Chapter 163

“……Did you cry?”

“No.”

Luciel shook her head and turned over, but Kizef approached and touched her face.

When he saw her eyes brimming with tears as if dewdrops formed in her leashes, Kizef’s feelings of disappointment subsided.

At the same time, he was relieved. He thought he was the only one sad that he was leaving. But looking at her face at this, at the end of the day, no matter what she did, he would melt away.

Because there was no time when Luciel was not pretty.

Paah.

Dorong Rorong.

The mana gathered from Luciel’s heart and created a sapphire in the air.

Her feelings were more honest than any words. Although her mouth was not honest. Kizef asked as he trimmed Luciel’s hair that was gently curled up.

“Luciel, are you sad that I’m leaving?”

Kizef said sweetly, wiping the tears from Luciel’s eyes with his index finger. Luciel eyes dangling with tears stared at him.

“Oh, you are really bad. Of course…… I’d be sad even if a puppy I was raising left the house. Much less you……Kizef. Snif.”

Luciel’s eyes and nose turned red, and she wept. It was sad yet lovely. Kizef’s well-groomed lips rose.

“I’m your husband.”

Whispering in her ear, Kizef hugged Luciel’s tiny body from behind. He closed his eyes at the soft and fluff feeling of Luciel’s body.

Surprised by the warmth of his arms behind her back, Luciel, who opened her eyes in a circle, quickly grabbed the tight arms that wrapped her body.

She didn’t know what to say.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart was beating so loudly that it felt like her whole body was trembling. She couldn’t handle the shame on her red face and tried to wriggle away from Kizef’s arms, but she couldn’t get out and gave up.

“……Not because you’re my husband, but because you’re Kizef.”

As Luciel barely uttered those words, Kizef spoke from a place close enough to touch her ear.

“……Being a husband is also important to me.”

“But…….It’s an 8-year contract marriage. Kizef will go to Dracan and that period will be quickly over.”

“…….”

At Luciel’s words, his face hardened, as if holding back something for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and said.

With deep red eyes….

Luciel couldn’t move at the freezing stare he gave her.

“……Luciel, you seem to be misunderstanding things. I have something to tell you. See you tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow night? I mean, you can say it now…….”

“No. See you tomorrow at 10 pm at the observatory.”

‘Out of nowhere?’

Luciel tilted her head and remained silent as if she had made a mistake. Kizef’s red lips landed on the back of Luciel’s hand.

Ba-dum.

‘Wait, don’t do this. If you do it…….’

Luciel felt her cheeks blush and the rush of mana.

“Good night.”

While her heart was itching and pounding so much she couldn’t say anything, Kizef turned around and slowly walked out.

“…..”

Luciel’s silver eyebrows drooped. Her heart pounding never stopped.

Finally, before Kizef left the room, a spinel was made, and after confirming it, he raised his lips.  Luciel wanted to cry and quietly bit the quilt.

* * *

At lunch prepared the next day, Kizef revealed his will to the adults. Luciel was not able to attend because she overslept.

“……It must have been a difficult decision. Kizef, this old man will support your growth. Ask for help at any time.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

Gillard patted his grandson on the shoulder, encouraging him. He, too, was well aware of the weight Kizef would carry in the future.

Louivid, the head of the house was still very young, but for the future, it was right for Kizef to grow as strong as he was.

Moreover so, in order to face the common enemy targeting Luciel and Bellstein.

No matter how strong Kizef was by Bellstein’s blood standards, he was still a softhearted child. Gillard hoped he would come back a little more mature.

However, Soliaphe and Louivid seemed to have a different opinions. Hearing Kizef’s story, they completely stopped eating.

“I respect your opinion, Kizef, but it is true that I am worried about you going to that distant land alone. Will it be all right? What if you only trust and follow your teacher, Kurantiel?” (soliaphe)

“There’s no problem, he is someone you can trust and follow.”

The Duke, who had a bad expression on his face the whole time, passed the wine down his throat in disappointment and opened his mouth sternly.

“Does that mean that you can trust and follow your master more than your parents and your family?” (Duke)

“……Father.”

“I know you are not usually friendly, but at least you could have said something before you decided on that.”

At his words, Kizef was also silent.

“……I thought that at least my father would know beforehand.”

“I heard that as Commander Jarga had told me. I had to know that way.”

“……I’m sorry I didn’t tell you first.”

“Stop it, Louis. This is actually something I’ve been suggesting for a long time. Since you don’t want to inherit the dragon’s power, Kizef was also cautious about this matter.”

When Evelyn, who had been thinking about Kizef’s future together with him for a long time, stepped forward, the Duke asked back in surprise.

“Did mother suggest it?”

“Yes.”

“But, didn’t Kizef still inherit the demon bloodline? Even if he doesn’t have to go that far to inherit the dragon’s power…….”

He blurted out his words but Kizef responded quickly.

“No. It’s still not enough to protect Luciel and Bellstein. I want to increase my strength.”

“……Even here, if you train enough, you can grow.”

“No. There will be limits. I will go beyond that limit.”

“Even so, I cannot send you alone to that rough and distant place.”

The Duke lowered his voice with a dark face.

“Kurantiel is a person you can trust, but the more I think about sending Kizef alone, the more anxious I get. So how about doing this? I’m going to follow him and look after him while he adapts, after he’s stable I will come back. What do you think?”

Gillard and Soliaphe’s faces brightened at Evelyn’s opinion.

“Oh, that would certainly ease my worries.” (Gillard)

“……Will you please do so, mother?” (Soliaphe)

“Of course. Because it’s also time for me to go back to my hometown for a while. Louis, you can be at peace.”

“……If my mother goes, I will be relieved for now. You must act as a guardian for at least half a year.”

“It’s no big deal. But, Kizef, can you leave your wife who looks like a cute rabbit alone?”

Evelyn’s worried words darkened Kizef’s face.

* * *

“Madam, you slept well today.”

“Yes. I slept late.”

“Why, do you have any concerns?”

Bessie said so as she pulled the curtains and opened the window wide. Luciel softly nodded, and looked out the window, wearing her pajamas with fluttering sleeves.

The clear noon sunlight stretched out for a long time, and the wind brushed her cheeks.

“Bessie, you know…..what are the symptoms of an itchy heart? Sometimes it’s frustrating, and sometimes I just want to hide.”

Hearing Luciel’s words, Bessie came up to her, bursting into laughter.

“That’s what it was like when you were with Young Master Kizef, isn’t it?”

“Uh? Oh no. That……Just because it’s something that happens in general. This is the first time this has happened.”

Luciel’s cheeks were dyed pink.

“My little Madam, you look like a baby, but your emotions are quite precocious, aren’t they? For something like this, we say it linking someone.”

“……Uh? Ah, that’s right. Then I guess I like Bessie!”

Luciel smiled brightly and held Bessie’s arms as if she had gained great enlightenment.

“It seems like it’s about someone else, not me, but I’ll move on for today.”

After Bessie patted Luciel, she took more care than usual to pick out dresses to change into.

They were all sweet colors.

Sky blue, pink, yellow, mint.

Luciel looked in the mirror and put the dress on her body. Even though it was at night she was supposed to meet with Kizef, she was choosing with some care.

When Luciel chose a light blue dress with a lovely ruffle and ribbon knot decoration, Bessie said that as she brought a matching ribbon.

“The sky blue goes so well with your fair skin and silver hair. I will tie it up in pigtails.”

“Yes.”

At the compliment that she was pretty, shy Luciel cheeks were colored red.

After having brunch and reading a book in the afternoon, Luciel went for a walk with Soliaphe after enjoying piano performances.

Although she returned to the room early because Phoenix asked for mana in the middle. It was a very relaxing and slow day. At some point, the evening passed and it was night.

Come to think of it, even though it was a holiday, Kizef was nowhere to be seen. He was in neither the knights nor the dining hall, there was no shadow of Kizef anywhere.

Even after finishing dinner, Luciel sat on the sofa and somehow kept looking at the clock. Soon, it would be 10 o’clock on the night she promised to meet Kizef, her heart was pounding for nothing.

“Litte Madam, it’s bedtime, so you need to wash up and change into pajamas, right?”

“Oh, no……I can’t sleep yet.”

Luciel opened his eyes wide and showed that he was not sleepy. Bessie noticed something and replied.

‘You seem to have an appointment.’

“Well. All right, then, call me when you need me.”

Finally, when the hour hand pointed to ten o’clock at night, Luciel looked in the mirror, refused Ralph’s escort and left the place.

While she was on her way, she was worried about what if the observatory hadn’t opened. As Luciel was going up the stairs, she unexpectedly heard something coming from the dome of the observatory.

As the roof opened, colorful and pretty paper balloons soared into the sky all at once.

“Whoa, it’s so beautiful. But what is all this?

Luciel blankly looked up and muttered. The largest of them all, a balloon in the shape of a rabbit’s face, floated down to the floor.

A pink card was hanging from the rabbit balloon that came down exactly to where Luciel was.

Luciel opened the card and found a little girl. A girl who looks just like herself.  The card was written in elegant letters.

[I remember the first time I saw you. Actually, I didn’t know how to deal with you. Because I had no one in my heart before. I realized at a glance, that you were different from others.

Looking back, I wonder if the relationship I was able to have with you in this life was a gift from God to me. I often think like that.

That’s how special and precious it is. Maybe enough to make you feel like fate.

You became a star to me, who was always alone. Since then……I only saw you.]

Whoosh.

While Luciel was reading the letter, something was coming down from the top of the observatory tower.

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