DSFL | Chapter 87

~Chapter 87~

I couldn’t take my eyes off Peril’s face for a moment. Seeing that, he waved his hand in front of me with a small smile.

“Still feels like a dream? You said we’d meet here again, remember?”

“……”

“I came to keep that promise.”

Only then did I start noticing my surroundings. We were back in the auction house. Many people were still asleep, not yet awakened from the dream.

I glanced at Ricardo, who was sitting beside me. His forehead was drenched in sweat like he was having a nightmare.

…This is why I told him not to come with me.

“There’s a magic circle set up around the auction house.”

“Yeah. Lily worked pretty hard on it. Which made things harder for me too.”

He said that with a mocking tone.

“L-Lady Lily was just…”

I was about to defend her, saying she did it for him, but I stopped. It suddenly felt like that wasn’t such a good idea after all.

I awkwardly moved my lips but said nothing. Then, Peril quietly spoke.

“Still, thanks to it, I found the answer I was looking for.”

His words made no sense to me, and I just blinked at him. He then playfully pinched my cheek.

This is how the grateful crow repays me, huh… I sighed internally.

“That’s your way of saying thank you, isn’t it?”

“You’re quick-witted. I like that.”

Peril finally let go of my sore cheek. I rubbed it and stood up with him.

“Shouldn’t we wake the others?”

We couldn’t leave Ricardo like this.

Before I finished, Peril shot a very unfriendly look at him.

Even enemies don’t get looked at like that.

“C-Can you ease up on the glare a little?”

“No.”

So firm…

Feeling a bit intimidated, I tried saying it a different way.

“…Everyone’s going to wake up soon. Is it okay for us to just stay here?”

“You should be more worried about yourself.”

His voice was slightly scolding. His gaze burned with an emotion I couldn’t quite name.

When I tilted my head at him, he avoided my eyes.

After a pause, Peril snapped his fingers. A soft, sparkling light filled the dark auction house.

“……!”

Startled, I reached out and grabbed Peril, but he gently removed my hand.

“I’m not asking you to handle the aftermath.”

What on earth is he planning?

His gaze skipped past me and moved toward the back.

“You should’ve stayed asleep.”

Uneasy, I looked behind me—and saw Ricardo standing stiffly.

“No reason to get up yet.”

But Ricardo ignored him completely.

“We should go now.”

Though his words said one thing, his eyes scanned me from head to toe—intensely.

“It’s possible you’re hurt. Let’s check first—”

“What’s the point of having a Grand Mage if you never use him?”

Peril pulled me closer. Warmth spread from where he touched me, and soft light flowed from his hand onto my forehead.

“Have a peaceful night.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The atmosphere was strange and awkward, and I fidgeted a bit. Peril just smiled at me with twinkling eyes. That look—it was different than usual.

“Earlier, you made a promise.”

“Huh? O-Oh. Right.”

“Keep it.”

I nodded carefully. He smiled, satisfied.

“I’m your mage, after all.”

His hand moved from my forehead to gently brush through my hair—so delicately, like he was touching something precious.

A lock of hair slipped through his fingers.

Just as he leaned down to kiss the end of it—

“……!”

Ricardo suddenly stepped in between us.

“That’s too much for healing.”

“And what would a man who only knows how to swing a sword know about magic?”

Peril scoffed at him.

“How dare you block a Grand Mage?”

“Funny. I remember a certain Grand Mage once asking if we looked like lovers. Seems like you’re old enough to forget that now.”

Peril was smiling, but it was obvious he was angry. Still, he chuckled a little.

“If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have even considered meeting you.”

Ricardo’s eyes darkened. His words hurt me too.

“On the night of the ball, I had no intention of seeing you.”

“Ohh. So that’s why you looked so upset.”

Ricardo forced a calm expression.

I didn’t expect to be reminded of that night in such a blunt way…

“Ow, my head…”

Then, people in the auction house slowly began to wake up.

“Is that… the Tower Master?”

One by one, people started to recognize Peril.

Ricardo quickly covered my face with his robe and led me out of the auction hall.

I glanced back, worried about Peril, but Ricardo pulled the hood lower over my face.

“It’s true! The Tower Master’s awake!”

The crowd stirred. For some reason, I could almost hear Peril’s mocking laughter from behind us.

***

Later

“Stop…!”

“……”

“I said stop already!”

Even after I yelled in frustration, Ricardo didn’t stop.

He kept wiping my face with a handkerchief like he couldn’t hear me.

“Ugh! I told you to stop!”

He wiped so hard it felt like he was trying to scrub off Peril’s touch. Then he even started fixing my hair.

“You’re going to give me static shock!”

At this rate, I’d look like a lion.

“This still isn’t enough.”

He answered so seriously that it made me feel like I was overreacting.

“I was healed by a mage. What’s the problem?”

“There are many problems.”

“Like what?”

“……”

“Hah.”

He wouldn’t answer but kept rubbing my face. I glared at him, and finally, Ricardo lowered his hand with a pouty face.

I sighed in relief as we reached the front of the Roygin estate.

‘After today, I probably won’t see Ricardo again.’

Unless it was at an official event, we had no reason to meet anymore.

Thinking that, I handed him the robe.

“Thanks for today.”

But he didn’t take it. He hesitated, then quietly said,

“Return it to me next time.”

I blinked, surprised. Then, with more confidence, he added,

“As you can see, my hands are full.”

But he couldn’t even hide how awkward he looked with his hands behind his back.

As the silence stretched, he grew more and more nervous.

“…Then I’ll stop by sometime.”

I said softly, after a long pause.

“I’ll be waiting.”

His pale face turned rosy pink.

In that moment, I felt a strange flutter in my chest.

***

Some days later

Peril was undoubtedly a Grand Mage.

I already knew that—but after everything that happened, it hit me again.

‘My body feels way too comfortable.’

I’d slept deeply for days, without a single dream.

Before the second auction started, I safely delivered the necklace to the Moon Shop. Penny had returned to the underground market and was busy again.

“Thanks to Peril, the social scene is buzzing as well.”

The royal family didn’t seem too happy about his sudden reappearance.

I stretched and yawned, feeling stiff.

“Young Lady, shall I bring you some tea?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Still… what should I do about that?

Seeing the massive pile of letters, I couldn’t help but sigh. Emily smiled knowingly.

“You will want tea, won’t you?”

“Mmm.”

“I know you best, after all! I’ll go get it!”

Hiding my embarrassment, I started sifting through the invitations. Then, one particular crest caught my eye.

Like I was under a spell, I picked it up.

…The Cardiff Social Club?

On the surface, it looked like a normal social club, but its members were mostly from families tied to the temple.

People like Leon.

In the original story, it wasn’t a very important group. And in society, it was never particularly flashy or popular. Not much was known about them.

So receiving an invitation from them was surprising.

Why did they send me this?

There’s no way anyone knew I met Brandon.

And the Roygin family doesn’t even produce priests.

“Coming in.”

Just then, I heard Cedric’s voice from outside the door.