Stella shook her head. She simply wasn't keen on it. After all, she knew that Kendrick would eventually fall in love with another woman. It wasn't a matter she needed to get involved in.
"You didn't answer earlier. Say it."
Kendrick held Stella's hands to prevent her from escaping.
"Who is better looking, Young Master Andra or me?"
"Honestly, you're both handsome. It's not so much about who is better looking between Roy and Kendrick, but a matter of personal taste."
"Taste?"
Stella nodded.
"Roy is the type who is sly like a fox and soft and cute like a cake. As for Kendrick, how should I put it?"
He looked at Stella with an expression full of anticipation.
"The inscrutable, cold, handsome man style?"
Kendrick frowned at the explanation, which was weaker than Roy's.
"So, who do you think is better looking?"
"I told you. It's a matter of taste."
'This should be enough, right?'
Stella thought she had deflected the conversation well in her own way. But to Kendrick, it wasn't.
"I don't care about other people's tastes. Stella, what about yours?"
Is it me, or Andra?
As Kendrick asked so persistently, Stella realized she couldn't avoid answering. She bit her lip slightly and spoke with difficulty.
"You."
Stella remembered her first meeting with Kendrick. Initially, she had approached him to please her parents, but she gradually fell for his charm. Beneath his sharp and gruff exterior lay a thoughtfulness that silently soothed Stella's pain. Stella preferred someone who showed his feelings through actions rather than a man who was smooth-talking like a sly fox.
"It's too quiet, I can't hear you. Can't you speak a little louder?"
Stella raised her voice a little more.
"Kendrick, you look more handsome in my eyes."
If it weren't for the love potion, this embarrassing situation wouldn't have happened. Thinking that Kendrick had become more jealous and whiny because of the drug, she couldn't help but listen to him.
"Thank you."
Kendrick smiled, his eyes crinkling as if satisfied.
'Is Roy really a target of suspicion?'
In truth, Stella had never felt attracted to Roy as a man. She had sought him out because she wanted to learn to write, and although they had grown close and remained friends after meeting frequently, that was all there was to it. She simply realized, from an objective perspective, that Roy had a handsome face.
'It would be a big problem if Kendrick's symptoms persisted until Roy's succession ceremony.'
Stella was quite worried that Kendrick might clash with Roy even in public.
"I'm talking about the Marquis Andra's succession ceremony."
Just as Kendrick brought up the same story, a surprised Stella looked at him.
"I have a prior engagement with Prince Fabian. I heard he will be away in another country for a short time, so I must meet him."
He was softened by what Stella had just said.
"I can't go to the succession ceremony."
Thanks to Fabian, the rumors about Stella had died down lately, and I could feel relieved knowing that Roy and Stella weren't meeting alone anymore.
"It's fine. I'll go alone."
Stella also felt at ease.
Even though Roy must have been busy preparing for the succession ceremony, he would often make time to visit Stella's orphanage. The children liked Roy quite a bit. There were also some kids looking for Kendrick.
"Lady Stella. Um, isn't Mrs. Kendrick coming again?"
"Ah. Mr. Kendrick is very busy. If you'd like, I'll ask him to make time to come later."
Every time that happened, Stella felt somehow proud. While she stepped away to get the children a snack, the children whispered amongst themselves.
"But doesn't something seem a bit strange?"
"What?"
"When I read what Lady Stella writes, it feels like I see something right in front of my eyes."
"Huh? Me too."
"You too? Me too!"
Lina nodded beside her, as if agreeing as well.
"But the fairy tales Mr. Roy wrote aren't like that."
Roy, who was listening from the side, smiled slightly. It was a fact he already knew, but being compared to Stella so blatantly left a bitter taste.
"You're right. Lady Stella's writing is somehow different. When she talks about rabbits, it feels like rabbits are hopping around right in front of my eyes, and when you talk about water bottles, water bottles are rolling around."
"Amazing."
An interesting hypothesis also emerged.
"Actually, Lady Stella, isn't she a wizard?"
The children burst into laughter. In the meantime, Stella brought the muffins.
"Huh? What do you mean? Me, a wizard?"
The children saw the muffins and ran towards them, cheering loudly. Roy sat there nonchalantly, as if the situation was not strange at all.
"Roy, did you hear what the kids were saying? Why are they calling me a wizard?"
"They say Stella's writing is so vivid that the characters seem to come alive."
As expected of children. She liked that they didn't doubt what they saw and spoke it out loud exactly as it was.
"Really? Why is that?"
Roy pretended not to know that Stella was a real wizard, even though he did.
"Well, maybe it feels that way because Stella describes it so well?"
"Is that so?"
Stella played with the children a little longer and got ready to go back.
"Roy, let's go now."
"Why don't you stay a little longer?"
'There are ten months left until the Imperial Writer's Exam.'
Thinking about the time remaining, she felt a sense of urgency. She was at a disadvantage, having started later than others, and she couldn't spend a day at an orphanage. She had to devote at least five hours a day to writing.
"No. I have novels planned out. I have to finish writing them."
"You're working hard."
That way, her skills will improve faster.
Roy had always been curious.
"Why does Stella want to get results so quickly?"
It wasn't wrong to expect results. However, Stella took it to an extreme. Rushing herself out of impatience would often lead to burnout quickly. There were many aspiring writers like that among those Roy had met.
"You get tired quickly if you run too fast."
'Well, Stella is in a special situation, though.'
Her magical power manifests through writing. This meant that she was destined to become a writer. If Stella were to refine not only her writing but also her magical power, she would undoubtedly become a writer who would go down in history.
"Hmm..."
Stella considered confessing that she wanted Hajean's magic stone because of her loneliness. However, she didn't want to cause Roy unnecessary worry. She thought it was a burden she had to bear.
"It's just my personality."
Roy noticed that Stella was deep in thought. Stella was usually the type to answer questions immediately. She didn't waste time unnecessarily like other nobles. The fact that she didn't answer right away meant there was a reason she couldn't speak of.
'It certainly looks like something is going on.'
Is this related to Kendrick?
Roy decided to pretend not to know her true feelings for the time being. After all, the more someone tries to dig up a secret, the tighter they are bound to hide it.
Roy soon learned Stella's secret. It was at his succession celebration.
"Congratulations, Marquis Roy Andra."
"Thank you."
The ceremony concluded with receiving the Marquis's crown from the former Marquis, and the time came to gather in small groups to raise their glasses. Various finger foods and low-alcohol drinks were neatly arranged on the table.
"Roy, congratulations on becoming a Marquis."
Roy kissed the back of Stella's hand in celebration.
"Thank you for coming."
If it had been Kendrick, he would have subtly gotten on Roy's nerves, but thanks to only Stella coming, he felt warm and fuzzy inside.
"I’ve stocked up on plenty of good drinks. The cocktails over there should suit your taste, too."
Just as he recommended, the cocktail suited Stella's taste perfectly.
'Mmm, it's sweet.'
And it's delicious.
It had been a long time since she had a drink.
Whether it was a cocktail with strawberry liqueur or not, a refreshing strawberry scent first filled her nose, and the sweet taste of the cocktail thoroughly enveloped her tongue. She hadn't been able to rest properly lately because she was busy writing or taking care of the children, so she was quite tired.
'On top of that, I had to take care of Kendrick as well.'
As Stella chatted casually with the people who approached her and raised her glass, she soon ended up drinking more than seven glasses.
'I have to go home and write again.'
She felt as if she had gone back drunk; she would hear another scolding from Kendrick.
"I'm going out for some fresh air."
"Have a safe trip, Duchess."
Stella quietly slipped out of the banquet hall and leaned back on a bench in the garden for a moment. A hot, sweet breath escaped her lips. Roy, who had been mindful of Stella even while talking to someone else, excused himself from his conversation partner and followed her out as soon as he saw her leaving.
"Huh? Roy."
Stella spotted Roy and smiled brightly.
"Congratulations on officially becoming a Marquis."
"You already said that earlier."
"Is that so?"
Stella, grinning broadly, was cute. Roy knew it when he saw her flushed cheeks.
'Stella must be really drunk.'
Seeing the drunk Stella, the buried questions resurfaced. Why did I keep feeling a sense of familiarity whenever I looked at Stella?
"Stella, have you ever been to the Kingdom?"
"Yeah. I probably went when I was little."
"When you were young?"
After the cheating incident, she found it difficult to show her face in public, so she spent a few months in the Kingdom to clear her head. Worried that she might run into nobles from the Empire visiting the Kingdom as tourists, she even kept her purple hair completely hidden.
"Didn't you happen to help that lost kid back then? The one with a cut on its face and torn clothes."
"Huh? Right, I think that might have been the case... But Roy, how do you know that?"
Roy's pupils widened at Stella's words.
'I knew it wasn't for nothing.'
Roy swept his hair back. At that time, after returning to his lodging, Roy struggled for a long time to find the girl who had helped him.
Her head was covered so it wouldn't be visible, so he could only remember that her eyes were red.
"I’ll let you have a guest room so you can rest for a bit before you go. I prepared this for nobles who have traveled from afar, and there are a few seats left."
To think that was Stella.
"It's okay. I have to go home today and finish writing."
"Today?"
"Yes."
It was a saying that people are most honest when they are drunk. Roy did not miss this opportunity and asked subtly.
"Stella."
"Yes?"
"There's a reason you're so obsessed with the Imperial writer, isn't there?"
Roy met Stella's eyes.
"Is it related to Duke Adrian? Or is it Hajean's Magic Stone that came as a reward?"
"Mmm," Stella let out a short groan in contemplation. It was a second life obtained purely by the power of God. Therefore, she had to steer her life in a positive direction with her own strength.
"Ah, this is a secret."
It wasn't that it wasn't difficult. Devoting herself to writing ruined her health, and the emotional toll continued. Perhaps because of this, she wasn't entirely without a desire to confide in someone.
"It's okay. I won't tell anyone."
Stella liked Roy and trusted him. On top of that, perhaps because she was drunk, her resolve had weakened.
"Then, keep it to yourself, Roy."
Roy nodded. Stella's mouth and his ear drew closer.
"Actually, I have a disease of loneliness."
Roy's lips, which had curled up, plummeted in an instant.
So, without Hajean's magic stone, she will die within a few years.
"You didn't answer earlier. Say it."
Kendrick held Stella's hands to prevent her from escaping.
"Who is better looking, Young Master Andra or me?"
"Honestly, you're both handsome. It's not so much about who is better looking between Roy and Kendrick, but a matter of personal taste."
"Taste?"
Stella nodded.
"Roy is the type who is sly like a fox and soft and cute like a cake. As for Kendrick, how should I put it?"
He looked at Stella with an expression full of anticipation.
"The inscrutable, cold, handsome man style?"
Kendrick frowned at the explanation, which was weaker than Roy's.
"So, who do you think is better looking?"
"I told you. It's a matter of taste."
'This should be enough, right?'
Stella thought she had deflected the conversation well in her own way. But to Kendrick, it wasn't.
"I don't care about other people's tastes. Stella, what about yours?"
Is it me, or Andra?
As Kendrick asked so persistently, Stella realized she couldn't avoid answering. She bit her lip slightly and spoke with difficulty.
"You."
Stella remembered her first meeting with Kendrick. Initially, she had approached him to please her parents, but she gradually fell for his charm. Beneath his sharp and gruff exterior lay a thoughtfulness that silently soothed Stella's pain. Stella preferred someone who showed his feelings through actions rather than a man who was smooth-talking like a sly fox.
"It's too quiet, I can't hear you. Can't you speak a little louder?"
Stella raised her voice a little more.
"Kendrick, you look more handsome in my eyes."
If it weren't for the love potion, this embarrassing situation wouldn't have happened. Thinking that Kendrick had become more jealous and whiny because of the drug, she couldn't help but listen to him.
"Thank you."
Kendrick smiled, his eyes crinkling as if satisfied.
'Is Roy really a target of suspicion?'
In truth, Stella had never felt attracted to Roy as a man. She had sought him out because she wanted to learn to write, and although they had grown close and remained friends after meeting frequently, that was all there was to it. She simply realized, from an objective perspective, that Roy had a handsome face.
'It would be a big problem if Kendrick's symptoms persisted until Roy's succession ceremony.'
Stella was quite worried that Kendrick might clash with Roy even in public.
"I'm talking about the Marquis Andra's succession ceremony."
Just as Kendrick brought up the same story, a surprised Stella looked at him.
"I have a prior engagement with Prince Fabian. I heard he will be away in another country for a short time, so I must meet him."
He was softened by what Stella had just said.
"I can't go to the succession ceremony."
Thanks to Fabian, the rumors about Stella had died down lately, and I could feel relieved knowing that Roy and Stella weren't meeting alone anymore.
"It's fine. I'll go alone."
Stella also felt at ease.
***
Even though Roy must have been busy preparing for the succession ceremony, he would often make time to visit Stella's orphanage. The children liked Roy quite a bit. There were also some kids looking for Kendrick.
"Lady Stella. Um, isn't Mrs. Kendrick coming again?"
"Ah. Mr. Kendrick is very busy. If you'd like, I'll ask him to make time to come later."
Every time that happened, Stella felt somehow proud. While she stepped away to get the children a snack, the children whispered amongst themselves.
"But doesn't something seem a bit strange?"
"What?"
"When I read what Lady Stella writes, it feels like I see something right in front of my eyes."
"Huh? Me too."
"You too? Me too!"
Lina nodded beside her, as if agreeing as well.
"But the fairy tales Mr. Roy wrote aren't like that."
Roy, who was listening from the side, smiled slightly. It was a fact he already knew, but being compared to Stella so blatantly left a bitter taste.
"You're right. Lady Stella's writing is somehow different. When she talks about rabbits, it feels like rabbits are hopping around right in front of my eyes, and when you talk about water bottles, water bottles are rolling around."
"Amazing."
An interesting hypothesis also emerged.
"Actually, Lady Stella, isn't she a wizard?"
The children burst into laughter. In the meantime, Stella brought the muffins.
"Huh? What do you mean? Me, a wizard?"
The children saw the muffins and ran towards them, cheering loudly. Roy sat there nonchalantly, as if the situation was not strange at all.
"Roy, did you hear what the kids were saying? Why are they calling me a wizard?"
"They say Stella's writing is so vivid that the characters seem to come alive."
As expected of children. She liked that they didn't doubt what they saw and spoke it out loud exactly as it was.
"Really? Why is that?"
Roy pretended not to know that Stella was a real wizard, even though he did.
"Well, maybe it feels that way because Stella describes it so well?"
"Is that so?"
Stella played with the children a little longer and got ready to go back.
"Roy, let's go now."
"Why don't you stay a little longer?"
'There are ten months left until the Imperial Writer's Exam.'
Thinking about the time remaining, she felt a sense of urgency. She was at a disadvantage, having started later than others, and she couldn't spend a day at an orphanage. She had to devote at least five hours a day to writing.
"No. I have novels planned out. I have to finish writing them."
"You're working hard."
That way, her skills will improve faster.
Roy had always been curious.
"Why does Stella want to get results so quickly?"
It wasn't wrong to expect results. However, Stella took it to an extreme. Rushing herself out of impatience would often lead to burnout quickly. There were many aspiring writers like that among those Roy had met.
"You get tired quickly if you run too fast."
'Well, Stella is in a special situation, though.'
Her magical power manifests through writing. This meant that she was destined to become a writer. If Stella were to refine not only her writing but also her magical power, she would undoubtedly become a writer who would go down in history.
"Hmm..."
Stella considered confessing that she wanted Hajean's magic stone because of her loneliness. However, she didn't want to cause Roy unnecessary worry. She thought it was a burden she had to bear.
"It's just my personality."
Roy noticed that Stella was deep in thought. Stella was usually the type to answer questions immediately. She didn't waste time unnecessarily like other nobles. The fact that she didn't answer right away meant there was a reason she couldn't speak of.
'It certainly looks like something is going on.'
Is this related to Kendrick?
Roy decided to pretend not to know her true feelings for the time being. After all, the more someone tries to dig up a secret, the tighter they are bound to hide it.
***
Roy soon learned Stella's secret. It was at his succession celebration.
"Congratulations, Marquis Roy Andra."
"Thank you."
The ceremony concluded with receiving the Marquis's crown from the former Marquis, and the time came to gather in small groups to raise their glasses. Various finger foods and low-alcohol drinks were neatly arranged on the table.
"Roy, congratulations on becoming a Marquis."
Roy kissed the back of Stella's hand in celebration.
"Thank you for coming."
If it had been Kendrick, he would have subtly gotten on Roy's nerves, but thanks to only Stella coming, he felt warm and fuzzy inside.
"I’ve stocked up on plenty of good drinks. The cocktails over there should suit your taste, too."
Just as he recommended, the cocktail suited Stella's taste perfectly.
'Mmm, it's sweet.'
And it's delicious.
It had been a long time since she had a drink.
Whether it was a cocktail with strawberry liqueur or not, a refreshing strawberry scent first filled her nose, and the sweet taste of the cocktail thoroughly enveloped her tongue. She hadn't been able to rest properly lately because she was busy writing or taking care of the children, so she was quite tired.
'On top of that, I had to take care of Kendrick as well.'
As Stella chatted casually with the people who approached her and raised her glass, she soon ended up drinking more than seven glasses.
'I have to go home and write again.'
She felt as if she had gone back drunk; she would hear another scolding from Kendrick.
"I'm going out for some fresh air."
"Have a safe trip, Duchess."
Stella quietly slipped out of the banquet hall and leaned back on a bench in the garden for a moment. A hot, sweet breath escaped her lips. Roy, who had been mindful of Stella even while talking to someone else, excused himself from his conversation partner and followed her out as soon as he saw her leaving.
"Huh? Roy."
Stella spotted Roy and smiled brightly.
"Congratulations on officially becoming a Marquis."
"You already said that earlier."
"Is that so?"
Stella, grinning broadly, was cute. Roy knew it when he saw her flushed cheeks.
'Stella must be really drunk.'
Seeing the drunk Stella, the buried questions resurfaced. Why did I keep feeling a sense of familiarity whenever I looked at Stella?
"Stella, have you ever been to the Kingdom?"
"Yeah. I probably went when I was little."
"When you were young?"
After the cheating incident, she found it difficult to show her face in public, so she spent a few months in the Kingdom to clear her head. Worried that she might run into nobles from the Empire visiting the Kingdom as tourists, she even kept her purple hair completely hidden.
"Didn't you happen to help that lost kid back then? The one with a cut on its face and torn clothes."
"Huh? Right, I think that might have been the case... But Roy, how do you know that?"
Roy's pupils widened at Stella's words.
'I knew it wasn't for nothing.'
Roy swept his hair back. At that time, after returning to his lodging, Roy struggled for a long time to find the girl who had helped him.
Her head was covered so it wouldn't be visible, so he could only remember that her eyes were red.
"I’ll let you have a guest room so you can rest for a bit before you go. I prepared this for nobles who have traveled from afar, and there are a few seats left."
To think that was Stella.
"It's okay. I have to go home today and finish writing."
"Today?"
"Yes."
It was a saying that people are most honest when they are drunk. Roy did not miss this opportunity and asked subtly.
"Stella."
"Yes?"
"There's a reason you're so obsessed with the Imperial writer, isn't there?"
Roy met Stella's eyes.
"Is it related to Duke Adrian? Or is it Hajean's Magic Stone that came as a reward?"
"Mmm," Stella let out a short groan in contemplation. It was a second life obtained purely by the power of God. Therefore, she had to steer her life in a positive direction with her own strength.
"Ah, this is a secret."
It wasn't that it wasn't difficult. Devoting herself to writing ruined her health, and the emotional toll continued. Perhaps because of this, she wasn't entirely without a desire to confide in someone.
"It's okay. I won't tell anyone."
Stella liked Roy and trusted him. On top of that, perhaps because she was drunk, her resolve had weakened.
"Then, keep it to yourself, Roy."
Roy nodded. Stella's mouth and his ear drew closer.
"Actually, I have a disease of loneliness."
Roy's lips, which had curled up, plummeted in an instant.
So, without Hajean's magic stone, she will die within a few years.
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