Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 43

As he bent down fully to kiss me, he then tilted his cheek toward me. I’d meant to kiss him quietly without a sound, but when I pulled my lips away, a small pop sounded. A smile spread across his handsome face.

“You must be feeling good. You even gave me a kiss back.”

Delighted, Nardi hugged me and shook me lightly.

“I feel good. Now let’s go.”

I gently pushed him away and resumed exploring the maze. Surrounded by walls as tall as a two or three‑story building, it felt like being in a secret hideout. If I could just grasp the structure, it felt like a place that could hide me safely.

At the next fork, I chose a different path. The maze was large and intricate with many branching points, so the only choice was to wander this way and that and trust my luck.

Again, I found a dead end and, laughing, turned back. Nardi laughed too, and our laughter echoed inside the maze.

“You’re like a butterfly when you run around, Eloise.”

“A butterfly?”

I grabbed his hand for a moment and tugged him forward, then let go and walked quickly to find the path again. Maybe because I’d slept well last night, my body felt light, which might’ve been why he said that.

Excited, I wandered around and gradually grasped the layout. Heading toward a path I hadn’t taken before, I discovered the exit at the far end.

“I found it. That’s it, right?”

“That’s right. Good job.”

I hurried toward the exit, almost breaking into a run, when Nardi quickly closed the distance and grabbed my wrist.

“Wait, just a moment before we go out.”

“Why?”

“You’re so lovely I can’t help it.”

Help what? I was about to ask, but immediately realized there was no need.

In an instant, Nardi pinned me between the maze wall and his chest and kissed me. Mouth to mouth, and through the parted lips, a warm, moist tongue slipped in. The habit was frightening;  my lips parted reflexively. His tongue slipped in easily and searched every corner of my mouth, licking and rubbing.

“Mmh….”

Maybe he thought I’d refuse if he kissed me out in the open garden. In the hidden space of the maze, he kissed me in secret, stroking my shoulders and arms. Sinking into the sweet feeling, I slowly intertwined my tongue with his. Wanting something to hold on to, I gripped the collar of Nardi’s shirt with one hand, and because he was bending down so much for the kiss, I rose slightly onto my toes for him.

Our tongues pressed together, rubbing, mixing saliva. Kissing Nardi resembled having sex. He pushed his tongue deep inside my mouth and rubbed the soft flesh. The hand that had been stroking my shoulders and arms naturally slid down my body toward my chest.

Ah….

Even over my clothes, the way he touched my breast felt good. I tightened my grip on his collar for a moment, then moved my hand to stroke his waist. He kissed me even more fervently, sucked on my tongue, and kneaded my breast. Moist sounds escaped between our lips, and I felt milk leaking from my breast, soaking the cloth beneath.

The sensations were so good I wanted to stay like this, but after what happened during sex in the lab last time, I’d sworn never to cross the line outdoors again. And we were here at the Gracian ducal mansion for a reason. I pulled my face back and turned it slightly to the side.

“Aren’t you going to show me the house?”

“Of course I am.”

“I want to see inside too.”

“I’ll show you everything. Let’s go.”

With one arm around my shoulders, Nardi led me forward. Leaving the maze, we crossed the garden and headed toward the magnificent mansion.

“Wow….”

The interior of the mansion was truly dazzling. It was so spacious and had so many rooms that if someone played hide-and-seek, the seeker would have a hard time finding anyone. Immaculately clean without a speck of dust, the mansion was harmoniously decorated with antique furniture and beautiful works of art. He’d said he sent the staff away, and indeed, not only outside but inside the mansion as well, there wasn’t a single other person. It felt a little surreal, yet somehow it also felt comfortable.

After the high-ceilinged hall that made my chest feel open, we looked around the dining room, where a lavish feast could be set, and a cozy room with a fireplace.

So nobles… and Nardi live in a mansion like this.

“You know… my house must’ve felt cramped.”

One room here seemed larger than my entire house. Living practically together, Nardi had never shown a hint of dissatisfaction, so I hadn’t realized it. Thinking about how he’d lived in a place like this and then stayed in our little home, it must’ve been cramped.

“That’s not true. Do you know how much I love your house? It’s a space filled with your life. And no matter where I am, I can see you right away, so I like it.”

That basically meant it was small….

“What do you think of my house, Eloise? Do you like it?”

What meaning did my liking it even have? Still, I nodded.

“It feels like the kind of house you could get lost in.”

“Haha, you’ll get used to it soon. If you walk straight this way, there’s the study.”

The study.

It was the whole reason I came to Nardi’s house and the place I most wanted to see. I quickened my pace without a word, and he smiled and matched his steps to mine. When we reached the dark brown door at the end of the hall and opened it, a strong scent of books washed over me.

“…!”

In a space as tall and spacious as the great hall, shelves and books filled every inch.

…This can’t be called a study.

It was closer to a library, a private archive. Even if it couldn’t compare to the academy or the Magic Tower, it was astonishing that a single family possessed so many books. I had no idea where to even begin. For now, I simply walked forward and started scanning the tightly packed titles on the shelves.

“Wow….”

There were countless unfamiliar titles I’d never seen anywhere before. Most were written by members of the Gracian family, and the rest were by famous wizards and scholars. The common trait was that they were all extremely rare.

Shifting sideways as if doing a crab walk, I moved along the shelf, my eyes traveling up and down. The shelves were so tall that I had to tilt my head all the way back to see the books on the upper rows. I wanted to take them out and read them one by one, but even several sleepless days wouldn’t be enough, so I planned to scan everything broadly first. A few titles, I made sure to remember.

“I knew you’d like it.”

Hovering nearby, Nardi kept touching and brushing against me, but I ignored him and focused solely on the books. There were so many precious volumes, and my time here was limited, so I felt pressed for time. I made mental notes of several that caught my eye.

“You’re completely absorbed. Do you like this more than playing with me?”

“That’s obvious—”

Realizing too late the sulky tone in his voice, I cut myself off. Still not taking my eyes off the shelves, I said, “You should read too. There are so many good books.”

“I’ve read them all.”

True. If I’d had a library- no, a study, like this at home, I would’ve read everything too.

“Oh.”

Yuliana Gracian.

I found a book by a wizard I liked and had no choice but to take it down.

The book, interestingly, was about astronomy. Yuliana Gracian lived about three hundred years ago and was both a wizard and a renowned botanist. I hadn’t known that the master of botany had written books in other fields.

Flipping through the pages quickly, I saw that she’d observed the movements of stars and planets for a very long time.

“Do you like that book?”

“I’m seeing it for the first time, so I’m not sure yet, but I like the books she wrote about plants and magic.”

“Right, she’s more famous for her botany. I think she studied astronomy as a hobby. The botany books are gathered over there. You know ‘The Herbal Medical Text,’ right?”

“Of course. I’ve read it so many times I practically have it memorized.”

Among her works, it was the most famous and the foundation of herbal studies. For someone like me who worked in magic potion research, it was practically a required textbook.

“The manuscript she wrote before the first edition is over there. It’s handwritten by Yuliana Gracian herself, so it has her own notes and annotations. Some parts weren’t entirely accurate, so they weren’t included in the first edition and need further study, but if you read it, it’ll help you.”

“! Where is it? I want to see it right now.”

My heart raced in shock. Nardi immediately led me to a different bookshelf.