their facial expressions?”
“You could use magic? How on earth...”
But Auston didn't even seem to have the presence of mind to listen to Sylvia and only spouted out incoherent words. Sylvia, who had been desperately racking her brain in front of Auston who was rambling nonsense, raised her chin and decided to shamelessly leave.
“I told you once before, you’re a genius.”
"...Yes?"
Auston let out a dumbfounded voice. Sylvia continued speaking calmly and clearly as if trying to hypnotize her opponent.
“I learned it through self-study. I had books like that lying around the house.”
“Speak sense!”
At Sylvia's words, Austin's face distorted. Whether so or not, she was unwavering.
“The word genius came into being because there are people who cannot be explained by logic and common sense. That’s me.”
Auston was speechless at that. It was understandable, because even he, who was praised as a talented person who could even be called a great wizard, could not solve the improvement method, but the person in front of him easily solved it.
Auston bit his lips and looked at Sylvia suspiciously as he pondered.
“...Then why are you hiding the fact that you are a genius?”
“Is there a reason why it must be revealed?”
“There is no reason to hide it.”
It was a face that did not seem like it would be easily convinced by a clumsy lie. Sylvia decided to cleverly mix lies and truth.
“Because it’s annoying.”
"Yes?"
“You must have heard it too. I absolutely hate being tormented around people.”
The sight of herself in the crowd was horrifying to even imagine. As she continued to speak, Sylvia unconsciously furrowed her eyebrows, which made her words seem more sincere. Auston was confused when he realized that her words were in line with the rumor that she would lie down whenever she finished her work after arriving at the dukedom.
“So I would like you to keep it a secret as much as possible. I helped you improve the barrier magic before, so you can think of it as payment for that.”
There, Sylvia's attitude was consistently confident. It was so calm that it was hard to believe she was lying. At this point, Auston was starting to fall for Sylvia's excuses.
'...Is it real?'
'I doubt if it's real.'
'The reasons are all plausible, but... '
'I guess you think there's no reason to be suspicious right now.'
His expression was so clear that it seemed as if she could see into his mind. If that was talent, then it was talent. Sylvia leisurely waited for Auston to gather his thoughts. Soon, his expression became fixed and he asked with a long, puzzled look.
“Then, by any chance, did you break the Duke’s chains a while ago...”
“Oh, I was so out of it at the time that I didn’t think about the backlash. I apologize.”
"Ha."
Sylvia nodded calmly. Auston let out a hollow sigh as he remembered the blood he had coughed up because of that incident.
“By the way, why did you make the formula like that? It’s so flimsy that it falls apart if you apply force to it.”
“What? What’s wrong with my formula!”
Auston got angry and shouted at the criticism. But that was just putting his head into the beast's mouth and asking it to eat him.
“It’s a mess from the first line to the last.”
You’re in trouble.
“...Then why are you hiding the fact that you are a genius?”
“Is there a reason why it must be revealed?”
“There is no reason to hide it.”
It was a face that did not seem like it would be easily convinced by a clumsy lie. Sylvia decided to cleverly mix lies and truth.
“Because it’s annoying.”
"Yes?"
“You must have heard it too. I absolutely hate being tormented around people.”
The sight of herself in the crowd was horrifying to even imagine. As she continued to speak, Sylvia unconsciously furrowed her eyebrows, which made her words seem more sincere. Auston was confused when he realized that her words were in line with the rumor that she would lie down whenever she finished her work after arriving at the dukedom.
“So I would like you to keep it a secret as much as possible. I helped you improve the barrier magic before, so you can think of it as payment for that.”
There, Sylvia's attitude was consistently confident. It was so calm that it was hard to believe she was lying. At this point, Auston was starting to fall for Sylvia's excuses.
'...Is it real?'
'I doubt if it's real.'
'The reasons are all plausible, but... '
'I guess you think there's no reason to be suspicious right now.'
His expression was so clear that it seemed as if she could see into his mind. If that was talent, then it was talent. Sylvia leisurely waited for Auston to gather his thoughts. Soon, his expression became fixed and he asked with a long, puzzled look.
“Then, by any chance, did you break the Duke’s chains a while ago...”
“Oh, I was so out of it at the time that I didn’t think about the backlash. I apologize.”
"Ha."
Sylvia nodded calmly. Auston let out a hollow sigh as he remembered the blood he had coughed up because of that incident.
“By the way, why did you make the formula like that? It’s so flimsy that it falls apart if you apply force to it.”
“What? What’s wrong with my formula!”
Auston got angry and shouted at the criticism. But that was just putting his head into the beast's mouth and asking it to eat him.
“It’s a mess from the first line to the last.”
You’re in trouble.
Sylvia, her eyes sparkling, began to point out one by one the parts that had been bothering her before. Why is this part like this, are you going to waste your life going around and around, why is this place so chaotic...
Pointing out and filling in the shortcomings of her colleagues was something she had often done since she was ‘Alyssa’. The way she talked about Auston’s formulas one by one as if breaking them down was just like an academy professor. Sylvia continued to lecture on the previous improvement formula and this chain magic formula for a long time after that, then slowly trailed off.
“So, there... I think it would be okay to fix it like that, but...”
It was no wonder because Auston's gaze at her sparkled excessively. Shockingly, Auston, who had been listening to Sylvia with his eyes wide open, started to cry when she stopped talking.
“Why are you stopping? Please scold me more. More!”
“...Were you a pervert?”
“Is it okay to treat me like a pervert for the sake of learning? Please teach me, Madam!”
Was this his personality?
“So, there... I think it would be okay to fix it like that, but...”
It was no wonder because Auston's gaze at her sparkled excessively. Shockingly, Auston, who had been listening to Sylvia with his eyes wide open, started to cry when she stopped talking.
“Why are you stopping? Please scold me more. More!”
“...Were you a pervert?”
“Is it okay to treat me like a pervert for the sake of learning? Please teach me, Madam!”
Was this his personality?
Sylvia looked Auston up and down with a trembling expression.
'I don't think he was this kind of person.'
Wasn't he originally a cold, cynical person who would whine for more money?
'I don't think he was this kind of person.'
Wasn't he originally a cold, cynical person who would whine for more money?
As expected, humans are animals with many different sides. Sylvia thought so and said, touching her forehead.
“...Okay, then keep the secret well.”
“...Okay, then keep the secret well.”
"Yes!"
“It’s late at night, so you should just disappear now.”
"Yep!"
Auston, who immediately responded to Sylvia's words, left the room with a cheerful face. After Auston opened the door and left, Sylvia lifted the soundproof curtain and let out a small sigh. She couldn't easily take her eyes off the door.
‘Why are I so anxious...’
***
The next morning. Sylvia and Randall woke up in their own rooms, got ready, met in the hallway, and headed to the dining room together. Randall, who was dressed neatly unlike the night before, tilted his head.
“It’s strange. Even though we drank so much yesterday, neither my wife nor I had any hangovers.”
'...Of course, I never drank it in the first place, and that's because I cast a detoxification spell on you.'
Sylvia remembered that she had cast a detoxification spell on Randall when she left him last night. Of course, she didn’t show it on the outside, and smiled, saying, “Yes, that’s strange.”
“It’s strange. Even though we drank so much yesterday, neither my wife nor I had any hangovers.”
'...Of course, I never drank it in the first place, and that's because I cast a detoxification spell on you.'
Sylvia remembered that she had cast a detoxification spell on Randall when she left him last night. Of course, she didn’t show it on the outside, and smiled, saying, “Yes, that’s strange.”
Randall, who was walking along while talking about this and that with Sylvia, sensed a suspicious gaze and stopped. He saw Auston peeking out from around the corner, his eyes sparkling so much that it was burdensome, and his face distorted as if he had seen something unsightly.
“...Auston. What are you doing there?”
“Good morning, my lord. Amazingly, you don’t have a hangover.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Are you serious?”
It looked like a joke to anyone, but Auston was serious. He happened to overhear Randall and Sylvia talking while walking down the hallway. When he saw Sylvia’s indifferent face around the corner, he instinctively realized that it was because of her that Randall didn’t have a hangover.
'You're so talented...!'
Auston covered his mouth with both hands and tried to hold back the tears that were about to spill out. Randall felt uncomfortable when Auston looked at Sylvia with an expression that seemed to indicate that he had met an unfortunate lover from his past life. He moved his foot to block Sylvia’s path and growled softly.
“Where are you looking? Clear your eyes.”
“Yes. I hope you two have a great day today!”
Despite Randall's harassment, Auston greeted him with a bright smile. He hummed as he walked away, then jumped up and down in place, even hitting the soles of his feet together in the air.
“...”
Randall, who had been looking at the spectacle with an expression that was indescribable, opened his mouth seriously.
“... Is he crazy because the environment suddenly changed? If it were normal, he would have reacted immediately.”
“...Auston. What are you doing there?”
“Good morning, my lord. Amazingly, you don’t have a hangover.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Are you serious?”
It looked like a joke to anyone, but Auston was serious. He happened to overhear Randall and Sylvia talking while walking down the hallway. When he saw Sylvia’s indifferent face around the corner, he instinctively realized that it was because of her that Randall didn’t have a hangover.
'You're so talented...!'
Auston covered his mouth with both hands and tried to hold back the tears that were about to spill out. Randall felt uncomfortable when Auston looked at Sylvia with an expression that seemed to indicate that he had met an unfortunate lover from his past life. He moved his foot to block Sylvia’s path and growled softly.
“Where are you looking? Clear your eyes.”
“Yes. I hope you two have a great day today!”
Despite Randall's harassment, Auston greeted him with a bright smile. He hummed as he walked away, then jumped up and down in place, even hitting the soles of his feet together in the air.
“...”
Randall, who had been looking at the spectacle with an expression that was indescribable, opened his mouth seriously.
“... Is he crazy because the environment suddenly changed? If it were normal, he would have reacted immediately.”
“That’s right. He must be crazy.”
He must be crazy about magic...
Sylvia also shook her head with a disgusted expression. The couple hurried to the restaurant, wiping their goosebumps off their arms.
***
At the breakfast table, the Count opened his mouth, looking between Sylvia and Randall with suspicious eyes.
“By the way, I heard that several bottles of wine went missing from the warehouse last night.”
Clink.
“By the way, I heard that several bottles of wine went missing from the warehouse last night.”
Clink.
The two of them froze as soon as they heard those words. They rolled their eyes and looked at each other, then exchanged glances.
'Did we drink that much?'
'Of course. There must have been at least 10 bottles in total.'
'...'
'Did we drink that much?'
'Of course. There must have been at least 10 bottles in total.'
'...'
'...'
Sylvia and Randall just rolled their eyes awkwardly. The Count, who saw the two people conversing with their eyes, opened his eyes wide and was about to say something.
"Honey."
The Countess quietly pinched his side with a smiling face, forcing him to twist his body silently. Sylvia quickly changed the subject to escape the Count's sharp gaze.
“By the way, have you decided what you want to do today?”
Today, the Count and his wife, Randall, and Sylvia were going to attend the street festival together. The capital was currently celebrating the King's birthday. The festival, which lasted for several days before and after the King's birthday, was one of the most grand events along with the founding of the country.
Since it was a street festival, the nobles were reluctant to attend out of respect. However, because it was so large, it was famous for having many rare sights and things to enjoy, including acrobats from neighboring kingdoms.
Sylvia had never left the Florette mansion until her marriage, so she had never attended a festival or a birthday party. So the Countess expressed her desire to attend the street festival with her daughter, who had finally started to do outdoor activities. Countess Florette was the epitome of elegance, but on the other hand, she was surprisingly easygoing. She suggested that the whole family attend the street festival together since she would not be able to enjoy the birthday party comfortably due to the gazes of the nobles around her.
To be honest, Sylvia hated crowded places and did not want to go. The Count and his wife and Randall were looking so expectant that it was impossible to refuse. As expected, the Countess's face lit up like a flower at Sylvia's question.
“Oh, then! First, there’s a place where you can hit the target with an arrow and get a prize, and then...”
“Oh, then! First, there’s a place where you can hit the target with an arrow and get a prize, and then...”
She chattered excitedly, saying that she had already found out about various fun things through her servants. She looked more like a girl than Sylvia, so the others listened to her with smiling faces.
“By the way, nothing really happened between you two last night...”
“Honey! I told you to stop asking! Just leave them alone and eat your meal!”
“Madam, I feel sick...”
There was a commotion when the Count, unable to let go of his foolishness, opened his mouth and was hit on the back by the Countess. However, it was a cozy family breakfast.
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