The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 68
‘Well, a person’s feelings can’t always be on fire.’
Though she wasn’t the type to cling to her partner, she thought she should get used to his changed behavior without overreacting.
However, his suspicious behavior didn’t end at just maintaining distance.
First, he looked tired as if he wasn’t getting enough sleep at night.
‘Even after holding me all night, he never looked this pale.’
Second, she saw him having lunch at a nice restaurant with Estelle, one of the top three beauties of the White Tower.
‘Orca said recently that he’s been more irritable, as if something was bothering him.’
But in front of Estelle, he was all smiles and chattiness.
Thinking of Hesed made her chest feel heavy, and thinking of him and Estelle together made her feel even more weighed down, like she had a lump in her throat.
‘Senior, you worry too much.’
‘Yes, as he said, I do tend to worry unnecessarily…’
Instead of brooding alone, she decided to talk to him.
That evening, knowing he had no official schedule, Irina dressed up with care and headed to his place with a picnic basket.
*
‘Huh?’
When she arrived, she noticed the magic barrier around his place was slightly disrupted. This meant there was someone else inside besides Hesed.
‘Is it Orca?’
Since she had only come to visit with a picnic basket, it wouldn’t be too awkward if she ran into someone.
Irina knocked twice and waited for Hesed to answer, but there was no response.
‘What’s going on?’
She hesitated briefly before opening the door and stepping inside. Being his lover gave her some justification for entering.
‘This reminds me of the time I visited his place after taking that failed potion.’
She reached the end of the hallway, and just one more step would take her into his private space with the bed and table.
“Ahahaha, even the seemingly perfect Vice Master has his weak points.”
Estelle’s cheerful laughter made Irina stop in her tracks.
“…Shut it. Haven’t you heard that no one is 100% perfect?”
Hesed’s slightly grumpy but familiar voice followed.
That was all it took.
Irina felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and her heart sank.
Even though the conversation was mundane, just knowing Hesed had another woman in his private quarters was disconcerting.
‘Should I just quietly leave before seeing anything more? Pretend I was never here.’
Her tendency to avoid conflict reared its head.
‘No, don’t think like that. Last time I misunderstood and judged him without believing in him, and it caused trouble.’
She took a couple of deep breaths before stepping forward.
“Ah…”
She saw a table scattered with several books on gem crafting, various gemstones, carving tools, and other crafting instruments.
“No, just cast the enhancement spell. You don’t have to be so careful.”
Hesed was carefully setting a gemstone into a ring, following Estelle’s advice.
Irina suddenly remembered that Estelle had a unique talent for imbuing magic into gemstones.
“It took me a week to finally succeed with this one. If it breaks, it’s not like you’re going to take responsibility… S-Senior!”
Hesed jumped up from his seat when he noticed Irina, causing the table to shake.
“I just told you to be careful, and now look what you’re doing!”
Some round gemstones almost fell to the floor, but Estelle quickly caught them.
“Senior, this is…”
“Good evening, Tower Master. It’s a pleasant evening.”
Estelle enjoyed watching the normally composed Hesed turn into a flustered puppy and turned her attention back to Irina.
‘Oh my.’
Irina, too, looked flustered and unsure, with a red face.
“I think I understand the situation now.”
It was the look of a woman who, after following her suspicious lover, realized the situation wasn’t what she feared.
