Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 71

Still, showing myself in such an embarrassing state once was enough, so I planned to be careful from now on. Even if it wasn’t a secret anymore, it wasn’t appropriate in the workplace anyway.

Even if nothing looked different on the surface, there were definitely parts that had become easier.

Lupina and Mireille were on the same team as me, and pretending nothing was going on in front of people who had clearly noticed that Nardi and I were dating had been torture for all of us. Now we didn’t have to keep up that act. Outside the Magic Tower, we could be far more relaxed and comfortable.

The best part, of course, was that I’d finally escaped the queen’s grasp.

I quietly crumpled the letter and tucked it into my pocket. Nardi was acting suspicious, sure, but I decided to trust him when he told me not to worry. Thanks to that, this whole matter had been resolved easily.

“Alright, let’s go to the lab!”

“Yes.”

With a much lighter heart, I gathered the reagent case.

***

“Ah, Nardi, wait a sec….”

Smooch, smooch-

I couldn’t think straight because Nardi kept kissing my face and the side of my neck.

From the moment we left the Magic Tower after work and got into the carriage, he’d been acting like a horse that’d slipped its reins.

“I’m seriously going to get motion sickness….”

“Really?”

Even though the window wasn’t the issue, he reached out and opened the carriage window. The cool breeze blew in, and I felt a bit better. He naturally took my hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed my knuckles and fingers one after another.

“Aren’t you tired after work?”

“I’m a man.”

How nice for you….

I was exhausted and just zoning out without a single thought.

I pretended to sleep with my eyes closed, but he kept murmuring beside me. He said my grumpy face was cute, my eyes were pretty, my nose was pretty, my lips were pretty, all while kissing my hand.

Soon, the carriage arrived at my house and came to a stop.

Even on the short path from the carriage to the house, Nardi kissed me several times, stopping me in my tracks. I wondered if giving him one kiss would make him stop, so I paused and held his arm.

“Yeah.”

As I rose onto my toes, he lowered his head, and I lightly kissed his cheek.

Peck-

Seeing his satisfied smile somehow irritated me, and I was just about to squeeze his arm when it happened.

“…Eloise?”

Startled by the unexpected voice, I immediately stepped away from Nardi. When I turned my head, Iella and Rubel were standing in front of the porch steps.

“Unnie?”

Iella’s mouth was hanging open in shock. Thankfully, Rubel didn’t seem to have noticed anything and ran to me with an innocent smile.

“Auntie!”

“Rubel.”

I instinctively bent my knees to match her height. I lifted her into my arms as she reached out, asking to be held.

“Auntie, I missed you.”

“Me too.”

I answered blankly. Ahem, ahem. Iella cleared her throat and approached with a slightly calmer expression. Before I could say anything, Nardi stepped forward and bowed politely.

“Hello, my name is Nardi Gracian.”

“Ah, yes, hello. I’m Iella.”

I was flustered, but it was clear I needed to introduce them.

“Unnie, this is Nardi… the one I’m seeing. Nardi, I’ve told you about my sister and my niece, Rubel.”

I said “the one I’m seeing” very quickly, practically shooting out the words. Rubel, still in my arms, looked up at Nardi blankly, and Nardi smiled brightly and waved.

“Hi, Rubel.”

“….”

Rubel’s face said, Who is this man? Iella gave an awkward laugh.

“I heard a rumor and was so shocked that I came to check, and I guess it was true, haha….”

“What rumor?”

“The one about you and this man dating.”

“That spread that far?!”

“The whole capital is buzzing with it.”

It was one shock after another. I instinctively shot Nardi a suspicious look.

All I wanted was for the fact that we were dating to spread just enough to reach the queen’s ears. I’d never meant for it to become gossip shouted from every street corner. I only hoped it would circulate around the Magic Tower and the nearby palace, but for Iella to hear it and come running… the entire capital really had heard.

Even if Nardi was well known as the young duke, this was too much for something that happened only three days ago. I couldn’t help suspecting that he’d purposely stirred things up to spread the rumor even more.

“Oh dear, we should’ve told you ourselves. I’m sorry you heard it through gossip.”

“No, no, it’s fine, really.”

“Let’s head inside for now. You must’ve been waiting a while.”

“Ah, we came around the time you get off work, so we didn’t wait long.”

“That’s good. You haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

“Oh, no.”

What is this situation?

Acting as if he lived here, Nardi naturally led us into my house while chatting comfortably with them. I held Rubel tightly, following in a daze, when suddenly all the traces of cohabitation inside the house flashed through my mind.

“Rubel, hold on a moment.”

I set Rubel down and rushed around, hiding the traces as naturally as I could.

“I haven’t had time to clean….”

I shut the bedroom door, where the evidence was the strongest, and covered Nardi’s clothes hanging on the rack with my own. Iella wasn’t the type to pry into my private life, but since Rubel was here, I had to be careful.

“Would you like some water first?”

“Sounds great!”

I heard the others talking in the kitchen. After hastily tidying up, I went over and found Nardi pouring water into a small cup for Rubel.

“Um, I need to talk with my sister for a bit. Could you watch Rubel?”

“Of course.”

Nardi met my eyes and smiled sweetly.

Iella chugged a glass of cold water in one go, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out of the kitchen. She dragged me to a secluded corner, her eyes wide as she whispered.

“What in the world is going on, Eloise! I was already worried because of the queen, and now suddenly there’s a rumor you’re dating someone! Your name isn’t common, and when they said it was a wizard, I had a feeling it was you, and it really was!”

“I’m sorry, Unnie. I was going to tell you soon once everything was completely resolved. I received a letter today too…. The queen’s matter is settled now, so you don’t have to worry.”

“How? The queen said she wouldn’t make you create the poison anymore?”

“Yeah, she withdrew the order.”

Iella blinked and pointed toward the kitchen.

“It’s related to this rumor, isn’t it?”

“….”

As expected, she was sharp.

“Yeah. We were already dating… and when I told Nardi, he suggested doing it this way. Thanks to him, the queen isn’t targeting me anymore.”

It was bitter, but that was the reality.

“Still, the queen won’t move carelessly now. The poison she wanted with those ridiculous conditions is something no one could create anyway.”

“That’s impossible to make in the first place. I don’t care about their affairs. What matters is you, and if you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”

“You too. And the rest of the family will be fine.”

It seemed safe to finally put away the signal device I’d been carrying around just in case.

“Alright. So, how did you meet the young duke? Since he’s also a wizard, did you meet at the Magic Tower?”

“We’re on the same team. He joined this year as my junior.”

“What? And you didn’t tell me something that important?!”

“Let’s go check on Rubel.”

When we returned to the kitchen, Rubel was laughing brightly at something Nardi had said.

“Auntie!”

Still preferring me more, Rubel ran over and tugged at my hand.

“Auntie, let’s play together.”

“Okay.”

“I have something to show you.”

“What is it?”

“Mom, the bag.”

I quickened my steps, letting her small, warm hand lead me. Watching us with a string of admiring sounds, Nardi spoke to Iella.

“Rubel is really cute.”

“Isn’t she? She looks exactly like Eloise when she was little. Their personalities are different, though.”

Unlike me, Rubel wasn’t shy around strangers and was very outgoing. Wanting to play in a bigger space, she led me to the living room and plopped down onto the rug. Watching her pull things out of a bag as big as she was, I found it funny and adorable. I reached out and touched the little ornaments tied to her pigtails. Her platinum‑blonde hair was fine and soft like delicate thread.