As I reached out to the shining sphere, a white light exploded like before, projecting an image across the wall.
But the image quality was a bit….
“What is that?”
Having no one else to ask, I turned to Ernst, who shrugged.
” ……Well, it seems there’s been a fire.”
We were silent for a moment.
The Grand Duke, consumed by rage, appeared amidst the flames, struggling to control his expression as he faced me.
“My lovely Lou.”
However, the way his chest heaved with uncontainable anger was clearly visible.
And those icy blue eyes were something else.
” ……Uh, yes?”
He made a request as I barely managed a response.
“I know it’s probably useless, but can you summon the lunatic Mage Tower Master? I understand that he’s an imperial asset, but my patience has its limits.”
The person on the other end was the Babenberg’s Serpent, who was extremely, extremely angry.
” O, Of course.”
I swallowed hard.
” Ren? Ren, are you there? C, Come back now…….”
Instead of an answer, the flames on the screen only grew fiercer, and the faint flush that had remained on our Grand Duke’s face disappeared completely.
I closed my eyes and opened them again.
” I miss you, Ren. Didn’t you say that you would come back right away……”
The next moment, the flames that had been raging behind Cal were instantly extinguished.
Poor Cal rubbed his forehead.
“Give me one more reason why I shouldn’t kill that maniac.”
You can’t kill Ren.
Absolutely not, because……
” I, I’m pregnant.”
Ren might be the father, and he’s the only one who can make me medicine for morning sickness.
While I hesitated, unable to add those words, an astonishing sight unfolded on the screen.
Cal, who had been gritting his teeth with a look that could tear through hell itself, froze for a moment, then suddenly smiled as softly as a dream.
His blue eyes, filled with laughter, took on a gentle light as if he had become a different person.
” Lou, did I tell you that day?”
Standing against the backdrop of the desolate, scorched hillside, the look seemed so out of place that it sent a slight chill down my spine.
Whatever he had said that day, even if I had known, I wouldn’t have been able to answer.
” W, What….?”
Callisteon turned his back on his burned-down estate and shyly lowered his gaze.
“I…you…”
―Bang!
The sound of an unfamiliar explosion rang out as a defensive wall began to rise inside the room.
My eyes naturally darted toward the fireplace.
―Crack!
There was a loud noise, and the magic sphere, which had been fine until just a moment ago, fell to the floor and shattered.
Cal disappeared from the screen as well.
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦…?’
I reflexively looked at Ernst, but he threw up his hands as if he had no idea what was going on.
At the same time, a dark figure emerged from the dusty fireplace.
He strode confidently toward me, as if he had just returned from exercising his rightful authority, and knelt on one knee before me.
Then, with his ash-covered glove still on, he took my hand and kissed the back of it.
” I’m back. Lou, did you wait long?”
🔹🔹🔹
Sooty ashes trailed from the fireplace he crawled out of, reaching all the way to my feet.
It was quite a shocking sight for someone who came from a country of courtesy.
“Ren…”
I looked down at the powerful lunatic with a forlorn face.
“If you’re going to play with fire, shouldn’t you wash your hands and feet?”
As I spoke through gritted teeth, Ren blinked his eyes and let go of my hand.
There was soot on the back of my white hand.
“Huh.”
But as Ren let out a short breath, the ashes on the back of my hand disappeared without a trace.
Looking up, I saw that the ashes that had fallen on the floor were also gone.
“Are you happy now?”
I silently glared at Ren’s robe.
The robe, which must have been a vivid blue, was now almost black, scorched by fire.
He sighed in resignation, took it off, and threw it far away.
Then, he looked up at me with disappointed eyes.
“I did all that for you, Lou, but I guess you’re just going to call me dirty. Since when did my Lou become so cold…”
Oh, really?
While I was reminiscing about whether I had applied the Korean patch too much, Ernst intervened.
“Pregnant women are sensitive.”