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Chapter : 52
This Time, I Will Change the Male Lead
On the way back, we rode in a carriage.
Sharing the carriage with Hyperion, I stared out the window at the passing scenery.
—That strange light that came out of that woman’s body pushed me away, struck me! I almost died!
The events from just moments ago wouldn’t leave my mind.
Thinking back to the original story…
In Ignis, power was divided into three branches.
Divinity, holy power, and magic.
Divinity—called Aether—was the purest form among holy powers, something only Hyperion and Phoebe could wield.
While holy power belonged to practitioners such as high priests, priests, and mages, magic was the dark power passed down through the Ratan tribe.
They each had their own distinct light.
As far as I remembered, holy power glowed blue, magic red, and divinity…
Pure white.
I shook my head sharply.
The owner of this body I possessed was just an ordinary, painfully ordinary Kaella Veritas.
It would already be absurd if she had holy power—divinity was completely out of the question.
It made no sense, but still…
I need to go to the temple library.
They said the temple library housed all kinds of magical texts. I needed to search through every related book and figure out exactly what this power was.
Until then, I wasn’t going to tell anyone. One wrong move, and I’d be branded a witch.
Haa…
Only after organizing my thoughts did I look ahead. Hyperion had been staring at a thick stack of documents the entire time.
The man who had pulled the trigger without hesitation was gone—his long lashes cast downward now made him look serene.
“Hyperion.”
“……”
He lifted his head at my call.
Is he deliberately not asking?
He could have questioned me about what happened earlier, yet he asked nothing. I was grateful—but also uncomfortable.
“Aren’t you curious how I escaped the restraint by myself?”
“You already told me.”
But Hyperion merely smiled lightly.
“You said you broke it yourself.”
“…Ahem.”
I was the one who felt awkward.
There was no way he actually believed such a flimsy excuse…
“Do you remember what you said back then?”
Sensing my discomfort, Hyperion spoke.
“What did you say?”
“That I’d believe everything you say.”
—From now on, I’ll believe everything you tell me.
“I should believe you this time too. We’ve grown closer since then, haven’t we?”
The moment our eyes met, my cheeks felt hot. Why did he suddenly look so dazzling?
“I didn’t want to speak carelessly. Maybe I was too shocked… my memory’s kind of hazy.”
I answered more comfortably now. If I learned even a little about that light… I thought I could be honest with him, at least.
The feeling of someone slowly, gradually making space in my life felt unfamiliar—but not unpleasant.
It was… kind of ticklish.
“If I remember something or figure anything out, I’ll tell you first.”
“……”
Instead of answering, he rested his chin on his hand and quietly watched me.
“More importantly…”
Feeling strangely warm, I fanned myself and changed the subject.
“That man who kidnapped me—he must’ve been targeting me from the start.”
“Most likely. And someone was probably pulling the strings from behind.”
He nodded. He seemed to have something in mind but didn’t say more.
“But why did you go all the way into that deep alley?”
“Well…”
It was because I wanted to buy him a handkerchief. Saying that while looking into his eyes felt oddly embarrassing…
“I was just looking around the shops.”
“That’s it?”
“You said you’d believe everything I say.”
“……”
One of Hyperion’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked displeased.
“Don’t wander around alone if you can help it. I’ll say it again—you stand out.”
But without asking anything else, he looked back down at his documents.
“You’ve got the kind of face that makes wolves follow you.”
His page-turning carried a hint of irritation.
He seemed to be speaking without thinking—just letting his feelings spill out.
They say he’s secretly pretty jealous.
I barely managed to suppress my smile.
“From now on, never—”
“I went to buy a handkerchief.”
Hyperion’s hand froze mid-page.
“I thought you might want to receive one from me.”
“…What?”
He slowly lifted his head.
“The one I gave you before was old since I’d been using it, and the one you gave me this time was practically stolen from you…”
Sunlight filtered through the curtains and reflected in Hyperion’s eyes. They looked especially clear.
“I wanted to give you one that suited you.”
Even in all that chaos, I had made sure to keep the handkerchiefs. Feeling proud, I pulled them out from my coat.
Among the five, Hyperion’s had a red rose embroidered at the bottom.
“The rose here… it looks like your eyes.”
“……”
“And it’s also my way of saying thank you—for always helping me.”
I meant it sincerely.
—Let’s bloom, Wind.
—Didn’t you say you were going to the plaza?
That day when I felt like I’d lost everything, the day I was kidnapped by Karl, and even today…
Hyperion had always appeared, as if by coincidence. Enough times now that I could believe it wasn’t coincidence, but fate.
“Next time, I’ll make one for you myself.”
“……”
As he accepted the handkerchief, Hyperion’s face showed no emotion.
Did he not like it…?
Uneasy at his heavy reaction, I asked,
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
He parted his lips slightly, then bit down on them.
Looking closely, he seemed almost… broken somehow.
“Only say things like that to me.”
After a long moment, his voice finally came, low and quiet.
“And that smile too…”
The summer breeze drifted into the silent carriage.
“Only show it to me.”
“Your Highness, how could you ask me something like that in the conference hall?!”
Summoned to the office, Radian complained the moment he arrived.
“Do you have any idea how awkward it was when you asked whether the Saintess had healing abilities?”
He let out a deep sigh, as if just recalling it made his heart race.
“Enough. Look at this.”
“What is th—oh? A restraint device?”
Radian’s eyes widened as he took the black fragment from Hyperion.
“Where did you get this? It looks like a restraint made from high-grade magic stone… Even the Ratan tribe would have trouble acquiring something like this.”
Pushing up his glasses, Radian examined it closely.
“But how did it get shattered like this? Breaking the seal would’ve been even harder.”
“Radian.”
Hyperion slowly brushed back his hair, swaying in the breeze.
“If someone were to break that restraint alone, with their bare body—how much power would they need?”
The expression revealed beneath his hair was complex.
“That would require power strong enough to overcome magic of that level… Hmm. Even among the Ratan tribe, it’d be hard to find.”
Radian let out a thoughtful hum.
“High-ranking mages or priests who’ve trained holy power for a long time might manage…”
“Is that so?”
“But even then, Your Highness, it would take considerable time, or multiple people combining their strength. To do it alone, quickly… you’d need power on the level of the High Priest.”
He shrugged and added,
“Well, with the divinity that you and the Saintess possess, it’d be possible instantly.”
“……”
Hyperion only frowned slightly and said nothing.
Instead, he gazed out the window with a heavier look in his eyes.
Silver moonlight scattered over his long lashes.
“It’s time for you to rest. If you have no further questions, I’ll take my leave.”
“No. One more.”
Hyperion stopped Radian as he tried to excuse himself.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Bracing himself for whatever might come next, Radian nodded.
“You’re good with women, right?”
“Yes, of course. I mean, women, women are—what? Women?”
Radian was just as flustered as he’d been in the conference hall.
It was the first time Hyperion had ever mentioned women—and the last thing he’d expected.
“Well, I suppose I…”
He answered as calmly as possible.
It might be something like, Why do female students advance faster than male students at the Magic Academy?
“When a woman smiles like that… why does she do it?”
“W-Wait a moment, Your Highness.”
That was his limit.
He instinctively raised both hands and stared at Hyperion.
“What do you mean, ‘smiles like that’?”
“Well…”
Hyperion rested his chin on his hand, searching for the right words.
After a long pause, he finally said,
“Affectionate…?”
Radian’s mouth fell wide open.
