“To be honest, I think the worries you’re struggling with right now are really nothing. Once you confront it, it won’t be a big deal. That’s life; it’s scary when you haven’t experienced it, but once you do, it’s not as scary as you think.”

The more they talked, the more Riley felt a sense of relief piercing through her chest.

Was Ban speaking as if it’s nothing because he found it so trivial? Despite inwardly struggling with her concerns, it felt like they were truly insignificant.
“You think too much unnecessarily. No, I should say you worry too much. Fix the habit of imagining and worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. Such a nasty habit will only consume you. How do you expect to survive next to that guy with such a useless mentality from the start?”

“…”

“And I don’t understand why you give up without even trying to confront. If you don’t move, nothing will change. Are you scared of being hated, so you hit the wall and back off? Why are you so sure you’ll be hated in the first place? You’re the most frustrating fool I know.”

Ban’s scolding was bitter and harsh. However, the more Riley thought about it, the clearer her head became, as if a refreshing breeze blew through.

He was right. In a relationship that was already skewed from the start, it would continue to go awry endlessly.

She didn’t have the strength to endure that pain for a lifetime. Yet, she didn’t want to leave Gibben either. She wanted to stay by his side.

To do that, she had no choice but to endure a lifetime of pain while enduring or, if not, confront it as if she were crazy.

Why did she forget? From the divorce with Count Hermann to the marriage with Gibben, to the determination to save Ban, it was all connected by the first use of magic.

Actions brought change. Even though she had already experienced it twice, she hesitated, became afraid, and thought about fleeing.

At this point, avoiding and running away could be habits.

“Thank you, Ban senpai. My mind feels clearer.”

“Tch.”

“I’ll try. I’ll gather courage. I’ll change.”

To be honest, she was still scared when she thought of Gibben. He was such an unpredictable man. Once she crossed the line, it couldn’t be undone, and she couldn’t guarantee how he would react. It was quite frightening.

However, remembering Ban’s advice, she decided to gather her courage. If not, she would spend her life suffering.

“If you can’t gather courage.”

“…”

“You can come to me.”

“…What?”

“If you have nowhere to go, come to me.”

Thinking it was another joke, Riley chuckled.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Then, clenching her fist, she stood up.

At that moment, her vision suddenly darkened, and her legs wobbled. As her vision narrowed, her body became limp.

‘What’s going on?’

As her vision continued to narrow, her whole body relaxed.

“Hey, hey!”

With Ban’s urgent shout, she completely lost consciousness.

Ban froze in place, holding Riley’s body.

Then, quickly looking around, he teleported to his hiding place.

Confirming that no one was around, he sighed and examined Riley’s condition.

Seeing her completely still, he was momentarily confused. However, hearing her steady breathing, he realized she had fainted due to relief.

‘…She looked like she was about to collapse.’

Every day, Ban lurked around Riley, watching over her.
She came to the academy early in the morning and didn’t return to the mansion until midnight. She had been holed up in the library after classes, not eating lunch or dinner for the past few days.

Watching her gradually lose energy and turn paler, Ban suspected that something big was happening to her.

The foolish girl, already thin and haggard, skipping meals and focusing on studying, looked truly absurd. He felt the urge to forcefully shove a spoon into her mouth, even if it meant holding her down and prying her mouth open.

What the hell was going on that she was so absorbed in ridiculous thoughts? Just because of some guy problem?

Ha! The desire to force-feed her again surged momentarily, thinking about how absurd it was to worry about that when she was already so thin and haggard.

‘What should I do about this?’

Suddenly collapsing, Riley presented a dilemma for Ban. It wasn’t easy to take her to the nearby Horizon Subsidiary Hospital, as there were many eyes watching.

She was already famous as the fiancée of the Death’s Head’s betrothed, and spreading a bad rumor within the hospital would be a disaster.

However, taking her to the mansion where she lived wasn’t an option either, as he couldn’t move discreetly without being noticed.

While teleportation wasn’t impossible, the distance from here to the Lianster Mansion was quite significant. Moreover, the area around the Lianster Mansion was filled with protective spells blocking external magic, making it unlikely for coordinates to be easily determined.

Using magic to move short distances within the academy might be overlooked, but attempting to teleport over a long distance might attract the attention of the Magic Department’s surveillance.