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Chapter 30
When I arrived at the Duke’s residence, I couldn’t sleep because of worry and anxiety.
I rolled around on the bed, rubbing my sore eyelids, pondering why Lady Kacilden had been threatened under the guise of marriage.
I thought I understood why she had waited for the emperor in the garden—she was in love with him.
Strictly speaking, it was more of a one-sided love bordering on hatred.
But no matter how much I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any proper solution.
Even if she was being threatened, the other party was probably a noble speaking of marriage, so interfering in personal matters wouldn’t do any good.
Even if I did intervene, Lady Kacilden and I weren’t acquainted. She might not even want my help.
In the end, I went to bed, hoping that Lady Kacilden would resolve her own issues.
The next morning, I encountered Calian. He was waiting right at the door.
I widened my eyes and looked at him.
He was holding a single flower—actually a bouquet. He told me the name of the flower.
“Daffodils.”
A bunch of yellow flowers rested in his hands. They were fresh and perfect, like something bought at a wholesale market.
Calian’s face flushed. He looked genuinely embarrassed.
He had never mentioned the name of the flowers when giving them to me before—he just gave them daily.
“May I come in, Lasha?”
Unable to refuse, I nodded.
He stepped into the room and handed me the daffodils. I smelled the flowers and asked,
“No fevers lately?”
“No. I’ve been fine, healthy.”
I returned the bouquet to his arms. Calian instinctively buried his face in the flowers, and I laughed at the sight.
“You look even more like a flower than the flowers themselves.”
“No, you are more….”
Through his shoulder, I saw a servant passing by.
Emma and Leona had quietly managed to stop the rumors, but we couldn’t be seen like this by the doorway.
I quickly pulled Calian away and closed the door.
Click.
His nose was still red. I plucked a single daffodil from the bouquet and whispered,
“Do you really like me that much?”
“…Yes.”
Calian looked like he was almost twisting in his seat. I had guessed this, but it seemed his sexual orientation wasn’t exactly as in the original story.
Maybe the author hadn’t described it in detail.
I counted the petals of the daffodil one by one and said,
“Calian likes me, doesn’t like me… likes me.”
There were six petals. I looked up and smiled.
“I like you too, Calian.”
It was true. Whether as a reader or as a person, I liked him.
Who could dislike someone with such a flawless personality, facing the hardships of the world while raising a twin sibling? I could only respect him.
“But I want to think a little more.”
Calian nodded with a bright expression.
“I can wait. Whatever answer it may be.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’m a bad person.”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
I returned the daffodil bouquet to him. Until I gave a clear answer, he wouldn’t be giving me flowers anymore.
After Calian left, I pondered whether to use my life-growth magic on the flowers in the vase on the table, which would wilt in a few days.
“Not in the office? Where could he have gone?”
I stepped into the office, surprised to find no one at the desk by the window.
Leckalin had disappeared.
Thinking he might be playing a prank, I circled the office.
[Lasha, what are you doing? Playing tag?]
‘No, not tag.’
Kahisa ignored me and bounced behind me. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked comical—four animals following a single person.
After another round, I was certain Leckalin wasn’t in the office.
I went outside to ask the head butler where he was.
“If it’s the Duke, he should be in the library.”
Entering the library, I was unusually flustered to see him.
He was curled up in a corner, asleep. Leckalin rarely let himself look unkempt.
But here he was, completely defenseless.
How should I put it? There was something oddly… heart-stirring about his posture. Like a drunk who leans against a post after drinking too much, messy hair unbound.
“Duke, wake up.”
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, I felt concerned. He had probably stayed up late working again. Couldn’t someone else handle it?
As I shook him awake, I noticed a thick file beside him labeled Research Journal. Possibly related to spirit research.
Could his sleeping here be because of research? I carefully picked up the file.
It was okay to look. I had to tell him about the successful evolution and the contract with Arhana and Kahisa.
I wondered how Leckalin would react. Would he respond formally? Smile?
Flipping through, I noticed the journal was twice as thick as the last research. What had been added?
“What’s this?”
The latter part wasn’t about spirit research but records of interviews with Calian.
I hesitated—should I read private records? But I wanted to see them.
Judging by his notes and Calian’s actions, it all stemmed from these interviews. I opened Pandora’s box.
“First day of the interview. I asked Calian if he liked his assistant.”
Wow, straight to the point. I glanced at the next line.
“At first, Calian denied it, but upon my persistent gaze, he finally conceded.”
It was intimidating when Leckalin stared at someone while maintaining a poker face.
“I told Calian I would help. He seemed unsure how to express his feelings to his assistant.”
“After several days, Calian brightened, expressing gratitude for my help…”
Even though I was the ‘Cupid,’ Leckalin was acting as the intermediary.
So, whether in the original or now, his role hadn’t changed—he was always ‘support.’
Feeling a bit heavy-hearted, I put down the journal, then quickly skimmed through it again.
The records confirmed that Calian had indeed received guidance on noble etiquette, and Leckalin had personally provided materials and instruction.
It was a multi-purpose interview.
The final page read:
“The main purpose was to prepare for fever incidents, but it somehow became a love consultation. Not bad, though. I realized I have unusually strong feelings for the assistant.”
Wait, what?
“Are these feelings as a research assistant helper, a comrade who thought like me, or as a competent subordinate? How do I categorize feelings that mix personal, professional, and positional aspects? I want to study this.”
The ink was still slightly wet. A person studying their own feelings as research—magicians are really something.
The journal ended there. I closed the file and decided to wake Leckalin.
As I shook him, he groaned, stirring awake. I waited for him to open his eyes.
“Mm… Lasha?”
“Assistant.”
“Ah, the assistant.”
His black lashes opened, revealing golden eyes. A scent of early morning drifted—cool sandalwood, surrounding me as always. A lone, floating moon.
“How did you end up falling asleep here?”
“I was organizing research journals…”
He blinked at me, then cautiously held my shoulder.
“Assistant, did you see it?”
“See what?”
“You did.”
Leckalin looked sulky as magic tinted my shoulder blue. Likely truth-detection magic. Not necessary here.
“It’s fine if you saw it. It’s my fault for neglecting management. Sorry for the trouble.”
“No trouble at all.”
I shook my head. He rose, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and tied his hair neatly.
“I suppose it’s fine to leave it loose too.”
“Shall we go?”
“Duke?”
“Why the frown?”
His expression betrayed bitterness.
“Feelings aren’t necessarily research subjects. They just are.”
“Just feel them.”
“No need to define. It only complicates things.”
I tapped my temple. He lowered his head.
“Is that so?”
“Did you know there were rumors that the Duke, Calian, and I were in a relationship?”
Leckalin flinched.
His face remained stoic, but perhaps a bead of sweat ran down the nape hidden by his collar.
“Sorry if it was unpleasant.”
“No, you can’t stop rumors anyway.”
So oral transmission is more valuable.
I led him out of the library, saying,
“I liked it—it showed how close you and Calian became.”
“I thought the opposite, actually.”
We didn’t speak until reaching the office. Sitting at the desk with a pen, he quietly said,
“You’re right, Assistant.”
Afterward, we discussed research schedules and tea time. The mood was delicate, but otherwise normal.
