After returning from the imperial palace party, Ascan had changed.

I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but I no longer needed to deliberately seek him out to see his face.

Or rather, should I say he no longer permitted me to avoid him?

Knock knock. Bishop knocked on my door and spoke.

“Young Lady, Master invites you to dine together. What shall you do?”

The embarrassment from our drunken kiss had largely faded, so I had no intention of avoiding him—but now it seemed he wouldn’t allow me to eat alone anymore.

“I’ll come right away. Where is Ascan?”

“He’s already waiting in the dining hall.”

“Understood.”

I still had gauze wrapped around my palm. As the physician had said, the wound wasn’t large, but it was quite deep and wouldn’t heal easily.

Following Bishop down to the dining hall, I saw Ascan already seated.

Our eyes met, and Ascan stood up as if he’d been waiting, pulling out the chair beside him to make it easier for me to sit.

It was a mannerly gesture any noble might perform, but since I’d never seen him act this way before, his sudden change left me slightly flustered.

Moreover, the table was so wide we could have sat apart—but because he pulled out the chair beside him, I ended up sitting right next to him almost by accident.

“Th, thank you.”

I sat down with an awkward smile, and Ascan replied,

“It’s only natural.”

Once both Ascan and I were seated, the chef arrived to introduce today’s menu.

He briefly explained each dish, from appetizer to dessert—what ingredients were used and how they were prepared. Today’s main course was lobster, my favorite.

As the food began to arrive, I happily picked up my spoon—but Ascan, noticing this, quietly spoke beside me.

“Give it here.”

“Huh?”

“Your hand is injured.”

Huh?

Ascan took my spoon away and, without delay, scooped food himself and offered it to me.

Anyone watching could clearly tell he intended to feed me.

“No, you really don’t have to do this.”

“It’s my fault you got hurt. You did it to help me get what I wanted.”

Actually…?

I injured myself to resist being hypnotized, didn’t I?

It felt as if countless question marks were floating inside my head.

Well, yes. Thinking about it, I had deliberately risked myself to help Ascan—so depending on perspective, his reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.

But I’d anticipated getting hurt and deliberately wore the ring on my left hand instead of my right, so eating posed no difficulty whatsoever.

Then why insist?

I stared at Ascan with a puzzled expression, but he simply shook his spoon like someone completely oblivious and urged me on.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m really fine eating by myself.”

Helpless, I opened my mouth slightly—and Ascan fed me.

I felt like a little child. It was embarrassingly awkward and ticklish, so I glanced nervously at the servants serving the food.

Noticing my gaze drifting elsewhere, Ascan gently cupped my cheek with his large hand and turned my head back toward him.

“Look here. I’m right here.”

“…Hrk!”

I choked, startled by his unexpected words. Ascan immediately handed me the water glass and asked with concern,

“Eat slowly. Should I tell everyone else to leave if they’re bothering you?”

“No. That’s unnecessary.”

Being alone together might lead to even stranger thoughts.

Whether Ascan understood my feelings or not, he merely smiled faintly and resumed feeding me.

Eating like a baby bird receiving food from its mother, it wasn’t long before the main course—lobster—arrived.

Ascan prepared a bite perfectly and placed it in my mouth—it was surprisingly comfortable.

When we first met, he was a slave, and I taught him dining etiquette. Now, he seemed even more skilled than I was at preparing food.

“Ascan, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“You… you obtained something this time, right?”

I deliberately avoided naming Calspeliver, in case someone overheard. But Ascan understood immediately and nodded.

“Yes. What do you want to know?”

“If you use it, won’t others notice? Have you thought about that aspect?”

The fact that Ascan stole Calspeliver implied he needed it for something. If anyone saw him wielding the sword, it could become dangerous.

He answered without hesitation, as if he’d already considered it.

“I plan to alter its appearance so no one will recognize it.”

Internally, I cheered, “Exactly!”—because this was one of the possibilities I’d anticipated he might consider.

“Have you decided who to entrust with the task?”

This wasn’t just any weapon—it was Calspeliver. Even merely altering its appearance required extremely difficult craftsmanship, possible only by a renowned scholar in magical engineering.

Moreover, since Ascan had to keep the existence of the real Calspeliver secret until death, finding the right person wouldn’t be easy.

Ascan looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “Could it be…?”

I smiled confidently and nodded.

“Shall I do it for you?”

Ascan frowned as if exasperated.

“I told you to rest comfortably until your wound heals—and all this time, you’ve been thinking about this?”

“What can I do? The idea just came to me. I also want to examine it closely myself.”

“You mean you want to research it?”

“Of course. Despite how I look…”

“You’re a genius in magical engineering.”

“Y, yes.”

Ascan chuckled helplessly at my words. It was only a faint smile, but since he rarely smiled, it looked quite lovely.

“I’ve already arranged someone to alter its appearance—but if you wish, I’ll make sure you can research it.”

“Does that mean… you’ll entrust it to me?”

“Yes.”

“Yesss!”

I cheered excitedly.

Calspeliver bore magical formulas I’d never seen before. The thought of researching an ancient weapon made my heart race.

Ascan watched me, seemingly surprised by my reaction.

“You’re that happy?”

“Of course. I intend to leave no unknown magical formula in this world.”

“I’ll say this in advance—I’ve granted permission, but not right now. Wait until your wound is fully healed.”

“Even if I postpone altering its appearance, studying it shouldn’t be a problem…”

“Don’t overexert yourself. You promised me—you’d treat yourself as your most precious priority.”

I had made that promise, but researching wouldn’t reopen my wound.

I was about to argue—but Ascan spoke faster.

“Write down whatever you need. I’ll find you a suitable workshop.”

Altering Calspeliver’s appearance required several expensive magical engineering machines.

Though the Arwen Empire’s research lab had all the necessary equipment, since we needed to work here, a new space was indeed required.

It was disappointing I couldn’t study Calspeliver immediately—but upon reflection, it wasn’t a weapon I could casually pull out and examine anywhere.

Since I needed a secret place to research and alter its appearance, I reluctantly accepted.

I pouted slightly and replied,

“Fine. I’ll write it down soon.”

Ascan nodded and again scooped lobster onto his spoon, offering it to me in an easy-to-eat manner.

I gobbled it up. Though initially embarrassed, after repeated bites, I grew accustomed to it—even comfortable.

I subtly pointed my finger toward the salad and said,

“Give me some of that too.”

Ascan immediately brought me the salad.

As I happily chewed, he gazed at me with an admiring expression and said,

“You look lovely when you eat well.”

…Huh?

Though startled by the unexpected compliment, it wasn’t untrue—so I obediently nodded in agreement.

“I am rather pretty, aren’t I?”

At my words, Ascan’s eyes crinkled into a smile—a dazzling, almost hypnotic smile.

His handsome face kept smiling at me, making my mood strangely fluttery.

Distracted by Ascan, I failed to notice the salad dressing on the spoon he offered me smeared onto my lips.

Since I wasn’t feeding myself but receiving food from someone else, it was easier than usual for sauce to smear around my mouth.

As I reached for a napkin to wipe it off—

Ascan’s hand had already cupped my cheek. Then, with a gentle swipe of his finger, he wiped the sauce from my lips.

Even though it was just his finger brushing against me, it felt oddly sensual. Startled, I widened my eyes and stared at him.

What followed was even more astonishing.

Ascan calmly tasted the sauce on his finger with his red tongue.

“…!”

What… what was that?

Ascan looked completely unfazed, but I froze stiff in shock.

Had I seen wrong? No matter how I thought about it, it was definitely real.

“As expected—you really can’t manage without me.”

“No….”

“If you’d eaten with your injured hand, it would’ve been worse. I’ll have no choice but to feed you every meal from now on.”

The important thing wasn’t that I’d smeared sauce on my lips—it was that Ascan had casually tasted it.

“You… you… did you eat something strange today?”

I was utterly bewildered, yet Ascan remained inexplicably calm.

“What’s wrong? When you expressed affection toward me, you didn’t realize how shy it would feel to receive it in return?”

He was right. When I chased after Ascan, I hadn’t noticed—but now that he was being excessively kind, I didn’t know how to react.

Noticing my emotions, Ascan continued with a meaningful smile.

“It’s still a bit too early to say such things.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you after we finish eating.”

His tone suggested something even more tremendous awaited afterward.

I hadn’t yet adjusted to Ascan’s sudden change. My heart pounded rapidly, loudly asserting its presence.

Ascan again placed perfectly prepared lobster onto his spoon and offered it.

“Ah, open up.”

Shortly afterward, once we finished eating, Ascan stood and said,

“Shall we take a walk together?”

I thought he meant a stroll to aid digestion—but after what had just happened, his words didn’t sound ordinary at all.

‘What? This feels suspicious.’

I eyed Ascan warily, as if hesitating whether to follow him like plucking petals one by one.

When I didn’t move, Ascan turned back with his picture-perfect face and asked,

“Don’t you want to?”

“No….”

Oops!

My answer came out faster than I intended.

With that face asking me, how could I possibly refuse?

‘Ah, how foolish of me to be bewitched by mere beauty.’

Scolding myself inwardly, I stood up. I didn’t know what awaited me, but I understood Ascan wanted to go somewhere with me.

Though I’d hesitated at first, curiosity grew. Since I’d already agreed to go, I boldly followed Ascan.

I thought I knew most places in this mansion after staying here for a while—but the path Ascan was taking was completely unfamiliar.

“Where are we going? I thought you said we’d take a walk?”

“There’s something I want to show you.”

“Something to show me?”

His unexpected words made me ask again.

I’d always thought this was an ordinary mansion—but suddenly, we were walking through a secret passage where not a single servant was visible.

I was amazed this hidden space existed within the mansion.

I glanced around and asked,

“Where does this lead?”

“You’ll know when we arrive.”

Ascan kept avoiding direct answers, making me intensely curious about what awaited at the end of this passage.

Soon, a heavily locked door appeared before us.

Ascan took a key from his pocket, unlocked it, and swung open the thick door with practiced ease.

Creeeak—

As the door opened with a metallic groan, unimaginable objects came into view.

Tiara, necklace, earrings, bracelets, rings, anklets…

It was as if all the world’s accessories had gathered here.

It wasn’t merely piled-up gold and jewels—it felt deliberately arranged, a mountain composed solely of gems and ornaments meant for women.

“All of this…”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

The Brellof family was wealthy, and I’d earned no small fortune as a weapons merchant—but I’d never seen jewels and ornaments stacked like this.

I’d bet even a typical jeweler wouldn’t possess such an abundance.

I stared at Ascan in astonishment. I’d expected wealth from him—he was a Count of Kalua Empire and Captain of the Imperial Guard—but this surpassed all imagination.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s not about whether I like it or not. You… you’re incredibly rich.”

While I stood there dumbfounded, Ascan picked up a diamond tiara nearby and placed it gently on my head.

“Ah! What are you doing?”

“From now on, it’s yours.”

“Did you call me here just to gift me a tiara?”

I hadn’t expected Ascan to prepare such a surprise gift. Was this his way of thanking me for helping him steal Calspeliver?

As I awkwardly touched the tiara on my head, he spoke softly,

“I’m not just talking about the tiara.”

Huh?

“Everything in this room belongs to you.”

Huh?

My jaw dropped in shock. As the eldest daughter of House Brellof, I’d lived in economic comfort—but I’d never received a gift of such overwhelming scale.