Chapter 82

“You should be calling me Edwin.”

The Duke stepped closer and gently kissed the Marquis’ daughter on the forehead. Every single gesture oozed with affection—a tender gaze, as if beholding the most precious thing in the world.

Yet, contrasting that gentle look, the Duke threw out a rather mischievous question.

“How much longer are you going to keep calling me ‘Your Grace,’ Elizabeth?”

Elizabeth’s face flushed as red as a ripe tomato.

“Th-That’s… once the wedding is over—”

“Right, right.”

The Duke burst into a soft laugh.

However, there was someone present who found this sweet display utterly insufferable.

“Seriously, could you refrain from all the public affection in front of your guests?”

Adrian looked at his older brother with sheer disgust. It couldn’t be helped; that’s just how brothers were. Watching a sibling’s romantic antics naturally triggered a knee-jerk reaction of repulsion.

Duke Valencia, however, merely snorted.

“If you’re jealous, why don’t you just say so?”

“What?”

“Worry about yourself. Stop acting like such a novice.”

Taking a petty stab at his brother had backfired completely…

‘Did he notice something?’

Adrian reflexively glanced at Sabina out of the corner of his eye.

Sabina, however, maintained an unfazed expression and politely offered her respects to the Duke of Valencia.

“Greetings, Duke Valencia.”

“It’s been a while, Lady Sabina.”

The Duke greeted her with a warm smile.

“I heard you worked exceptionally hard for our wedding.”

“Not at all. You gave me the opportunity, so I naturally had to do my best,” Sabina answered dutifully.

The Duke looked at her with satisfaction.

Sabina—the benefactor who saved Adrian’s life and the genius mage who united the magic world. Honestly, at first, he had entertained doubts given how young she was and wondered what reason he had to sponsor her. He had only gone along with it because Adrian trusted her so unreservedly.

But not anymore.

‘I made the right choice in supporting her.’

The revival of the magic world—that phrase alone made Sabina’s presence truly exceptional. Especially now, as the High Temple kept crossing the line, Sabina and the magic world served as an effective check against them. Though Sabina herself seemed unaware of her own importance…

‘Truly remarkable.’

The Duke’s eyes softened naturally.

At that moment, Adrian crept closer to Sabina, stepping right in front of her as if to block her from view.

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched.

“What are you doing?”

“Why are you staring like that? You’ll wear Sabina out.”

“…”

At that response, the Duke couldn’t hide his utter dumbfoundedness. Even Sabina stared at Adrian with an absurd look on her face.

“What are you doing?”

“Either way, no.”

Yet Adrian remained stubbornly resolute.

“You really are something else,” the Duke clicked his tongue in exasperation before stepping back over to his bride-to-be.

He whispered something into the Marquis’ daughter’s ear. Judging by the way he glanced back at Adrian, he was undoubtedly talking behind his little brother’s back.

‘So that’s what a family looks like.’

Sabina stared blankly at the couple-to-be. A warm aura lingered between the two of them—something Sabina had lost when she was very young and had never possessed since.

‘They look happy.’

Sabina slowly blinked her eyes.

‘Will I ever be able to have a family like that?’

It would probably be difficult. Somehow, a bitter taste lingered in her mouth.

In the midst of her thoughts, Sabina casually glanced up at Adrian out of the corner of her eye. There was certainly no special intent behind it; he was simply standing beside her, so her gaze happened to wander over.

Except.

‘Huh?’

Her red eyes widened slightly.

A pair of forest green eyes was staring straight down at her.

Indeed—Adrian was looking at her, too.

In that instant, Sabina’s heart inexplicably fluttered.

‘Wait…’

For some strange reason, it felt difficult to look Adrian straight in the eye… so she abruptly averted her head. She tried her best to maintain a composed expression, but she couldn’t stop the tips of her ears from burning up.

Meanwhile, observing her reaction, Adrian tilted his head slightly in confusion.

‘What’s with her? Why is she acting like that?’

On the side, someone was watching this whole scene unfold with utmost satisfaction: Maybel.

‘Yes, that’s it!’

Sometimes, outsiders notice things first. The parties involved often miss what’s right in front of them because it involves themselves, but step back a pace, and everything becomes crystal clear. That was precisely the case with Sabina and Adrian.

As proof, the Duke and his fiancée were watching the pair with subtle, knowing expressions.

“May.”

Just then, someone tapped Maybel on the shoulder.

‘Ah, that voice?’

Maybel turned around with a bright smile.

“Brother Dominic?”

Then, her bright smile froze completely.

Today, instead of his holy knight candidate training uniform, Dominic was dressed in a sleek, tailored suit. Perhaps that was why… he looked so different today.

‘Huh?’

If this were the usual Maybel, she would have made a huge fuss, showering him with compliments on how handsome he looked. But right now, she oddly couldn’t bring herself to do that. The moment she opened her mouth, she felt like her words would shatter and scatter out of control. She couldn’t even tell if she was moving properly or what expression she was making.

‘A-Am I… acting totally awkward right now?!’

Maybel screamed internally.

Meanwhile, Dominic, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil, offered her a bright smile.

“May, what’s going on today? You look gorgeous!”

Feeling unaccountably bashful about meeting his gaze head-on, Maybel subtly avoided his eyes. She mumbled under her breath in a barely audible whisper.

“Y-You look… handsome too.”

Dominic tilted his head toward her in confusion.

“What did you say?”

“…Handsome, I said.”

Yet, with all her usual vivacity gone, Maybel continued to merely mumble.

“I can’t really hear what you’re saying. And…”

Dominic leaned down, narrowing his eyes as he peered closely at her.

“Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?”

“H-Huh?”

“…Do you not want to talk to me?”

Asking that, Dominic wore a strangely hurt expression.

Gasp.

Maybel unconsciously held her breath.

‘Goodness, his face is way too close!’

“I said you look handsome!”

Embarrassment taking over, Maybel blurted out the words with a burst of sudden exasperation.

Upon hearing her outburst, Dominic’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

‘Huh?’

Maybel blinked in utter bewilderment. Before she knew it, Dominic was gazing at her with eyes brimming with anticipation.

“Do you really think… I look handsome?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Pushed by his eagerness, Maybel nodded absentmindedly.

Dominic blushed, a soft, beaming smile spreading across his face.

“…Thank you.”

His bashful voice fluttered softly against her ears like a butterfly.

Maybel was left dazed.

What was this feeling? It felt as if she had swallowed a spoonful of sugar—her mouth tasted sweet, and a strange lightness bubbled up inside her…

‘Aaaagh!’

Unable to bear this ticklish feeling, Maybel clenched her fists tightly. If she didn’t, she felt like she might just ruin the hair she had worked so hard to style.