~Chapter 61~
We ended up going back the way we came. By the time we got back, everyone was completely drunk and having a great time.
“Haha! Magic is truly a gift from the gods!”
We found a quiet corner and decided to eat first.
“Sigh, that was such a waste of time,” Simon grumbled but still focused on eating.
Can he not do one thing at a time?!
Just then, Marcol hiccupped and stood up.
“A toast! To the glory of magic!”
Everyone lifted their glasses high. I wanted to raise mine too, but when I looked down, my glass had magically turned into juice. I sighed and lifted the juice instead.
BANG!
The door burst open, and Eliot’s playful voice rang out.
“Sorry, we’re a bit late!”
My eyes darted toward the door—and then I saw him.
“Duke!”
Marcol, clearly sobering up at the sight of Ricardo, rushed to greet him. The other mages didn’t react much differently.
‘I didn’t want Erkessian to show up—but I definitely didn’t mean I wanted Ricardo instead!’
My hand holding the glass shook slightly.
“Careful.”
Peril snatched my glass from me, clearly annoyed.
“Lord Hessen! It’s been a while!”
Even Lily was clearly flustered as she stood to greet him.
Wait, Lily’s flustered? I thought only Simon could make her like that…
“If I’d known this would happen, I’d have come with you all from the Empire,” Ricardo said smoothly.
He and his group were calm. In contrast, the atmosphere in the room had grown stiff and tense.
“I heard the royal palace had prepared a welcome ceremony planned for Your Grace. Why are you here instead…?”
Marcol was sweating buckets.
“Oh, come now, no need to get so tense, dear Vice-Commander! I wanted to ask Lady Lily for a favor and say hi to you too—it’s been a while.”
Was there a problem between Orphen and Ricardo’s side? He definitely didn’t look like he had just come from a ceremony…
“Y-you mean me?”
Lily asked, still looking totally thrown off.
“Let’s not get into the details yet—you must all be tired.”
“Mind if we join you?”
Ricardo’s tone was way more commanding than polite.
…That’s what he calls a request?
“O-of course! It’s an honor!”
Marcol wiped his sweat and signaled the servants.
Ricardo’s knights started sitting down one by one, and the room quickly grew noisy again.
“Oh, so that’s Duke Hessen.”
“So that’s Duke Hessen,” Simon whispered, eyes locked on Ricardo.
“You knew who he was?” I asked.
“Of course. He’s famous.”
“Then why didn’t I know?”
“Well…”
Simon looked at me with sympathy—but stopped himself from saying anything.
Hey, why’d you stop? What were you going to say?
“I figured it’d just hurt your feelings. So I’ll keep it to myself.”
“That hurts more!”
I frowned.
I really didn’t expect to run into Ricardo here.
Thank goodness for the disguise ring.
I silently thanked Peril and turned my attention elsewhere.
But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to Ricardo.
I poked at my salad absentmindedly.
Simon leaned in, worried.
“Ann, your face is pale. Are you okay?”
“Not really,” I muttered.
Peril cut in suddenly and grabbed my salad away.
“H-hey! Why are you taking that?!”
“Eat meat.”
He looked annoyed.
I had no idea what set him off, but he was definitely not in a good mood.
“At least pretend to be fine, unless you want people to notice.”
“O-okay.”
“Thomas is right. You need strength after today.”
Simon added cheerfully, sneaking a tomato onto my plate.
“…Thomas said meat, not vegetables.”
“You have to eat balanced meals.”
“Just admit you like tomatoes.”
Simon smiled awkwardly to deflect. I forced myself to eat the tomato, trying to ignore Ricardo.
But before I knew it, my eyes wandered back to him again.
“…”
Something felt… different.
It was my first time seeing Ricardo act like the head of the Hessen family. When we were engaged, he always acted more like a fiancé than a duke. Now, he seemed distant—hard to approach.
Sharp jawline, icy blue eyes, a cold, intense aura.
Even his blank stare made people around him go quiet.
…Right. He’s always been like this, I reminded myself. Or at least, that’s how I remembered him.
But something felt… off.
Sure, he looked refined and calm like a proper duke—But his pale fingers trembled slightly as he adjusted his collar.
He held his glass for too long, his eyes staring into nothing.
A brief pause, a flicker of emptiness in his gaze. That wasn’t like him.
Ricardo was never good at hiding his emotions.
When he couldn’t save me, he hadn’t even tried to mask his feelings.
And the last time we saw each other, he’d completely broken down.
Maybe he’s okay now…
After all, I’d been feeling guilty about hurting him.
So… maybe this is a relief?
Still, the discomfort lingered.
Maybe I just didn’t recognize the Duke side of him.
Even Elliot and Rose seemed to treat him like normal, though.
I felt myself relax a little.
But then—our eyes met.
“…!”
Since when has he been staring at me?!
Panic bubbled up inside.
I wanted to look away, but instead, I bit the inside of my cheek.
Noble ladies aren’t supposed to look away first, right?
Just act normal…
I gave him a polite nod and quickly turned my head.
As I let out a breath of relief, I noticed Peril squinting at me.
“…W-what?”
“Just annoyed.”
“Wait, why? Is this because I took your meat? Fine, here!”
I quickly piled some meat onto his plate.
“There, happy?”
Peril let out a dry laugh like he didn’t even know what to say.
At that moment, Lily’s voice rose from Ricardo’s direction.
“You need a mage?”
“Yes. I’m visiting Lady Siren tomorrow. And apparently, I must bring a mage along.”
Eliot’s expression turned deadly serious—something I’d never seen before.
“But there are no royal mages in the kingdom…”
“We weren’t told about this in advance,” Lily said, frustrated.
He glanced around uncomfortably.
“You didn’t give us any notice, so we’re in a bit of a bind.” Lily sighed.
Ah—so Ricardo came to check Siren’s tomb. Makes sense.
Siren was the only surviving suspect of the attack. But it didn’t sound like the kingdom was eager to show him the tomb.
Marcol looked completely panicked, caught between Lily and Ricardo.
“Well, it’s good timing since the Mage Tower just happened to visit Orphen.”
“Of course. I’m glad I can be of help,” Lily replied, adding that it was a great honor for any mage to assist.
“Then, does Your Grace have a specific mage in mind? Luckily, all of the ones here are quite skilled.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Elliot gave a weird laugh and glanced at Ricardo.
I figured they’d pick Lily—she’s the best here, other than Peril.
So I turned to Simon and asked,
“Shall we head back now? We’ve got a full schedule tomorrow.”
He nodded, but then his eyes widened as he spotted something behind me.
“Ann…?”
He tapped my shoulder urgently.
I suddenly felt a shadow fall over me.
Something felt… ominous.
I turned slowly—
and met Ricardo’s gaze.
He was staring directly at me.
…Wait. Is he looking at… me?
