“This is a time separator.”

Even after Dmitri left, Leah stood blankly in that spot for a while.

“Did the Duke give permission?”

Just the other day, the person who absolutely refused suddenly granted permission.

“Could it be that you’re planning to go to the academy alone, leaving me behind?”

As the thought reached that point, Leah felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment. Feeling drained for no reason, Leah left the library with her shoulders slouched.

Afterwards, she turned her head to figure out why Akia allowed it.

“Maybe it’s for the sake of the side effects treatment.”

Even if he said the treatment wasn’t urgent, he must have felt the necessity of the treatment keenly. The side effects were like a ticking time bomb with an uncertain detonation time.

“Yeah. It must have been uncomfortable. You can’t always stick with me, right?”

As some dizzying events flashed through her mind, Leah’s whole body trembled. The treatment with the new medicine was also an issue that couldn’t be delayed any longer.

“Maybe the Duke talked to the doctor about it.”

That could be the reason why he allowed her to stay.

Unless she became the apothecary of the palace, the only way to the treatment was consulting with Dr. Frankenstein.

However, even though Akia’s actions made sense in her head, the feeling of disappointment didn’t easily fade away.

“Even though he said to use him anytime.”

Whether it had been a few days or his behavior had changed like flipping a hand, a complex thought filled Leah’s mind. Did he become troublesome to have around, or was it a more complicated reason?

“At least, I should talk to the Duke about it…”

How long they should stay apart.

As she was about to turn towards Akia’s room to ask the Duke about his plans to return to the capital, the moment she stood at the end of the stairs, her gaze met the Duke’s.

“Duke?”

“Leah.”

As if he had been searching for Leah, he approached her as soon as their eyes met.

“Where were you? You weren’t in your room.”

“I went to the library for a moment. Were you looking for me?”

“I have something to say.”

“It’s perfect. I have something to say too.”

Leah, as if waiting for him, asked Akia.

“The Duke talked to Belarus. He said I can stay here.”

“I already heard. I was just about to tell you that.”

Leah’s mouth twitched as she looked at Akia, who answered with a calm face. The capital and the Belarus territory were far apart.

If they separated now, they wouldn’t be able to meet for at least a month, and he seemed so indifferent.

“Geez. He acted like he never wanted to be apart even for a moment.”

Leah’s heart was moved by Akia’s sudden change in attitude, like flipping a coin.

“Was I that annoying?”

“What?”

“The last time, when you asked subtly, you said it was absolutely impossible…”

Bravely bringing up the topic, Leah’s voice gradually faded. Then, the Duke’s gaze slightly wavered.

“…Did I say that? But he allowed me to stay here. But, Duke, you have to go back to the capital. Are you suggesting that I stay here alone?”

As if trying to understand the situation, Akia blinked his eyes, then burst into a short laughter.

“I’m saying something strange again. I’ll stay here too. I can’t leave you alone, can I?”

“Really?”

“I’ll be spending time in the Belarus territory with you. I can’t leave you alone, right?”

“Wait. Then…”

As if her brain had stopped, Leah’s face turned red. Everything was her misunderstanding. Inadvertently, she ended up showing her frustration to Akia, telling him not to leave her alone.

“Oh, I…”

Trying to brush it off, she couldn’t come up with the right words, perhaps due to embarrassment. Seeing Leah like that, Akia smiled broadly and tilted his head.

“Rather, did you not want to be away from me so much?”

“What?”

“Even though you were sulking and throwing a tantrum, saying it was absolutely impossible last time…”

Contrary to the confident tone, Leah’s voice gradually weakened. Then, the Duke’s eyes slightly shook.

“…What have I done? I was going to tell you that anyway.”

Trying to hide her embarrassment, Leah couldn’t articulate properly. Seeing Leah like that, Akia, who smiled deeply, tilted his head to the side.

“I guess you didn’t want to be separated from me so much.”
However, he shrugged as if he had no intention of listening to Leah’s words anymore.

“Well, this isn’t too bad. Quite cute, actually.”

He lightly tapped Leah’s cheek with his index finger. Leah, feeling awkward for no reason, changed the subject to lighten the mood.

“But why suddenly decide to stay here? You originally said you were busy with capital affairs.”

“That was the plan. But something more important came up.”

With a lifted corner of his mouth, he continued speaking.

“The development of the Bialitzkal hot springs. I decided to take charge of it.”

“Hot springs development!?”

At the mention of hot springs, Leah’s eyes widened.

‘Hot springs!’

Before her reincarnation here, Leah’s favorite thing was public bathhouses, although hot springs were a bit different.