Chapter 23: Chapter 23

A regular breathing sound was heard inside the tent, which was only intended to use to avoid the cold wind.

Cassian was watching Elysia sleeping in his arms, wearing his shirt. She didn’t fall asleep until the sun began to rise, so he was still thinking of letting her sleep more.

‘‘I think I should let her sleep some more...’

However, his hand did not listen. Elysia, who had fallen asleep, quivered at the sense of something sweeping her back. She raised her hand and pushed his chest away, but Cassian’s hand that was wrapped around her waist tightened.

“Ha—”

Elysia, who was lying on her stomach, rubbed her face against his chest. The corner of her mouth was rising a little.

‘If she pushes her legs out and lifts her waist a little...’

Cassian sighed at thoughts filling his head, covered his face with the back of his hand.

“Hmm...”

The places where Elysia touched on his body were vivid. Cassian couldn’t sleep anymore and waited for Elysia to open her eyes.

***

Cassian and Elysia tried to join in the path of the subjugation group, but they couldn’t. It was because it took them two more days than they had anticipated.

Thanks to this, the subjugation team was forced to settle down and set up the barracks when they arrived at the camp.

Elysia looked at the camp that was finally visible and spoke, groaning.

“Really.”

Cassian smiled brazenly, jumped off his horse first, and reached out his hand to her.

Two knights were approaching behind Cassian.

When it was only two of them, Elysia would typically jump off the horse on her own, but he knew that the others would see her as a fragile wizard.

“Thank you.” Elysia grabbed his hand.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The gaze of the party looking at them shed a strange light. Though It was hard to pinpoint because it was quite vague, they seemed very natural and intimate. It was obvious that they were lovers, but the Esteban Knights were unfamiliar with the appearance of their leader.

Elysia moved to find her own barracks, not caring about the look that poured on her.

In front of her, she saw a beautiful lady with a bright blonde hair running towards her. It was Lumiere Blanch.

“Lady Lowell! You’re safe!”

“Long time no see.”

Lumiere finely folded her eyes and grabbed Elysia’s hand as if welcoming her.

“You are going to use the same barracks as me. I will guide you.”

As Lumiere spoke in a gentle voice, she took the lead.

It was uncomfortable since she was acting intimate enough to feel a little excessive, but Elysia followed her footsteps.

The inside of the barracks was bigger than expected. It was small, but there were two beds and a folding table between the beds. Elysia went to what appears to be her bed and sat down.

“I heard that everyone was rescued safely. I’m so glad.”

“Thank you. It must have been difficult to prepare the barracks by yourself.”

“It wasn’t that difficult because other people helped.”

Lumiere shrugs her shoulders.

‘Of course, they wouldn’t let you do it by yourself.’

Elysia could imagine the image for some reason.

She smiled a little. Looking at Lumiere’s bright smile, Elysia wondered how she could make such a smile.

“By the way, it’s really romantic.”

“What?”

“The Duke of Esteban came in person. As though he was taking a risk to save a loved one’s family.” Lumiere brought her hands together and opened her eyes.

Elysia tilted her head and forced a smile.

“Does it look like that?”

“Yes. Is it real that you fell in love with the Duke at first sight?”

Lumiere whispered quietly. With her face blushing, she nervously waited for Elysia’s answer.

“I’m more curious about the Lady’s relationship than that.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes. The day the Lady made her debut in the social world, it was noisy because you danced with His Majesty the Crown Prince?”

A bitterness smeared on Lumiere’s face. Elysia checked her expression and squeezed her chin. ‘Is it not going well?’

“I can’t tell you who it is, but... the person I like likes someone else. I think it’s going to end without a confession.”

‘What? Are you talking about me?’

Elysia thought that Revos could look like that to others.

“What does that matter? It’s not that he’s married, so you can just confess. You never know, right?”

“Really... Do you think so?”

Elysia nodded her head, with an earnest desire for Lumiere to quickly connect with Revos.

“Thank you, Lady. You are really kind.”

“I didn’t do much. So, what’s the schedule for today?”

Elysia had no intention of lengthening this story.

If Lumiere was misunderstanding, she was more likely to be stuck in it.

“There will be a meeting after dinner. The subjugation will probably start right away tomorrow?”

“Okay. I need to get some sleep. I’m tired.”

“Ah! That’s right. Take a break.”

It was a simple enough bed for only one person to lie down, but as she lay down, Elysia became drowsy.

***

Elysia, who attended the meeting, fell into trouble because of the subjugation method proposed by the wizards.

“Is it really possible to do that scale of magic?”

Besides the knight that raised the question, everyone was also waiting for Elysia’s mouth to open.

It all started with Lumiere Blanch’s opinion of gathering the monsters in one place for three days, then catching them all at once. However, it needed Elysia to succeed.

Although her magic is on an enormous scale, it was actually due to a lack of control. Elysia calmly told the facts because she had no desire to flaunt herself.

“It is possible to use magic on that scale, but the monsters will not die. No one can kill that many monsters in a single breath.”

“Then, let’s proceed as we always do.”

It was referring to the existing method of subjugation by dividing into zones and groups.

Elysia nodded and agreed with the opinion, as purple eyes caught her gaze. The gaze staring at her while pulling up the tail of his mouth made her feel uncomfortable. Cassian opened his mouth while looking at her.

“Do you have anything more to say?”

With Elysia clenching her teeth and giving a forced smile, she glanced at him. Nevertheless, his gaze at herself seemed unwilling to withdraw. Elysia reluctantly opened her mouth.

“I need help from assistant wizards and knights. In advance, a large magic circle is engraved in the place where the monsters are to be driven, so the Knights can lure the monsters there.”

Of course, the method suggested by Lumiere also needed the knights to gather monsters, but it was certainly more challenging to gather them to a designated place. Even if Elysia alone is splendid in magic, if she can’t kill or hit all monsters at once, their damage will increase.

“I mean, let’s strengthen your magic.”

“Yes, that’s right, but if anyone makes a mistake, we’ll die, not the monsters.”

There was silence in the barracks.

“Let’s try it. There is a suitable place. Knights and assistant wizards gather before dawn. Dismissed.”

Due to the early departure, everyone quickly scattered to go to bed early.

Elysia also rose from her seat to return to her barracks. She wanted to complain to Cassian, asking if he had to decide things that way, but she wanted to make a distinction between public and private matters, so she quickly turned her body.

“Duke. Do you have a moment?

She saw Lumiere talking to him with a shy expression.

She has a slightly curly, fine-grained blond hair that goes well with her immaculate skin, so Elysia thought she was pretty even for a woman. ‘But why do you laugh shyly while looking at Cassian?’ Elysia frowned her eyebrows in doubt.

Looking back, Cassian and her eyes met. After looking at each other for a few seconds, Elysia turned her head away first and left the barracks.

‘What. Why am I so annoyed.’

Elysia shook her head at the anxiety as she struggled.

‘I guess I’m sensitive. I shouldn’t need to care about these things...’ It doesn’t matter, doesn’t it? She tilted her head and took her steps.

Even if she’s in a contract relationship, they’re still a couple, right?

Elysia recalled the words when she was writing the contract, and she said she’d let each other go if they had someone they loved.

‘It’s bothering me!’

She felt odd that the robe Lumiere was wearing was white since she remembered her wearing the brown robe, same as the Imperial Wizards during the subjugation meeting before.

***

Lumiere didn’t come back for a while after that.

Elysia couldn’t sleep, so she kept tossing.

For Lumiere, the best and easiest result was for her to just connect with the Crown Prince like in the original story.

Cassian is a man who holds her weaknesses, but he is also a man who provides her with a decent meal.

If the male protagonist from the original and the heroine did not connect, she would have a hard time thinking about the relationship between her and Cassian, and things would be twisted.

The villain’s position was vacated, but she didn’t want anything to go wrong.

***

When she opened her eyes, Lumiere had already left the barracks. She was an assistant sorcerer, so she seemed to have been called early.

Elysia put on her robe, tying her hair high into a ponytail.

‘So, it turns out that the robe Lumiere was wearing yesterday was also white.’ She felt strange. However, she pushed those feelings away.

First of all, she had to focus on what to do today.

Even though she came out on time, she could see the backs of all the people gathered.

“The move has already started. After moving on a horse, take a little time in the vacant lot and move on foot.”

Elysia’s first sight of Cassian in armor captivated her. She thinks he’s a very handsome man.

Cassian was approaching her.

“Are you going to ride together with me?”

“Oh, I was going to ask a wizard to do that.”

She pointed not far away with her finger.

A man who looked like a decent wizard was riding on his horse.

Cassian folded down Elysia’s pointed fingers, and he climbed on his horse then reached out his hand to her. The moment she was trying to grab his hand, he lifted her waist.

At the same time, Elysia exhaled a little and opened her mouth at the glances around them.

“You just need to lift me. Do you seriously have to do this?”

There was bloody laughter from behind.

Two knights took the lead in order to inspect ahead, and Cassian’s horse followed.

Because he was wearing armor, the part that touched her back was very firm. As Elysia moved away to open her distance from Cassian, he asked curiously.

“Why do you keep moving forward? Are you nervous?”

“It’s too rigid.”

“Where?”

“The parts that touch me.”

The knights right behind them coughed, and their faces turned red.