Chapter 82

Even while eating, working, and even trying to sleep, Caldeon was wrapped tightly in Belona’s light attribute magic. His exhaustion had reached its peak.

Because he couldn’t bear to lay Belona on the same bed he had shared with Enria, he deliberately added another bed to the break room—where Arsen frequently worked late—and began sleeping there whenever Arsen worked nights.

Of course, this meant Arsen also had to sleep in that room, and he hadn’t been able to go home for three days.

“Do I really have to share a bedchamber like this?”

On the fourth night, with the same situation repeating again, Arsen finally burst with unfairness as he spread his blanket out.

Caldeon, who had been wrapping himself in layers of black shadow every night to be separated from Belona as much as possible, glanced at Arsen and answered.

“Of course. Imagine spending the night alone with this woman. Do you know how far the rumors would spread?”

“……”

“They’ll start saying I abandoned Enria for some light-attribute mistress.”

“Those rumors already exist.”

“See? That’s why I need you as a witness so Enria won’t misunderstand.”

Caldeon lay on his back, covered his eyes with one arm, and exhaled tiredly. Belona pressed herself glued at his side, lying on her side and staring at his profile.

She no longer clung to his waist like the first day, but she still used light attribute magic to bind him so that he could never get too far away.

Whenever the temporary light binding faded, she immediately cast a new one, as if on instinct.

Roseanne had said Belona’s soul was half-gone, leaving her with a childlike mentality—making Caldeon the only person she believed she had, hence the obsession.

There was now a small gap between them compared to the first day, so Caldeon no longer got full-body chills every second, but being wrapped in light magic was still suffocating.

“Before Enria misunderstands anything… the citizens will misunderstand you first.”

Arsen muttered with growing resentment.

“The citizens?” Caldeon asked.

Arsen rolled to his side to face them.

“That you and I are spending every night together with Miss Belona.”

He said the rumor that Caldeon had strange sexual preferences had already reached the southern province, and at this rate, Arsen worried his name would also be dragged in.

“You have a fiancée and a child. But I’m single. If rumors spread that the three of us share a bed every night…”

“Enria won’t believe trash like that. Don’t worry,” Caldeon cut him off sharply.

Arsen frowned.

“Do you think I’m worried about Miss Enria misunderstanding? I’m talking about my reputation—”

“You caused this mess, so endure one rumor about being a pervert.”

“Why am I the pervert? And if I’m a pervert, then since you’re sleeping here too—”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about human opinions.”

Caldeon said he didn’t care if humans called him a pervert or a playboy. As long as Enria didn’t misunderstand, nothing else mattered.

At that moment, Belona wrapped her arm around his stomach—though her arm didn’t truly touch him because of the black magic surrounding him.

“Groen.”

“……”

“Don’t say another woman’s name,” she murmured sadly.

On the first day she could only repeat Groen’s name, but starting the second day she’d regained basic speech.

“I was just saying my woman’s name. Go find that damned Groen somewhere else.”

“It makes me sad when Groen says another woman’s name. Who is she? Why do you keep saying it?”

“My woman.”

His reply came without hesitation.

Belona’s face twisted.

“Groen’s woman is me.”

“That man’s woman being you has nothing to do with me.”

“Then who is she? Where is she? Her name… is it Enria?”

Ignoring Caldeon’s words entirely, Belona kept asking about Enria.

Caldeon finally lowered his arm and opened his eyes. His pitch-black gaze turned cold.

“Do not speak my woman’s name lightly, light-attribute mage.”

He growled like Belona was some brazen temptress trying to seduce his lover. Then he turned away and closed his eyes.

“Groen,” Belona whispered again, pressing closer.

Caldeon’s jaw tightened, veins standing out. But getting angry wouldn’t change anything. So he only reinforced the shadows around himself, layering them again and again.

On the bed beside them, Arsen lay awake, wondering if this was truly fine.

Rumors had already spread that Caldeon, Arsen, and the light-attribute mage spent nights together. Who knew whether Enria would believe the truth later?

‘If only there were more people in the room so the rumor couldn’t grow…’

If several people stayed together, maybe the absurd rumors would collapse.

Besides, he’d already called his close friends to discuss the black mage and the corrupted fire spirit. If they had to discuss nonstop anyway—why not be together 24 hours?

With that thought, Arsen suddenly sat up.

“Let’s call everyone. Let’s all sleep in one room.”

Caldeon’s eyes opened instantly.

***

Roseanne, wrapped only in a shawl because she’d been preparing for sleep, entered the parlor and blinked at the sight of Caldeon, Arsen, Rahar, and Tearen all gathered.

Her face went pale at the realization she stood there in nightclothes with no makeup. She covered her cheek with one hand and hurried over.

“What is this about, calling me at this hour?”

She glanced at Belona, still clinging to Caldeon, waking up only when the light bindings dimmed so she could recharge them before falling asleep again.

As Roseanne watched in fascination, Arsen spoke bluntly.

“You all need to discuss countermeasures against the black mage and the fire spirit anyway. So I suggest that from tonight onward, you all sleep together—in one room.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“One room?”

“Sleep together?”

“All of us?”

Arsen nodded and explained why.

“There are rumors now that His Grace and I are spending nights with the light-attribute mage.”

“…Ah, I heard. Yesterday my butler even asked me seriously whether the Duke has deviant tendencies.”

Rahar said, nodding. Caldeon’s face twisted in disgust.

Deviant tendencies.

Ridiculous. He’d never had such inclinations.

Of course, he had entertained various suggestive thoughts about Enria, but that was just an uncontrollable desire limited to her. No other woman ever made his body react.

Considering Belona was glued to him and he felt nothing but irritation, he wondered if he wasn’t a pervert, but a eunuch.

Though even that wasn’t true—Enria’s face alone could undo him.

“So Arsen suggests that to kill the rumor, all of us should share a room,” Tearen said.

Arsen nodded quickly.

“It’s less strange for three men and two women than two men and one woman.”

“But isn’t that… more strange?” Rahar asked.

Arsen shook his head firmly.

“Normally yes. But you and Roseanne are siblings. No one will believe such rumors when siblings are involved.”

Even if some did, Roseanne’s impeccable reputation would shut down all nonsense instantly.

Caldeon and Tearen both nodded at that, looking toward Roseanne.

“True,” Caldeon murmured.

“Agreed,” Tearen added.

For the young ladies of the empire, Roseanne was practically the icon of virtue. No rumors would survive her presence.

“Fine. I’m in,” Tearen said, raising his hand with a small smile.