For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 57 - How Do You Know That?

#57. How Do You Know That?

As a reward for the long journey, a sweet holiday was granted for a day. Lounging in bed like morning dew, Lia once again realized how precious her room was. Even if it was just a dorm room, not a mansion. Sunlight poured onto the dormitory bed without anywhere to escape. Thanks to this, Lia lingered in bed for a long time after waking up. Thinking about how she was resting while others were working made her feel even better. May had hugged her tightly last night until she fell asleep. Not because she missed her, but because she envied her for having the next day off. It was a plan to wake her up, which failed.

“Ugh. Feels good!”

It felt like waking up well-rested after a long time. Though still tired, it felt refreshing. Lia lazed around as much as possible until she got hungry and finally got up from bed. She could tell her hair was a mess without even checking in the mirror. Finally, after washing up, Lia remembered it wasn’t mealtime yet. Hungry but with no immediate way to eat, she decided to go check on the state of the Miracle of the Desert in the greenhouse.

“Oh, Lady Lia, it’s been a while.”

The greenhouse gatekeeper greeted her warmly. Though it hadn’t been that long since she had been in the Hiver region. Still, Lia happily accepted the greeting.

“It’s been a while indeed.”

Naturally, she received the necklace for temperature maintenance and headed to where the Miracle of the Desert was. The person who usually took care of it was surprised by her unexpected visit.

“Wasn’t today a holiday?”

“But I have nothing else to do. Just came to check its condition.”

“You’re diligent.”

Lia tied her hair up with a string. Seeing the Miracle of the Desert after a long time made her heart flutter.

“Hello, have you been well?”

Even during her absence, it seemed the caretaker had maintained the humidity well. Small droplets of water were well settled on the Miracle of the Desert. No signs of decay or withering were visible. The fogging method seemed to be effective indeed.

“As you requested, I sprayed water in fog form. But it’s amazing. It absorbs water like that. It’s like a plant that doesn’t need roots.”

The caretaker was amazed at the fact that the Miracle of the Desert could survive without directly receiving water. Though it was a somewhat joking remark, Lia couldn’t shake off the thought. So, to learn more, she headed to the library.

“It’s been a while, Lady Penelope.”

“Just call me Lia.”

“Understood, Lady Lia. Which field would you like to explore?”

“Plant-related.”

“You’re still passionate about your work. I’ll connect you right away.”

With a smile, the librarian placed his hand on a box. After a few turns, he smiled and pointed to the entrance. After expressing her gratitude with a nod, Lia pushed the door and entered.

The books were still overwhelmingly abundant. Hoping there would be no unwelcome guests this time, Lia scanned her surroundings first. Except for occasional librarians tidying up books, there fortunately didn’t seem to be anyone who could be a nuisance. Lia asked a librarian for recommendations on a few books she needed. She wanted to take her time to look through them, but she didn’t have much time. Mealtime was approaching. When Lia came out shortly after, the librarian seemed a bit surprised.

“Are you leaving already?”

“It’s almost mealtime.”

“Ah.”

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

“Come again.”

Leaving the librarian behind, Lia debated whether to leave the books at the dorm and go for the meal or to carry them along. The books were quite heavy. After pondering for a while, she decided to just carry them since her route was complicated. At that moment, someone snatched all her books.

“You seem to prefer very heavy books.”

“Hello, Mr. Perth. Are you doing well?”

Though she saw him almost every day, seeing him in the palace gave her a strange feeling of seeing him after a long time. Perth and Lia smiled softly at each other.

“To be honest, I’m not resting. There’s more work piled up than I expected.”

Working without rest would make one tired, but he didn’t seem tired at all.

“I guess there’s a lot of work in the palace too?”

“Yes. I could delegate some if my supervisor worked properly.”

He boldly criticized his supervisor near the palace. Lia glanced around as if to check if anyone was listening. Then, leaning closer, Perth whispered in her ear.

“That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Are you saying secrets out loud like that?”

“Frankly, I also have a bit of a desire for you to know.”

When did he become so good at joking? Lia enjoyed the time spent chatting with him like this. Perhaps because they were friends. But to conclude it like that felt odd. Every time their eyes met, she found herself avoiding his gaze just a little bit. It was because of the strangely tingling sensation.

“Then, would you like to have a meal together after a long time?”

“Yes, of course.”

The weather in the palace was nice. Perhaps thanks to the efforts of climate manipulators, but even if left alone, today seemed to be a good day weather-wise. The weather was good, the food was delicious, and there was also someone smiling affectionately every time their eyes met. Lia didn’t expect the smile to leave her face.

“It’s been almost two months since Lady Lia came to the palace.”

“Yes, and for almost two months, I’ve been keeping the Miracle of the Desert alive in the palace. Did you have to point that out on my day off?”

Lia made a displeased expression as a joke. Hearing this, Perth sincerely apologized to her.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“It’s a joke. But why mention that again now?”

Even with the word “joke,” Perth observed her reaction. There were countless instances where he didn’t notice properly until now when she got angry. But he couldn’t suddenly grab her hand to check the reality of the situation. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he had ruined her mood.

“When you first entered the palace, it was because of the contract with the Count…”

“Ah.”

Lia found herself making a face without realizing it. She had completely forgotten. It wasn’t that she had forgotten Kevin’s confession to her. But during this month when she was supposed to be his introduction partner, he had asked her to seriously consider him. Despite his active appeal, Lia still didn’t know how to respond to him.

“It seems like you completely forgot about it.”

“Yeah. My mind has been preoccupied lately.”

“I understand. It’s understandable.”

A moment of silence passed. Perhaps fearing that Lia might recall bad memories, Perth quickly continued the conversation.

“So, speaking of which, what do you think about Kevin, the second person I introduced?”

In truth, he had a vague idea of what her answer might be. He was deliberately asking even though he knew. Lia hadn’t come to a proper conclusion about Kevin. So, she was confused. But she hoped to conclude quickly. On the negative side. It would be advantageous for her. There was also an intention to push for a hasty conclusion by pressing him.

“I’m still… not sure.”

“Does that mean there’s a possibility with Kevin? Oh, I need to know to decide whether to introduce a third person or not.”

Like a thief caught in the act, Perth added an excuse. It was rare for him to speak so much more than necessary. But Lia, lost in thought, didn’t notice that something was off with him.

Kevin was a good supervisor. He was a good guy. If it weren’t for him during the crisis, Lia wouldn’t have been able to endure it soberly. He was a grateful presence. But was he more than that? She was fond of him. At least she didn’t dislike him. But did that mean she liked him? Thinking about it, she went back to square one. Repeating doubts like a revolving door, Lia agonized.

“Can I have a little more time to think?”

Perth nodded understandingly as if he were considerate. But inside, he wasn’t. The more she hesitated, the more seriously she was thinking about Kevin. If possible, he wished he were the one occupying her entire mind.

* * *

The only flaw of the most perfect friend Lia met in the palace was that she found joy in listening to other people’s troubles.

“May, do you find this situation amusing?”

“So, Mr. Perth urged you to conclude quickly, right?”

“He didn’t say it like that, but he said he needed information to choose the next candidate.”

“That’s what it is, right?”

It wasn’t a wrong statement. But for some reason, May seemed to misunderstand it differently. Especially her smiling lips seemed suspicious.

“Finally decided to take action, huh? It’s amusing.”

“Why don’t you just tell me what you mean?”

May kept saying things that were hard to understand. But no matter how much Lia asked, all she did was pat her head, saying, ‘You’re still too young to understand.’

“Young? It’s been a while since I came of age.”

“Just because you’re of age doesn’t mean you’re all grown up. Anyway, was there any progress in Hiver?”

“I don’t know. I’m still young…”

“That’s mean!”

After exchanging banter, they finally returned to reality. Even May, who had been joking all along, began to seriously consider and discuss.

“Well, then, shouldn’t we first find out what the current situation is?”

“The current situation?”

May crossed her legs arrogantly, as if she were a professional. Lia wanted to point that out, but she bit her tongue, fearing it might lead to another topic.

“Do you like Mr. Kevin?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that…”

Lia buried her face in her hands. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure it out. Sentences starting with ‘He’s a good boss…’ like the one she had said to Perth kept circulating in her mind.

“Oh, I see what the problem is. First, you need to figure out what liking someone means.”

“I guess so. Has May ever liked anyone?”

Now it was Lia’s turn to ask. May maintained her arrogant posture for a moment, then nodded.

“Really? Who? When?”

“Well, there was a boy I liked when I was young. And there was someone I met while working at a restaurant… Want me to go on?”

“There’s more?”

It was unimaginable for Lia. Suddenly, May seemed incredibly impressive. After looking around, May seemed embarrassed.

“It’s not that many.”

“But at least it seems impressive to me.”

“…Whatever. Anyway, let’s get back to the point. You need to know what liking someone means.”

Lia nodded enthusiastically, her eyes shining as if she were a passionate student. She nodded so vigorously that she worried she might get dizzy.

“First, you feel really happy and fond when you see that person.”

“But if you see them every day, how can you be happy every day?”

“Just listen.”

“Okay.”

Under May’s stern gaze, Lia obediently stopped asking questions.

“And you always end up seeing that person and wanting to know more about them.”

Listening to May’s words, Lia fell into thought. Had she ever wanted to see Kevin?

“But more than all of this, there’s one perfect condition.”

“What’s that?”

“If you like that person, you want to touch them.”