Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Translator: Yonnee

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It’s drizzling. The rain persistently drummed upon the eaves and rang pleasantly. I perched on the bed and furtively sat next to Albert, who was reading a book.

“Prince, I’m ready to learn magic.”

“I see.”

Albert just flipped a page on his book, nodding once with an aloof expression.

“…Aren’t you going to teach me?”

“Who knows.”

“But I really want to learn.”

“I don’t want you to learn magic.”

His eyes were still on the book, but as he said this, I was so taken aback that I was rendered speechless. Honestly, I didn’t know that Albert would rebuff me like this.

I thought he’d do the best he could to teach me how to use magic.

“Prince, I know you’re angry, but don’t you want me to live…?”

I chose my words cautiously so that I don’t strike a nerve. As long as I’m a dragon contractor, the ordeal was going to be inevitable. Albert knew this more than anyone else.

“You won’t die.”

“…But how will I overcome the ordeal without learning magic from you?”

“Who knows.”

My confusion just doubled when he repeated his words and gave me a wide smile.

…Was Albert actually an avoidant procrastinator? When faced with a problem that’s difficult to solve, did he tend to deny it first? Like, if you leave the problem alone, it’ll eventually get solved?

No, I mean, that’s impossible.

That’s absolutely not like the Albert I’ve seen. But maybe there’s something he’s been hiding…

I stared at Albert’s face. With a smile on his lips, even the way he turned his head to avoid my gaze was so picturesque.

He said that it’s impossible to reverse the contract once you’ve become a contractor, but what if that’s not the case? Did he find a way to cancel the contract altogether?

“Do you know how to break the contract, Prince?”

“There’s no such thing. Once you enter the contract, it will last forever. That’s the most frightening thing about it.”

As he spoke eloquently, he turned the pages of his book with a calm expression on his face.

But I knew exactly just how his tumultuous emotions were hidden behind this visage. I knew how angry he was when I first entered the contract, and I knew how anxious he was right now.

And there’s something more. I’m sure of it. Albert figured out how to deal with this without teaching me any magic and without breaking the contract.

Still, it was clear that he wouldn’t cough up the info no matter how many times I asked him. And regardless of what he’s up to now, there’s still a time buffer between since dealing with Rosteratu was going to be the priority for now. I’ll ask Liam about it later, and I’ll aim to learn magic first in the meantime.

Alright. Let’s do it this way—make a show of fear and stir up Albert’s sympathy. In any case, this person here is the recipient of Albert’s love, so.

“You have to teach me, Prince. I can’t even sleep at night while knowing that I might really die…”

I tried my best to look like a poor, kicked puppy while pouting my lips to the max. And in response, as though he thought I’m acting ridiculously, Albert crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes bent into curves.

“You slept so deeply last night that you wouldn’t have noticed if you were carried off.”

Busted.

“…But you went to bed first, Prince.”

“And I woke up first.”

Certainly, it’s true that Albert got up earlier than I did and even trained at the crack of dawn.

Wait a second, train? Training? That reminds me, didn’t Albert decide that he’ll help train Blanc every morning?

“Prince, you trained alone this morning.”

As I brought this up with a smile, Albert’s eyes narrowed. Endlessly quick-witted as he was, Albert seemed to have realized where I was getting with this.

I bravely continued as though I was a student presenting my assignment.

“Right. Didn’t you say that you’ll train with Blanc? Your Highness is a man of your word, after all, you are a great, amazing monarch who…”

“I can also recall. Wasn’t there a condition that you also have to train together?”

“I will do that tomorrow onwards, Prince. Today though, I think it would be much better to learn about magic than to train myself physically.”

There’s not much time left until we’re leaving this tower anyway. For this kind of hard work while waking up so early in the morning, wouldn’t it just be about a week?

…But it seemed like Albert wasn’t budging either. Huuu. Even if it’s an iron wall, this iron wall right here is no use. There’s no such thing as an iron wall when the person you like is attacking like this. If you don’t fall for it, then I don’t know how you even came to like me.

…Wait, that’s a bit of a conceited statement right there. I shook my head and let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s true that I’m still worried. I know I’ll survive somehow or another, but I have absolutely no clue how to do it. If I just know how to, even if I’m a little clumsy at it, so…”

Embarrassed, I scratched my head and pursed my lips tightly. Then, I bowed my head deeply. My hair flowed down on both sides of my face and blocked my view.

“I know it’s selfish of me to act like this after everything that happened, but may I please ask for your help?”

As I asked him for the final time, I raised my head.

Huu. Letting out a sigh, Albert closed his book and he slowly turned to face me.

His cold eyes were the same color as the sunset. This man, who didn’t know the meaning of the word compromise, vehemently stared at me with unreadable emotions flashing across his gaze.

Rising to his feet, Albert strode up to me. His hand reached to touch my hair, but it paused behind my left ear, and he now fiddled with my earlobe.

He’s wavering. Now then, I believe it’s time for me to strike. For an added effect, I clutched his hand tight and soon unleashed all the aegyo[1] I could muster in my entire life.

“Pretty pleeease?”

And for a moment, Albert froze in place. Expressionless, he blinked still with a placid expression. But then, at an angle, he leaned in close to me and whispered into my ear.

“If you ask that way, do you think that I can’t say no?”

Since I couldn’t see his face now, I was left confused. I couldn’t tell his reaction at all since his tone of voice was entirely even, neither high nor low.

I’ve never acted cute on purpose before, so I couldn’t tell if it’s working. His voice sounded angry to me. Um, I guess it backfired? Sure enough, even I thought that my behavior just now might have looked so awkward.

As I waited silently for his answer, I suddenly felt something damp and warm on my earlobe. In my surprise, I shivered.

“P-Prince?”

“You even know how to entice me as you please now.”

His voice dropped down to a lower register than I expected. His breath, which brushed against my ear, tickled me. I tried to move away from him, but he encircled one arm around my waist and drew me into his embrace.

“I don’t even know why I’m holding back anymore.”

¹ Aegyo in Korean refers to a cute display of affection often expressed through a cute voice, changes to speech, facial expressions, or gestures. Aegyo literally means behaving in a flirtatious, coquette-ish manner. ↩