The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 67
Side Story III: Finally, Hesed is…
“Hesed, over here!”
On a clear weekend morning.
Standing in front of the cafe where they had agreed to meet, Irina, dressed in a pristine white dress, waved at him. Hesed felt as if time had momentarily stopped.
Her silver hair fluttered in the gentle breeze.
Her green eyes, more precious and beautiful than emeralds.
Her pink lips, drawing soft lines that made his heart race.
Even now, she was so beautiful, and he wondered how much more beautiful she would look in a wedding dress, the magical garment of marriage.
He genuinely wanted to see Irina in a wedding dress.
*
Some say marriage is a grave, but for Hesed, marrying Irina was an old dream, a wish, and the ultimate goal of his life.
‘We’ve been lovers for six months already… Even this fresh romance is nice, but…’
Hesed tightly held Irina’s small hand resting on the table.
Even her round eyes looking at him in surprise at the sudden touch were adorable.
No wonder all the men in the cafe couldn’t take their eyes off her. All those black-hearted men had unnecessarily high standards.
‘Who’s that guy? Even though he came with a woman, he’s still staring at my Irina? I’ll gouge his eyes out!’
Hesed clenched his other hand under the table.
‘Being in a relationship makes you anxious. Unless I officially stamp her as my woman…’
He wanted to splash cold water on their unpleasant faces to snap them out of it.
As the Vice Master of the White Tower, he certainly had the power to do that.
But no, he couldn’t. The moment he used his mana, his Senior would notice immediately.
“Hesed, what are you thinking about?”
“I’m always thinking about you, Senior.”
“That’s strange. The mana around us is filled with killing intent. Are you thinking about me and getting angry?”
“No way. That would never happen.”
Sure, right now it might seem like petty jealousy, but once they were officially married, he could legally deal with those bastards.
Suppressing the surging jealousy, Hesed made up his mind to propose to her.
‘But how should I propose to make it memorable for her?’
With the excellent background of being part of the Clarke Marquisate and being a skilled mage himself, he had plenty of means and resources at his disposal. However, Irina wasn’t one to be swayed by material things.
‘It seems I’ll have to win her over with my sincerity.’
As he pondered the perfect proposal method, his mind was unusually busy.
***
Something felt off.
For the past few days, Irina had felt her spirits dampen amidst what seemed like an ordinary but slightly creaky routine.
‘Why? There haven’t been any noticeable incidents.’
The day Devrant invaded the White Tower with his greed was terrible.
Since that day, the stubbornness in the mages of the White Tower had somewhat faded, and they were more cooperative with the Tower Master and Vice Master than ever.
The disputes among the minority groups had also quieted down, and colleagues like Hisran and Siord had become much more docile compared to before.
She had a cute lover who was only sweet to her despite being unpleasant to others, making her days more perfect than ever.
‘Hesed…’
Yes, he was the problem.
‘Senior, Irina, you look beautiful today.’
‘Senior, it’s such a lovely day, but we’re stuck looking at documents. Poor us.’
‘Senior, let’s go out for dinner tonight. I found a nice restaurant.’
‘Irina, will you keep this lonely beast company tonight?’
The Hesed who acted like a loyal puppy to her had started to change about a week ago.
The man who always wanted to be by her side, regardless of time and place, suddenly began to distance himself.
He no longer came to her office during working hours with documents in hand, rarely had lunch or dinner with her unless on business, and stopped making excuses to visit her quarters at night.
It was as if his interest and affection for her had completely cooled.
‘Of course, I did want him to show some restraint during the day or when others were around, and I had reminded him a few times, but…’
Was it because she had become so accustomed to having Hesed always follow her?
Or was it simply the fickleness of human nature?
Suddenly freed from Hesed’s constant presence, Irina found herself feeling lonely instead of relieved as she had wished.
