While waiting alone in the castle until dinner was prepared, Sylvia soon heard the news that Kyle and Vermilion had returned, so she hurried to greet them.
What greeted her was two people with remarkably contrasting appearances.
“…Uh, did something happen with you two?”
“Oh, no. What could have happened? Haha! Nothing at all happened.”
“Yes, don’t worry about it, Princess.”
“……?”
For some reason, Vermilion looked as if he had been rolling down a hillside, with his clothes torn in several places, and even a dark bruise on the side of his right jaw.
In contrast, Kyle had a very refreshed expression, and when she asked what had happened, he hastily changed the subject.
Especially, Vermilion’s expression showed a smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.
She thought they’d just be practicing briefly, but somehow, it had come to this.
“U-uh, I’ll go change my clothes for a moment.”
“Okay, take your time.”
With a quick farewell, Vermilion headed toward the room in a hurry.
Kyle, who had kindly pointed out the direction to the room, now looked even more refreshed than when he had been dealing with Sylvia earlier.
“By the way, Princess, what brings you all the way out here?”
“Oh, actually, I heard dinner was almost ready.”
“I see. Then, I’ll take Vermilion with me, so please go ahead and wait inside.”
At his words, Sylvia’s cheeks puffed up in an instant.
Of course, it was normal for the host to worry about the guest, so there was nothing odd about his words.
However, what she didn’t like was that earlier, when she had tried to invite him to the training ground for lunch, he had avoided the suggestion by saying he needed to wash up.
But now, he was even willing to personally bring Vermilion while waiting. Didn’t that seem like quite a different treatment?
Especially when, if she thought about it, she was also a guest in the castle.
“It’s fine. There’s still some time left, so I’ll wait here with you.”
“No, there’s no need to do that…”
“Why? Is it uncomfortable for you if I’m here?”
At Sylvia’s sharp tone, Kyle wondered why she was acting like this again.
However, he knew that as soon as he questioned it, he’d probably get a blade at his throat, so he simply nodded.
Sometimes, knowing when to yield is what makes a true man.
Though, it was ironic that he only seemed to do this so frequently in front of Sylvia.
“That’s not it. Well then, would you like to sit on the terrace and chat for a while?”
“Sure.”
At his suggestion, Sylvia’s face lit up, and she followed him like a chick chasing after its mother.
“Huh?”
Suddenly feeling something strange, Sylvia looked down at Kyle’s footsteps.
Was it just her imagination?
She was sure that when she left with Vermilion to the training ground earlier, or even just a moment ago, she was walking quite fast.
But now, even though she wasn’t speeding up her steps, she felt like she could easily catch up with him, as he was walking so slowly.
“Could it be?” she wondered, as she continued to observe Kyle’s pace and then, with a mischievous smile, subtly leaned her body toward his side.
“…Princess? It’s uncomfortable to walk if you’re that close.”
“Hehe, sorry. But I thought you were matching your stride for me, so I thought I should do this.”
“…!”
At her sharp remark, Kyle’s eyes widened, and for a brief moment, a faint blush appeared on his face.
It seemed Sylvia, who had grown up locked up in her room since childhood, wasn’t as physically strong as her mother Marianne, though not as weak as others.
That’s why her stride was narrower, her pace slower, and when she walked for long periods, she’d breathe heavily, exhaling small ‘huffs.’
Kyle, who had known this from the start, always slowed his pace when walking with her, to accommodate her, but now she had caught him.
It wasn’t exactly something he considered an embarrassment, but it was certainly more humiliating than having his flaws exposed.
“No, that’s not it. I wasn’t trying to match my stride…”
“I was just frustrated because I was walking so slowly. Right?”
“……”
Kyle tried to make a weak excuse, but even that was caught by Sylvia, so he had to avoid her gaze.
On the other hand, Sylvia, who had been smiling sweetly while looking up at him, couldn’t hide her fondness.
“Look at you blushing. So even Kyle has this side to him.”
How rare it was to see the always-cold man blushing in front of her, and how many women would be able to suppress their maternal instincts upon seeing this?
Squeeze.
“This makes it much easier to match our strides.”
“…Matching strides may be fine, but walking like this would be very uncomfortable.”
“Well, so what?”
Being a woman with some self-restraint, Sylvia managed to endure her rising desires by simply clinging to his arm.
Kyle, on the other hand, tried not to focus on the soft sensation he felt against his elbow.
It was strange, considering she had only ever eaten simple meals in her room, but how had she grown so well?
“By the way, I’m still called Princess in the castle, but you, Duke Drake, are being called by your first name.”
As soon as they arrived at the terrace and sat across from each other, Sylvia dropped a rather pointed remark.
Kyle, sweating coldly, tried to act indifferent and responded.
“There’s a difference between calling someone of the same sex by their name and calling someone of the opposite sex.”
“Does that mean you think of me as the opposite sex?”
“…Let’s stop here.”
“Tch, you always try to escape when things get interesting.”
He wanted to ask whose fun she was referring to, but knowing that he would only suffer more, Kyle sighed and fell silent.
Just as he thought Sylvia had said it as a joke, he noticed that she was staring down at the ground with a troubled expression.
It seemed that, to her, this was something she was seriously concerned about.
She had only said it jokingly because she didn’t want to burden him by speaking too seriously.
Kyle, still conflicted, eventually spoke carefully.
“…Sylvia.”
“……!?”
“Is this enough?”
It had always been strange that Sylvia’s mother, Marianne, was called by her first name, yet Sylvia was still being called by her title.
He had originally insisted on calling her by her title to maintain some distance, but now that things had reached this point, it didn’t seem to serve much purpose.
Thus, Kyle surrendered and said her name, carefully watching her expression.
Without any warning, Sylvia immediately stood up from her seat, startled.
“Wait, I didn’t hear that! Could you say it again? No, please say it ten more times!”
What do you mean you didn’t hear it?
If that were true, you wouldn’t have been so surprised.
Even so, the way she stubbornly changed the number of times was enough to give Kyle a headache.
Since when did Sylvia become so shameless?
She used to be a little bold before, but not to this extent.
“I refuse.”
“Ah, that’s so unfair! Sir Lyard… No, Kyle!”
“I said you could call me by my name, but I don’t recall giving you permission to address me so casually.”
“That’s unfair too! We’re engaged, so shouldn’t that much be allowed?”
“We’re not even engaged.”
In the end, their bickering continued until Vermillion returned.
Still, Sylvia managed to get what she wanted, so it wasn’t exactly a bad outcome for her.
She felt like her stomach would be full even if she skipped dinner tonight.
That night, Kyle quietly left his room.
It wasn’t because his mind was restless like before or because he wanted to wander aimlessly.
He simply had an appointment to meet someone that night, and he intended to keep it.
“You’re late. After calling someone over, you show up late? What a nasty personality.”
When Kyle arrived at the empty reception room, Vermillion, who had arrived first, threw a sarcastic remark at him.
However, Kyle showed no sign of guilt for being late. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and reproached Vermillion.
“You’re the one who showed up too early. Also, can’t you do something about that tone of yours?”
“Unfortunately, it’s become a habit now.”
“What a disgusting habit.”
Kyle didn’t care if Vermillion spoke formally or not, but the fact that someone as sly as Vermillion insisted on using honorifics annoyed him for some reason.
But since he wasn’t there to correct Vermillion’s speech, Kyle immediately cast a soundproof barrier and sat down across from him.
“Judging by what I saw earlier, you seem to be making progress. I suppose you’ve been following what I taught you?”
“Yes, somehow. At this rate, I should be able to reach the 5th rank within two years.”
“That’s good news.”
As expected from one of the most talented members of the Vermillion family.
He probably borrowed the power of the Eyes of Dawn, but even so, it was an unprecedented speed.
If Kyle hadn’t experienced the miracle of regression, their positions would likely be reversed right now.
Kyle had to acknowledge Vermillion’s talent when it came to magic.
“Honestly, I’m a little surprised. I didn’t think you’d really help me.”
“That was the contract. Besides, if you get stronger and help me, it’ll make things easier in the long run.”
“Aren’t you worried that I might betray you?”
“Then I’ll just kill you. Why, are you planning to betray me?”
Whooosh.
The moment the word “betrayal” left his lips, the atmosphere around Kyle became thick with a suffocating aura.
Vermillion swallowed hard.
No, this wasn’t just magical pressure—it was closer to pure killing intent.
What kind of hell had Kyle endured to be able to emit such dense killing intent at his age?
“…For now, I have no intention of betraying you. It’s in my best interest to stay with you to achieve my goal.”
“Your goal, huh? Come to think of it, you never mentioned it.”
“It’s nothing grand. I simply want to take the position of the Tower Master and become the greatest mage in the empire.”
Vermillion spoke as if it were no big deal, but that was only his perspective.
To anyone else, such a goal would be considered overly ambitious.
What was particularly interesting was that Vermillion didn’t mention the position of the head of the Drake family as part of his goal.
It could be interpreted as him considering the position of family head a foregone conclusion.
But Kyle sensed that there was more to it than that.
“…So, you’re saying you’re willing to abandon your family for the sake of your dream?”
“Yes. Do you think that’s cold?”
“Not really.”
Without even meeting Vermillion’s gaze, Kyle shrugged.
That was exactly the kind of person Kyle had expected Vermillion to be when he proposed their contract.
Someone ambitious enough to abandon his family, his loved ones, and his house for the sake of his dream—
That’s why Kyle could secure Vermillion’s loyalty in exchange for power.
“Anyway, let’s leave the personal talk here. I have something important to tell you.”
“Important? Is it about Sylvia?”
“Something similar. More precisely, it’s about you and Lady Eleonore.”
Kyle already had an idea of what was coming the moment their names were mentioned together.
“Assassins will be coming soon. Their target will be you and Lady Eleonore.”