“Open your eyes.”

When Lea opened her eyes, Count Heidern, who seemed close enough to touch her nose, appeared.

No, to be precise, Lea was overlapping on Count Heidern’s body.

‘So what my hand touches right now is…….’

Lea, who swallowed her saliva, dropped her gaze, and her hand was seen digging into the gap between Count Heidern’s widely open dress shirt.

‘Gasp!’

Why is the shirt so unbuttoned?

Although she should get up, Lea was stiffened like a broken machine.

“Lea.”

Then, at the tickling voice in her ears, Lea raised her head.

Did Count Heidern just call my name? Even though she heard with her two ears, she didn’t believe it, so Lea blinked her eyes.

‘Slave girl.’

‘Pharmacist.’

‘You.’

There were many titles referring to Lea. Among many, many titles, Count Heidern called her by her name.

Before she could fully understand the situation, another gentle voice wrapped around her ears.

“Say it if you want something like this in the future.”

‘I never wanted anything like this!’

The moment she came to her senses, Lea’s face flushed. And like a spring popping out, Lea sat up abruptly.

“Aare you okay?!”

“…….”

“I mean, I didn’t mean to fall……!”

Looking at Count Heidern buried among the books scattered around, Lea was dizzy. She knocked Count Heidern over. She was also scared that he might have gotten hurt.

She had forgotten that people’s eyes were focused on her because she made quite a noise when she fell.

In a fluster, Lea, who was sitting down, approached and examined Count Heidern. At such a sight, Akkia sighed.

‘Unaware of what she looks like right now.’

The hem of Lea’s dress, rolled up to her thighs, was visible.

Seeing her fuss and worry about him, it seemed like she had finally returned to the Lea he knew. That night. The night he swallowed the woman’s red lips, Akkia was utterly impulsive.

‘Maybe….’

There was no guarantee that he could suppress that impulse if a similar situation occurred again. Lea’s feelings would be no different from his.

After that day, Akkia knew that Lea’s gaze towards him had changed. And there was also a need for some explanation between the two.

However, even he couldn’t explain the impulse, so he pretended not to know Lea’s feelings even though he knew them.

Knowing that it may have sprouted misunderstanding in Lea’s heart.

‘Besides, her complaining look was pretty tolerable.’

It was cute enough to think so.

Even now, Akkia’s gaze lingered on Lea’s lips, which kept pouting while worrying about him.

“I can’t. Let me help you up. Go over there and check if you’re hurt!”

“…….”

“I didn’t mean to pull you down. It was a stupid mistake.”

‘Mistake?’

It was the moment when Lea was about to get up. Akkia’s hand reached out faster and wrapped around Lea’s waist.

Lea, who was about to get up but sat down again, opened her eyes wide. Thanks to being pulled, she was sitting on Akkia’s knee.

“Count Heidern?”

Lea’s voice calling Akkia was trembling finely. When the gaze met in the air, her eyes trembled as much as her voice.

That day’s kiss wasn’t like a mistake. He didn’t want to end the kiss that caused deep waves in his heart, which was like an abyss, with just the word “mistake”.

“I’m not mistaken.”

“Huh?”

Akkia reached out and brushed Lea’s red hair, which was fluttering freely in the air, behind her ear.

His lips slowly curled up, drawing an elegant curve.

“I’m talking about the kiss. It was not a mistake.”

And to the point that it overshadowed what he had been worrying about, Lea’s face turned red.

.

.

.

The two sat until closing time, and only came out of the library after sunset. The books were better than expected.

‘Especially the toxicology book.’

It wrote about the mixtures of poisonous herbs that could be used as medicinal herbs.

Several uses of various poisonous herbs were written, but what caught the eye the most was spider venom.
The text mentioned a paralyzing effect when used, and an anesthetic came to mind.

‘If developed properly, it could be used as a painkiller.’

Besides, depending on how the poison is mixed, it could also have a detoxifying effect. When he returned to Heidern’s territory, he planned to research it as a Forarium antidote.

When he arrived at the library with the sun high in the sky, the sun was already setting. It was when he was walking out of the library with the Count.

“Oh, Miss Lea!”

Lea turned around at the sound of someone calling her.

“Hello! Are you on your way back to the top?”

“Yes, I’m going back for dinner!”

It was one of the upperclass employees working at the Magnolia shop.

“You should go and have dinner. Oh, this is James, my assistant who came to Tren with me.”

“Oh, I see.”

Upon Lea’s introduction, the employee’s gaze shifted to Akkia.

“Nice to meet…….”

Before the employee could finish his greeting, his complexion turned pale.

“I’m James, Lea’s assistant. Nice to meet you.”

“You, you’re James.”

He was a man who looked at the hand Akkia extended and shook it with both hands.

“I have a ….”