The warmth on my forehead and the sides of my cheeks was distinct enough to feel hot.
“I didn’t expect to meet you in the study.”
Kyle spoke as if surprised, his tone carrying a faint trace of delight.
“If you had waited in the room, I would have come right away.”
Of course, it was true that I had come to the study for a reason, but there was no need to be completely honest about that. Instead, I chose the option that would make Kyle happy.
“I wanted to see you, Your Highness.”
“…….”
Naturally, he didn’t seem to believe me. But he did look even happier than before.
He rested his head against my shoulder and let out a quiet sigh. Kyle had a habit of taking deep breaths whenever he was overwhelmed with joy.
“I was curious about something.”
“About the Blake territory?”
“Hmm, no, not that. If I were curious about the territory, there would be no need to come to the study. I could just ask you, Your Highness.”
“That’s true. Then what is it, my Beast Scholar?”
“Well……”
Just then, a pale hand suddenly reached out and knocked on the door with a casual tap, interrupting us.
“Apologies for disturbing your moment, but I’m still here, you know.”
You’re still here, you damn wraith?
Kyle didn’t even bother looking at him as he spoke, his tone dropping to an icy chill, completely different from how he had just spoken to me.
“This is a private space. I’d prefer it if you didn’t enter.”
“Oh? Is that some kind of prohibition? I don’t recall seeing that in the contract.”
“Well… it’s not something explicitly stated in the contract.”
The hand that had been gently touching my forehead and cheek shifted to cover my eyes. My vision was swallowed by darkness. It seemed he didn’t want me to see him with such a sharp edge.
“You’re a guest, and I am the master here.”
“Then…”
Nox’s voice was laced with amusement as he asked,
“What about the one Your Highness is holding onto?”
Kyle responded smoothly, without a hint of hesitation.
“The sole existence exempt from all prohibitions.”
“I concede, I concede.”
I reached up and tapped Kyle’s hand, which was still covering my eyes. He loosened his grip, and at the same time, he gently turned me by my left shoulder.
[✿(///◡‿◡///)✿]
‘You’re the one acting all affectionate toward me, so why are you the one getting embarrassed?!’
Grumbling inwardly, I studied Kyle’s expression. His face filled my vision, looking more displeased than usual. It seemed he thought I had been with Nox all this time.
‘That’s not it, though.’
I had simply been waiting for Kyle to return from his meeting with the mage. But I got hungry, so I started eating a sandwich. Then that damned mage approached me out of nowhere and ended up following me here. That was all.
“Shu.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Judging by his expression, he seemed to understand the situation to some extent.
So, rather than feeling hurt…
‘He just doesn’t like it.’
Was it jealousy? Or maybe… sulking?
To think that the fearsome Grand Duke himself would pout just because of a little jealousy.
Honestly, it was adorable. I gently cupped his cheek. Who would have thought I’d ever see Kyle Blake making a face like this?
Kyle sulked for a moment, but as soon as I caressed his cheek with affection, he quickly softened and smiled. As if nothing else mattered as long as he had my heart.
I considered telling him not to be so easily swayed by others, but I decided against it. Really, what did it matter? I wasn’t going to betray him, and instead of looking pathetic, Kyle’s reaction was nothing but endearing.
I soothed him just enough before speaking.
“Since we’ve met here anyway, would you mind helping me?”
“As much as you need.”
Nox wouldn’t step in any further anyway. If he wasn’t going to leave, he might as well sit back and watch. I rose slightly on my toes and whispered in Kyle’s ear, ensuring only he could hear me.
“I’m looking for some materials. I want to investigate ‘Drowned Ones’ and ‘Undertakers.’”
At first, I thought Nox was just rambling nonsense. But considering how he muttered to himself even in front of the chessboard, it didn’t seem like something that could be brushed off so easily.
Maybe what he mentioned referred to other entities within the Northern Mage Corps. It could be a designation, much like ‘White Wraith.’
‘Besides, he said I use powers similar to them. But if it’s just muttering to himself…’
Just as I communicated with the system, Nox might also be communicating with those people remotely.
When I had asked the system about ‘Drowned Ones’ and ‘Undertakers’ a while ago, it had responded:
[This is an undefined value.]
In other words, they weren’t part of the original plot of Heart of Winter. Or at least, they weren’t something Sen ever encountered.
But it was worth looking into. Their existence could very well change the future.
Even if they weren’t highlighted in the ‘novel,’ the world I now lived and breathed in wasn’t just a story—it was real. And if even one small thing changed, the entire course of events could shift dramatically.
“I see. I was actually looking into that myself.”
Kyle slowly nodded, his crimson eyes glowing with unwavering resolve.
After glancing briefly at Nox, he leaned in and murmured to me.
“But when I searched for recent records on mages, I found nothing useful.”
“What about older records? Say, a century ago?”
“A century?”
“Yes. Even further back is fine, though I imagine those would be even harder to obtain.”
If Nox’s age was in the triple digits, his companions were likely of a similar age. At the very least, a century-old record would be necessary to uncover anything worthwhile.
Kyle pondered my words for a moment before shaking his head.
“If it’s related to magical studies, it might have been preserved… but the records aren’t organized chronologically, so finding them could be difficult.”
“Anything about mages who died while using forbidden magic, or those presumed dead who suddenly reappeared, or people who harbored deep resentment toward the world due to their own or someone else’s death—those kinds of stories. Something dramatic enough to become a well-known scandal in Meinhardt.”
‘Wraiths,’ ‘Drowned Ones,’ ‘Undertakers.’
And the common thread linking all of us—‘death.’
I had nearly died once. And every single one of their names was associated with death.
Kyle must have been thinking along the same lines because his expression turned even more serious as he nodded.
“…It’s a matter of timing, then. Alright, I’ll look into it.”
His gaze lingered on me with an unmistakable sense of admiration before he turned toward the bookshelves. He started pacing back and forth, selecting stacks of parchment, books, and bound documents.
I took what Kyle handed me, briefly scanning through them before placing them on the desk. The plan was to filter out only the materials relevant in terms of time period and subject, and then go through them more thoroughly in the bedroom later.
We could go through them here and save ourselves the trouble of moving everything, but…
“You’re not leaving?”
At my dry remark, a quiet chuckle answered me.
Nox stood leaning against the study’s doorway, arms crossed, watching us with great amusement.
“Is there a problem?”
“The way you’re staring makes it impossible to focus. It’s distracting.”
“Oh? Just looking is a problem now? I even followed your recommendation and didn’t set a single toe inside the study.”
He was insufferably shameless.
It was funny how two people could both be annoying in their own ways—one of them in an endearing way and the other in an aggravating way. It made me realize just how deep my affection for Kyle really was.
“I didn’t know you had voyeuristic tendencies.”
“If you’re going to say something like that, shouldn’t you at least unbutton your shirt a little?”
“…W-What? You seriously have no filter!”
Kyle, who had been scanning the books, glanced over at us when I snapped in irritation. He looked displeased again. See? He really was surprisingly jealous.
I quickly approached Kyle and wrapped my good arm around his waist, burying my face against his back.
“Let’s just go already. We can check the rest later, okay?”
Instead of looking at me, Kyle absentmindedly pulled out a few more books. The worn leather covers were frayed at the edges, and a small puff of dust rose as he handled them.
“Shall we, then?”
His voice had softened a little. Even if he tried to hide it, I was sure the corners of his lips had curled up slightly.
It was downright unfair for someone of his size to be this cute. He was nearly half a head taller than me, after all.
Well, whatever.
I rubbed my cheek against his back affectionately and responded,
“Yes. We don’t have much time, so let’s hurry.”
As soon as Kyle nodded, I gathered the materials from the desk, tucking them under my arm, and strode toward the open study door.
Nox was still leaning against the doorway, smiling brightly as he watched us.
“Need a hand, little one?”
I wanted to snap back that I wasn’t a child, but the stark height difference became more obvious the closer I got. That, of course, only bruised my pride.
Instead, I lazily gestured toward the door with my chin.
“Moving out of the way is helping. Consider me not shoving you aside as today’s token act of respect for my elders. How’s that? Pretty polite, right?”
“You’ll have a hard time finding what you’re looking for with just those records.”
His tone was that of someone who already knew exactly what I was searching for.
“You’d get faster results if you just asked me. How about it? If you give me that pitiful, affectionate look you reserve for the Grand Duke, I might be kind enough to share.”
As if.
Seriously, this guy had an infuriating talent for spouting nonsense with such enthusiasm.
I answered firmly.
“Fuck off.”
Even if Kyle weren’t standing right here, my answer wouldn’t have changed. I would sooner bite my own tongue off than bat my eyelashes at this bastard just to beg for information.
According to the system, I needed to accumulate a certain amount of knowledge to interfere with anomalies. So while it might take some time at first, gathering and reading through every piece of information available should eventually increase my deviation interference rate.
I tightened my grip on the stack of materials to keep them from slipping and called out to the system.
‘This counts as knowledge, so my deviation rate should increase, right?’
A blue screen appeared before my eyes.
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 1%]
…Huh? Wait. Where did that 1% even come from?
As I hesitated, momentarily confused, Nox leaned in and whispered to me.
“That thing is empty inside. There’s nothing there. It can’t even spout mindless nonsense… Calling that ‘alive’ is a bit of a stretch, wouldn’t you say?”
“……”
“And yet, there was once someone who claimed to love it. Held onto it as if it were precious. I found it quite fascinating. How can you love something when you can’t truly have it? When there’s nothing in your grasp, can you still call that love?”
His words were strange—so strange they almost sounded absurd.
But for some reason, I felt the urge to remember every single one of them.
“What do you think love is, little one?”
I thought for a moment before answering.
“It’s what I give to His Highness, and what His Highness gives to me.”
“……”
“I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, but this much is clear.”
“Hmm?”
“You don’t need to possess something to love it.”
I knew that love wasn’t about collecting and keeping something close, like a rare object or a treasured artifact.
I looked at Nox with thinly veiled pity before walking past him.
A system notification flickered weakly in my vision before vanishing.
[Current Deviation Interference Rate: 2%]
