Chapter 108: You Are In My Future

A cool sensation washed over me.

It was a temperature fitting for late autumn, but it felt foreign to me after having been plagued by heat for so long.

I slowly opened my eyes.

A pale light, as cold as the temperature, was filtering in. And eyes bluer than that light greeted me. The moment our eyes met, all my grogginess vanished.

Those jewel-like blue eyes I had coveted were looking only at me. It felt as though I could catch the scent of the forest.

Even though his pheromones were currently tucked away without a trace.

‘Am I really pregnant?’ ‘I still can’t feel it or even imagine it.’

Right now, the reality before me felt far more vivid than that unrealistic prospect. I couldn’t easily bring myself to speak to him.

It was overwhelming enough just to process the emotions weighing down on me like the heavy dawn air.

His feelings were being transmitted to me.

“Are you… feeling all right?” It was Philius who broke the silence.

His eyes, which looked chilly enough to seem cold at first glance, clearly held warmth directed at me.

“……I think I’m okay. Probably.”

Philius furrowed his brows at the answer I barely managed to squeeze out.

Only then was I able to relax my stiffly set lips.

“Do you not like the formal speech?”

“……That, too.”

“Philius.”

I called his name and let out a soft laugh.

It was because I could tell exactly what he was trying to hide from me.

“The victory ceremony is today, isn’t it?”

I saw the furrow between his brows deepen. That expression served as my answer.

“……That’s right.”

He finally admitted it after letting out a long exhale.

“If I hadn’t woken up in time…”

“……I wouldn’t have tried to wake you.”

At his low voice, I reached up with my arm while still lying down. In response to my gesture toward his face, he—who had been standing just a bit further than my reach—leaned down and pressed his forehead against my hand.

As I rubbed my fingers over the deep lines as if to smooth them out, he gave a bitter smile.

The Royal Mage had said he came only to deliver the invitation to the Duke because Philius was the one who had to channel the contaminated mana, but it wasn’t just the Duke of Westel who was invited; his fiancé was an invitee as well.

“I’m sure there will be something I can be useful for.”

“Jay.”

His face, which had seemed to be softening, turned firm again. I rubbed his forehead once more.

“You are in my future, too.”

It felt as if my words had cast a spell on him.

His expression froze as if time had stopped.

As he chewed and swallowed my words, his face gradually contorted. He looked as though he were in great pain, but I knew better. He was feeling an intense sense of rapture right now.

“Jay.”

His voice trembled.

“Could it be……”

As if something he hadn’t even dared to hope for had come true, he couldn’t let go of his doubt even amidst his joy.

His eyes, seeking confirmation from me, were nothing but desperate.

“I’ve imprinted on you.”

His blue eyes widened.

“Again.”

Philius spoke urgently.

“Say it again.”

“I’ve imprinted.”

I let my hand, which had been resting on his forehead, slide down. I stroked the bridge of his smooth nose and caressed his cheek, which was flushed with excitement.

Philius caught my hand as if snatching it away.

“On whom?” He buried his lips in my palm, revealing his desperation.

“On you.” “Who?” “You, Phil.”

When I returned the same answer repeatedly, only then did he seem to believe that what he heard was the truth.

His joy was transmitted to me as well.

“Then.”

He kissed my palm again.

His cool body temperature pressed down as hotly as a brand.

“Come with me to the victory ceremony.”

Just as he was reluctant to take me to the royal palace and before the King, I couldn’t let him go there alone either.

“……How could I possibly refuse?”

When I heard his low, subdued voice, I gave him my brightest smile. He nodded while stroking the corners of my eyes. The trembling of his hand was conveyed to me in its entirety.

****

I hadn’t realized how busy nobles became on the day of a banquet.

It was because Philius neither hosted nor attended banquets during the time I worked as his valet. I only learned how complicated the process of a banquet was after I took over the jewelry shop from Mr. Palmer.

It wasn’t just the day itself; complex preparations had to be made long before that.

There was a fierce battle of wits and desperate efforts to avoid embarrassment or, better yet, to stand out.

But we, on the contrary, spent our time leisurely.

We revived our appetites with light coffee and slowly tasted the dishes prepared with care by the chef, one by one, as if making up for the times we had been in too much of a hurry to do more than satisfy our hunger.

To other nobles who were practically starving themselves to look their best, we probably looked quite decadent.

After filling our stomachs, we took a stroll in the garden.

“It feels as if time has stopped here.”

When I spoke to him in a space that resembled the forest from my dreams, Philius furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why has your way of speaking reverted?”

“Do you find it disagreeable?”

“Very.”

I ended up letting out a laugh. I could feel that he was genuinely dissatisfied.

“I thought I should exercise some restraint.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel like you would give me anything I asked for if I used informal speech.”

“Have I ever refused you?”

“Occasionally.”

One of Philius’s eyebrows arched upward.

He seemed to be searching his memory, wanting to refute the claim that there were times he had refused me.

“Surely not.”

Eventually, he narrowed his eyes.

“You’re likely thinking of the right moment.”

I remember the time he had firmly pushed me away.

The time I had belatedly run to the plaza. The time I had wept incessantly as I watched him leave alone. A sudden wind blew.

It was a wind strong enough to make the rustling of leaves ring out loudly.

As if pushed by the wind, I stepped closer to him. He didn’t deny it, as if his thoughts from back then hadn’t changed even now.

I grabbed the lapels of his jacket. Just like when I had left tear stains on the flamboyant ceremonial uniform bestowed by the King, which Philius had to wear again today.

“I don’t regret that decision at all.”

Philius, recalling the same moment as I, spoke without a hint of hesitation.

“Because the moment we parted, I knew. That I had imprinted on you.”

“……Were you not afraid?”

“Not at all. To me, it was a blessing.”

Philius’s hand cupped my cheek.

“Make a request.”

“Of what?”

“Something I could never refuse.”

His thumb brushed over my lips. I knew what he wanted me to ask for. So, I gave him a command.

“……Kiss me.”

“As you command, gladly.”

His lips touched mine. I closed my eyes, which felt as though they might tear up.

It was around sunset when we began preparing to head to the banquet.

There was no need to spend a long time choosing clothes or accessories.

Philius had to wear that flamboyant red ceremonial uniform bestowed by the King, and I likewise chose black trousers and a red jacket to match him.

It went reasonably well with my hair and eyes, which appeared dark brown due to the perception-altering magic circle.

In fact, not just us, but the other attendees probably wouldn’t struggle to choose at least the color of their outfits.

Everyone would be wearing red. Since red was the cheapest dye, it was the reason the military uniforms became red, but whatever its origin, the red uniform had become a symbol of Henia itself.

Although its lack of utility in battle had been proven, even the color of the formal wear would not be changed.

It was obvious the officers would wear red jackets at the victory ceremony, and since it was an event for them, the other guests would also wear red-toned clothing.

If everyone wore similar colors, the only way to differentiate oneself was through accessories. Thanks to that, the sales of Palmer’s Jewelry, which had already been steadily rising, had jumped even higher.

High enough that even Paul, who always smiled, showed signs of exhaustion. It was an occasion where various gems would shine dazzlingly, but the only things I would wear were the necklace and ring I always wore.

Moreover, since no one could see the necklace, the only thing visible on the outside was the single ring.

It wasn’t that I lacked the confidence to create other accessories that would draw public attention, but I didn’t want to be noticed while in a form altered by the magic circle.

So, a single ring was enough.

“I finally get to open this.”

A ring was also slipped onto Philius’s hand, but he ended up wearing one more accessory.

It was a cravat made of yellow diamonds that I had crafted for him, and into which he had personally engraved a magic circle.

I had only changed one clasp during the final process, but Philius opened the jewelry box with a look of great anticipation.

I felt a bit embarrassed.

At the time I made that clasp, I was aware of my greed but hadn’t been able to find the courage. Still, I hadn’t been able to hide all of my desire.

“……Your name is engraved on it.”

Originally, it was a device with a pattern engraved on a gold alloy of the same size as the diamonds used in the string.

I had modified it belatedly.

I had added a blue rose-shaped ornament made using melee-sized blue diamonds. There are no blue roses here yet.

Thus, the blue rose signifies the impossible.

But in the other world I knew, people didn’t just dye white roses blue; they made natural blue roses bloom, and as a result, the blue rose came to mean a miracle.

I had engraved my name inside that miracle. In a place where it wouldn’t be easily noticed.

A smile drew across Philius’s lips as he found my name.