Every high noble family, like the Esper family, was equipped with a magic communication orb connected to the imperial family.

The magic communication orb was a means of quick contact, but it consumed an unnecessarily large amount of mana, so it was rarely used unless there was an urgent matter.

However, when the magic communication orb started glimmering, Dewey, thinking an urgent message had come from the imperial family, immediately grabbed the orb and ran to Kalos.

After dismissing everyone and remaining alone in his office, Kalos touched the magic communication orb, and the blue orb filled with the face of a man who appeared to be in his early twenties.

“Are you alright, Master!”

That man was none other than Jerdin Darol Ru Kaisa, the Crown Prince of the Luman Empire.

Long ago, hoping that the tender-hearted Jerdin would grow up strong, the current emperor had entrusted him to Kalos. That period lasted for a whole 10 years.

Perhaps because of that, Jerdin was the only one among the imperial family who knew Kalos’s true identity and wasn’t afraid or intimidated by him.

Rather, he expressed excessive familiarity and clung to Kalos, which was quite bothersome from Kalos’s perspective.

But now, he was glad. Once he knew that the temple side was showing suspicious movements, there was something Jerdin had to do.

“What’s the matter?”

But pretending as if nothing was wrong, Kalos asked calmly. Jerdin shouted as if he was about to jump up.

“What do you mean, what’s the matter! I contacted you because I was worried after hearing that you were bewitched by a witch!”

“You contacted me quite quickly.”

It had been four days since the temple published the problematic article.

Honestly, Kalos thought Jerdin would contact him the very next day. There was no way Jerdin would stay quiet after seeing that article.

But for him to contact only now. There must be something going on.

“What? I contacted you as soon as I heard the news.”

There really was something going on. Kalos leaned back crookedly, resting his chin on his hand.

“So the rumor has spread in the capital now, it seems?”

“Yes. To be precise, the rumor started circulating last night, and this morning, my aide heard the rumor and informed me.”

“It’s a rumor that spread, not a newspaper article, right?”

“There was a newspaper article too?”

When Kalos asked again, Jerdin replied in surprise.

“Which temple published the newspaper?”

“The Monsera Temple. The one in Kaman territory.”

“If it’s Kaman territory, it’s not that far from the capital, so why hasn’t the newspaper spread here?”

“Someone must have blocked it.”

For instance, the Pope. Or it could be one of those archbishops.

If not them, it could be that guy, or they might have joined hands for their respective purposes.

Well, with so many enemies, it’s hard to narrow down the suspects. Kalos inwardly chuckled.

“I was planning to contact you anyway, so this works out well.”

Kalos had planned to wait until today, and if he didn’t hear from Jerdin, he was going to contact him directly.

“Come here within a week.”

“…Pardon?”

Jerdin asked back with a half-dazed expression.

“You mean, come to Esper territory within a week?”

“Yes.”

“As far as I know, it takes at least ten days to get from the capital to Esper territory, even at the fastest.”

“It’s possible if you reduce sleeping time.”

It meant to come without making excuses. Jerdin groaned and rubbed his forehead.

“…I think you’re the only one who treats the Crown Prince so casually.”

“And you’re the only one who clings to me like this.”

“Well, that’s because I’m not an ordinary person, but your disciple. Your lovely disciple.”

Lovely my foot. Kalos, not feeling it was worth responding to, was about to end the communication when Jerdin shouted urgently.

“W-wait a moment! You should at least explain why you’re suddenly telling me to come!”

Kalos smiled coldly.

“If you’re my lovely disciple, you should be able to figure that out on your own.”

Why does the word ‘lovely’ sound so chilling? While Jerdin was frozen, Kalos ended the magic communication.

Then he asked the servant waiting outside the office.

“Where is that woman now?”

Having resolved one issue, it was time to solve the next problem.

*

After receiving the library key from Kalos, Irene spent most of her days reading books in the library.

For Irene, who could now freely read the books she liked, it was like a dream come true, but not for Jessie. She was so bored that her body was twisting.

“I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I’ll be back shortly, miss! Don’t go anywhere, make sure to stay right here!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Jessie made an excuse about having an urgent matter and slipped out of the library.

Even after Jessie left, Irene continued to sit in the same spot, reading her book. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice when Kalos opened the door and entered.

Kalos thought about calling out to Irene, but seeing her read so seriously, he felt he shouldn’t disturb her and waited quietly.

How much time had passed like that? Her eyes became dry from concentrating too much, and Irene rubbed her eyes and looked up.

“Oh?”

Soon she discovered the purple eyes staring at her intently, and she stood up from her seat with a gasp. The book that had been on her lap fell with a loud noise.

“Master!”

Kalos’s eyebrows raised at the strange form of address.

“Why am I your master?”

Ah, is this not the right way to address him?

Since Dewey and Jessie called Kalos ‘master’, Irene had also called him ‘master’, but it seems it was the wrong form of address.

Then should she call him ‘Your Grace the Duke’?

Or perhaps ‘Lord’?

Irene hesitated, unable to quite figure it out.

Kalos, who had been staring at her silently, suddenly spoke.

“You can call me ‘Your Grace’.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Irene quickly picked up the answer Kalos had thrown.

Only then did Kalos straighten up from where he had been leaning against the bookshelf.

“Were you reading a book?”

As Kalos’s gaze fell on the book that had dropped to the floor, Irene quickly picked it up.

“What book is it?”

“It’s a book called ‘Does God Exist’ by Sapphid Henmon.”

Sapphid Henmon was a famous philosopher who lived about 100 years ago, and naturally, the book he wrote was a high-level philosophical text difficult for ordinary people to understand.

But Irene was reading it, which was surprising and interesting.

“Do you understand the content as you read it?”

It wasn’t a question meant to mock or disregard her. He asked out of genuine curiosity, but Irene’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“I’m sorry.”

Only then realizing that the question might be unpleasant from the receiver’s perspective, Kalos apologized. Irene shook her head, still blushing.

“It’s alright. And regarding the book’s content… I don’t understand all of it, but I do understand to some extent.”

“I see.”

An awkward silence fell after Kalos’s reply.

Usually, when such silence fell, Irene would be at a loss and restless, but this time it was the opposite.

Kalos, not liking the silence that made him feel unnecessarily anxious, opened his lips.

“Pigeons will be coming soon.”

Irene blinked slowly. She didn’t understand what he meant by pigeons.

Surely he wasn’t talking about actual pigeons.

“It means priests sent by the temple side are coming.”

“Ah.”

Finally understanding, Irene nodded. Since priests visiting the territory was a common occurrence, she didn’t think much of it, but wondered why he was telling her this.

“The priests are coming to meet you. To check if you’re a witch.”

“…!”

As the question was resolved, shock came. The color drained from Irene’s face. Overlapping with the experiences she had in Silas’s territory, her hands trembled.

“I, I’m not a witch.”

Irene clutched her skirt tightly with trembling hands and spoke incoherently.

“I’m not a witch, but they will condemn me as one. Just like the lord did, they will, they will…”

“Calm down.”

Kalos stepped forward and grabbed Irene’s shoulders.

“I know that you’re not a witch.”

Irene had said countless times until now that she wasn’t a witch, that she was an ordinary human.

But no one believed her words. Instead, they yelled at her not to lie and beat her.

And yet, for the first time, someone appeared who believed her words.

The fact that this person was the Duke of Esper whom she had feared so much was somewhat bitter… but she was relieved that at least one person existed who believed her.

“Those bastards won’t lay a finger on you.”

A low voice resonated heavily over her bowed head.

“I promise.”

Perhaps because Kalos believed her words, Irene could readily believe his words too.

“So, there’s something I need you to do.”

Seeing that Irene seemed to have calmed down, Kalos brought up the real reason he had come to see her.

Something to do. Irene’s mind, which had been dazed from various shocks, snapped to attention. She clasped her hands together, which had been clutching her skirt so tightly it wrinkled, and nodded.

“Please tell me.”

It was a solemn expression as if she was ready to do anything. Kalos smiled contentedly.

“That’s a good attitude. I was worried about how you’d react to hearing this, but I’m glad.”

What kind of task could it be for him to say such things? Irene clasped her hands tightly again, but for a different reason than before.

“The temple side thinks that I’ve been bewitched by you, a witch, and that’s why I brought you here.”

Kalos continued.

“I’m going to make that statement a reality.”

“…Pardon?”

What did I just hear? Irene’s eyes widened.

“Does that mean… you’re going to turn me into a witch?”

A chuckle escaped from his thin lips.

“I don’t understand why your focus is there.”

So does that mean it’s not?

“What I’m trying to make real is the part about me falling for you. To be precise, we’ll be acting as if it’s true.”

Kalos kindly added an explanation for the bewildered Irene.

“People are strangely obsessed with others’ love stories. So if we spread that part as a rumor, the false rumors about you being a witch will disappear.”

Ah, I see! Finally understanding what Kalos was trying to do, Irene nodded her head vigorously.

“But it’s not enough if I’m the only one in love.”

Kalos added.

“You’ll have to pretend to like me too.”

At those words, Irene’s expression darkened again.

Kalos crossed his arms and tilted his head askew.

“You must really dislike me.”

“Th-that’s not it!”

Irene denied it in shock, but unfortunately, Kalos didn’t believe her words.

He didn’t think about it anew. It was a fact he already knew.

“Even if you dislike me, pretend to like me when the pigeons come. That’s the only way you can clear your name of being a witch.”

Irene lowered her gaze for a long time and expressed her opinion in a small voice.

“…I really don’t dislike Your Grace.”

“I understand.”

Kalos patted Irene’s bowed head.

“Then I’ll be looking forward to your act of truly not disliking me.”