“Was it you who covered the blanket?”

“Covered it?”

Kite’s brow furrowed slightly. He asked Luella, who was coming out of the kitchen with a tray.

“You still not feeling better?”

Sipping on sandwiches, pie, and fruit juice that Emma had prepared, Luella shrugged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I thought you might still be upset because you declined to go hunting this afternoon…”

Kite seemed to cautiously assess the situation. Luella picked up a sandwich and replied in a gentle tone.

“I was just busy. I’m not so petty as to be upset about something like that.”

“Then… why did you refer to me as ‘you’ again?”

Even though she tried not to show it, there seemed to be a subtle sense of distance in her words. Luella sipped her juice with an unaffected expression and answered.

“Maybe I haven’t fully woken up yet.”

“Really?”

Luella smiled at Kite.

“Yes. When I’m hungry, my nerves become quite sharp. If that happens, just leave me alone for a while.”

When Luella finally met Kite’s gaze, a sigh of relief escaped his lips. He playfully asked a question.

“How can you tell if it’s hunger or being on edge?”

“Well, come to think of it, sometimes I don’t feel well even when I’m full… So, how about this?”

“What?”

“I’ll change my ribbon based on my mood. Blue shades when I’m in a good mood, and red shades when I’m not. If I’m wearing a red ribbon, just stay away.”

“Do I have to stay away?”

Luella cut Emma’s special meat pie in half and nodded.

“Yes. When I’m in a bad mood, we might end up fighting, right? Avoiding such situations would be better, don’t you think?”

Even though her mood had improved, the lingering frustration hadn’t completely disappeared. It was an irrational emotion, but she didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
In truth, her mood had lightened, but that didn’t mean the earlier bitterness had disappeared. It was an irrational emotion, but she didn’t want to get hurt anymore.

Kite watched Luella, who was enjoying her meal, intently. Her expression didn’t seem to reflect any lingering feelings of bitterness; instead, she appeared content. He even praised Emma’s cooking from time to time.

But what was this uncomfortable feeling? Could it be just an unfounded uneasiness?

“We had a meeting earlier, and there was a consensus that your words were correct. So, we’re thinking of recruiting more advisors and scholars. It might take a little time, maybe a few days, but after that, we can focus on leveling up.”

Luella looked at Kite. He had a cup of tea in front of him and continued to talk.

“Did you have your meal?”

For now, engaging in this ordinary conversation was a good way to conceal any remaining bitterness.

“We all ate together earlier.”

But for some reason, perhaps due to the hidden resentment, when there was time for tea like this, he couldn’t help but think about leveling up together. When his thoughts led him in that direction, Luella, who noticed the change in his tone, tried to ease the situation with her question.

“Aren’t you busy? What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been waiting for you while having a leisurely cup of tea.”

Luella forced a faint smile. She couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt by every word Kite said. Even though she knew he had been waiting for her because he cared, her heart inexplicably twisted and grew colder.

“Why didn’t you leave your office and come here?”

“They were so enthusiastic about catching up on the work they had fallen behind on for leveling up. I didn’t want to disturb them.”

“Isn’t it urgent enough to rush? If I had time for tea, I should have gone with you to level up.”

“You’ve taught me a lot. That’s enough on its own. Besides, can’t you gain experience in other ways? Like making potions?”

Of course, there would be quests to complete, but for some reason, he didn’t want to mention them.

“Are you really not upset?”

Luella raised her eyebrows, pretending to be cheerful.

“Really, I’m not. After we rescue the people, let’s level up together. There’s no hurry.”

Kite wore a slightly skeptical expression as he nodded.

Luella seemed completely fine on the surface. After enjoying her meal, she went to the kitchen, brewed a cup of tea, and sat across from him with a smile.

But why did he feel this chilling sensation in his chest? He had a feeling he had made a big mistake.

“Is everything okay?”

As if he needed to reassure her, Kite couldn’t help but say,

“I mentioned earlier that I’m going to Helaene. I have to interview and select the advisors personally. I’m a bit cautious about attracting the Kurian royal family’s attention by calling candidates here.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

He didn’t know why he was justifying his absence to her, but Kite continued, searching her expression.

“I want to go and bring them back as soon as possible. That’s why I’m going.”

“Oh, wait a moment.”

Luella pointed her finger at the air several times, then brought out numerous purple vials and placed them on the dining table.

“Didn’t you mention that the Queen wasn’t feeling well?”

“Are you making potions for her? This many?”