Glancing her head, it was a direction where the stars couldn’t be seen well due to the thick trees, as anyone could see. Jade shook her head.

Even after that, the man continued to suggest places to go without rest. A corridor with great paintings, stairs that could secretly lead to a flat roof, a fountain where they could dip their feet.

Jade consistently refused. It was obvious that all those places would be secluded.

At that, the man seemed quite irritated. His slow smile disappeared, and he suddenly started threatening her.

“Ha, seeing you out in the night garden, you must know everything and are just playing hard to get, right? Don’t needlessly resist. It’s a waste of time!”

A rough hand tried to grab Jade’s wrist. She quickly dodged and warned him as if sighing.

“What meaning does the garden have? I think I’ve already refused multiple times. Don’t you agree?”

“Heh, I bet you’re judging, picking and choosing men with those innocent eyes, but you’d better be satisfied with what you can get.”

In the end, the rough hand grabbed her slender forearm. Her arm was completely engulfed by the man’s brutish hand.

At times like this, Jade was newly thankful for being a mage. Because she could teach a lesson to these rude bastards who acted as if being out in the garden was a signal to drag a woman away.

With a single syllable, flames shot up behind her like wings. Jade warned in an annoyed voice.

“Let go and leave.”

The man backed away in great surprise, then regained his senses and put on airs.

“E-Even if you do that, if I’m close you won’t be able to use-”

“Yeah. If you’re close, fists would be faster anyways. Less dangerous too.”

Right?

A slow voice echoed threateningly. There were no footsteps heard, so before the surprised man could even raise his head, his shoulder was gripped and twisted in an instant.

“Let go of her hand.”

“Wha-what, argh!”

A fierce force started pressing as if to break his shoulder blade. The man writhed.

“What are you doing, ugh, let go!”

“I told you to let go of that hand first.”

The voice was definitely very low and soft, but it was so excessively soft that it sounded threatening instead. Like the side of a blade brushing against skin, it gave him goosebumps.

The moment the man let go of Jade’s arm, Axel also let go of the man’s shoulder. The man ran away with his tail between his legs without looking back.

Jade hummed a small spell. The flames drew a faint line as they flew and turned the back of the man’s hair into ashes.

Sighing deeply as if suppressing something, Axel wiped his face again with his large hand. Once, twice, three times.

Each time, the coldness remaining in his eyes slowly disappeared.

Finally, he rebuked in a low voice.

“Jade, how many times have I told you to be careful-”

She didn’t want to hear the nagging. Jade grabbed Axel’s wrist tightly. And she pushed him forcefully.

Even the sturdy knight had no choice against a movement he absolutely did not expect.

Even in that short moment of falling, Axel completely enveloped her in his arms to protect her safely. They fell under the shade of a tree, into the dark bushes.

Against a background of fallen leaves on the ground, Axel gritted his teeth and shouted lowly.

“Jade!”

I said I don’t like nagging.

Jade lowered her head as if climbing on top of him who had fallen. As her soft lips touched the man’s ear, he flinched greatly.

Jade whispered without caring.

“What did you talk about with that woman?”

“What nonsense are you saying? That woman, who?”

“I’m talking about Grace Tanner.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Lady Grace? We didn’t talk about anything special.”

“Then why were you laughing like that?”

Under the dim shadows, faces couldn’t be clearly seen. Instead, she understood him through fingers and lips. Slightly furrowed brows and a jawline tensed as if strained.

The moment she saw Axel appear behind the man with his clothes disheveled, all her patience wore out.

She decided to reveal her complete self. What’s the point of only showing the good side? I’m saying I can’t give any part of you to anyone else.

Is jealousy bad? Doesn’t it inevitably come with affection? Then it’s not strange to reveal it. Right? It’s not something to be ashamed of either.

Even while pushing these new thoughts onto herself, they felt very persuasive.

Because, even by doing this, she never wanted to see him smiling intimately with someone else again.

Perhaps surprised by the writhing movements, Axel hurriedly grabbed her hands, but his lips were still free. As she rubbed against his jawline as if caressing it, he let out a low moan.

“Jade, wait…”

“Is it okay for you to smile at other women like that?”

“I…”

“You’ve never laughed so comfortably in front of others. Are you closer with Lady Grace than me?”

“No, what on earth are you saying?”

Axel finally raised his waist and pulled Jade in to hold her. He wrapped her tightly and put her in his arms, not letting her move.

“Yeah. You’re drunk. I knew you were acting strange. When a crazy bastard appears, you should kick his shin first. Why did you let him grab your arm? Don’t you know how important distance is for a mage? You don’t even have a fair.”

“You laughed earlier! Like, chattering with Lady Grace about something…”

“Look at this. You won’t even answer what’s disadvantageous. And, am I not allowed to laugh? You were holding hands and dancing with other men.”

His point was accurate. Jade immediately deflated. Axel seized the opportunity and sneered.

“You looked like you were having a great time. Spinning around and around in the middle.”

“It wasn’t very good. Do you know how many times I stepped on that person’s feet? I was really sweating bullets…”

But then Jade widened her eyes again.

“But you were over there laughing with another woman!”

Axel lowered his head slightly. From a distance where their noses touched, he spoke as if chewing out the words.

“I repeat, you held hands and spun around with another man first. Did you have fun during the dance?”

His gray eyes were fierce. But to Jade, they just looked pretty. Because she knew what was contained in them.

It’s the same as me, right?

So she straightened her waist and kissed him.

At the very light contact, a short moan escaped from the man’s mouth. His head instinctively followed the distance as she pulled away. But Jade twisted her body and avoided him. A groaning sound was heard.

“Were you jealous?”

“Jade…”

“I asked if you were jealous.”

“Damn it, wait a second…”

The movement of biting her lips was very desperate. She leaned into the hand cupping her cheek and closed her eyes for a moment before pushing it away. Axel moaned again.

Jenarsen, who teased us for being ten years old, will absolutely never know this expression of his. For a lifetime.

“I was jealous.”

Only then did he come to his senses. Jade enjoyed his eyes that grew wide as if surprised by her honesty.

I don’t like you chatting with Lady Grace. Even if you say that conversation was nothing, I don’t like it. I don’t like you laughing so comfortably either.

I wish you would only laugh like that in front of me. No, it’s okay in front of Ollie too. But other than me and Ollie, you can’t. In front of others, you should always have those indifferent eyes as usual.

“Because you’re going to be my fair.”

They were words she was going to confess while leaning against each other with the dinner laid out, accompanied by comfortable whispers. Even if they were all things already expected, directly conveying them through words carried a very different meaning.

However, right now they were trapped in a secret shadow, sitting on the dirt floor, with leaves stuck in their hair, snapping at each other. It was a mess.

But she liked this more. Jealousy was vividly exposed, and they were facing each other with a feeling of being completely stripped bare.

This was real. Emotions weren’t just pretty and nice. There were messy parts like this too. Things that made you dislike an innocent someone and question without logic or reason.

But if it was going to be revealed someday anyway even if hidden, she wanted to show it now.

However, even at the words filled with obsession, Axel was not surprised. Fixing his collapsed posture, he pulled her in and hugged her again. Even in the darkness, his gaze full of heat could be felt.

“Jade.”

The voice calling her name was rough.

“Mmm.”

“Then you have to do the same. Your understanding of Jenarsen won’t last more than two months either. After that, no man is allowed. All your dances are mine, and your smiles are mine too. The sword you can conjure flames on is only my sword, and I’m the only one who can stand back to back with you. Will you still be okay with that?”

“Yes.”

“No, I have a very strong lineage of possessiveness. Think carefully again without regretting it.”

“I don’t need to think again. That sounds really great.”

Between the two of us, there will only be you and me. Isn’t that a truly perfect fair? Right?

Jade whispered.

With a satisfied sigh, Axel kissed her again.

This time she didn’t stop him, so he delved deeper. Jade wrapped her arms around his head. There was not even a small gap left between the two.

As Bellita said, Lishin Moretti’s party venue was well prepared with extra rooms and warm cloths and water.