Chapter 23

After the duke and the others had gone outside, Muran showed me to the room where I would be staying. The room was simply furnished, with just a bed, a desk, a chair, and a wardrobe for clothes. Even with the luggage that Muran had brought in, I couldn’t bring myself to unpack. I couldn’t sit still and began pacing around the room.

(I knew the duke’s magic was strong, but is it common for it to become uncontrollable like that?)

When a person’s magic accumulates excessively and becomes uncontrollable, it is called a "magic surge." The only way to deal with excessive magic is to release it. If one cannot release the magic for some reason, the body can become as hot as fire, and in extreme cases, one might die from the abnormal fever.

"People, unlike monsters, have fragile bodies and are easily broken," my mother used to say. My mother was also a powerful mage and often suffered from magic surges.

(Could I not help her?)

When my mother was suffering from a fever, all I could do as a child was pray. After starting research on extracting magic from monsters and using magic regularly, her health improved significantly. I remember my mother’s magic being very beautiful. I had seen her activate a magic array several times.

(It was so beautiful... her hair shone like flames, and her eyes sparkled like gems. Magic swirled around her like the glitter of stars, making her look as beautiful as a fairy from a fairy tale.)

But my mother passed away. At seven years old, I wasn’t told the details, but I was told it was due to a magic array malfunction. The real cause, however, was different.

My father and the healers believed that my mother’s magic had surged out of control. Those who didn’t know her well spread rumors that she had eaten a monster and turned into one.

(That’s impossible. My mother’s magic array was incomplete. The magic she extracted from monsters accumulated in her body and turned into magic poison because she couldn’t break it down.)

People who are more fragile than monsters cannot withstand magic poison. They die before they go mad. Through extensive research and my new study on using cloud quartz as a medium for magic arrays, I learned this around the time Lady Celia was welcomed as a second wife. I didn’t want to upset Lady Celia, and my father had just accepted the second wife assigned to him by the state. I couldn’t bring up my mother’s story and risk ruining the Marsharaid family’s recovery. Even if I were asked to prove it, I had no evidence, and I couldn’t explain it well. So, I kept the truth about my mother’s death to myself.

(The duke doesn’t extract magic from monsters, so he should be fine, right?)

If it’s just a magic surge, there are proper ways to handle it. The duke will be fine. But, if—my thoughts started spiraling in a bad direction.

(He looked so pained... if my magic array could help in such a situation...)

My magic array cannot extract magic from living beings. Magic is closely tied to life force, and if a living being’s magic is drained, it will die.

(Duke, I’ll try my best... to complete the research...)

As I was thinking this, I suddenly heard the sharp cry of a dawn bird. Dawn birds become active as dawn approaches. I realized I had been lying down. Despite the cold, I didn’t feel cold at all. I was wrapped in something warm, and a pleasant scent made me drowsy.

(I was lying down, but it wasn’t the floor. So, I’m back in my room? But I don’t remember getting into bed.)

(Where am I... not the laboratory? Where?)

I opened my eyes slightly and saw that I wasn’t in my familiar laboratory or my room. It seemed I had fallen asleep. The room was dimly lit by magic lamps in the corners.

(No way... did I fall asleep?!)

Remembering the duke’s condition last night, I jumped up. I was at the Littlewood fortress, on my way to the Galbreath duchy. As I tried to get out of bed, I noticed I was properly covered with a blanket.

(When did this get here?)

No matter how hard I tried to remember, I only recalled pacing around, worried about the duke. The warm thing covering me was a rough blanket and a smooth fur. The blanket seemed to be part of the room, but the fur looked familiar. I lifted and spread it out. It was a large, black, and luxurious coat—none other than the duke’s.

"Wh-Why is it here?!"

I muttered aloud. The presence of this coat suggested that the duke had come to check on me. Was he feeling better? More importantly, did he see me sleeping on the floor? I had told him it was normal for me to fall asleep on the floor, but it was embarrassing. I checked the floor and was relieved to find no drool stains.

(But, I don’t have time for this!)

Without even checking my appearance, I grabbed the coat and hurried out of the room. In the hallway, there was a wooden bucket, probably prepared yesterday, now filled with cold water. I didn’t have time to wash and headed straight to the main hall.

The sky outside the fortress’s windows was still dark, with a faint hint of light in the distance. Despite it being a bit before dawn, the main hall already had a few knights and the duke. As I rushed in, the duke stood up from his chair.

"Melphi, you’re up already?"

"Duke, how are you feeling...?"

"I’m sorry to have worried you. As you can see, I’m fine."

I scrutinized the duke’s entire body. His hair was slightly damp? His face wasn’t red, and his amber eyes were clear. It seemed he had taken a bath and changed clothes. I clutched the coat tightly.

"I was worried."

"I didn’t tell you, so you must have been surprised. I often couldn’t control my magic as a child. The frequency decreased significantly after I was adopted into the Galbreath family."

"Is your magic not condensed or anything?"

The duke, who had a puzzled look, realized the meaning of my question and approached me with large strides. As I looked up at the tall duke, he looked down at me... and for some reason, he pulled me into his broad chest.

"I’m fine, Melphi."

"Really?"

"Really. See, no fever, right?"

The duke slowly bent down and brought his face close to mine. His long, beautiful eyelashes were as stunning as ever. His wet bangs fell on his forehead, making him look incredibly handsome, causing my heart to race.

His forehead gently touched mine. The warmth that slowly spread was normal... or rather, it felt cold. In fact, it was cold.

"Duke, you feel like ice."

"Is that so? Well, I’ve been bathing in the river water."

"River water?"

I remembered the duke saying he would catch Zanas to release his magic. On this cold autumn night. I reached out to touch his cold cheek. Thanks to the coat, my body was warm, and my hands were heated. The duke leaned his cheek into my palm and said, "Yes, it’s warm."

"Are you okay in another sense?! You’ll catch a cold if you stay so cold!"

"You’re making me feel warm enough."

"That’s right, the coat! Duke, thank you for the coat. Please wear it."

I pulled out the coat that was between us. The fur was so good that it should keep me warmer than my hands.

"Right. I caught something that might meet your standards. Shall we go check it now?"

"More important than Zanas is the duke’s well-being!"

"I went to the trouble of catching it, thinking you’d be happy. I managed to catch a good one among the forty-six. I chose the one with the best color and vitality."

The duke, who took the coat from me, quickly put it on and pulled me into his embrace again. It was warm... but with the knights around, it was embarrassing!

The knights seemed to be trying not to look at us, but they were clearly watching. I could hear things like "Good, passed" and "The duke is quite affectionate." It felt familiar. The duke seemed to be enjoying this, smiling mischievously at me.

"Is the Zanas not tied up yet?"

"It’s swimming freely in a metal net."

"Since I won’t be able to sleep soon, I’d like to start preparing the Zanas."

"Alright, let’s do that."

"Please get some rest, Duke."

"I’m feeling quite well. Your presence is soothing... and your hair is so soft, it’s very nice."

Hearing this from the duke, I remembered my appearance. I hadn’t seen a mirror, but I was still in yesterday’s travel clothes, and my hair had come loose during the night.

"Duke, I’m all dirty!"

"I’m dirtier. Don’t worry, you smell good."

"Duke!"

When I called out to him in a slightly angry voice, the duke smiled and leaned in.

"Wrong, Melphi. It’s Tied, right?"

"I don’t know."

"We are engaged, aren’t we, Melphi?"

The duke really wanted me to call him by his name. But it was the day after yesterday, and I was embarrassed by the embrace, so I whispered, "Aristide," in a voice even smaller than a whisper... The duke’s amber eyes glowed gold, so I decided to stop calling him by his name for a while.