Chapter 103

“What?”

Caldeon’s face twisted instantly.

“The light-element mage did what to Enria?”

“Kissed her. A kiss,” Rahar said, tapping his own lips with a finger.

“Rahar, I’ve told you—it wasn’t a kiss,” Enria muttered, giving him a look that was half disbelief, half irritation.

“Just because lips didn’t touch doesn’t mean it wasn’t a kiss, Enria.”

“I’m telling you, even if they had touched, it wouldn’t—”

“Where did she touch you?”

Caldeon cut in, staring intently at Enria’s face as if he could see the spot himself.

“My chin. And Belona… oh.”

The moment she said chin, Caldeon seized her arm and pulled her toward him—not roughly, but with tense, careful restraint. He lifted his thumb and rubbed the spot along her chin while glancing at Rahar.

“So why did she start ranting about Groen again?”

“How would I know? She woke up and the moment she saw Enria, she started calling her Groen.”

“Enria, don’t go back to the infirmary.”

He kept rubbing at her chin. Enria didn’t have to look to know it was probably flushed red by now, so she grabbed his wrist.

“That hurts.”

His thumb froze instantly. He pulled his hand away—only to dip his head and bring his lips toward her chin.

“Wh—what are you doing?!”

Enria shoved at his forehead, flustered.

“You said it hurt. I’ll fix it with my mouth.”

“Fix what—? Rahar is right here…!”

“Rahar, get out.”

“No—!”

“Can’t you save the flirting for later? I’m being serious.”

At Caldeon’s order, Rahar frowned deeply. Both Caldeon and Enria looked over at him.

“What do you have to be serious about? That damn light mage is mistaking my woman for her lover right now.”

“The problem is that her condition has relapsed. She’s going to cling to another man again, thinking it’s her dead man.”

“Her former—”

“You think I’d let that happen?”

Enria’s expression flickered—confused at first, then shifting as she realized neither Caldeon nor Rahar had even considered the fact that Belona and Enria were both women.

Of course, it wasn’t exactly a good thing, but from Enria’s perspective, if Belona had to mistake someone for Groen, better it be Enria than some stranger. When Belona regained her senses someday, learning she’d clung to another man would crush her with guilt. Mistaking Enria would spare her at least a fraction of that pain.

But these two never even touched that line of thought.

“So what’s your plan then?” Rahar asked.

“I don’t have one. I’ll make one.”

“How?”

“It’s simple. Enria just won’t go to the infirmary anymore.”

“What?”

“That’s ridiculous! What about Belona’s treatment?!”

Enria barely had time to widen her eyes before Rahar sprang up, shouting. His reaction was so dramatic that both she and Caldeon turned to him immediately. Realizing his outburst was over the top, Rahar blinked, flustered.

“I—I mean…!”

“There are plenty of healing methods in the empire besides Enria’s recovery magic.”

“But she’s a light-element mage. Using holy power is the fastest way to heal.”

Rahar muttered something about how he shouldn’t have sent the temple healers away during the plague, then looked at Enria again.

“We shouldn’t stop Belona’s treatment. But we need to bring her back to her senses. Enria, if she tries to cling to you again, you need to be firmer with her.”

He remembered how Enria hadn’t pulled her hand away earlier, and his expression turned slightly disapproving—not for Caldeon’s reasons, which Enria realized as he continued.

“She’s not in her right mind. She can’t behave normally, so you have to stop her.”

Rahar wasn’t treating Enria like a man, but he acted as if she wasn’t entirely ‘safe’ for Belona. Which was bizarre—Rahar being offended on Belona’s behalf over two women simply touching hands.

Enria wondered if Rahar had somehow grown attached to Belona in those few short moments. She studied him, but a large hand suddenly caught her cheek and tilted her face away.

“Look at me, Enria. These jewel-like eyes should only hold me.”

The words were embarrassingly cheesy, but his voice was soft, low, dangerously gentle. Enria nearly choked on air.

“For the love of—Caldeon, save that for when you’re alone with her. My ears are rotting,” Rahar snapped, covering both ears.

“Then leave. You’re the one ruining our moment,” Caldeon said flatly.

“I’m here because of Belona!”

At the name—Belona, spoken with no honorific—Enria’s eyes lifted slightly in surprise.

“Rahar, are you and Belona close now?”

“Huh?”

He blinked, startled.

“I mean, the way you addressed her…”

Enria added that he sounded just as familiar with Belona as he was with her. Rahar froze as he realized he had indeed been calling Belona by name alone.

“Oh, that’s…”

“You aren’t falling for Groen’s woman, are you?” Caldeon asked dryly.

“Wh—what? Absolutely not!”

Rahar’s face flamed bright red. He stammered as Caldeon watched him without much interest.

“I just—It just slipped out! Using honorifics for someone who isn’t here is bothersome, that’s all—”

“For someone who says that, you used to insist on honorifics even for imaginary people,” Caldeon said.

Rahar winced, his excuse shattered.

“W—when did I ever—”

“Tearen Gradei can testify. Sharpest memory in the Empire.”

“Oh shut up.”

He scowled, then forced his expression back to seriousness.

“Anyway, Belona—the light mage’s—condition could get worse. We have to help her return to normal.”

“How do you help someone whose mind keeps slipping in and out?” Caldeon asked.

“We try everything. She can’t go believing her former lover is alive again.”

“He’s not a former lover,” Caldeon muttered.

“He’s dead, so of course he is,” Rahar shot back.

“Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean you slap ‘former’ on him.”

“Why wouldn’t you? He can’t be a current lover if he’s dead, so naturally—”

“Why are you so eager to call him the former lover?”

“That’s not being eag— Wait. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Do you want to be her new lover?” Caldeon asked calmly.

“—What?!”

Rahar went white.

“Wh—wh—WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, YOU MANIAC?!”

Caldeon just shrugged.

“Then never mind.”

“N-No! Not ‘never mind’! You can’t say something that insane and then take it back! What if someone overhears and thinks Belona and I—!”

“She’d be horrified if she heard that,” Caldeon said.

“Horrified? Why?! What’s wrong with me?!”

And with that, the entire conversation derailed spectacularly.

Rahar, too caught up in being offended, didn’t even realize that nobody was actually accusing him—and Belona had never reacted that way to begin with.

Enria watched Caldeon’s calm face and Rahar losing his temper beside him… and felt a quiet, helpless exasperation settle in.