“A trip?”

“Yeah, don’t you like it?”

Riley had never been on a trip in her life.

When she lived with her father, she was stuck in the mountains, and after being adopted by her uncle, she was stuck in the mansion.

The closest thing to a trip for her was visiting Blestige for a reception. Of course, since it was for the purpose of attending an officially invited event, she wasn’t sure if that could be called a trip.

But now, a trip?

Riley tried to maintain a nonchalant expression, but couldn’t hide the sparkle in her eyes.

“I like it. What should I prepare?”

“You don’t need to prepare anything separately. Just bring yourself.”

“Really?”

“I’ll have everything necessary prepared in advance.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret. But you’ll like it. I put a lot of thought into choosing it.”

It was a relief that she didn’t have to prepare anything separately.

“But is it okay?”

“What is?”

“It’s not good to attract attention from people.”

“Are you worried about another article? If that’s the case, I’ll block the entire article.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“I’m fine too.”

“Okay, then let’s go. I want to go on a trip.”

Givnen nodded and stood up.

“Do you need to go back?”

“Yeah. Now that I’ve confirmed you’re awake, I should go.”

“Go quickly then.”

Givnen slowly reached out and fiddled with Riley’s earlobe.

“Don’t take off the earrings. Wear them even when sleeping.”

“Even when bathing?”

“Don’t take them off.”

“Alright.”

Riley’s gaze turned to Givnen’s ear. Come to think of it, he was wearing the same earrings.

“The earrings are the same?”

“Yeah. I deliberately matched them with the same design.”

“I see.”

These days, couples reveal their relationship by wearing the same accessories or matching clothes of similar colors. Is this the same context? As she was pondering this…

Givnen’s lips gently touched Riley’s forehead and then pulled away.

“Now that I see your face, I don’t want to go.”

“…”

“Should I play hooky?”

What just happened?

His cute declaration of playing hooky didn’t register. Riley just blinked blankly and then raised her hand to cover her mouth. A beat later, embarrassment washed over her.

“…You should go quickly, your reputation might suffer otherwise.”

“My reputation is already trash anyway.”

“But you’ve only just been appointed as the Tower Master.”

That’s true.

Givnen stood up as if he had no choice.

“Go quickly.”

“Is it just my feeling that I’m being chased out?”

Riley laughed awkwardly, feeling a pang of guilt.

“It’s just your imagination.”

“Is it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Alright then.”

After Givnen left, Riley caressed her forehead where a lukewarm sensation remained.

‘I was surprised.’

She thought there was nothing to be surprised about between them anymore, but she was truly startled by his lips suddenly touching her without warning. Moreover, for some reason, he smiled at her as if she was incredibly lovable. It was similar to before, yet somehow different.

As she was blinking stupidly, Richel came in.

“What did the master say?”

“He said we’re going on a trip, so clear my schedule for tomorrow.”

“Wow! Really? A trip for just the two of you?”

“Yeah.”

Richel blushed with excitement.

“A trip! A romantic trip! So where are you going?”

“I don’t know. He said it’s a secret.”

“Wow! The master must have prepared thoroughly. My goodness… I’m so envious. No wonder he was so attentive. The master must have been really worried about you, to decide on a trip.”

“…What do you mean by attentive?”

“After you collapsed, the master stayed by your side for two whole days.”

“…Givnen did?”

“Yes!”

Riley was considerably shocked. She sighed lowly as if troubled.

“I’ve caused trouble again. For such a busy person to be absent for two days.”

“Miss, at times like this, you should say, ‘Oh my, my husband was so worried about me that he stayed by my side for two days, I’m touched!’ Isn’t that how it should be?”

“But he couldn’t do his work because he was staying by my side. So I was a hindrance to him. I should apologize tomorrow. No, wait, after missing two days, is it okay to go on a trip? If he planned the trip because of me, I’m fine…”

Richel frustratedly covered Riley’s mouth with her hand.

“Miss! That won’t do.”

“…”

“It means the master prioritizes you over work. The trip is also a matter of sincerity. If you apologize for that, won’t it make the master embarrassed?”

“…I see.”

“You should just enjoy the trip as much as possible. That will make the master happy too! And… phew, what’s a trip? Enjoy passionate nights to your heart’s content! Who knows? You might have an heir before marriage?”

“…An heir?”

“What else would a man and woman do on a trip alone? They spend passionate nights together!”

Belatedly realizing the implications of the trip, Riley fidgeted with her fingers, feeling flushed.

“I thought a trip was just about having fun and eating.”

“You do have fun and eat, and sleeping is included in that!”

Despite having two previous experiences, somehow it felt different to accept it now.

Is it because I’m sober this time? Or is it because the previous experiences happened in a half-dazed state?

It’s embarrassing. Quite a lot.

[This is the timeline separator]

“What, why are you here again?”

Arpeggio looked at Riley askance.

“Um… I passed the test.”

“I know, the rumors about you are all over the tower.”

“Rumors?”

“Did you think there wouldn’t be rumors after taking the test like that?”

“Ah.”

Riley scratched her head in embarrassment.

“Was it that bad?”

“It was very bad.”

Her magic must have really been terrible. Givnen had said it was difficult to measure her mana. Passing with such meager mana and poor magic must have been due to Givnen’s influence after all.

Or maybe it was the effect of getting a perfect score on the written test.

“Anyway, thanks to you I was able to pass. I came to say thank you.”

“Just with words? Nothing else?”

“I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

“I only eat expensive things because I’m high-class. Can you afford it with your pocket money?”

“I have some saved up allowance. It should be enough… or maybe not, but I’ll do my best to treat you.”

“Allowance…”

Arpeggio let out a long sigh.

No matter how poor one might be, she felt a pang of conscience at the thought of taking money from a snot-nosed kid who lives on allowance.

But it also felt unfair to receive no compensation for all her hard work.

“You figure it out, I don’t know much about the outside world. I hardly ever go out.”

“Then when would be convenient for you?”

“Anytime after 6 PM is fine.”

“Alright, I’ll schedule it and let you know.”

“Do that.”

Arpeggio was gesturing for her to leave quickly when she paused.

“Wait, that earring.”

“Yes?”

“What’s that, I haven’t seen it before.”

“Givnen gave it to me as a congratulatory gift for passing.”

“What?”

Arpeggio’s expression soured.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Go now.”

“Alright, I’ll be going then.”

After Riley left, Arpeggio muttered as if dumbfounded.

“Now he’s even put shackles on the kid, that crazy bastard.”

[This is the timeline separator]

There were others who were more excited about Givnen and Riley’s trip.

Richel and the other servants flocked together to carefully dress up Riley. Originally, they were going to call Madame Blanche as well, but she barely managed to stop them. After all, they couldn’t bother such a busy person just for a trip.

“Miss, your skin is so good that anything looks great on you.”

“Really?”

“This is the trendy travel look these days, do you like it?”

“Yes.”

Truthfully, she wasn’t sure what was trendy or how it differed from her usual clothes.

Richel smiled meaningfully as she adjusted Riley’s outfit.

“There, all done. Have a good time!”

Richel waved to Riley, as excited as if she were going on the date herself. As Riley left the room, other maids gathered around Richel.

“I heard the master and miss are going on a trip alone?”

“Seems so. They even packed a suitcase and sent it down.”

“This time they’re really going to get married, right?”

“Hey, has the master ever brought any other woman into this house besides miss? This time it’s for real.”

“What do you think of miss? Is she suitable to become our lady?”

Perhaps this was the greatest concern of the servants in this household.

The master’s love life wasn’t their business, but the prospective lady who would become the mistress was important.

Although this mansion was Givnen’s private residence, he rarely stayed here, so for the servants, it was a very peaceful and optimal workplace. They only had to serve their superiors on rare occasions, and as long as they managed the mansion neatly, there was no problem.

However, now that the master was deliberately coming and going, and even brought his prospective bride to stay in the mansion, the servants were sensitive in many ways.

“Miss Riley is very kind. Sometimes it’s a bit frustrating because she’s too timid, but I still like her. She doesn’t act too much like a superior, so she feels like a friend… and somehow, looking at her makes me want to take care of her more.”

“Really? …I guess we won’t have to submit resignation letters?”

“Where else could be as good as here? We should stay until we die.”

“Well, anyway, it’s fortunate that miss is kind. It’ll be comfortable to serve her.”

“Is that important right now? What’s important is that the master and mistress are leaving the mansion today!”

Everyone in the mansion wholeheartedly welcomed Givnen and Riley’s one-night, two-day date.

A day to spend freely without the master. In the past, days without the master were the norm, but not anymore. Having a superior to serve in the same space versus not having one certainly made a difference in fatigue levels from the start.

A night without the master.

Here too, their own little party was planned.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Is all this my luggage?”

The number of trunks filling the floating stone carriage was alarming.

So this is what he meant by saying he’d prepare everything? Riley imagined how much the servants of the mansion must have struggled and offered her condolences. Yet they showed no signs of fatigue and even dressed her up beautifully…

“I told them to pack generously since we’re going far.”

“Going far? Where are we going?”

“To a warm place.”

A white linen shirt with a tie, cuffs of the same material and color, a black vest and black pants that showed off his fit nicely, and even gloves. He looked every bit the perfect gentleman, even more neat and stylish than usual.

He had swept up about half of his usual bangs, and perhaps due to his prominently protruding brow bone and slightly upturned eyebrows, he gave off a very manly impression.

It felt like he had put a little more effort into his appearance than usual.

When his bangs were down, she had thought he was quite a pretty boy… but just by slightly revealing his forehead, how could his impression change so much?

“Why are you staring so intently?”

“No, it’s just that your image seems different from usual.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“No, it suits you well. I think you look even more handsome with your bangs slightly up.”

At Riley’s words, Givnen smiled faintly and took her hand.

“I put in effort.”

“…”

“Because I wanted to look good to you.”

Undoubtedly, Givnen had never looked bad to Riley. And she was certain that there would never be a moment when he would look ‘bad’ to anyone. He was the type of person who could pull off even a smelly sackcloth.

But to say he deliberately dressed up because he wanted to look good…

His deliberately dressed-up appearance was not good for the heart.

It’s harmful, harmful.

“But you shouldn’t go out like that.”

Givnen tilted his head at Riley’s words.

“Why?”

“Your face is more harmful than you think.”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

“I’m sure it is. Anyway, today’s face seems particularly more harmful.”

“Is it that bad? You just said it suits me well.”

“It does suit you, but it’s harmful. You normally stand out, but when you dress up deliberately like this, you stand out even more. People won’t leave you alone.”

Givnen pondered Riley’s words as he helped her into the floating stone carriage and then got in himself.

The floating stone carriage, which always had an artistic ride quality no matter when you rode it, smoothly left the mansion without even the slightest shake.

“So you’re saying I should only show this appearance to you?”

“Actually, I’d prefer if you didn’t show it to me too often either.”

Givnen furrowed his brow. He felt disappointed, thinking he had made all this effort for nothing.

However, unexpected words came out of Riley’s mouth.

“It’s harmful to my heart. You need to realize how excessively handsome you are.”

How can she say such things so casually?

Givnen looked at her as if dumbfounded, then burst into laughter.

“In other words, I’m excessively handsome.”

“That’s about right.”

“It’s troublesome if you seduce me so aggressively.”

“Seduce? Me?”

“No? That was an extremely flirtatious comment.”

“I was just stating a fact. It’s an objective fact that you’re handsome.”

“You’ve become quite good at expressing yourself now. Before, you would just watch my reactions.”

Riley opened her eyes wide. Then, after thinking for a moment, she nodded.

“I guess I’ve become more comfortable now.”

Givnen squinted at Riley’s words.

“Only now you’ve become comfortable? You should have been comfortable long ago. I wonder how much more effort I need to put in.”

“…Um, I think I was actually a bit shy inside. But now I’m more comfortable. I feel like we’ve become closer since looking around the academy with you.”

“Then, can’t you stop calling me ‘you’ and kindly call me ‘you’ in a more familiar way, elder sister?”

Riley flinched for a moment, then nodded with an awkward smile.

“…I’ll try.”

“Good, try hard. We have an obligation to become closer and more intimate.”

“Yes.”

After traveling for some time, though it didn’t seem like they had moved much, the floating stone carriage stopped at its destination.

As soon as they got out of the carriage, what they saw was a teleporter.

As soon as Givnen got out of the carriage, the teleporter staff who recognized him approached.

Without needing to state their names or destination, they efficiently set up the destination, and even unloaded all the trunks from the floating stone carriage and loaded them onto a cargo-only teleporter.

“Teleport preparations are complete, would you like to move immediately?”

Givnen nodded, and the teleporter was activated right away.

What followed was truly instantaneous.

“Now then, we’ll be moving.”

With a feeling of the whole body burning hot, the view changed in colorful ways. With a sensation of the body floating in the air, after blinking a couple of times…

A magnificent hotel towering on the beach spread out before their eyes.

For a moment, Riley was lost in the harmonious view of the hotel and the beach, speechless at the scene unfolding before her eyes. People lined up at sharp angles at the hotel entrance, formally welcoming Givnen’s visit with utmost respect.

Riley couldn’t close her mouth at the fact that all these people had come out just to greet one person.

It seems this trip is even more luxurious than she had thought.