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Chapter 18
They assumed the rescued woman had just regained consciousness.
“Ah…”
Calliope and Lerazie fell silent at the same time. Agnes, who had been watching their bickering with unfocused eyes, spoke up.
“Everyone seems to be waiting, so how about heading back now?”
As the boat neared the shore, the nobles’ eyes widened as they recognized the man.
“Isn’t that His Highness the Seventh Prince?”
But the shock didn’t end there.
When the Seventh Prince, who had just reached the lake’s edge, stepped out carrying the rescued woman in his arms, the nobles who saw her face were dumbfounded.
“Lady Calliope?!”
“Isn’t the one His Highness is carrying Calliope Verdi?”
Soldiers and servants who had been waiting rushed over in a frenzy.
“S-So sorry, Your Highness!”
It was only natural—they had failed to perform their duties, and the prince had done it instead. They couldn’t even lift their heads in shame.
Lerazie, with a blank expression, said,
“That blanket over there.”
“Pardon?”
“I said give me the blanket.”
“O-Oh, yes!”
The servant hurriedly handed over a thick blanket while glancing at the woman in the prince’s arms.
Lady Calliope, soaked from head to toe, was visibly trembling from the cold. Even at a glance, she looked pitiful.
Lerazie wrapped the blanket around Calliope. His touch was surprisingly thorough, which left many around them amazed.
“This way, please!”
Agnes, who had run ahead to prepare the Verdi family’s carriage, guided Lerazie.
He climbed into the carriage with Calliope in his arms. Agnes shut the door and took the seat next to the coachman, prompting the carriage to move.
As they watched the carriage disappear into the distance, someone whispered,
“Do you think His Highness didn’t know who had fallen in and just jumped in to save them?”
It was a question loaded with meaning.
But no one among them had a clear answer.
“…Probably?”
“But he’s not the kind of person to risk himself to save someone else.”
Eyes filled with curiosity and interest darted about in all directions.
* * *
Calliope, who had been shivering just moments before, suddenly looked completely fine the moment the carriage door shut.
Lerazie stared down at her, dumbfounded.
“You should’ve been the actor, not me.”
“Well, I had to make it believable. So? Aren’t you going to set me down?”
“Do you have no intention of walking over and sitting on your own?”
Instead of replying, Calliope just motioned toward the seat with her chin. Lerazie clicked his tongue and walked over.
“If you drop or toss me, you’ll regret it.”
“Sharp, aren’t you?”
Lerazie muttered, and Calliope pretended not to hear, using him fully until the very end.
Once comfortably seated, Calliope snapped her fingers.
Light shone from the magical formulas engraved into the carriage, and a warm breeze swept through the interior. Her soaked dress dried in an instant.
“Phew, I thought I was going to freeze to death.”
“Such a drama queen.”
“Not everyone in the world is a Sword Master like you, you know.”
“You probably cast a body-temperature preservation spell before jumping into the water anyway.”
“You sure know a lot for no reason.”
Calliope dusted off her now dry skirt with satisfaction.
Lerazie, quietly observing her, muttered with a hint of complaint,
“Isn’t it a little unfair to leave me out?”
“What do you mean?”
Calliope feigned ignorance, and Lerazie’s brow arched.
“Because of someone’s plan, I tossed half my clothes onto the boat and the rest are soaked. Are you seriously not seeing that?”
Calliope suddenly put on a pitiful expression.
“Oh no, what a shame! Must be some post-drowning trauma. Everything looks blurry…”
Lerazie gave her a dumbfounded look. She started pretending to feel sorry.
“You got that wet? I should’ve packed a change of clothes in the carriage. My bad.”
Thanks to that, Lerazie was the one about to lose it.
“Does this make sense? People are probably shocked that I saved you, and now you want to go around announcing we planned it all in advance?”
Calliope had considered that. That’s why she had relied on magic.
But this was a perfect opportunity to tease Lerazie, so she had put on a clueless act on purpose.
A little revenge for that teasing about kissing and all, you jerk.
Still, since she did worry about him a bit, her heart began to soften.
Maybe I should stop here…
“Can you seriously not see?”
Suddenly, Lerazie leaned in close.
Startled, Calliope jerked backward.
“What are you—?!”
At the sight in front of her, she gulped dryly.
His muscles, soaked and clinging to his shirt, looked ready to burst. His chest rose and fell with every breath, tight against the fabric.
Overwhelmed again by the sight, Calliope covered her eyes with both hands and shouted,
“Are you crazy?! Why are you getting all up in my space?!”
“Look properly.”
“I told you I can’t see! Why do you keep telling me to look?!”
“Then want to touch instead?”
“W-What?!”
Lerazie gently took her wrist. She didn’t even have time to react.
“Wouldn’t it be faster to just check for yourself if I’m wet or not?”
He slowly pulled her hand toward him.
Realizing it was headed straight for his chest, Calliope freaked out and yanked her hand back.
Fortunately, his grip was loose, so she easily slipped free.
“Check yourself?!”
“No thanks! I’m not some pervert—what am I going to do with your soaking wet body?!”
“…”
“…”
Having accidentally admitted too much, Calliope clammed up.
When she saw Lerazie’s narrowed eyes, she quickly changed tactics.
“Oh! Looks like my vision is back. I can see clearly now. My goodness, your clothes are still wet! I thought they dried along with mine earlier!”
Her obvious deflection made Lerazie let out a short laugh.
But strangely, he didn’t find her antics annoying.
“Dry and fluffy—ya!”
Sneaking a glance, she waved her hand dramatically while chanting a silly fake spell. It was absurd and ridiculous, yet… endearing.
C–Cute…?
Lerazie shivered when he realized what he had just thought.
Calliope Verdi? Cute?!
He was shocked at himself for even entertaining such a thought.
Was it a side effect of diving into the lake? What kind of nonsense was he thinking now?
“Happy now?”
“Huh?”
When Lerazie blinked in confusion, Calliope pointed to his now completely dry clothes.
“I dried your clothes.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”
He quickly composed himself and brushed aside the ridiculous thoughts that had just occupied his mind.
“There should be clothes that’ll fit you at the mansion. Get changed when we arrive.”
“No thanks. Who knows what kind of traps you’ve got sewn into them.”
As if she’d be fooled.
Lerazie scoffed and refused the offer. He fully intended to turn it down.
That is, until Calliope bluntly pointed out his current state.
“You do realize you look half-naked, right?”
“…”
Lerazie was speechless.
In order to save Calliope, he had stripped off anything that would get in the way, leaving him in minimal clothing.
“No matter who you are, don’t you think that’s a bit too revealing in public?”
“They’ll just think the crazy Seventh Prince did another crazy thing.”
After all the stunts he’d pulled over the years, one more wouldn’t even make a dent.
Lerazie didn’t care.
“And since when did you care about how I dress? Just leave me alone.”
“How could I?”
Calliope’s brows rose sharply.
“If you walk back looking like that, I’m the one who gets blamed. They’ll say I didn’t even give you a shirt after you saved me. I’ll be gossip fodder for three days and nights.”
She shuddered, just thinking about it.
“So just listen to me. I won’t ask you to return it later.”
“Hmph. I’m not sure I can trust that.”
Seeing the suspicion in his eyes, a vein popped on Calliope’s forehead.
“I don’t skimp on people who are on my side.”
Lerazie’s expression shifted.
“Your side?”
