Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 42

“Ah, I told them in advance to step aside. I wanted you to look around comfortably. I did well, right?”

Nardi lowered his head as if asking to be praised.

I did prefer places without people, but there was no need to go this far….

Still, I gently patted his head in appreciation. His brilliant blond hair slipped silkily between my fingers. He smiled.

“Where do you want to look around first?”

“Mm… the garden.”

My eyes were immediately drawn to the garden right before us, and I pointed at it.

“Great, let’s walk a bit. Eloise, you do need some exercise.”

“I do plenty.”

He’d said sex counted as exercise once.

By that logic, both he and I were practically exercise addicts at this point. Seeing my expression, Nardi looked amused.

“If it’s the kind of exercise we do in bed, I’m still not satisfied. Every time, you fall asleep first. I want you to build your stamina in all areas so we can do it more often and longer.”

“You’re not satisfied now?”

How much more did he want? Was he serious?

“My heart wants to keep it inside you for twenty-four hours. I want to hold you and carry you everywhere and have you live only in my arms.”

Just imagining it was exhausting.

“I’ll decline politely.”

“What a shame. But hold my hand at least.”

He took my hand. I placed mine inside his large, warm palm, and we walked through the garden.

Clear weather, fresh green plants, colorful flowers. With only the two of us in this beautiful garden, it felt as if we were isolated from the world. Or like we’d come to another realm, mysterious and dreamlike. Feeling light-hearted, I swung our joined hands gently as we walked. Nardi let out a bright, cheerful laugh.

“You’re feeling good, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I feel good. It feels like a trip.”

With no work because of the holiday and being somewhere so lovely, I was in a very good mood.

“I’m really happy because you are here with me. Let’s stay a few days before going back to your house. My parents won’t be back for a while.”

“…I’ll think about it.”

If I ever ran into Nardi’s parents, it would be a disaster. Naturally, they didn’t know we were dating, so they’d be shocked. And it would put me in an awkward position.

Nardi’s father, the Duke of Gracian, was also the chairman of the Wizards’ Association, so I’d seen him a few times at the Magic Tower. When I first saw the chairman after joining the Tower, I’d thought Nardi resembled his father.

Blond hair, violet eyes, sculpted features. The tall, massively built man looked like what Nardi would become when he grew older. I didn’t know him well, since all I’d ever done was greet him politely whenever we crossed paths, but the chairman seemed to have a gentle disposition.

I’d never seen Nardi’s mother, the duchess, but I’d heard she was an exceptional wizard and a beauty. As a noblewoman from Count Castilo’s family, she’d worked in the Magic Tower’s Healing Department when she was younger, and now she supposedly worked independently while also handling administrative duties for their territory.

“Are your parents close?”

“My parents? They’re so close it’s almost a problem. They didn’t have an arranged marriage; they married for love. And they’re each other’s first love.”

“I see… Do they treat you well too?”

Maybe it was too obvious a question.

Since I had no memories of my parents, the parent-child relationship was something unknown to me. That said, I’d come to understand it a little better after watching Iella get married and raise Rubel.

“Of course. They always respect my decisions and love me without holding back.”

His answer came instantly, without a moment of hesitation. I nodded quietly.

Was his friendly, relaxed personality the result of growing up loved in a harmonious family?

“Ask me more. Ask me another one.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t ask me many questions. I want you to be more curious about me.”

How unusual….

I’d asked without much thought, yet he seemed to expect more, which left me a little taken aback.

Something I’m curious about regarding Nardi….

I thought and thought, but nothing came to mind, so I simply reused something Rubel had once asked me.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Haha, light blue. What about you, Eloise?”

“Green.”

“Good. What’s the next thing you want to know?”

It was essentially forcing me to ask.

“…What’s the thing you want to do most these days?”

“I’m doing it today. I wanted to be with Eloise all day without a single interruption. Since you said it feels like a trip, it reminded me, but I really wouldn’t mind going on an actual trip. What do you want to do, Eloise?”

“I just… want to finish the queen’s commission as soon as possible. Finally, there’s not much time left.”

It had already been five weeks, and the experiment was nearing completion. Now all that was left was to stop taking the potion and check whether the milk stopped, then finish the report and deliver both the potion and report to the queen.

“You must’ve been uncomfortable because of the milk, right?”

“Even so, after you started helping me, it got a lot easier. When there’s something I have to do, it keeps weighing on my mind, so I want to finish it quickly.”

“I didn’t help; it was my pleasure. Still, I also want it to end soon. It’s not the research you wanted to do. From now on, do only what you want.”

Doing only what I wanted… it didn’t seem realistic, yet it also didn’t feel impossible. Maybe because we were walking through a garden that felt like a dream, my heart felt calm and optimistic.

“Mm.”

“Can I ask something too?”

“What?”

“What’s your ideal type?”

Wow, how persistent.

“Now that we’re dating, is that still something you’re curious about?”

“More than anything.”

“I’ve never once thought about that topic in my entire life.”

Even though I was someone who thought about useless things often, it was something I’d genuinely never felt was worth thinking about. Before Nardi asked, it had never even crossed my mind.

“Think about it now. Appearance or personality, anything. You must have some preference.”

“….”

If I didn’t answer at least something, he wouldn’t back off, so I forced myself to think.

“…Someone who’s good at hunting demonic beasts.”

Maybe because of my trauma, I found people who weren’t afraid of demonic beasts and could hunt them skillfully to be admirable.

“That’s me!”

Nardi brightened instantly and pointed to himself with his finger.

“….”

“You know I’m good at hunting demonic beasts, right? I can guarantee I’m the best in the kingdom.”

“Right.”

I nodded halfheartedly.

I’d just said whatever came to mind; I hadn’t meant anything specific. Maybe that had been a mistake.

Nardi puffed out his chest like someone who’d just completed a victorious subjugation.

“I match your ideal type perfectly. I’m so happy.”

“Mm, but… what’s that?”

On one side of the garden, I saw a massive green wall. Made of plants, it was tall and wide, with an empty space in the center that looked like an entrance.

“It’s a maze. Do you want to go see it?”

A maze?

“Yeah, I want to.”

I’d always loved maze puzzles drawn on paper, and seeing a real maze excited me. I grabbed Nardi’s hand and pulled him eagerly.

Once we stepped through the entrance into the maze, the smell of grass grew stronger and the temperature dropped.

“It’s cool.”

“Right? When I was little and it was hot, I used to come here to play. The walls cast shade, so it’s dark and cool.”

“Mm. Do you know the way out? There is an exit, right?”

“Of course. There’s one exit, and I can find it even with my eyes closed.”

“Don’t tell me. I want to find it myself.”

“Okay. Haha.”

I let go of his hand and took the lead, searching for the path.

With an excited heart, I wandered through the maze and slowly memorized the way. When I reached a fork, I hesitated for a moment, then chose the left path and continued walking. As soon as I turned the corner, I saw a dead end and burst into a laugh.

“This is fun.”

“You’re too cute….”

Nardi, who’d been following two or three steps behind, suddenly hugged me tight. I wanted to turn back quickly and keep exploring, but his familiar barrage of kisses poured onto me. My crown, forehead, cheeks, the corners of my eyes and mouth were all stamped with kiss marks in succession.

I quietly accepted his kisses, then, intending to return one, I made a soft sound, hm, trying to initiate a kiss myself.