“……What exactly is your identity?”

It was a deep question I had wondered more than ten times during my encounters with Melphis.

There had been more than one or two strange things about him.

From appearing in disguise to let me kidnap him to not reporting me even though he knew I was the culprit.

Meanwhile, his disguise was unnecessarily elaborate, to the point where I couldn’t notice no matter what I tried.

Moreover, I honestly couldn’t even be sure if Melphis was his real name.

He hid his true identity behind frivolous laughter and jokes.

When I asked Melphis the question I was most curious about, he looked intrigued.

“That’s a dangerous question…… Are you really curious?”

I nodded.

Then Melphis’s smile-filled mouth corners dropped. His eyes narrowed as if deep in thought.

I felt a seriousness from him that was rarely seen.

Soon, as if he had made up his mind, he nodded once.

His resolute expression made even me feel tense.

“I’ll tell you because I asked you to ask first. And because I want Vivian to know about me.”

“Okay, I understand.”

What could his identity be to make such an expression?

I could even believe it if he said he was a genius magician expelled from the magic tower.

I nodded back to indicate I was ready to listen.

“Lean your ear close, Vivian.”

As if enchanted, I followed his words. I pushed my hair aside and brought my ear close to his face.

“My identity is…… Phew!”

Suddenly, wind entered my ear canal.

Instead of words, Melphis had blown air into my ear.

Startled, I unconsciously pushed Melphis far away.

“Ah! XX!”

After barely calming my surprised heart, I belatedly turned my head towards him.

As if he had been hit in the face, Melphis was clutching his left cheek with one hand.

“Ow ow ow……”

“Huh, I’m sorry! Are you okay? Ah, why did you play such a prank! I was surprised.”

Melphis still held his cheek and gave me a pitiful look. He looked just like a tragic heroine.

“Oh geez, really. I’m sorry. Let me see.”

I approached him and examined his face closely.

His cheek was slightly red, but fortunately there were no scratches from nails.

For a moment, I recalled a recent incident. Back then, I had pinched Melphis’s cheek, causing it to turn quite red.

The difference was that he was in disguise then, and now he was in his true form.

‘Wait, come to think of it, does it make sense for his cheek to turn red while in disguise?’

Even with thick makeup, a flushed face wouldn’t show.

The disguised Melphis had a different skin color from his true form, yet his cheeks turned red in the same way, which seemed somewhat inconsistent.

‘Is it possible with magic? But that’s not right……’

I tried to recall the contents of the magic book I had read before.

It clearly stated that disguise magic like changing skin color or eye color is impossible for ordinary humans to even cast.

“It hurts so much, Vivian.”

As I was lost in thought for a moment, Melphis’s voice, mixed with a groan, brought me back to my senses.

“Does it hurt that much? Oh, I’m really sorry.”

“Yes, it hurts. It hurts, but since Vivian hit me, I think I might feel good?”

“Ugh, don’t say such horrible things!”

As I covered my ears with a shudder, he chuckled.

“It’s a joke, just a joke.”

“Stop joking around, you.”

“Haha, alright.”

The atmosphere seemed to be concluding the conversation, but I soon realized the question had not been answered yet.

“More importantly, are you trying to gloss over this? Hurry up and tell me.”

“Ah, you really won’t let it go. Okay, I’ll answer.”

As if telling me to bring my ear close, Melphis made a gesture of cupping his hand around his mouth.

When I glared at him suspiciously, he grinned again and tried to placate me.

“I won’t play a trick this time, really.”

Of course, I was still suspicious, but curious about his identity, so I silently brought my ear close slowly.

“My identity is a dragon…… wannabe, just a wandering magician.”

I clicked my tongue at his mischievousness, unable to resist playing another trick so soon.

Moreover, a wandering magician? I had expected that much.

‘How many minutes did I waste to hear just that?’

I was dumbfounded, but I didn’t say anything. Melphis was the type to play more tricks if told not to.

“Then do you use magic to disguise yourself? When I looked it up in a book before, it said there was no such convenient magic.”

Melphis opened his eyes wide as if in disbelief and exclaimed.

I had no idea why he reacted that way, but somehow I had an ominous feeling.

“Wow. Did you actually look up books because you were curious about me? Ah, I’m going crazy. How much more are you trying to make my heart flutter? I really won’t be able to sleep.”

Is he really crazy?

He truly made it difficult to say even a single word.

As I frowned at him with a look of contempt, Melphis scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.

“Such a passionate gaze makes me a bit shy, Vivian.”

Good grief.

It seemed pointless to continue talking with him any further.

And above all, I lost the will to converse with him.

As I turned away to ignore him, Melphis grabbed me and finally began to explain.

“Transformation magic itself isn’t impossible. It’s possible if you have the skill. Look at this.”

Melphis’s middle finger and thumb collided with a snap, and in an instant, his hair color changed.

His pink hair turned light sky blue, and his existing bridge turned pink.

My eyes widened at the amazing sight.

Melphis smiled as if he had seen something cute, then instantly returned to his original appearance.

“See? It’s possible.”

“I see it’s possible, but then what was that book about?”

“Maybe the author hadn’t seen a skilled person like me? I’m quite a high-level talent, you know.”

Seeing him cast such magic as easily as breathing, he was clearly a high-level talent as he said, but for some reason I didn’t want to admit it.

His expression was strangely arrogant, which was annoying.

“If you’re such high-level talent, why are you wandering around? You’re just using that ability to get kidnapped by me.”

“Another question. It seems Vivian, while pretending to dislike me, is unexpectedly quite interested. Good. But I’ll only say this much today. If you want to know more……”

“If I want to know more?”

Melphis, trailing off, put on his characteristic sly expression.

“Go on a date with me. Just the two of us. Then I’ll answer anything.”

“Ooh…… Really? Truly?”

I asked, purposely making my eyes sparkle.

Completely falling for it, he nodded with a pleased face.

In an instant, I erased my expression full of anticipation and spoke in a flat tone.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’m not that curious.”

“What? That’s too cruel, Vivian. Making me hope like that.”

His reaction, complaining with his mouth corners drooping, made me feel a bit refreshed.

“Still, if you ever change your mind, tear this in half.”

Melphis held out a small leaf to me.

It was a leaf with distinct veins and a unique shape, with black and green mysteriously intermingled.

“Then I’ll appear wherever you are. On that day, let’s definitely go on a date.”

Though that would never happen, I casually put the leaf in my pocket, thinking he’d be annoying if I refused.

But then, with a clear bell sound, the boutique door opened. Ren had finally come out.

“Ren? Why are you only coming out now.”

“I apologize, Lady Vivian. You must have waited long.”

Immediately, Melphis stuck his head between Ren and me and interjected into the conversation.

“Aren’t you sorry to me?”

“No, I’m not sorry to you.”

Ren, not sparing Melphis a glance, spoke in a very firm tone, unlike when addressing me.

“More importantly, let’s hurry back, Lady Vivian. They say the dress will be finished the day before the banquet.”

“Okay, shall we?”

Although Melphis begged to come along, we ignored him and returned to the hideout.

Not long after Vivian’s group left the boutique.

At the Viscount Schmidt’s mansion, a secret machination was unfolding.

The Viscountess’s servant entered quietly after knocking on the door.

“How did it go.”

The owner of the intimidating tone sat in a luxurious chair with her back to the door.

Her face, with graying hair tied up, was filled with displeasure.

“I went to the boutique Lady Vivian visited. They say the young lady came with two men, ordered a dress, and then left.”

The servant, looking at the Viscountess’s back, answered with his head bowed.

Though the lady wasn’t even looking at the servant, it was truly a loyal attitude.

“Two men? Did you confirm their identities?”

“Yes, my lady. Both were incredibly handsome, but not nobles. Their exact identities were difficult to ascertain, but they are presumed to be commoners.”

“Are those two servants that wench employs?”

“They didn’t seem to be servants, but rather in an intimate relationship. They reportedly had a heated discussion about clothes that would suit the young lady.”

Viscountess Schmidt closed her eyes quietly and fell into a brief contemplation.

‘Though their looks are quite decent, they’re still of lowly birth as expected. What a disgraceful sight, hanging around with two worthless commoners and carrying on shamelessly.’

A sardonic smile appeared on the Viscountess’s lips. Her intense hatred for Vivian was revealed.

“No matter how lowly she is, I simply cannot forgive such vulgar behavior while bearing the Schmidt name.”

The servant quietly listened to his mistress’s words.

He knew very well that if he dared to open his mouth before permission was given, unimaginable consequences would follow.

“She has tarnished the Schmidt name, so what should I do?”

To him, Vivian was just an innocent girl, but he was the Viscountess’s servant.

So it was right to give the answer his mistress wanted.

He calmly replied with his head bowed.

“Yes, my lady. You must give her a fitting punishment.”

“Yes, then I should give her just a little taste of trouble, shouldn’t I……?”

The Viscountess’s eyes gleamed wickedly. It was that look that always became energetic when tormenting Vivian.

“I should make it so she can’t receive her dress. That much hardship should make her reflect on her wrongdoings.”

“Yes, my lady. I will obey your command.”

Though he knew it was unreasonable harassment, the servant had no intention of daring to contradict his mistress’s words.

Soon, he faithfully bowed his head to his mistress’s order.