TBULF 9

chapter 9

As I traced the rough castle wall with my fingertips, a faint blue pulse shimmered between the cracks.
It was a carefully designed mana circuit, laid out by mage engineers.

Feeling the tingling energy of the circuit under my fingers, I grinned.

‘I’ve got a pretty good idea.’

Thinking about the future paradigm shift in salon design, and combining all my architectural and engineering knowledge…

I began sketching rapidly, the sound of pencil scratching against paper echoing:
geological research, sketches, simple models, cross-sections—all of it!

I managed it successfully, but as time passed, my fingers began to tremble slightly.
The sensation in my hands dulled gradually.
It felt as if my hands were not my own, but those of a corpse.

And then…

“Cough, cough.”

Blood dripped again from my mouth.

“If you don’t meet Raphael, you will die!”

The squirrel’s unhelpful warning buzzed in my ears.

Yet, thanks to the power of love and the near-death urgency, in just three days, everything came together.
(For reference, a normal architect would take 2–3 months to design a building.)

[Replying regarding Lady Isidel’s design request.
Some portions of the blueprint have been finalized.
We would like to schedule a date for the presentation.]

After delivering Serentia’s message, Tein asked,
“When should we schedule the presentation?”

Raphael opened his calendar.

[1:30 PM] Knight Order Inspection (estimated 8 minutes)

“Exactly from 1:38 to 1:40 is free.”

“…A 2-minute presentation? She might as well be told to get lost directly, why bother.”

“Right, Tein. Get lost.”

Whether Tein frowned at the blatant insult or not, Raphael remained indifferent.
After checking the next day’s timetable, he continued:

“Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, there is exactly 55 minutes free.”

“Ah! That’s perfect! 55 minutes is enough for a presentation…!”

“Then inform Lady Isidel of the schedule immediately.”

As soon as he finished, Tein squeezed his eyes shut and muttered,
“Yes… but wait! Please give me just one minute.”

“30 seconds.”

“Your Grace, about the future Grand Duchess… actually, she probably won’t bring such a good blueprint.”

“Why are you already being so suspicious?”

“W-w-well…”

“Don’t stutter. Speak efficiently. 15 seconds left.”

Tein’s point was that Serentia’s standing in the Rosemary family was rather poor.
Especially in the renowned architectural family, the Rosemarys, Serentia was the only one who had never properly designed a building.
Unlike the eldest son, Max Rosemary, who, immediately after graduating from the academy, designed a massive plaza in the capital—a stark contrast.

Raphael listened quietly before speaking:

“I see.”

“…Therefore, even if she fails to impress you, you must not destroy the model or anything like that.”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Raphael’s firm words caused Tein’s mental state to deteriorate rapidly.
In his mind, the image of Serentia trembling under Raphael’s sharp criticism flickered like a hallucination.
Would she really return to the southern lands at this rate?

‘If she goes back south, when will a new Grand Duchess even be chosen?’
And there are no candidates!

‘…Still, Serentia seems fine to me!’

Just then, the very moment Tein was worried about, a small card fell from the documents with a soft tap, tap.

‘What’s this?’

Raphael casually picked up the card and read:

[Do you want to see this too?]

It was a blueprint.
He looked at the attached plans on the card with little emotion.

[This is my heart.]

The moment Raphael’s gaze lingered on the document thirty seconds longer than usual, an alert sounded in my mind.

Tap, tap.

The blueprint slid straight down from Raphael’s hand onto the desk.

Strange.

No.

Very strange woman.

Raphael tilted the corner of his mouth slightly.

Instead of replying immediately, he checked the time.

‘Meal time.’

He picked up the military bread kept on the table and began chewing.

The bread had no taste at all—which was natural.

Raphael’s ability was that of a demon. If he were to possess any typical human senses, emotions, or humanity, the demonic power within him would run rampant, devastating everything nearby.

In other words, Raphael had to suppress and control every human desire.

Even taste was merely another thing to be controlled.

And the so-called “human feelings” that Serentia offered him were nothing but a useless trigger for chaos.

‘Error detected. Processing required.’

Finally, Raphael’s error-elimination process kicked into high gear.

He quickly wrote the schedule on her letter with a quill.

Then, retrieving a blueprint from the trash bin, he handed it to Tein.

“This document organizes the blueprint presentation schedule. Along with it, deliver this card as well.”

[“To summarize the contents of that card precisely: you got rejected.”]

A letter had arrived alongside the presentation schedule.

The moment I saw it, the squirrel was utterly shocked.

I, meanwhile, kept my head bowed, staring at the card for a long while.

Seeing me like that, the squirrel’s tail swished frantically, clearly worried.

“Bad guy! But still, you’re going to marry her—there’s no need to treat her like this…! In my 300 years, I’ve never seen such an iron wall!”

Even so, I didn’t lift my head.

Swish, swish.

The plump, fluffy tail floated anxiously in the air.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

“He’s really too cute, isn’t he? Hahaha!”

A huge smile spread across my face.

The squirrel’s soft tail plopped onto the floor.

“Are… are you okay?! You’re not crazy, right?”

“Yes. I’m crazy.”

“Because of heartbreak?”

“No way. Awesome! I got a reply. I got a reply!”

To receive a blueprint split by lightning from Raphael! It was too moving.

“And he’s cute, too…”

He responded with a blueprint. Even this was pure Raphael.

I recalled the Raphael who had first opened his heart to me and summoned my courage once more.

‘Come on, self! Let’s go!’

No matter how long it takes, he will be mine.

The next day, 9:00 AM.

After finishing their respective breakfasts, they gathered in the conference hall for the presentation.

Raphael sat expressionless at the head of the table.

After yesterday’s lightning-struck blueprint incident, he had assumed there would naturally be distance between him and Serentia.
She had clearly been rejected yesterday.

Yet, Serentia entered with a thick blueprint and model in hand, met his gaze, and smiled brightly.

Then…

“I received your letter reply!”

“Is that so? You don’t look like you read it properly. Check again.”

“I’ve read it ten times.”

But why did she look so radiant?

Serentia even casually offered him chocolate and added:

“…This was a dessert from the kitchen. Would you like some?”

Like giving a stray cat a treat, she offered it to him.

Raphael had never tasted anything sweet before.
So why did she act as if he would obviously like it?

‘Error correction impossible. Alternative… none.’

Seeing her usual cheerful expression, Raphael found himself speechless.

‘No immediate alternative.’

For the first time in his life, he turned the conversation because he couldn’t speak.

“…Eat it yourself. Let’s start the presentation prep.”

“Yes, let’s begin.”

She busily set the model on the table and neatly organized the documents.

At that moment, Lady Isidel muttered, exuding an aura of darkness.

“Though I attend at His Highness’s request, I’ll say it again: I absolutely detest the Rosemarys. Do you know why?”

“I do.”

“…You do?”

“Yes. The Rosemarys must have done something wrong.”

“…”

Lady Isidel fell silent.

Indeed, as she said, the Rosemarys had been in the wrong—someone from the family had ruined Lady Isidel’s villa long ago.

‘That certainly left a deep grudge…’

Gathering her resolve, she spoke again.

“Even if you bring any blueprint, my mind will not change.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. Why? Are you going to give up?”

Serentia’s eyes rolled excitedly. Lady Isidel snorted in response.

Sure, it must be tough.
No one would feel good being openly insulted in front of their face…

“We have something in common. Actually, I dislike the Rosemarys too…!”

……?

The next…