With his eyes slightly narrowed, Kirian seemed to find this situation quite amusing.

I was fooled.

I tore a sheet from my notebook and slapped it on the pile of branches.

“Sigh. I was a fool to expect common sense.”

“Was it not very helpful?”

Kirian, pretending to be innocent, blinked his eyes and spread out the crumpled paper.

“I thought I was telling you my own secret. My father used to catch it after the Elding fell because it was dazzling. Before it disappeared again with the lightning.”

Kirian handed me the paper.

I sighed deeply again.

“Forget it. The secret method or whatever. Sigh. It would be better to raid the library again.”

I felt like I had just wasted time, and my forehead involuntarily crinkled.

“Chuckle.”

Unable to hold back, Kirian finally burst into laughter.

As my already crumpled face contorted further, Kirian tried to suppress his laughter.

“I’m sorry, sister.”

“It’s fun to tease me, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t mean to tease you.”

Despite that, Kirian’s mouth was twitching excessively.

“Forget it. It’s my fault for not being able to run faster than lightning.”

As I turned back towards the library, my foot stumbled in midair.

“Take it.”

Kirian, who gently stopped me, handed me the discarded paper.

“Forget it.”

But I couldn’t drop the paper as Kirian’s hand held mine tightly.

“It might be helpful, right?”

Kirian’s touch, insistently handing me the paper again, made me nod at last.

“Sigh. I’ll take it if only to make the effort to come here worthwhile.”

Kirian’s smile still lingered faintly on his lips, but for a moment, an unidentified dark shade rose and disappeared in his eyes.

“Yes. I hope it will be helpful.”

Without any more teasing, Kirian’s words were now seriously gentle, and I felt weak.

“Thanks for your time. I’ll come again if I have any questions.”

As I tried to pull my hand away, Kirian’s hand momentarily tightened. As I hesitated, Kirian released my hand with a sly smile.

“I’ll be waiting.”

(This is a time divider.)

Kirian watched Reina’s back until she disappeared into the library.

After she was gone, he could still hear Reina’s footsteps sliding on the library’s marble floor, the rustling of the paper in her hand, the occasional sighs, etc.

But it was different from having her in front of him.

It was certain that Reina would feel burdened if he followed her around like when they were young.

He had been practicing waiting for her to come to him first since realizing that, but it was still difficult.

Kirian climbed the ladder again, holding his clipper.

The thickly grown branches were cut off precisely as his hands busily moved, but Kirian’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.

Finally, Reina’s figure appeared at the window seat she had recently favored.

As Hiss, who was sitting next to her, came into view, Kirian’s eyes twisted slightly, but soon his gaze returned to Reina like metal attracted to a magnet.
Why Reina suddenly started to show interest in garden work, she would definitely dislike it if she found out. It could have been rationalized as for her safety, but that was nothing more than rationalization.

Through the window, Reina opened a new book.

For the past few days, Reina had been studying day and night. She pretended to rest by returning to the dormitory every evening at Hiss’s urging, but as soon as Hiss disappeared, she went back to the library and borrowed several books.

Thus, light seeped out through her sister’s dormitory window all night.

She considered teaching Reina the hunting methods of Elding out of concern, but it didn’t suit her purpose.

Only after the sun had fallen near the horizon did Reina rise from her seat.

Kirian also folded his clippers and jumped down from the ladder.

“Good work.”

He lightly bowed his head in response to the gardeners’ greetings and followed Reina, who was returning to the dormitory with Hiss at a moderate distance.

Unlike Hiss, who accompanied her to the entrance of the female dormitory, Kirian turned his steps towards the male dormitory midway.

Instead of climbing the stairs that led to a fairly high floor all at once, he took them one step at a time.

And finally, when he entered the dormitory room, he could see the light turned on in the top floor of the opposite female dormitory.

“Are you here?”

At Gerald’s hesitant greeting as he stood up, Kirian nodded lightly.

“The monster encyclopedia, I haven’t seen it in a long time. I read it quite a bit when I was young.”

Kirian gestured towards the thick book spread out in front of Gerald.

Gerald smiled awkwardly.

“Yes. I’m studying it separately these days. But I’m making no progress.”

Although he knew which part he was looking at, Kirian leisurely approached and pretended to look at the encyclopedia.

“It’s Elding.”

At Kirian’s interest, a subtle expectation arose in Gerald’s eyes.

“Do you know about Elding well?”

When Kirian gave no answer, Gerald laughed awkwardly again.

“Haha. I asked a stupid question. You, the young master, would naturally know well.”

Gerald scratched his neck awkwardly and sat back down hesitantly.

“Then, rest. If the light bothers you, I’ll turn it off.”

“Okay.”

At Kirian’s short answer, Gerald’s eyes widened.

He considered teaching her sister, who was working nonstop, the hunting methods of Elding out of concern, but breaking her engagement came first.

Since what bothered his sister the most these days was the test the King of Kxia was giving for the crown prince position, if Hiss won in this test, the two’s marriage would proceed quickly, as the King planned.

It was a sorry thing for his sister, but for him, it was unavoidable.

“I, really?”

Shocked enough to doubt his ears, Gerald asked a meaningless question.

Kirian gave a small smile.

“Shall I tell you?”