FDSML CH 12

Posted by bed0zx_, Released on September 6, 2025

Chapter 12

My eyes kept roaming around the study.

So this is where Ren oppa works.

The space was as neat and stripped-down as Alperen himself—spotless, like it was brand-new.

He spent most of his time holed up in the Tower, yet his office was almost too bare. It looked temporary, somehow.

Kind of empty, really.

“If I’d known, I would’ve brought more snacks.”

I emptied the teapot, thinking that, when the door opened and Alperen came in.

“Deli? What are you doing here?”

Judging from his surprise, Eden hadn’t reported it. Figures—he probably rushed off and forgot. If he hadn’t slept, I could hardly blame him. And it looked like he had more to deal with because of me…

“Ren oppa!”

I started toward him happily—then my stomach lurched.

Huh?

The moment I saw him, my body felt floaty, like I was walking on clouds. Not like being drunk. My heart pounded and a baseless confidence surged, like I could do anything.

Wasn’t that tea supposed to calm me down?

This was doing the opposite. I’m going to cause trouble at this rate!

Sensing something was off, Alperen called, “Deli?”

“Oppa, I feel weeeird…”

I managed to get the words out as my body went limp. He caught me.

Right then, the door flew open and Eden shouted,

“My lady, I’m so sorry! You mustn’t drink that!”

He was holding a teapot—the same color as what I’d just had.

“Ah—y-you already finished it…”

He stared, ashen, at the empty pot on the table.

An eerie silence fell—broken by my bright, loopy voice.

“Mmm? I already drank it aaall~ Huh? Why is my tongue slurring?”

Eden and Alperen both froze. Honestly, I was the most shocked.

“Heehee, it’s sooo tasty. I want more, pleeease?”

I reached to take the pot; Eden hid it behind his back.

“P-please, my lady, calm down—”

“I said gimme—”

I swayed, and Alperen steadied me, growling at Eden,

“What did you make her drink?”

“Oh? Was I not supposed to? Hehe.”

My sunny nonsense only made Alperen’s face turn darker.

“A-a trainee must have put an experimental potion in that teapot. I didn’t realize and brought it to you—”

“So you gave Deli a potion when you don’t even know what it is?”

“P-please kill me!”

Eden flattened himself to the floor, but Alperen wasn’t having it.

“Even if you die, whatever she drank won’t vanish from her body.”

Eden began shaking like a leaf under the questioning. “I-I’ll check right now!”

“You came without checking first?”

“S-sorry—hic!”

As the killing aura thickened like someone might actually die, Eden started hiccuping.

“Eeep, scary~ Ren oppa, you’re so cold to your staff.”

In a sing-song tone that absolutely wasn’t me, I poked the space between his brows and beamed.

“Don’t frown. You’ll get wrinkles.”

I swear I would never do this normally. Truly.

“Eek! Hic!”

Eden flapped his hands in horror, but I wasn’t done. I tugged Alperen’s mouth up at the corners.

“Smiile— You look best when you smile. C’mon, show me your pearly whites!”

His stone face seemed to melt—then went up in flames.

“His face is red~”

“…”

“Alperen is a shy boy~ such a shy boy~”

As I sang my ridiculous song, he exhaled hard and ordered,

“…Find out exactly what that potion is. Now.”

“Y-yes!”

Eden fled the study like his life depended on it.

What Rodelia had drunk was a potion that maximizes “imprinting”—the so-called “love potion,” which makes you feel boundless affection for the first person you see.

Worse, hers was an experimental batch with doubled potency, which made brewing an antidote risky; mixing potions could clash and cause internal injuries.

They had no choice but to isolate Rodelia until it wore off.

“My lady drank more than twice the normal amount,” Eden reported, sweating. “The effects will likely last until tomorrow morning. Since it’s experimental, there may be unknown side effects.”

He glanced at Rodelia, glued to Alperen’s side. “Right now she seems overly elated and fixated on Your Grace. It’d be safer to keep watch until it passes.”

“Seems that way,” Alperen said, looking at her, troubled.

She was pressed to his side, eyes sparkling.

“Ren oppa, I’ve always wondered—when do you even rest?”

“I plan to rest this weekend.”

“Liar! Your handsomeness never takes a day off! Your beauty doesn’t know the meaning of ‘break.’”

On top of the affection, a nonstop stream of shameless flattery poured out—clearly we’d moved past “adore” into “worship” from the overdose.

What was surprising was Alperen’s response.

“My face is your type, Deli?”

Instead of being annoyed, he answered every line. For a man who’s notoriously frosty to courting ladies, this was unexpected.

Maybe he’s just soft on his friend’s little sister?

Normally, he’d have thrown her out or locked her in a room to spare himself—but here he was, feeding her cookies and chatting. His expression was almost… sweet. Sweeter than anyone at the Tower had ever seen.

“C’mon. Your face is everyone’s type. Show me one person who doesn’t like you. There isn’t one!”

“So, Deli—do you like me?”

“Of course! Also, did you know? People lose their memory when they see someone handsome.”

“That’s a new one.”

“Really? …Oh! Did you know? People lose their memory when they see someone handsome.”

“Deli, you just said that.”

“Oh, really? …But Ren, did you know? People lose their memory when they see someone handsome.”

“Haha. Not listening at all, are you.”

He chuckled and sipped his tea. To a stranger, it might look like an indulgent older brother—but Eden, closest to him, wasn’t fooled.

The Tower Master looks… weirdly flustered.

Every time Rodelia touched him, he twitched, like he was keyed up tight.

Their eyes met. “How long are you going to stand there?” Alperen asked. “Shouldn’t you inform Adrian?”