Felyn slowly woke up in bed, unsure of how much time had passed.
Staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, he found the strangely familiar feeling somewhat irritating.
Don't tell me I transmigrated again?
The room was elegantly and luxuriously furnished.
Delicate golden wallpaper was adorned with intricate patterns that glowed softly under the crystal chandelier's light.
White lace curtains draped the floor-to-ceiling windows, swaying gently in the breeze, bringing in the scent of roses from the garden.
Hearing the sound of a doorknob turning, Felyn quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
“Miss Viloti, Lord Silafiel is already a little upset. You just used a seventh-tier spell sigil on the eldest daughter of the Claude family. If you don’t have a good explanation…”
“I was saving someone.”
“But Miss Viloti…”
“Sorry, I want to be alone right now, okay?”
With his eyes closed, Felyn could only piece together what had happened through their conversation.
Assuming he wasn’t completely confused, the events went something like this:
He and Adelina had been exploring the dungeon.
Then Viloti used a seventh-tier spell sigil—strong enough to wipe out a whole city—on Adelina.
Adelina’s guards showed up in time to save her, but Felyn didn’t have any protection and ended up getting kidnapped by Viloti and brought here.
Insane.
Felyn realized he had still underestimated this world.
He couldn’t think of any reason why Viloti would attack Adelina.
Could this be some kind of power struggle between noble families?
But there hadn’t been any rumors of tension between the two houses.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties from the Claude family. Miss Viloti, you really mustn’t act so recklessly next time!”
The older voice gradually faded away.
Felyn, still pretending to be asleep, heard the sound of footsteps.
Sometimes, voices are strange things—just from the tone and rhythm, you can tell what kind of beautiful girl is approaching.
Viloti came to Felyn’s bedside and stood silently.
Her long pink hair fell gently over her shoulders, and her amber eyes rested on Felyn’s face.
She wore a pale-colored dress, looking every bit like a princess from a fairytale.
Viloti stood there, unmoving, for five whole minutes before a hint of nervousness finally appeared in her gaze.
She slowly reached out a hand toward Felyn’s face.
Her hair brushed against his chest, letting him catch the faint fragrance of the girl.
That gem-studded hand hovered just three centimeters from his cheek, close enough to feel his breath.
A faint blush rose along Viloti’s pale neck as she quickly pulled her hand back and covered it with the other.
“Ugh… my head hurts.”
Felyn groaned softly, signaling he was waking up.
“Where is this place?”
He blinked, looking up at the person standing by his bed.
The sunset cast a soft glow around Viloti’s silhouette, forming a halo behind her.
She stood there, bathed in warm light, even the tips of her hair tinged orange.
“My home. You were kidnapped.”
I know. You’re the one who did it.
“So, you kidnapped me because…”
Viloti tilted her head slightly, staring at him.
“You were kidnapped by Adelina. I saved you.”
Felyn was baffled.
It felt like he’d accidentally skipped an entire arc while binge-watching a series—like he'd hit the "next episode" button twice in a row.
“Adelina… kidnapped me?”
Okay, it was something similar.
“I happened to be in the dungeon today too, and I saw Adelina with a lot of guards. Then I saw you with her.”
Viloti took a deep breath and spoke softly.
“When I saw your forced smile, I knew you’d been kidnapped.”
My forced smile?
No way!
Felyn felt his sense of professional pride got challenged.
There was absolutely no way his expression could be described with something like a forced smile!
He’d spent countless nights practicing in front of the mirror to perfect the most natural facial expressions. Even in sleep or while sleepwalking, he could maintain a genuine, heartfelt smile.
So how did Viloti even spot that from so far away?
“Uh, just wondering—why did you think I was forcing a smile?”
Viloti raised a brow, as if she’d heard something unbelievable.
“You only smile like that at me. What’s so strange about that? Obviously, Adelina must have been forcing you.”
This is bad.
That’s a dangerous comment.
What am I to her, some kind of toy?
Felyn lay back with his arms spread wide, trying not to think about the possibilities.
Exhausted. Truly exhausted.
“Adelina had a lot of guards, right? How did you kidna—save me?”
“I used a seventh-tier spell seal. It instantly clouds people’s awareness but doesn’t harm anyone.”
A seventh-tier seal. That’s a rare high-grade item you can’t even buy for ten million crowns.
She used it just like that. As expected of a noble lady.
“Miss Viloti, I really appreciate you saving me.”
Felyn lifted the blanket and saw that his clothes had been changed into silk pajamas.
“Thank you. I’m okay now, so I won’t bother you any further.”
He glanced at Viloti nervously, worried she might show some scary reaction.
“Got it.”
Viloti nodded, her expression neutral.
“Your clothes got dirty during the rescue. As compensation, I’ll have someone custom-make you a new set.”
Before Felyn could refuse, Viloti clapped her hands, summoning the butler from outside the door.
“Yes, young lady. We’ll begin right away.”
Felyn had no desire to be financially entangled with Viloti. He was about to refuse again—
But when he saw the maids walking in from the door, his heart nearly stopped.
He couldn’t think about anything else anymore.
Maids. Real maids!
Wearing maid uniforms!
It’s great to be alive.
Just imagining those adorable maid girls, blushing shyly while taking his measurements and gently touching his body...
Amazing!
“Why not use male attendants?”
Viloti’s cold voice shattered Felyn’s fantasy.
“My apologies, young lady. I’ll switch them out right away.”
The light in Felyn’s eyes went out. He gave up. He turned to stone.
“My apologies.”
Several older male attendants stepped in, took off his pajamas, and began measuring his body with soft measuring tapes.
Felyn sighed—then suddenly realized something was off.
Why hadn’t Viloti left yet?
Even though his back was to her, he could still smell her signature hair fragrance.
Viloti was still standing there, hands folded in front of her, gripping her skirt.
She’d forgotten to leave!
She had been so focused on keeping the maids away from Felyn that she completely forgot she was supposed to go too.
What now? If she leaves now, wouldn’t that be admitting she was embarrassed?
If I just stand still here, maybe no one will notice.
Viloti forced herself to keep looking at Felyn’s back. She didn’t notice her breathing had quickened.
Her gaze unintentionally lingered on his back.
The boy’s slender but toned frame stood out clearly under the light.
Viloti felt her face grow hotter. She pressed her hands to her cheeks, trying to cool down.
“Young lady, we’ve finished the measurements. The new outfit will be ready in an hour.”
“U-understood.”
The attendants gave a respectful bow, left behind a temporary change of clothes, and quietly closed the door behind them.
“Um, Miss Viloti. I really appreciate everything you’ve done, but you don’t need to compensate me.”
“Huh?”
Viloti turned, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
“You’re compensating me, right? Because you feel bad that people criticized me so much for chasing after you, and you think my life’s been tough because of that—so you wanted to help me?”
Felyn put on the temporary outfit, his fingers brushing the gold thread embroidery on the sleeve.
The twilight dimmed, and the last trace of red from the sunset slowly faded from the sky.
The rose garden outside was wrapped in dusk, petals dotted with fine dewdrops like silent tears.
“Miss Viloti, you really are kind. I’m very grateful for everything you’ve done for me.”
Is that really it?
Viloti asked herself silently.
She couldn’t explain the reason behind her own actions.
(End of Chapter)