Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Celine stopped Leonhard from ringing the bell to call the attendant.

“I, I want to eat outside.”

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

At the question, she answered without hesitation.

“I want to go to the best and most expensive restaurant in the imperial city.”

“….?”

Leonhard blinked.

He had no memory of ever going to a restaurant in the Imperial Capital. Until the Grand Duke’s family withdrew from the Imperial Capital, of course, he ate only the food of the family cook, and after that, he ate only the food of the Imperial Family.

Sometimes, there were times when he entered a restaurant in front of him to fill his hungry stomach though he didn’t care about the taste. So, obviously, he didn’t know where the most expensive and best restaurant was.

“Even Leonhardt’s favorite restaurant is fine. Of course, it will taste great.”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know the Emperor’s restaurant well.”

“Really?”

Celine was a little surprised, but she smiled brightly and proposed.

“Then, how about going outside and walking around?”

“…Aren’t you tired?”

“My body aches.”

Leonhard frowned. If she said that her body was throbbing, it should be far from wanting to go out. Rather, relaxing in the hotel seemed better for Celine’s body.

“Do you really want to go out?”

She nodded her head.

“These days, Leonhard and I couldn’t even rest, and we only went out to lift the curse. Or on a mission… I want to get out of there for a bit.”

Leonhard looked at Celine, who seemed still half drunk in her sleep.

As she said, they hadn’t taken a proper break in the past month. For him, who was accustomed to a repetitive life, only his existing duties were normal though she must have been tired of her recent harsh life.

“Let’s go.”

As Leonhard prepared to go outside, he tried to recall all the information he knew about Celine’s preferences.

‘She likes sweet food, soft clothes and rugs… what else does she like?’

He thought for several minutes, but nothing came to mind. It was only then that he realized that he knew very little about Celine.

‘….’

It was natural.

Because so far, he had been obsessed with solving Celine’s curse and not caring about anything else.

‘…What a fool I was.’

A sigh escaped him.

He felt sorry for her because he could not prepare even the things she would like on the day when Celine needed rest. He soon left the room, thinking that he should ask Celine about what she liked today.

‘She’s taking longer than expected.’

Leonhard waited for Celine, sitting on the couch, avoiding the mud-stained carpet. She usually wore a cape over her active dress, so it didn’t take long for her to get ready for the outing.

After some time.

“Did you wait a long time?”

Leonhard’s eyes widened.

It was because the woman in front of him was buried wide in a winter coat. It was winter attire she hadn’t seen in a long time, as her recent attire had become fairly simple.

Since she was released from the recoil of her inability to use her magic, her skill at handling magical powers has increased by leaps and bounds, so much so that she could envelop her body in the delicate heat of no longer having to wear an uncomfortable winter coat instead of a thick one.

But for today, she was so exhausted that she wanted to borrow the power of her clothes.

Celine smiled shyly.

“I want to take a break from magic for today.”

Leonhard immediately became nervous. If she couldn’t use her magic properly, her outings were like stepping into a trap full of dangers.

“Are you really going to be okay? If you want to change your mind, I’ll talk to the manager…”

She shook her head.

“If I want to use magic, I can use it as much as I like. I just want to rest for now.”

“That’s a relief.”

Eventually, they left the hotel together.

It was an ordinary outing, but it felt quite special to Leonhard. This was the first time he and Celine had walked aimlessly through the Imperial Capital.

‘…No, it’s for Celine’s mood change.’

A smile crept across his lips. He was about to walk to the stable and stopped.

“Would you like to ride a horse?”

“Let’s ride the carriage. Black needs a break, too.”

Celine smiled and pulled Leonhard’s hand.

Not too long after, they arrived on the busiest street in the imperial city in a luxurious carriage called by the hotel manager. The downtown area on weekday mornings was quiet, and Leonhard and Celine walked leisurely through the streets.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen the imperial capital properly before.’

She glanced up at the antique buildings that could only appear in a movie set in 18th-century Europe.

If she had been here just a few months ago, her eyes would have been wandering all around her. However, she had already seen numerous palaces and mansions, so she felt that the buildings here were ordinary.

‘Everyone here has become…’

She got a little depressed. To make matters worse, her legs trembled slightly, perhaps because she had gone out a little too forcefully.

Celine, as usual, leaned her body against Leonhardt.

“….!”

However, Leonhard did not support her body by gently embracing her as he always did. Was he rather stiffly pushing her…?

Celine gazed up at him in surprise.

“Leonhard, are you not feeling well?”

“…I think it would be better to refrain from actions that could be misunderstood.”

Celine was astonished and tried to say that it didn’t matter, but she remembered his reaction at the time as being bitter and shut her mouth.

“Alright.”

Even though she tried to pretend she was okay, she was a little offended.

‘Who wouldn’t know that you want to be alone tonight?’

She didn’t believe Leonhard’s words that he wanted to keep his distance was because he didn’t want to be misunderstood needlessly. The Leonhard she knew was far from common sense. He wasn’t the type to care about the public eye either.

‘He obviously doesn’t want me to be with him.’

Celine bit her lip.

He must have pushed her away just to be considerate of her. Though she thought about that and tried to understand him, she couldn’t help but feel upset. Still, wasn’t there a reason they left the street like this?

She quickly changed the topic.

“What is Leonhard’s favorite food?”

“….”

Leonhard began to think seriously. While he himself ate any food that tasted above a certain level, he didn’t particularly like any of them.

“I don’t think there is anything.”

“Really?”

Celine was a little surprised.

“For food… I thought your taste buds were picky. And when it comes to meat, the speed at which you eat is different.”

“…Is that so?”

“Besides, you hate unusual tastes. You never eat unless you have to.”

Every word she said was something he had never been conscious of. However, when he heard it, there was nothing wrong with it.

“I guess so.”

“Then, shall we go eat meat?”

“No.”

Leonhard shook his head.

“Go eat what you like.”

“We can eat meat for lunch and something sweet for dessert, right?”

He remembered that the fine dining district was quite far from the street they were standing on. Unfortunately, she was completely exhausted just a step before entering the street.

“Should we take some rest?”

Seeing that, he flinched at Celine, who was staring at him in anticipation this time as well.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

Fortunately, there were benches all over the street where the two could rest sufficiently, so they were able to avoid the unfortunate accident of sitting on the street. However, only Celine sat, and Leonhard stared at her blankly.

Although she patted the side with her hand, he did not sit down.

Instead of asking him why he didn’t sit down, Celine muttered as she lowered her gaze.

“I want Leonhard to sit…”

“Who said no? I just looked around for a second.”

Finishing his words, Leonhard immediately sat cautiously beside her as she smiled.

In this world, the only person she could really trust and rely on was him. Others were acquaintances made through her status as a guest in the North or her ability as a wizard. However, Leonhard tracked down her curse with her even after she could no longer use magic.

The sudden anxiety overtook her Celine.

‘If I can’t go back even if I’ve seen the true ending… will Leonhard be by my side even then?’

She shook her head lightly, dispelling her anxiety.

She was a wizard, so if she could help Leonhardt with his mission, she would be able to stay by his side forever.

“Leonhard.”

He turned her head slightly to look at Celine.

“You know, what would you do if my curse were lifted? Leonhard can’t do anything because of me these days.”

Leonhard blinked his eyes.

“Focusing on the mission… no.”

He paused for a moment. Before he met Celine, he was all about resting or training other than his duties.

“I will focus only on the mission. Other than that, I can’t remember.”

“You are doing a great job. I think Leonhard deserves a little more pride.”

Celine laughed softly.

“If it’s okay with Leonhardt, can we carry out the mission together after the curse is lifted? Either warlocks or monsters.”

“….?”

He doubted his ears.

All the while, he attributed the curse as the reason why Celine always stuck by his side and carried out his duties persistently… But now, Celine was saying she wanted to do the mission with him… without anything to do with the curse.

His heart pounded hard against his chest as his breathing quickened slightly.

“…Really?”

“Does it look like empty words?”

Leonhard gulped.

“Because I don’t know why.”

After the curse was lifted, Celine’s debt to him disappeared. She wouldn’t have to stick around at all to risk her life by his side.

Furthermore…

His body stiffened.

Breaking the curse meant that Celine only had one life.

‘….’

Coming to the heartbreaking conclusion, he looked straight at her. The blue-gray eyes flashing with good feelings for him were smiling.

“After the curse is lifted, you and I have nothing to do anymore.”

His voice was colder than intended.

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