Lycaon gazed at the woman silently for a long time without saying a word.
Suddenly, Fresa, who had been descending the stairs, stopped and looked up at Lycaon.
“Ly…”
The moment Fresa opened her lips, Lycaon cut her off and softly whispered as if to himself.
“…Resa, let’s go back to the pharmacy first. I’ll be there soon.”
Apparently, this was a situation that couldn’t be explained right now.
Fresa nodded without further questions and slowly walked down the stairs.
“Who could it be?”
At first glance, she didn’t seem to be an ordinary young lady.
Moreover, seeing her recognize Lycaon instantly, even though he was passing by with his hood pulled up and difficult to identify just from a glance, suggested they knew each other.
“…Someone close.”
They had probably met several times, and they must have been close enough that the atmosphere alone could reveal who they were.
However, Lycaon’s eyes, which she had briefly glimpsed, held a rather troubled expression.
It seemed that their relationship might have become strained or awkward for some reason or another.
“She’ll tell me when she comes back.”
Fresa decided to set aside her curiosity and entered the alley beside the café building.
“By the way, Lycaon is carrying all the luggage.”
I should have helped share the load…
Carrying luggage and having a conversation might be a bit inconvenient.
But now, turning back would be awkward, so Fresa took out her scroll and tore it.
A similar sensation enveloped her entire body as when she came.
However, since it was the second time, she didn’t feel dizzy or strange like the first.
Her vision flickered rapidly, and soon, familiar scenery appeared before her eyes.
It was in front of the herbal medicine garden, bathed in the evening glow.
Fresa blinked slowly, trying to steady her blurred sight.
At that moment, a stark white cotton ball suddenly jumped into her line of sight.
“Welcome back, Resa.”
“Master, was there anything unusual at the pharmacy?”
“He’s quite naive, that newcomer. He broke several potion bottles.”
Reese clicked his tongue and started disparaging Isaac.
Every time this happened, Fresa couldn’t help but think he sounded like an old man, and she chuckled quietly.
“It’s understandable, since it’s the first day. I also made many mistakes like that.”
“It’s fortunate that he has a conscience and didn’t even accept money. So, did the Empire go well? You look worried.”
Fresa hesitated after opening the front door, caught off guard by Reese’s words.
“…Do I look worried?”
“Did something happen?”
Reese fluttered over and settled on Fresa’s shoulder.
Fresa closed the door with a click and looked inside the quiet, dim herbal room.
It was empty, as Jude and Isaac had already finished work.
The familiar scent of herbs and the scenery she liked were there, but somehow, the silence felt a little lonely.
However, she didn’t want to fuss or seem overly worried, so she calmly responded while pretending to look around.
“It’s nothing serious… Lycaon met someone. He looked troubled, so I came ahead, but I’m worried.”
“I think he’s someone you don’t need to worry about.”
“But I haven’t fully healed the poison yet, and I’m still weak. It will take over a year to recover. I need to take medicine regularly…”
Fresa trailed off, unable to continue, realizing her own words.
Indeed, as Reese said, Lycaon was someone she didn’t need to worry about.
He was a duke of the Empire, possessed enormous wealth, and even owned the largest magic tower.
“You’re fond of that person, huh?”
Reese muttered casually, but it wasn’t the same for Fresa.
She liked Lycaon as a person, but the fact that she considered him a “precious being” carried a slightly different meaning.
Could Lycaon be someone special to her?
Fresa stared blankly at the hastily displayed bottles of peppermint and then nodded.
“Yes, because he’s someone who helps me.”
“Hmm. That’s not quite what I meant…”
Thud, thud.
Reese started to speak, seemingly about to object, but was interrupted by someone knocking on the front door.
Fresa turned her head toward the entrance.
“Resa, it’s me.”
It was Lycaon’s voice.
He seemed to have returned sooner than expected, despite thinking it would take a long time.
Fresa quickly composed her surprised expression and hurried to open the door.
“Lycaon!”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t come back with you. Here.”
As soon as Lycaon made eye contact with Fresa, he apologized and handed her a paper bag.
“It’s okay. It’s a personal matter.”
Fresa received the paper bag and smiled gently.
Lycaon hesitated for a moment, then looked inside the herbal room.
“Did anything happen?”
“Yes, except for Cade breaking a few potion bottles.”
“That useless person.”
“Lycaon, you were like that at first too.”
“I didn’t break any potion bottles.”
Lycaon raised an eyebrow and retorted sharply.
But Fresa only shrugged, knowing her memory wasn’t mistaken.
“Anyway, we’re almost ready now. Thank you for coming with me today, Lycaon.”
“It’s not much. You worked hard too.”
Lycaon’s vivid violet eyes looked at Fresa.
Within them, it seemed as if lilacs in full bloom, unaware of the season, bloomed.
Fresa realized she still didn’t know Lycaon very well.
But she didn’t particularly want him to explain himself.
Trying to sort out her ambiguous and complicated feelings, she just felt a little ticklish about the way Lycaon looked at her.
She stood silently, facing him, but suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and looked down.
“See you tomorrow, Lycaon.”
“…You’re not asking anything?”
Surprisingly, it was Lycaon who first brought up that question.
He seemed to have expected Fresa to be curious about the woman she had met earlier.
Fresa looked up at him again.
“You’re not ready to talk about it now, right?”
“No.”
Lycaon shook his head firmly, then closed the door.
“I’ll be downstairs for a moment.”
Reese, who had been watching them, cleared his throat and suddenly disappeared into the basement.
Soon, it became just the two of them.
The sunset had disappeared, and the dark night was beginning to settle.
Lycaon maintained eye contact with Fresa and continued speaking.
“If you wish, I can tell you anything.”
“But…”
“And honestly, I hoped you would be curious.”
Lycaon moved closer, filling her entire field of vision.
For some reason, although he usually felt like a close friend, now he seemed somewhat awkward.
But after hearing Lycaon’s words, her curiosity, which she had been pretending not to notice, suddenly peeked out.
“Then, can I ask what happened?”
“Yes, that’s why I came.”
Lycaon chuckled softly and, without hesitation, resumed speaking.
“The woman I mentioned earlier is my older brother’s fiancée. That’s why she recognized me.”
Ah.
Fresa was startled by an involuntary wave of relief and blinked rapidly.
What was I worried about?
She felt so ridiculous she wanted to bury her head in a hole if she could.
She quickly responded with a calm face.
“I see. I was worried that you might have gotten involved in something troublesome.”
“Well, it was indeed troublesome. She appeared in the institute without any prior notice.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. The nobles of the Empire are pretty unlucky; they just can’t leave me alone.”
Lycaon’s tone was light, but she knew she couldn’t be unaware of his underlying meaning.
Nobles everywhere tended to be similar.
Especially high-ranking nobles with some fame.
Just looking at the Rowan and Thorpe families was enough to tell.
Fresa hesitated briefly, then asked again.
“Did you manage to finish your conversation properly?”
“Yes, more or less. I asked him not to tell His Majesty the Emperor. I trust that he will keep his word.”
Lycaon still sounded indifferent.
If he trusted someone, that was probably fine.
Fresa decided to accept that and not worry further.
“Would you like to have some tea before you go? I feel bad keeping you standing.”
“Actually, my legs are killing me. I was about to die. Now that I’ve finished work, I’d be a bad host to keep you standing. What kind of tea would you like?”
Lycaon, speaking in a rare tired voice, casually headed toward the kitchen.
He seemed to intend to prepare and bring the tea himself, even though Fresa had offered to serve it.
Fresa was about to decline, but then stopped herself.
“Jasmine tea, please.”
“Sit down and wait. I’ll be right there.”
Soon, only the sound of clattering from the kitchen was heard.
Fresa stood silently, watching Lycaon’s back, then took a seat at the table.
The dim light filled the space with a cozy atmosphere.
The gentle sounds of pouring tea, the water in the cups, and the faint clinking of dishes created a peaceful ambiance.
Soon, the fragrant aroma of tea wafted into her nose, calming her mind.
At that very moment, someone knocked on the door unexpectedly.
“Fresa! Fresa!”
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
