Chapter 65

Chapter 65

It’s drizzling. The rain persistently drummed upon the eaves and rang pleasantly. I perched on the bed and furtively sat next to Albert, who was reading a book.

“Prince, I’m ready to learn magic.”

“I see.”

Albert just flipped a page on his book, nodding once with an aloof expression.

“…Aren’t you going to teach me?”

“Who knows.”

“But I really want to learn.”

“I don’t want you to learn magic.”

His eyes were still on the book, but as he said this, I was so taken aback that I was rendered speechless. Honestly, I didn’t know that Albert would rebuff me like this.

I thought he’d do the best he could to teach me how to use magic.

“Prince, I know you’re angry, but don’t you want me to live…?”

I chose my words cautiously so that I don’t strike a nerve. As long as I’m a dragon contractor, the ordeal was going to be inevitable. Albert knew this more than anyone else.

“You won’t die.”

“…But how will I overcome the ordeal without learning magic from you?”

“Who knows.”

My confusion just doubled when he repeated his words and gave me a wide smile.

…Was Albert actually an avoidant procrastinator? When faced with a problem that’s difficult to solve, did he tend to deny it first? Like, if you leave the problem alone, it’ll eventually get solved?

No, I mean, that’s impossible.

That’s absolutely not like the Albert I’ve seen. But maybe there’s something he’s been hiding…

I stared at Albert’s face. With a smile on his lips, even the way he turned his head to avoid my gaze was so picturesque.

He said that it’s impossible to reverse the contract once you’ve become a contractor, but what if that’s not the case? Did he find a way to cancel the contract altogether?

“Do you know how to break the contract, Prince?”

“There’s no such thing. Once you enter the contract, it will last forever. That’s the most frightening thing about it.”

As he spoke eloquently, he turned the pages of his book with a calm expression on his face.

But I knew exactly just how his tumultuous emotions were hidden behind this visage. I knew how angry he was when I first entered the contract, and I knew how anxious he was right now.

And there’s something more. I’m sure of it. Albert figured out how to deal with this without teaching me any magic and without breaking the contract.

Still, it was clear that he wouldn’t cough up the info no matter how many times I asked him. And regardless of what he’s up to now, there’s still a time buffer between since dealing with Rosteratu was going to be the priority for now. I’ll ask Liam about it later, and I’ll aim to learn magic first in the meantime.

Alright. Let’s do it this way—make a show of fear and stir up Albert’s sympathy. In any case, this person here is the recipient of Albert’s love, so.

“You have to teach me, Prince. I can’t even sleep at night while knowing that I might really die…”

I tried my best to look like a poor, kicked puppy while pouting my lips to the max. And in response, as though he thought I’m acting ridiculously, Albert crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes bent into curves.

“You slept so deeply last night that you wouldn’t have noticed if you were carried off.”

Busted.

“…But you went to bed first, Prince.”

“And I woke up first.”

Certainly, it’s true that Albert got up earlier than I did and even trained at the crack of dawn.

Wait a second, train? Training? That reminds me, didn’t Albert decide that he’ll help train Blanc every morning?

“Prince, you trained alone this morning.”

As I brought this up with a smile, Albert’s eyes narrowed. Endlessly quick-witted as he was, Albert seemed to have realized where I was getting with this.

I bravely continued as though I was a student presenting my assignment.

“Right. Didn’t you say that you’ll train with Blanc? Your Highness is a man of your word, after all, you are a great, amazing monarch who…”

“I can also recall. Wasn’t there a condition that you also have to train together?”

“I will do that tomorrow onwards, Prince. Today though, I think it would be much better to learn about magic than to train myself physically.”

There’s not much time left until we’re leaving this tower anyway. For this kind of hard work while waking up so early in the morning, wouldn’t it just be about a week?

…But it seemed like Albert wasn’t budging either. Huuu. Even if it’s an iron wall, this iron wall right here is no use. There’s no such thing as an iron wall when the person you like is attacking like this. If you don’t fall for it, then I don’t know how you even came to like me.

…Wait, that’s a bit of a conceited statement right there. I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s true that I’m still worried. I know I’ll survive somehow or another, but I have absolutely no clue how to do it. If I just know how to, even if I’m a little clumsy at it, so…”

Embarrassed, I scratched my head and pursed my lips tightly. Then, I bowed my head deeply. My hair flowed down on both sides of my face and blocked my view.

“I know it’s selfish of me to act like this after everything that happened, but may I please ask for your help?”

As I asked him for the final time, I raised my head.

Huu. Letting out a sigh, Albert closed his book and he slowly turned to face me.

His cold eyes were the same color as the sunset. This man, who didn’t know the meaning of the word compromise, vehemently stared at me with unreadable emotions flashing across his gaze.

Rising to his feet, Albert strode up to me. His hand reached to touch my hair, but it paused behind my left ear, and he now fiddled with my earlobe.

He’s wavering. Now then, I believe it’s time for me to strike. For an added effect, I clutched his hand tight and soon unleashed all the aegyo¹ I could muster in my entire life.

“Pleeease?”

And for a moment, Albert froze in place. Expressionless, he blinked still with a placid expression. But then, at an angle, he leaned in close to me and whispered into my ear.

“If you ask that way, do you think that I can’t say no?”

Since I couldn’t see his face now, I was left confused. I couldn’t tell his reaction at all since his tone of voice was entirely even, neither high nor low.

I’ve never acted cute on purpose before, so I couldn’t tell if it’s working. His voice sounded angry to me. Um, I guess it backfired? Sure enough, even I thought that my behavior just now might have looked so awkward.

As I waited silently for his answer, I suddenly felt something damp and warm on my earlobe. In my surprise, I shivered.

“P-Prince?”

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“You even know how to entice me as you please now.”

His voice dropped down to a lower register than I expected. His breath, which brushed against my ear, tickled me. I tried to move away from him, but he encircled one arm around my waist and drew me into his embrace.

“I don’t even know why I’m holding back anymore.”

As he faced me, he was smiling brightly as he usually did. But I wasn’t such a fool that I didn’t know what that sultry gaze meant.

Ever since that kiss, the atmosphere between us has definitely changed. The air had become charged, and the kisses and the skinship definitely increased as well. As the person who made the contract in the first place, I should know better that it’s being completely ignored at this point.

…Well, this is both side’s fault though.

In any case, I don’t think I’d ever go all the way with Albert in this place.

“Mmh.”

As I was preoccupied by my thoughts, Albert kissed my neck. I raised one hand to stop his lips from going further down.

We have to stop. We have to stop! Blanc’s also in this place! I mean, of course Blanc isn’t exactly a minor and he’s much older than the two of us, but!

Rather like a robot, my brain short-circuited. Something to distract Albert, something to distract him!

“Prince, if you teach me the basics of magic, I’ll tell you things about myself!”

“About you?”

His breath on my palm was hot. At his murmurs, I clenched my fingers unknowingly.

“Yes, you can ask me anything you’re curious about. I’ll tell you everything I can remember.”

“…You did tell me about your parents last time, didn’t you.”

“Yes, that’s why…”

I trailed off because I was out of breath. Albert’s low chuckle rang out.

“You look like you’ll cry if I had done something more.”

“This kind of touch, too, it makes me weak.”

…I mean, I wonder if there’s any woman out there who can get away unscathed when given this much contact with Albert.

With his head tilted to the side, Albert asked.

“Compared to kissing?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll have to kiss you more now.”

“If you’re saying ‘now’, just how much are you saying?”

“Don’t you think it’s better to get used to it step by step to prepare for what comes after kissing?”

At his mirth-filled voice, I gave him a hard look.

“I’m saying this out of consideration for you, Rosé.”

Bursting into a small chuckle, Albert kissed me lightly on my forehead.

* * *

The root of all magic is mana. In other words, the stronger the magic spell, the more mana it requires.

A magic circle is a medium to contain this mana. A wand amplifies your magic, and it helps so that you don’t have to draw a magic circle every time you cast a spell. It is commonplace for people who are starting to learn magic to rely on a wand.

In order to wield magic without a cane, you have to memorize many magic circles as intricately as possible, and of course understand each component well.

And Albert was such a man who was doing all that without any problems.

“It doesn’t end with just drawing a magic circle. You need an incantation spell for it—this incantation is going to be laced with magic. In other words, the incantation will shape the mana into what we wish it to be.”

“I see…”

“You seemed to know about incantations back then.”

“A bit…?”

“Try saying them.”

I recalled how the incantations were said in English, so I just listed the words I knew one after another.

Except for Fly, which Albert used, and Hide, which Mercy used, I also mentioned things like Fire and Water to give shape to those elements.

Albert nodded. Everything I said seemed right. Um, I just have to familiarize myself with magic circles now, right? Then I won’t have any problems with wielding magic myself?

For some reason, I felt excited because I could finally apply the things that I had learned before. Watching me perk up, Albert muttered with a serious tone.

“There’s no way you should be so used to this already, but maybe the body remembers…”

“Huh?”

“What I’m saying is, for someone who supposedly doesn’t remember how to wield magic, you seem awfully familiar enough with the incantations.”

It’s not unreasonable for him to think so. The language in this world was completely different from English, and I guess people take a long time to learn the incantation words properly.

Still staring at me, Albert paused for a moment and asked.

“…Do you have anything else to tell me, Rosé?”

“Huh?”

“About who you really are.”

I think he’s asking me if I can remember something from the past, and he’s probably worried about that a lot. Still, I’m not Rosé Artius.

“No, nothing at all.”

To ease his concerns, I answered determinedly.

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On the other hand though, I’m in a bit of a tough spot. I have no way of clearing up this misunderstanding.

No, I mean, it’s just…

I only know English words because I went to cram school.

——

¹ Aegyo in Korean refers to a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures. Aegyo literally means behaving in a flirtatious, coquette-ish manner.