Chapter 50

The Lexion she met this morning was impressive as usual.

His fine-grained golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, and his ruby eyes were like gorgeous jewels as they softly gazed at her.

In addition, the gentle smile on his lips.

With her heart beating loudly against her chest, Elena was already distracted early in the morning.

“Sir Lexion, long time no see.”

While Elena was staring blankly at Lexion.

Jane greeted him.

Yesterday and today, Count Oswald was in the capital for work, so Jane was the one to welcome Lexion.

Lexion then graciously greeted Jane back.

“Long time no see, Jane.”

“But what is Sir Lexion’s purpose for visiting us? Are you here to see Elena?”

Jane playfully stared at Elena and Lexion back and forth.

It wasn’t her business, but she couldn’t help but be excited.

Lexion nodded in response.

“Yes. When I heard that Elena was staying in Count Oswald’s mansion, I decided to see her.”

With that said, seeing Lexion’s gaze turning to her, Elena bowed her head.

She was having a hard time looking directly at him.

Jane inwardly screamed.

‘Oh my gosh! Calling Elena by her first name! Oh my gosh!’

According to Elena, they were currently a contracted pair.

But Lexion’s eyes told otherwise.

‘They genuinely like each other regardless if it’s under contract!’

Jane felt terrible.

Still – observing Lexion – she believed that he would somehow change that “contract lovers” into “genuine lovers.”

Jane was barely able to control the twitching of her lips as she said to the couple:

“Then, shall we have tea time together?”

****

While the table in the garden was being prepared for tea, Elena and Jane headed back to her room.

This was because, unlike Lexion, the two women did not finish their makeup.

Whereas Elena and Jane were busy chatting and changing clothes, Lexion was walking in Count Oswald’s garden.

Passing through the colorful flower fields, Lexion recalled Elena’s face a while ago.

Perhaps surprised by his sudden visit, her startled expression was quite…

‘…Cute.’

Lexion’s cheeks flushed red.

Even with her untidy red hair and plain clothes, Elena was Elena.

He was grinning happily as he entered the sunflower field.

He was busy thinking of Elena as he gazed at the long-grown flowers when he heard the chatters of women nearby.

It wasn’t very close.

To be precise, it was on the side of the laundry that was several meters away.

However, Lexion was a sword master who could use Aurors.

To him, a distance of several meters was no big deal.

But he didn’t want to listen to other people’s chatter, so Lexion ignored it and was about to pass by.

“Lady Elena is so remarkable, isn’t she?”

If only Elena’s name wasn’t mentioned.

The moment he heard her name, Lexion listened to them without realizing it.

“Right! Such an amazing woman! It’s not enough that she became a wizard at a young age, she is also the chief researcher of the West Tower.”

“And look how stunning she is! When you see her with Miss Jane, you can’t help but be charmed, right?”

“That’s right. Such a person… It’s not surprising she has admirers like His Majesty the Second Prince and Maquis Hasnell.”

Lexion – previously preoccupied savoring the maids’ praises to Elena as if they were his – suddenly frowned when he heard those names.

‘Second Prince? Marquis Hasnell?’

He wondered if he had heard it wrong, so he listened further.

Then, what he wanted to know naturally flowed out from the maids.

“The second prince said that he wanted to be close to Lady Elena.”

“But Lady Elena refused with a single blow, saying: ‘You’re not my type.’”

“Oh! Really?”

“Yeah! Not only that! Marquis Hasnell asked if she had a lover, and she said she did.”

“Oh my gosh! Does Lady Elena have a lover? Who is it?”

“I don’t know that either. But I think it might be Duke Halos.”

“Ah, that might be it. The two were close when they were young, and the Duke of Halos even came to visit her today.”

At the words of the maids, Lexion’s mood went back and forth, like moving between heaven and hell.

At first, he felt awful when learned about Elena’s interaction with other men.

But hearing that Elena had pushed them all away made him feel better again.

Lexion smiled softly.

He had the urge to inform the maids, who were curious about Elena’s lover, that they were right.

But just in time, the tea preparations were over.

It was a pity. But Lexion couldn’t keep his woman waiting, so he hurriedly moved.

****

Tea time was quite enjoyable for the trio.

It had been a long time since the three of them were together, albeit there was a little awkwardness.

With the afternoon tea over, Elena was about to leave the Oswald mansion after she said her goodbyes to Jane.

As per usual, the portal in the shopping district was her mode of transport back to the Magic Tower.

But Lexion caught up to her.

“Rather than going to the store, wouldn’t it be better to go to the Halos estate and take the portal directly connected to your lab?”

The portal in the shopping district was connected to the garden of the Magic Tower.

In terms of distance, there was no difference between the shopping district and the Halos mansion, so Elena accepted it.

She then got on the Halos’ carriage with Lexion.

When she and Lexion were now alone inside the carriage, the uneasiness in Elena returned.

“Before tea time, I was taking a walk in the garden.”

Elena subconsciously stared at Lexion.

Lexion then continued.

“Then I happened to hear an interesting story from the maids.”

A story? From the maids?

What did that mean?

When Elena tilted her head in confusion, Lexion smiled.

His mouth was smiling, but his eyes looked like they were on fire.

For a moment, Elena became nervous and the uneasy feeling remained.

“I heard that two men approached Elena yesterday.”

“Ah, that….”

Elena stuttered as if she was caught having an affair.

Her reaction confirmed the stories of the maids.

Lexion was very relieved and closed his eyes with genuine joy.

“That’s right.”

Elena was stunned by his smile.

The part that Lexion was very delighted about was when Elena told Leoter that she has a lover.

She labeled him as her “lover.”

So he was smiling from ear to ear without realizing it.

Elena, who was still feeling uneasy, also mentioned another event that day that she had trouble saying.

“Marquis Hasnell even asked if you were engaged to your lover. And because we’re not engaged… you answered no.”

Elena remained silent at his statement.

Instantly, Lexion’s expression hardened.

But it was only for a moment.

“It’s okay. For now, we are just contract lovers.”

Of course, only “for now.”

Elena’s face, unable to guess his thoughts, brightened at the remark that the uneasiness in her heart finally settled.

“Right?”

“Yes. It’s true. It’s fine.”

Seeing the obvious relief on Elena’s face, Lexion laughed along with her.

But in reality, he wasn’t okay at all.

But Lexion, who had been watching her from the moment they got into the carriage, had to pretend to be okay.

And as he expected, Elena’s mood got better.

Moreover, Elena was only telling the truth.

So it was really good.

‘… No, it should be fine.’

Lexion continued to watch Elena as she smiled brightly, while he just showed a casual smile.

However, his heart was boiling.

Elena was such a charming person.

It couldn’t be helped that bugs were lurking around her.

Furthermore, it wasn’t certain that Lexion would always be by her side.

‘Marquis Hasnell.’

Lexion pondered over his name, assuming that he might be a possible rival.

Then, soon after, his lips twitched.

Overwhelmed with jealousy, he completely forgot how appealing Elena was.

And this didn’t escape Elena’s eyes.

Since he was new to this relationship, Lexion was too late to conceal his emotions. But this was a good sign.

A good sign that Elena also cared about him.

Although at the tea party, Elena did not seem to notice it, it was okay.

There was still time.

****

The carriage stopped in front of the main house of the Halos.

Lexion naturally escorted Elena into the mansion.

The servants amicably welcomed her.

“Miss Elena! You should eat first before you leave! I will serve you the best dishes!”

Even the chef, whom she had never seen before, warmly welcomed her.

The chef has been in charge of the food in the Halos manor from the time Elena first came to the Halos mansion up until now.

So he was quite a friendly character towards Elena.

Elena pondered for a moment at the chef’s words.

Initially, she was to use the portal in Lexion’s office to reach the Magic Tower.

However, she didn’t know what to do now, especially with the way the chef and other servants welcomed her.

Lexion, noticing her situation, relieved her worries.

“Let’s go eat dinner together, Elena.”

Lexion whispered into Elena’s ear.

Elena was taken aback by the sudden hot breath in her ear, but she did not push him away.

“This is also your home. It’s okay to rest a little longer.”

‘…Home. Alright then. Besides, there is nothing urgent in the tower.’

Elena nodded.

The chef and servants were delighted.

It wasn’t only them though. 

There was also happiness radiating in Lexion’s dark eyes.