PHATFO 88

~Chapter 88~

Even after the cup fell, Armians didn’t move for a long while.

“…What?”

He finally spoke slowly.

“Of course, if Bella wanted to—”

Suddenly he shut his mouth. Then—thud!—he slammed his forehead on the table.

He hit so hard that the dishes shook.

“Your Highness?”

“No, forget it. That was a slip of the tongue.”

When he raised his head again, his face was bright red. It wasn’t from hitting the table—it was embarrassment.

“Anyway… why would you ask me that?”

“Because I thought… our relationship seemed a little unclear.”

The days when we had held hands just to escape were long over.

Though we had announced our engagement in public, no official documents had been exchanged between our families. Strictly speaking, even that wasn’t accurate.

And calling ourselves husband and wife was even more untrue.

“But today, I feel like it became clearer.”

It wasn’t just because of a single question. Still, we now had a word to define it—something new between us.

“We’re in a relationship where we don’t want to kiss each other.”

The new word meant we had gained another choice.

Armians frowned, tilting his head.

“I don’t recall saying I didn’t want to.”

“Then you do want to?”

“Is there no middle ground?”

“What would that even be? Half-kissing?”

Half-kissing…

Armians sighed, pressing his red face into his hands. His breath came out like steam.

“Forget it.”

He fixed the dishes and cutlery that had been knocked askew.

“And what about you, Bella—”

Our eyes met.

I froze mid-smile. I had only teased him because his reaction was amusing, but he caught on instantly.

“Bella.”

Armians slowly stood up.

We weren’t far apart, so it didn’t take long for his shadow to fall over me.

“Bella, do you want to kiss me?”

The burning look in his eyes made my throat dry. I knew where that longing came from.

“You must answer.”

“I—I, um…”

“If you don’t answer properly, I’ll take it as a yes.”

W-wait, what?

He stretched out his arm and grabbed the back of my chair. When he leaned in, it felt like I was trapped between the chair and him.

And then his lips…

‘Did he… kiss me?’

They touched—but not my lips. My forehead.

While I sat frozen, not knowing what to do, I heard him chuckle.

“That’s your punishment for teasing me.”

Straightening his body, Armians leaned close to my ear and whispered:

“Next time, I won’t hold back.”

“!”

I now understood perfectly what he meant he wouldn’t hold back on.

He left the dining room. I stayed behind, dazed, until a maid came in to clean, snapping me back to reality.

“Are you alright, my lady?”

“N-no?”

My face burned from the spot where his lips touched, spreading everywhere. I knew this heat wouldn’t cool down for hours.

The next day, I went to the palace in half-broken condition.

The only reason I managed to work at all was because I hadn’t seen Armians in the morning.

‘Who knew I’d be so glad to hear from the butler that he left early?’

But the palace held an even bigger surprise.

“Lady Bella!”

Waiting for me in front of the main building was Duke Temon of Durnar. The moment our eyes met, he strode toward me, glancing behind me several times like he was searching for someone.

“Where is His Highness? He isn’t here?”

“No, not yet… Why do you ask?”

Did he have something urgent for Armians?

“Good. I’ll explain on the way.”

“Huh?”

Temon suddenly grabbed my hand and used magic.

“Teleport.”

A floating sensation—and in the blink of an eye, my view changed.

By the time I blinked twice, we stood before a gate decorated with a golden lion crest.

Only the Imperial family and the Four Ducal Houses could use gold in their crests.

So this must be…

“My home.”

As expected—it was the Durnar Duke’s mansion.

“Um… why are we here? So suddenly?”

“Because I’m kidnapping you. I plan to make you my daughter.”

He held out his hand, as if to invite me to take it. It was far too gentle for a kidnapper.

I accepted it.

“The Founding Festival is long over. If I wait any longer, others might steal you away. But Durnar is one of the Empire’s foremost magic families. There’s no better place to study magic. So, please look around and decide. Which place is better for you to stay in?”

The towering gates swung open, revealing a path leading up to the mansion on the hill. Flowers and fountains lined the way.

“Nothing clears the mind like this.”

The neat paths and flowers made it feel like a mage’s garden. They said Duke Temon designed it himself—it must be true.

After the fountain, he teleported us again, this time straight to the mansion’s front door. No one even flinched. Clearly, this was normal here.

He showed me around the first floor—the reception room, dining hall, central hall. Similar to the Grand Duke’s mansion, except for two things.

“This is the library.”

The Grand Duke’s mansion had a library too, but nothing this vast. Books filled every wall.

“Nearly every magical text in the world is here.”

He blew into the air, and mana answered, pulling books from the shelves. All of them were magic books. I recognized some from the Tower of Research.

“Collecting them is my hobby.”

With a wave, the books returned to their places—except for one with a red cover. It floated until he caught it, then he handed it to me.

“This contains knowledge about types of magic. From what I’ve seen, you’re talented, but lack theoretical knowledge. I prepared this for you.”

The thick book, bound in red leather, bore the title: Types of Magic and Basic Understanding.

“You’re giving this to me?”

“As a gift for visiting.”

It was pristine, brand new.

“If you return again, I’ll give you more gifts.”

He smiled at me.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes… thank you very much.”

I hugged the book. The soft leather felt good in my hands.

“This is the training hall.”

He briefly showed some rooms with trinkets and artwork, but soon we were in a vast chamber.

“It’s fireproof. It can withstand powerful mana shocks.”

He gathered mana from the air. Unlike before, this wasn’t from a catalyst—it was his own skill. The mana quickly formed fire.

He released it toward the wall. The blazing fire hit, then melted away into nothing.

“Ah…!”

“I doubt you’ll find a better facility anywhere.”

He smiled.

“Would you like to try—”

“Dinner is ready, my lord.”

A servant bowed. Temon placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.

“Then let’s eat first. You can try magic later.”

The dining table was full of dishes. The head chef approached Temon.

“Everything is prepared. Especially the desserts—we’ve made plenty.”

Temon’s eyes lingered on the cakes in the center. His lips curled faintly.

“Well done.”

The chef bowed and left.

Temon sat at the head seat. Mine was directly beside him.

A servant poured my water.

Just as I lifted the glass, heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs. Then—bang!—the doors flew open.

“I heard we had a guest—”

“…Ah.”

The moment our eyes met, both of us let out a startled sound.

Of course—we had met before.