The statue of Lus, destroyed beyond recognition, was a truly miserable sight.

The priests had tried to restore it, but it seemed they were unsuccessful.

“This is troublesome.”

It was then that Iley muttered in a languid voice.

“Child, this is a place you should not enter…”

A priest of the temple who noticed Iley approached to usher him out.

Iley slowly turned around.

The priest, meeting the boy’s golden eyes, flinched and stood frozen in place.

“Ah…”

A short gasp escaped from between the priest’s teeth.

Before long, the priest slowly prostrated himself before the dark-skinned boy, as if in worship.

However, Iley merely looked down at him with an indifferent face, showing no sign of surprise.

At a glance, it was a cold and heartless face, as if gazing upon an insect crawling on the ground.

After lying prostrate for a long while, the priest finally managed to utter in a trembling voice.

“Your servant pays his respects.”

The quivering voice was filled with emotion, as if he had encountered a god.

“The owner and order of this world.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“Co-congratulations on escaping the maze…”

The priest forced a congratulation with a flustered face.

And I, who had exited the maze with Anselot, was just as bewildered as the flustered priest.

‘Why make things difficult when there’s an easy way?’

When he confidently spoke, I thought he had figured out a way to escape the maze.

However, he immediately grinned fiercely and began destroying the maze.

In the end, the priest came running, startled by the loud commotion, and Anselot threatened the priest to escape the maze.

Upon exiting the maze, a spacious garden with a romantic atmosphere appeared.

Those who had escaped the maze before us were seated here and there.

“This way, please…”

We were assigned the best seats among them.

The priest said it was a privilege for the fastest escapees, but from my perspective, it seemed he gave us good seats just to appease Anselot.

A tea table was set up in front of a plush two-person sofa, and as Anselot and I sat side by side on the sofa, the priests immediately brought out food.

“It’s the cheese and wine Pia was singing about.”

I remembered Pia chattering about wanting to eat the temple’s signature cheese.

I felt a bit guilty eating this with just Anselot, leaving Pia behind.

“Eat plenty, Princess. That noisy piglet isn’t here either.”

When I criticized his heartlessness, Anselot answered in a dissatisfied voice.

“That piglet keeps being greedy and stealing your share, Princess.”

“It’s not like Pia eats that much. She’s just a little bird at most.”

“The one who really eats like a little bird is you, Princess. You need to learn from the piglet when it comes to eating.”

“It’s only cute when Pia eats recklessly and gains weight. If I ate like that, it wouldn’t be cute at all, just unsightly.”

“No way.”

Anselot stabbed the cheese deeply with a fork.

I thought the piece of cheese would naturally head towards his mouth, but he abruptly held it out in front of my mouth.

“Want to bet? On whether it’s cute or not when you eat like a piglet.”

Anselot added, narrowing his eyes at me.

“I’ll bet on it being cute.”

“…”

I couldn’t tell if the heat rising to my face was because of that fluttering eye smile or the word ‘cute’ he meaninglessly added.

“Ge-get that away. I can eat by myself.”

I pushed his fork aside and pointedly stabbed pieces of cheese with the fork in front of me, eating them.

“If you eat like that, you’ll choke…”

Before his worried voice finished, I gulped down the wine.

Anselot laughed softly, watching me.

Under the darkening sky, soft orchestral music filled the surroundings.

Those who had succeeded in escaping were all in male-female pairs, as the final challenge of the maze required a male-female pair to complete the mission together.

Of course, we escaped by threatening the priest without completing any mission…

‘So this is what it meant to find love at the end of the maze.’

I had vaguely thought it was just a marketing tactic of the temple, but the romantic melodies and sweet wine accompanying the night seemed to create an atmosphere where even nonexistent love could bloom.

However, on this romantic night, I was at a loss.

It was because of the quest that arrived today.

[Main Quest: Love and Duel! (3/3)]

You who have finally won love through victory in the duel! Now all that remains is a sincere pledge of true love! Give a kiss filled with genuine love♡

▷Clear Condition: A kiss of love

▶Reward upon success: EXP +31300, Skill Points +30

I sighed deeply, looking at the incomplete quest.

When I first entered the scenario, I saw my face and Maria’s face drawing close as if to kiss in the [Scenario Preview] and just closed the window.

The reason I was still lingering here even after escaping the maze, instead of going to find the other party members, was also to buy time out of worry about running into Maria.

“A kiss…”

I muttered that word gloomily, as if it were some terrible disaster.

“It doesn’t say you have to do it with that woman. Just grab anyone and do it.”

Anselot said lightly.

“Why do you make it sound so easy?”

I retorted sullenly, sipping the wine.

“Why, those people seem to find it easy.”

“Those people…? Keh-hek!”

I choked as I turned my head to follow where Anselot was pointing.

Fortunately, I didn’t spit on Anselot this time.

“Wha-what is this?!”

I raised my voice.

It had gotten dark without me noticing, but I discovered couples kissing here and there.

“A heart-pounding maze that helps you find true love.”

Anselot recited the words from the signboard we saw before entering the maze in a dull voice.

‘Good heavens! So this is what it meant by finding true love?’

Seeing the vulgar sights all around, I turned my head away and exclaimed.

“I-I can’t do it! If kissing were that easy, I would have done it long ago and then some! But I…”

Although it was shattered because of Hezen, I had my own fantasy of a first kiss.

‘I want my first kiss to be with someone I truly love.’

When I didn’t say anything more, Anselot tilted his head.

It seemed Anselot had no fantasy about first kisses.

‘Or maybe he’s done it so many times that all the fantasy has disappeared.’

Staring at Anselot with narrowed eyes, I abruptly asked.

“Kissing and stuff must be easy for you, huh?”

“?”

“You must have done it a lot. With that woman.”

“Who knows.”

Anselot responded in a questioning tone, looking uncertain.

“I’ve never done it, so I’m not sure.”

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

“You’ve never done it? Not even once?”

“Yes.”

Anselot nodded.

“Why did you think I would have done it?”

“Well…”

“Come to think of it, our princess really considers me a frivolous man.”

He added with a chuckle.

“That’s not it.”

Feeling heat rising again, I just tipped the wine glass repeatedly.

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but I felt a bit mellow.

“Anyway, you won’t be able to complete the scenario if you don’t finish the quest.”

Anselot muttered, looking at the quest window.

“A kiss…”

He suddenly reached out his hand towards me and interlocked his fingers with mine.

Before I could tilt my head in confusion, he gently pulled my hand and brought his lips to the back of my hand.

With a tingling sound, he kissed the back of my hand.

“…!”

My eyes went wide and I hastily pulled my hand away.

Anselot mumbled with a thoughtful look on his face, rubbing his chin.

“This won’t work. I guess the lips need to touch after all.”

“Wha-what are you doing?!”

I stammered, my heart pounding wildly. But unlike startled me, Anselot had a calm expression.

“I thought this might count as a kiss…”

“…!”

In an instant, I looked at Anselot with an expression of realization.

‘Right. A kiss doesn’t necessarily mean a deep kiss like those couples over there.’

I scrutinized the contents and clear conditions of the quest again.

‘It’s fine as long as the lips slightly touch and part.’

“Princess?”

When I just stared at him as if having understood the truth, Anselot called out to me in a puzzled voice this time.

“…Anselot. Don’t misunderstand.”

I turned to Anselot and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Perhaps this was because of the wine I drank a moment ago.

“Lend me your lips for a bit.”

In a posture resembling grabbing his collar, I proposed as if threatening him.

It was a proposal I wouldn’t have made if I were in a rational state.

“Yes…?”

The man who seemed like he would never be flustered by anything blinked his eyes.

“Like you said, I can’t just grab anyone and kiss them.”

The distance between us sitting together on the two-person sofa was too close, and by slightly lifting my head and pulling his collar, it was enough for my lips to touch his.

The moment I gently brought my lips upon his.

“…!”

Anselot’s eyes widened.

I felt him swallow his breath.

At that moment, his lips were surprisingly warm and hot.

Thump, thump, thump, thump…

The undeniable pounding of my heart shook me.

I know this isn’t just the fluttering of a first kiss.

Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge it now.

The reason I was unreasonably disappointed in Anselot.

The reason I was angrier than himself at the false rumors surrounding him.

The reason I feel an inexplicable loneliness whenever I think of Anselot’s past woman.

The reason I immediately denied it instead of accepting it when I saw him in the spring water that was supposed to show my ideal type.

And even the reason I brought my lips to his, using the quest as an excuse.

“…”

“…”

I slightly parted my lips.

The warm sensation disappeared in an instant, and the chilly night air brushed by.

Perhaps I…

I… Anselot…

I was about to bite my lips firmly and retreat.

Swish-

I raised my head at the cool touch cupping my cheek.

Anselot was intently looking at my face.

Contrary to his seemingly calm expression, his eyes were boiling hotly like a blazing sun.

Those reddened eyes gave off a strangely seductive feeling.

This time, my breath was silently swallowed below my throat.

Our gazes entwined in midair, and his gaze slowly lowered.

The place where that gaze finally reached was the lips that had touched his a moment ago.

“Luibel.”

Anselot parted his lips and called my name as if asking for permission.

At that moment, the intoxication that surged up paralyzed my thoughts.

I desperately clutched the hem of Anselot’s clothes as if clinging to him.

As his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled, my body fell into his embrace.

At the same time, our lips interlocked.

With an even deeper passion than a moment before.