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Chapter 55
I Missed You Very Much
“You probably don’t know, Your Highness, but Lady Lorencia has been eating well lately—she’s gotten even cuter.”
“Marquis Teishar, I’ve already heard enough of Lady Lorencia’s praises to last a lifetime.”
Just as Adrian became a fool whenever it came to Charlotte, Teishar became one whenever it came to Lorencia. No—he wasn’t just a fool, he was an idiot for her.
“There’s never enough time to praise Lady Lorencia.”
Watching Teishar’s endless admiration, the corner of Adrian’s mouth lifted slightly.
No matter how you looked at it, it was obvious that Teishar liked Lorencia. No—he was in love.
“If you say it’s not enough, that means it’s troubling you, doesn’t it…?”
“Yes. It is troubling.”
Teishar let out a small sigh.
“Whenever I see Lady Lorencia, my heart feels fluffy, like a cloud floating in the sky. Every second she becomes cuter than Leo. I’ve been worrying lately about what I’ll do if she gets any cuter or prettier than she already is.”
“Marquis Teishar, let’s stop talking about Lady Lorencia for now—”
When Adrian said this, Teishar looked up at him with bright red eyes full of protest, as if saying ‘Why stop?’
“I’m joking. But let me ask you something, since you know Lady Lorencia well. Are you saying it troubles you that she keeps getting prettier?”
“Yes. Every time I see her, my heart hurts strangely… and the more beautiful she gets, the more it aches.”
“Marquis Teishar, do you like Lady Lorencia?”
“I do.”
Teishar didn’t hesitate. For a serpent, it was natural to like one of the Goddess Ella’s children.
“When I say ‘like,’ I mean—do you like her as a woman, Marquis Teishar?”
At that question, the smile on Teishar’s face froze. He only wanted to boast about her, and he had answered yes reflexively.
“As a woman, you mean?”
“When you see Lady Lorencia, doesn’t your heart pound like it’s out of rhythm? Don’t you feel restless and find yourself smiling for no reason?”
“Yes, that’s true. But that’s only natural for a serpent.”
“When you’re with her, time flies, your chest hurts just from looking at her, and you constantly want to hold her close—doesn’t that happen too?”
Teishar thought for a while, then nodded. Adrian asked a few more questions, and each time the only possible answer was “Yes.”
“Then, Marquis Teishar, you’re in love with Lady Lorencia as a woman.”
Teishar’s face turned crimson in an instant.
“I just think she’s cute… Who doesn’t like cute and pretty things?”
“We usually call that love.”
“To call this feeling love, just because I want to be with her, seems…”
“Perhaps you don’t understand love very well, Marquis Teishar—but I do. Because I love Charlotte very deeply.”
Adrian smiled.
“It’s fine not to understand love. But even if you don’t know the emotion, it’s clear from your actions that you care deeply for Lady Lorencia. That’s why I say you’re in love.”
“But as a serpent, it’s my duty to protect and care for her. It might just look that way to you…”
“Then it seems, Marquis, that you’re in the denial stage of love.”
“The denial stage… of love?”
“Yes. It means you’re denying your feelings. Don’t worry—it’ll pass soon enough.”
“I don’t love Lady Lorencia as a woman. I only want to protect her with a pure heart.”
“That’s exactly what the denial stage looks like.”
Teishar shook his head, flustered.
“Once it passes, you’ll accept your feelings, and every night you’ll suffer from a heart so full of love it feels like it might burst.”
“Are you cursing me?”
Adrian looked at Teishar’s anxious eyes with amusement.
“Be careful—on nights with a full moon, you might go crazy missing her. It’s better to get through the denial stage quickly. The longer you deny it, the more intense it’ll be when you finally admit it.”
Adrian’s teasing words left Teishar speechless. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
But one thing he was certain of:
“It’s absolutely not love. Your Highness is mistaken.”
“Perhaps. But if another man steals her away, you’ll regret not listening to me.”
All day, Teishar had been buried in work beside Adrian, planning how to suppress Luance’s rebellion. Exhausted, he trudged toward Lorencia’s room.
<You’re in the denial stage of love, Marquis Teishar. You definitely like Lady Lorencia.>
Adrian’s teasing voice echoed in his mind. It’s not love, Teishar told himself. I’m just following my instincts as a serpent…
“Then why does my chest feel so tight?”
He placed a hand over his heart. It was beating steadily—until he thought of Lorencia’s face. Then it began pounding wildly, like a patient with arrhythmia.
<The main symptom of love denial is arrhythmia.>
Teishar sighed deeply. His heartbeat wouldn’t calm down. He worried he might actually have trouble breathing.
He stopped walking, folded his arms, and thought hard.
“No… there’s no way I, of all people, could love Lady Lorencia…”
Then a quiet thought rose in his chest—But what if it is love?
Embarrassed, he swallowed hard. Surely this confusion was all Adrian’s fault.
No matter how he reasoned, he couldn’t accept that what he felt for Lorencia was love. His role was to protect and care for her, not to love her. Being kind wasn’t love… was it? He was confused.
Suppressing the swelling in his heart, Teishar finally stood in front of her door.
He could just knock, as usual—but for some reason, his hand froze on the handle. A strange tension ran from his chest to his fingertips.
He opened both hands and lightly slapped his own cheeks.
“Really, is this love? Nonsense. Get a grip, Teishar Spencer.”
He rubbed his face, bit his lip, and sighed softly. He was convincing himself it wasn’t love—when suddenly the door swung open.
“Marquis Spencer, what are you doing standing there?”
Teishar jumped, like a man caught committing a crime.
“Lady Lorencia!”
Lorencia stood in the doorway, holding Leo in her arms.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Leo was scratching at the door. When I came to check, I heard your voice.”
She lifted Leo slightly as proof. The little cat had grown a lot since the day they met, eating and sleeping well.
“Meow.”
Lorencia had heard scratching and picked him up—then heard Teishar’s voice outside and opened the door.
“Is something wrong, Marquis Spencer?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Your face is so red—did you run here?”
When Lorencia smiled as she said it, Teishar fell silent, mesmerized.
Her clear, pale skin, her large violet eyes glistening with moisture, the small lips moving as she spoke—all of it captivated him. Her flushed cheeks reminded him of apples, and an overwhelming urge rose to reach out and touch her.
“Then… you’re not sick, are you, Marquis Spencer?”
As a serpent, it made him happy to care for her. Protecting her gave his existence meaning. Yet lately, he had begun to selfishly wish she needed him too.
“No, Lady Lorencia. My face must be red because I ran all the way to your door.”
Inside her room, he still couldn’t steady his heartbeat.
“Did you want to see me that much?”
When her soft voice reached his ears, it felt like he was melting. How wonderful it would be if she liked me too, he thought. A warm feeling seeped into his chest, and his sharp eyes softened.
“It’s not that I just wanted to see you,” he said gently, “I missed you very much, Lady Lorencia.”
All the frustration and anxious thoughts melted away, like sugar dissolving in flame.
He had many things he wanted to say—but only one sentence lingered in his heart, the same one that came to him every time he opened his eyes or closed them at night.
“I missed you all day.”
“Leo.”
“Meow.”
Lying in bed, Lorencia stroked Leo, who was curled up beside her. His purring made her smile unconsciously.
“Don’t you think Marquis Spencer was acting strange today?”
She tilted her head slightly, recalling him. No matter how she thought about it, Teishar had been odd—no, very odd—today.
“He kept stammering, repeating himself, and…”
