“What are you doing barging in at the crack of dawn?”

Gerard, seated at his desk, watched Luka—who was fiddling with the powder of the defensive coating like a child playing in sand—then asked. But for some reason, the kid who usually chattered on and on had his lips pressed tight and his cheeks puffed out to the fullest like a pufferfish. In the end, it was Gerard who felt stifled first.

“Hey, brat, what’s your problem? That stuff came out fine. All that’s left is to slap it on the wall. Doing more experiments won’t give you a better coating than this. The ratio right now is perfect!”

Guessing Luka was sulking because he didn’t like the defensive coating, Gerard grimaced and shook his head. He’d thought there couldn’t be a worse perfectionist than himself, but Luka was far more tenacious and stubborn to the point of being downright maddening. And as if he didn’t know the word “give up,” he would do the same thing again, and again, dozens—no, hundreds—of times, and instead of getting bored he only had more fun. It was the first time in his life he’d met such a formidable opponent.

“I said I can’t do any more! I’ve got a mountain of other work besides that. Do you know how ruthlessly your beloved older sister works me? Don’t you even feel sorry for me?”

“Sir Mage, what kind of person is Prince Ciel?”

Gerard, who’d been spitting as he declaimed about being exploited, was struck speechless by a question from Luka that was completely different in kind from what he’d expected.

“Don’t tell me you’re all puffed up like that… because of Ciel?”

Gerard didn’t speak politely to Ciel just because he was a prince. The only people he raised his speech for were those at least ten years older than him, regardless of rank or status. Gerard was one of those who rejected the social hierarchy of this world with his whole body. Poke any of them and red blood came out—what was so different?

Because of this odd streak, there were people who disliked Gerard and people who liked him. Of course, the former were far more numerous, but Gerard didn’t care. There was no need for everyone in the world to like him, and he himself disliked the vast majority of people who existed in this world. Add it up and subtract it, and he figured he came out ahead.

“I… don’t like him.”

Luka muttered, kneading the coating with both hands, his voice full of dissatisfaction. Gerard, thinking he saw the reason, let out a snort of laughter. Luka was jealous of Ciel.

“Do you like your sister that much?”

“What does my disliking him have to do with liking my older sister?”

Luka’s voice was as sharp as his lips that stuck out.

“How is that unrelated? You act all smart and you’re a total dunce!”

At the word “dunce,” which he was hearing for the first time in his life, Luka jerked his head up. Looking at Luka, whose eyes had gone so wide they were about to pop out, Gerard let out a long sigh, trudged over, and flicked the child’s round forehead with his finger—tok!

“Ow! That hurts! Why did you hit me?”

Luka clasped his forehead with both hands and glared in aggrieved indignation. No matter how he thought about it, he hadn’t done anything to deserve being hit.

“Because you’re cute, you little brat.”

At Gerard’s remark—unclear whether praise or teasing—Luka’s eye corners climbed even more sharply. The one he hated was Ciel, but for some reason Gerard was starting to look annoying, too.

“Do you feel like your sister’s been taken away by Ciel?”

At Gerard’s sudden, on-the-nose question, the irritation and fierceness flashing in Luka’s eyes flipped in an instant to wariness.

“How did you know? Don’t tell me… can you read people’s minds?”

Luka’s gaze flicked quickly to the ring on Gerard’s finger and back.

“Anyone can tell at a glance. You adore Estella to death and want to be with her all the time, and then Ciel suddenly shows up and suddenly becomes her husband.”

At Gerard’s explanation, Luka clamped his mouth shut and went back to fiddling with the coating. Watching him for a moment, Gerard took the powder away, shook off the fine dust clinging to the small hands, then spun the chair so the boy faced him.

“Listen up, you pint-sized kid who pretends to be grown. The way Estella loves you and the way she… thinks about Ciel are different. You can’t even compare them.”

Trying to attach the word “love” to Ciel stuck in his throat, so Gerard deliberately swapped in another word. Even in the middle of this, the taste in his mouth turned bitter at the pettiness he revealed.

“Are you saying my older sister likes me more?”

“I’ll stake my word on it. Of everyone alive in this world, the person Estella loves most is you. If not, I’ll give you everything in this laboratory.”

“…Really?”

“When have you ever seen me lie?”

“Plenty.”

“…Anyway! This isn’t a lie, not this time. So you can believe it.”

At Gerard’s guarantee, Luka’s expression began to brighten.

Martino calmly looked over the place where he and his son would be living from now on. The lab Alexis had previously used was still being ransacked by Gerard whenever he had time, so it was unusable. Therefore, the annex closest to the main keep had been given over entirely to the two of them for their convenience.

The annex they would use was a small complex composed of two wings. One was a two-story house they would use as their residence, and the other was a three-story building that would serve as a hospital.

Martino meticulously inspected the interior of the hospital, which was quite respectably outfitted. The first floor held the consultation rooms, a dispensary for herbs and medicinal ingredients, and a separate space to store assorted treatment tools. The second floor was fitted with patient wards, and the third floor provided a fairly spacious research area for the two of them.

“Father, it’s much better than I imagined.”

After giving both the examination rooms and the wards a thorough look, Angelo voiced his admiration, and Martino nodded in agreement.

“It seems to have everything we need, more or less. Once we bring in the medical instruments we’ve carried with us, we’ll have the basics in place.”

“I was honestly at a loss… I never expected such luck to be waiting for us.”

Angelo’s nose stung as the hardships of recent days came back to him afresh.

“Lady Estella said as much. That this isn’t fate, but the result of our efforts. That none of it was simply given.”

“She said that?”

Though she was at least five years younger than he was, Estella’s words and actions made her feel a decade older—like a true adult. She was on a different level from other nobles, who treated people by status and didn’t treat anyone who wasn’t noble as human.

“Yes. How she thinks at that age…”

“She’s truly remarkable. Beyond what her age would make you believe.”

“Meeting her as well.”

“Was because you fell out of the emperor’s favor, Father.”

Angelo neatly cut off and finished his father’s sentence. From the moment they decided to come to Wintfall, their lives had begun to change little by little, and now that they had finally arrived, he felt a strong certainty that a life entirely different from before was beginning.

The father and son, alike yet different, wore smiles that wouldn’t leave their faces for a long while at the unspoken understanding they shared. It felt like they’d taken the long road and finally arrived at their destination—and at the same time, a new starting point.

“Oh, right—have you met the mage who made that ointment?”

Angelo asked, as if remembering something he’d forgotten, curiosity bright on his face.

“Lady Estella said she’ll arrange a meeting soon enough.”

“I’m very curious what he’s like. Do you think he’ll be around your age, Father?”

“With that level of skill, I imagine he’s fairly advanced in years. I, too, would like to meet him soon and pay my respects.”

Murmuring as he looked out the wide-open window, Martino suddenly started and hurriedly grabbed his medical bag.

“Oh dear, it’s nearly time for His Highness the Prince’s consultation. Let’s get moving.”

“Yes, Father!”

The two of them, as if they’d never been indulging in sentiment, bolted out of the hospital building at a run.

“I’ll go with you.”

At the mention of heading to the southern wall reinforcement site, Ciel moved to go along, but had to plop back onto the bed at Estella’s firm reply.

“For the time being, focus on recovery. Besides, it’s almost time for the doctor to come. We can’t have him show up for nothing.”

“I’m almost better.”

“Almost isn’t good enough. You need to be completely better. Then we can have our wedding.”

“I’ll lie down.”

At the word “wedding,” Ciel lay back down as meekly as the best patient in the world.

“If the doctor says you seem fully recovered, then we’ll move together.”

“Don’t let your guard down just because you’re inside Wintfall—go with the Squirrels. Aslan isn’t the kind to give up easily.”

Ciel constantly worried that he might put Estella in danger. That was why, even before he was fully healed, he overexerted himself trying to stay by her side.

“Don’t underestimate the Black Lily Knights. They’ll soon be the strongest order in the empire. It won’t be long now.”

“If it’s you, you can do it.”

She’d always thought “darling” was a cheesy word, but out of Ciel’s mouth, it sounded more romantic than anything.

“Of course. The word ‘impossible’ isn’t in my dictionary.”

“You’re the bravest woman in the world.”

“And you’re the cutest in the world.”

At her words, Estella gave the obediently reclining Ciel a light peck on the cheek. But Ciel wasn’t one to be satisfied with that. Seizing the moment, he gently cupped Estella’s face with both hands and pressed a soft kiss to her pliant lips.

Peck, peck.

Between lips that touched and parted softly, between those secret, sweet breaths, playful, bashful smiles overlapped faintly. Maybe it was the suggestiveness of being on a bed—every blood vessel in their bodies seemed to make their touching skin hypersensitive.

Ciel’s breathing grew rougher and rougher, and Estella burrowed deeper into him, wriggling. The two broke apart only when a crisp knock sounded and Martino’s voice followed.

“Your Highness, it’s time for your examination. I’m coming in.”

Startled, Estella hopped off the bed in a flash. Then, as if nothing had happened, she straightened her collar and hastily wiped her damp lips. Ciel looked at her—flustered and scurrying like a startled squirrel—with an expression that said he found her unbearably adorable, then pushed himself up to sit.

Seeing Estella there as he entered the room, Martino bowed his head. Perhaps because he’d just been talking about her with his son, he felt a renewed sense of respect.

“I’ll leave him in your care.”

“Please don’t worry. I’ll do my utmost. By the way, are you unwell?”

“No? Why…”

“You seem to have a bit of a fever today—how about an examination as well?”

Martino asked in concern, noticing Estella’s face looked more flushed than usual. At that moment, Ciel—at some point out of bed and now at Estella’s side—touched her forehead.

“It really does feel hot. How about you rest for the day?”

You little rascal, it’s because of you.

Estella shot Ciel a sharp look, finding him insufferable as he so casually laid a hand on her brow.

Leaving the fussing Ciel and Martino behind, Estella quickly left the main keep and, together with Gerard, headed for the southern wall where reinforcement work was underway. To apply the defensive coating, the cracked wall had to be repaired first.

In her heart she wanted to mount up and ride hard, but because Gerard threw a fit about not wanting to ride a horse, they had no choice but to travel by carriage.

“I don’t have any flesh on my backside, so riding is agony, I’m telling you.”

“Gerard. Don’t make me imagine your scrawny backside.”

“Y-you! Saying things like that so blithely when you’re a woman!”

“You’re the one who brought up your backside first.”

While the two bickered over nothing, the carriage carrying them arrived before they knew it at the southern wall construction site. But the smile that had filled Estella’s face just moments earlier vanished without a trace the instant she stepped down from the carriage.

Chapter 181

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