"I want to take this mage with me."
My ominous premonition had never been wrong.
No sooner had Ricardo finished speaking than Lily came running breathlessly toward us.
"Du, Duke Hessen, this child is...!"
"You’re not going to take back your words now, are you."
He opened his mouth in a cold voice.
"Everyone said she was a trustworthy mage."
"I heard it clearly!"
Elliot, who was standing beside him, quickly chimed in.
"You definitely said that, Lady Lily."
Elliot, you really are...
"I did say that, but this child is still an apprentice mage."
"...Huh."
"She can’t even properly wield mana yet."
As I hurried to organize my words, Peril spoke.
"She’s not fit to be by Your Grace’s side. How about looking for another mage?"
Though his voice carried a hint of laughter, his eyes staring at Ricardo remained calm.
"There are plenty of mages here, after all."
Peril slowly leaned back against the chair.
"Is she your fiancée?"
Ricardo asked. For some reason, his voice had sunk eerily low.
"That’s right."
I was a bit flustered by Peril’s answer.
...Was that our setting?
But who in the world would believe that?
Our hair and eye color were the same, and even our ordinary looks were nearly identical.
Maybe Ricardo had the same thought, because a dry, crackling laugh escaped him.
"When family members wear rings on their ring fingers, people tend to misunderstand."
"Whether it’s family or a fiancée doesn’t matter. What matters is being by her side."
Blue veins stood out intricately across the back of Peril’s hand.
This is crazy. Is he even trying to hide his identity right now?
Speaking informally to a duke—any ordinary mage wouldn’t dare!
"Taking a child who can’t even wield mana properly is just Your Grace’s stubbornness."
At those words, gasps could be heard from all around.
Could it be that Peril didn’t know what a normal mage was like?
If not, then he was clearly insane.
Ah, I don’t know anymore.
"That’s right. I only do chores at the Tower, so I’ll be of no help to you, Your Grace."
Getting out of this situation was my first priority, so I backed up Peril’s words.
At that moment, Simon, who had been quietly seated, suddenly shot up as if he couldn’t stand it anymore.
Yeah, you try to clean this mess up!
"A, Anne caused a lot of accidents at the Tower too! She had no talent for magic, so Lady Lily scolded her every day. She’s the worst of the worst, so if Anne goes with Your Grace, she’ll definitely be a burden."
You lunatic, if you're going to say that, just curse me out directly!
I was dumbfounded—beyond words—by his unfiltered criticism.
I guess when people get too flustered, they even lose the ability to speak.
Ricardo let out a short laugh.
"Why are there so many bodyguards?"
"......"
"Annoying."
A faint murderous intent laced his cold voice. Because of that, the terrified Simon started hiccupping.
"A mage doesn’t need to do much, just to fit the role appropriately..."
Ricardo’s gaze shifted to me.
"Is that so difficult?"
Then, Elliot approached me quickly and tried to settle the situation.
"The mage doesn’t need to do anything. His Highness won’t want someone with overwhelming power like Lady Lily either."
"I-Is that so? But I’m just worried I might be a burden."
Please, just save me already!
But Elliot cruelly cut the rope of salvation with a bright smile.
"It’s fine. What is there to worry about when His Grace is with you? You only need to stay by his side."
That’s exactly what I’m worried about...!
In the end, Lily let out a deep sigh as if there was no helping it.
"If you’re okay with it, we don’t have much choice either. Anne, you heard that, right?"
If I refused again, it would only put Lily in a difficult position.
Y-Yeah. I’m already disguised, what am I so afraid of?
I forced myself to reply as if chewing on mustard.
"I’ll do my best to be of help to Your Grace..."
* * *
On the way back to the lodging.
"Hey!"
I hurriedly chased after Peril, who was walking ahead, and shouted at the back of his head.
"I said let’s go together!"
Just what was so urgent that it was hard to keep up?
"Wait, just a second!"
When I finally stopped, gasping for breath, Peril turned around.
"Oh."
Did he just now realize I was following him?
Only then did I catch my breath and catch up to Peril.
"You really walk fast."
"Why did you follow me then?"
Wow, is he blaming this on me?
"You didn’t look like you were in a good mood."
"......"
"And besides, that’s not the way to the lodging, you know?"
I nodded toward the direction Peril had been heading.
"Follow me. Simon’s waiting too."
I knew Peril had no intention of returning to the lodging, but I followed him anyway.
Even clueless Simon had told me to go after him.
Seriously, they leave everything to me.
Thankfully, Peril obediently followed me.
I sighed inwardly and kept talking to lighten his mood.
"Simon said there’s a lot to see where we’re going. And plenty to eat, too."
"……."
"I really squeezed Simon for it, you know? I plan to completely empty his wallet, so you absolutely have to come with us."
Fortunately, my efforts seemed to work—Peril let out a hollow laugh.
"My goodness. You really don’t give me a moment to sulk."
"I’ve been in a slump before, you know? And when that happens, noisy places are the best."
Since Simon and I bicker well, it would be noisier than anywhere.
"Forget it. What’s the point of playing with kids."
"You’re the one who said you were young, remember…?"
"You only remember the things you don’t need to."
Peril rolled his eyes. But soon after, he let out a deep sigh.
"Don’t do that."
"Do what?"
"Don’t make it harder for me to let go."
He lightly tapped my forehead, as if asking if I understood. I rubbed my forehead and replied grudgingly.
"How is that my fault?"
"It is your fault."
Peril answered quietly.
"…Can’t you just stay here?"
"Then you don’t die and live with me, teacher."
"Should I?"
I had meant it as a way to make him see things from my perspective, but his answer left me momentarily frozen. Then he smiled nonchalantly.
"Just kidding."
Right. Of course it was a joke.
But my mouth went dry. I bit my lower lip and clutched at my dress hem.
'…How am I supposed to ignore this?'
It was getting harder to pretend not to notice.
To brush off Peril’s blatant words with nonsense, or to avoid thinking deeply about his feelings.
'This is driving me crazy.'
At first, I thought I was mistaken. I told myself there was no way Peril, who loved Idette, would act like this.
But the world I once judged only through written words was becoming more real by the day, and the self-hypnosis I used to adapt was unraveling.
And the clearer Peril’s feelings became.
Clear enough that I could no longer ignore them.
I once laughed, thinking, "Why would the great Tower Master like me?"
Once, I told myself it was all a misunderstanding.
Once, I brushed it off as him just finding me amusing.
All those moments I turned away from were coming back vividly.
I was genuinely thankful to Peril for helping me. But accepting his feelings with just my gratitude wasn’t right.
Because my feelings and Peril’s weren’t aligned.
"I thought about it for a while. Why I kept denying reality."
"……."
"I think it’s because I had somewhere to return to, so I tried not to grow attached."
If I admitted this place was real, I feared I’d settle down and forget those waiting for me.
"Honestly, I don’t hate it here. But there are people back there who worry about me."
My family must be worried about my disappearance. I couldn’t just find happiness here all by myself.
"That’s why I have to go back."
At my firm words, Peril faltered. He let out a small sigh.
"…Forget what I just said."
"Haha, I already did!"
I laughed it off like it was nothing and waved when I spotted Simon.
* * *
The next day.
"…Hello."
I greeted awkwardly, and Ricardo responded with a simple nod.
It was the beginning of an uncomfortable journey.