Episode 107

“This, patience?”

“Yes.”

He looked at me and abruptly stopped walking.

I looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked again.

“You couldn’t hear what others were saying?”

“I only hear the voice of denial.”

…Is this something to be relieved about?

I leaned my body back and slowly moved away from him.

Whether he was disappointed by my leaving or not, Dylan’s expression became a bit more stern.

I looked up at Dylan and spoke seriously.

“Come to think of it, breaking the curse should’ve been the first step.”

<Red Castle> seemed proficient in dark magic and curses.

They could have tried to suppress him using the curse on Dylan.

Furthermore, Dylan suffered whenever the blue moon appeared and struggled to control his strength.

Completely lifting the curse would likely benefit him as well.

At that moment, Dylan’s pupils shook vigorously.

Perhaps he had been emotionally strained due to the curse…

“Ah, come to think of it, there was a curse.”

…It wasn’t that.

Feeling a bit puzzled, I grabbed his wrist and looked around.

“Yes, for now… Let’s go to an empty place!”

“Sure.”

His ears turned even redder.

I looked around and then walked confidently towards a tranquil open space.

As we walked quickly, we had arrived at a quiet open space after passing through the bustling stalls of the night market.

Except for the wizards discreetly trailing behind us as if to protect us, there was no one in this place.

I looked around and then took a short breath.

“Breaking the curse, right now! Shall we try?”

Honestly, I don’t know exactly how to do it.

Maybe I should infuse it with the power of purification?

For now, I brought my hand close to his hand.

* * *

When the light flowing from her hand gently enveloped his body.

The corners of Dylan’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Ah….”

“Why does it feel uncomfortable?”

Dylan had never tried acting in his life before.

But this time, he seemed to know very well about acting.

Pretending to be kind wasn’t a bad thing.

It was good if he could win her heart.

Dylan whispered with a possessiveness hidden beneath an indifferent expression.

“I’m fine. Being cursed, mistreated by others, I’m used to it now…”

Ishael clenched his hand tightly with an angry expression.

“Don’t listen to hurtful words from people filled with prejudice, okay?”

“Seeing your heart racing like crazy, it seems you’ve already been purified.”

“Is it, not yet? It just seems like your heart is racing.”

He took a light breath and then looked at his hand again.

There was definitely a faint sense of purification, but that was all.

“Um, it feels like something is blocking somewhere…”

Ishael narrowed her eyes slightly and met his hand.

Her pure mana seemed to flow endlessly towards Dylan.

But at some point, as if hitting a limit, it abruptly stopped.

“Uh, why….”

She bit her lip.

It seemed like she felt an odd pain when trying to surpass that limit.

Seeing Ishael’s narrowed forehead in pain, Dylan decisively pulled his hand away.

“It’s harmful to your health.”

“But if I just do a bit more…!”

“Since the night has grown darker, it’s best to go back now.”

Above all, Ishael’s well-being was a priority for him.

He turned his head with the thought that they must prevent breaking the curse again.

“Yes, I must have thought breaking the curse was too easy. We should go back and research the method further. It would be great if we could find some hints!”

It was when the determined Ishael nodded at him.

Dylan felt that the atmosphere was akin to a damp and chilly night, as if someone might launch an attack.

As if in response to his ominous premonition, a familiar yet sharp voice came from behind.

“Oh? Long time no see!”

“Have you been well?”

“And those people….”

Ishael’s complexion grew even paler than before.

* * *

“We really meet under these circumstances here!”

“You didn’t forget us, did you?”

Actually, I did.

“The ‘Travel Journal’ writing project, you haven’t forgotten, right?”

I had forgotten about that too.

“This time, our couple will become the top ranked…!”

Why did those people suddenly appear here?

Did my surprise show on my face? The Kashian-Haley couple spoke in unison.

“We came to this territory for our honeymoon program! But we didn’t expect to find you here!”

“Well, it truly is a beautiful place, isn’t it?”

“By the way, have the two of you also come on a trip?”

These people, do they not know I’m Lady Diana?

…What’s this all about?

After that, a familiar silhouette appeared.

“Oh? Lord Emmanuel, Henry, Sir Tov?”

How did these people from the capital end up here in a group?

At that moment, Sir Tov narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “We came here as a protective detail requested by Lord Emmanuel.”

“I came to assist in magical artifact refinement, and coincidentally…”

“Hahaha! That’s how it turned out. I’ve come on vacation too.”

I tried to ignore them.

But suddenly, I couldn’t help but think that Lotvart of <Red Castle> might have visited the knight order I had worked for and the newlywed town I resided in.

“I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

“Hoho! That’s very nice too!”

I invited everyone, including Henry, Tov, the newlyweds, and Emmanuel, to Saboia Mansion for a more profound conversation.

To have a deeper conversation.

As soon as we arrived at the Saboia Ducal Estate, a modest dining table was set up.

First, separate seats were prepared for the knight Tov and Henry.

While offering them food and drinks, I intended to inquire about recent matters within the knight order.

Henry, with a strong drink, scratched the back of his head and said, “My friend Ishael turned out to be that famous Lady Diana.”

“…Surprised, huh?”

Henry nodded at me.

“I see why you left the order. No, it makes sense.”

Is leaving really the most important thing right now?

At that moment, Tov added one more thing.

“Haha, that’s true, but also, I couldn’t have imagined that Sir Dylan would become the Grand Duke Castilla.”

“That’s quite astonishing too.”

“The knight order has been completely turned upside down now. Come visit sometime later.”

“Oh, really? What’s the atmosphere like in the knight order these days…?”

“Nothing much lately. Terrorism is quiet. The knights have caught a lot of the Red Castle gang. Well, you know.”

“Capturing the Red Castle gang, it might be thanks to the skills of Sir Dylan, no, His Grace the Grand Duke. That’s why Sir Dylan made a bomb with pinecones…!”

“As expected of Sir Dylan! Impressive!”

…Of course, there wasn’t much substance to their conversation.

It was just praise.

It was just to make Dylan’s smile a little brighter.

I suggested a simple appetizer and stood up.

“I see. Well, then enjoy your conversation with Sir Dylan!”

The atmosphere in the knight order seems alright…

It was time to ask whether there had been any suspicious people in the newlywed town.

Since the newlyweds still didn’t know about me and Sir Dylan’s true identities, I had arranged a separate dining area for Emmanuel and the newlywed couples.

However…

While I was chatting with Henry and Tov, they seemed to have already drunk their fill of sherry.

Emmanuel was nodding off with his ears turning red.

Even the Kashian-Haley couple, proudly displaying their couple’s outfit, had red faces.

There was a momentary pause, but why not speak of tipsy jokes?

I turned to the blushing Haley and asked softly,

“Have you ever seen any strange people coming and going in the newlywed town?”

Her cheeks were even redder.

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

“I see.”

“Actually, I’m usually preoccupied with us in my mind, so I might not have noticed.”

Yeah, it seemed like I was the one with the issue for asking those people.

I forced a smile and nodded my head.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

At that moment, Haley tightly grabbed my arm.

“…Um, I think I might have seen something.”

“What?”

“Actually… Kashian and I initially stayed in separate rooms.”

“Separate rooms? Why is this coming up all of a sudden?”

“And you didn’t know even though you’re a real couple?”

“Yes, I didn’t. What on earth are you talking about…”

With her face turning even redder, she lowered her voice as if sharing a very secretive secret.

What’s this?

What’s this ominous feeling that I might hear a secret that shouldn’t be heard?