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Johan was able to return to Ferbache Mansion only late at night after completing his mission.

The small street festival for the commoners had lasted longer than expected, and dropping Rudella off at Topaz Palace was the end of his task.

Upon returning to the mansion, he found the butler and the servants lined up waiting for him, despite the late hour.

“Welcome back, Harsen Young-Sik.”

“What’s with the gathering?”

Johan tilted his head. It was one thing to have the butler waiting, but it was rare for the servants to line up waiting for him.

“The Princess is waiting for you.”

“The Princess?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go see her right away.”

Johan nodded once and headed upstairs, entering the guest room of the mansion, which had now become his room.

Click.

Fransia was carefully perched at the end of the bed. Under the dim light, every time her hair swayed, a deep, even breath echoed in the room.

Though tired from a long wait, her hands were still neatly clasped together, not relaxing even in her half-sleep as she prepared to greet Johan.

“Fransia?”

“Yes, yes?”

Fransia opened her eyes, shaking off her drowsiness as she tilted her head. Her face showed signs of fatigue from waiting, but she couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes at seeing Johan.

“Ah, Johan. You’ve come.”

“I heard you were waiting, so I rushed over.”

“Yes, I was waiting.”

Fransia gave an awkward smile and patted the space beside her with her hand. Johan sat next to her without a hint of doubt.

“Did you know there’s a festival happening in the Royal Capital today for Harvest Day?”

“I know.”

“I heard there would be fireworks, so I waited to go with you, but your mission ended late…”

Her expression was full of disappointment. From her staying awake until late, it was clear she really wanted to attend the festival.

“…I’m sorry.”

Johan offered a brief apology, though his feelings were complicated. Regardless of the excuse of mission, it didn’t change the fact that he had made her lonely.

“It’s not your fault, Johan. It was your mission.”

Fransia pouted her lips. Despite her words, she still appeared quite disappointed, prompting Johan to gently pet her head.

“There will be many more festivals in the future. Our time together isn’t limited, right? We can go next time.”

Even if not now, there would be more time to spend with her in the future. Duke Ferbache had permitted their courting.

“Hehe, that’s right. We have plenty of time granted to us.”

Hearing Johan’s words, she smiled brightly, lifting the corners of her lips. Perhaps enjoying the gentle touch on her head, she even leaned in closer.

Johan’s fingers softly pressed against her scalp, making Fransia’s shoulders slowly relax.

Her face was adorned with a calmness that indicated her tension had melted away. She was feeling trust and comfort.

Johan focused more on the small solace he could provide her.

“Wow… I think Johan is really good at scalp massages.”

It seemed that the massage, given in her tired state, was making her face look like she would fall asleep any moment, her eyes languidly drooping.

“Maybe it’s because of the love in my touch?”

Johan chuckled lightly.

“Ugh. It’s troublesome when you come in like this, relaxed. I wouldn’t know how to react…”

Fransia shyly pulled her hair to cover her cheeks. Thinking she looked like a little creature, Johan began to rub her neck with his other hand.

“Whew…”

At that, Fransia’s body began to sink into relaxation.

“So, am I not special like this?”

“Of course not…”

“Then I’ll continue.”

“Sure.”

Fransia chuckled with her usual laughter, leaning her head atop Johan’s chest.

“I actually know.”

“What do you mean?”

“You went to the festival with Lady Bismarck, right?”

“…”

Johan stiffened up, surprised. How did she know? It didn’t seem like Fedelian would have told her, as she utterly loathed him and wouldn’t have a conversation.

“How did you know?”

“I just figured so.”

“I’m sorry.”

Seeing Fransia’s bitter smile, Johan had nothing to offer but an apology. Excuses could come later.

“It’s okay. It was your mission, after all. I’m not overly concerned.”

Her voice as she said that had a deflated tone. Johan was certain; Fransia wasn’t alright at all.

“Actually, there are circumstances…”

“What kind?”

“Lady Bismarck is a pitiful person.”

“Pitiful?”

“Well…”

Johan shared the story of Rudella Bismarck’s life that he had heard in the cave. As he spoke, Fransia listened attentively, nodding along.

“So she tossed out her troubles so I could be a diversion occasionally. She thought it would be a good excuse.”

Even as things got tangled with Rudella’s life, his feelings for Fransia remained unchanged. The reason he wanted to help her was simply out of pity.

“Then, it means your feelings towards Lady Bismarck aren’t special but rather simple pity. That makes me feel relieved.”

Fransia seemed somewhat comforted by Johan’s words, gently placing her hand on his thigh.

As her hand tenderly caressed his thigh, Johan softly wrapped his hand around hers.

Just that small contact made them feel each other’s warmth.

“Fransia, the things you worry about won’t transpire. I’m not easily shaken.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Fransia awkwardly smiled and closed her eyes.

Johan slowly pressed on her warm skin, deep in thought.

In truth, it wouldn’t be a problem if Rudella Bismarck had feelings for him.

As long as she didn’t renounce her family and all her privileges, she was a person entangled in a fate that could not connect with him.

Rudella Bismarck was meant to be the Crown Princess.

Thus, Johan and Rudella’s relationship was merely that of extending a hand when in need.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Shall we sleep now?”

“…”

Fransia’s breathing had grown shallow while receiving the scalp massage. She looked quite tired and was slipping into slumber.

Johan carefully laid her down and kissed her forehead.

*

The next day.

Johan reported to work as usual.

Receiving greetings from the warm-hearted female public affairs officers and chatting with the male officers who viewed him favorably passed the time.

His tasks involved drafting military-related documents in preparation for a potential war with Sanburgh, so there was also time to learn other magic.

“You’re studying hard, aren’t you?”

Fransia said with a bright smile as she approached. She seemed to have just finished organizing some documents.

“I told the Duke I wanted to become an Archmage.”

He hadn’t been able to concentrate recently due to many events, but he had to start now. The process of reaching the realm of the Archmage.

To counter the Tower Master he might meet later or minor villains, reaching the realm of Archmage wouldn’t be enough.

“Uhm, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting your studies.”

“It’s fine. Did you just finish your work?”

“Yes. Things have been all over the place internationally, so there are many documents to handle.”

Fransia also had military-related documents to process. Although she was a wizard unrelated to battles, she was still an Archmage.

“Thanks for your hard work.”

“Hehe, this is nothing.”

Fransia, with a proud expression, placed her hands on her waist. Johan thought she was cute and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Harsen Archmage. Are you busy right now?”

At that moment, an officer approached and called for Johan. He turned his head away from Fransia to face the officer.

“No, what’s the matter?”

“The commander is asking for you.”

“…Again?”

Could it be that Rudella had put in another named assignment?

“I’ll head over right away.”

“Yes.”

Johan stood up, told Fransia he would be right back, and headed to the office where Fedelian was.

Click.

He opened the door and entered. Fedelian sat at his desk, handling documents with a bored expression.

“You’re here.”

“Is it another named assignment?”

“Not this time.”

Fedelian lightly set down the papers he had been holding and met Johan’s gaze.

Despite his crumpled face, he knew how to separate business from personal and was still acting like a perfect Crown Prince to the public.

“There’s a special assignment. Reports have come in about a dungeon appearing in a village to the west of the Empire.”

Dungeons appear without any warning. There’s a hypothesis that they’re created from the accumulation of ominous energies that warp mana, though nothing has been definitively verified.

“A dungeon…”

“Yes.”

Johan’s face scrunched up as he grimaced. As an Archmage, he couldn’t avoid special assignments.

‘I have a feeling those two will pull some strange tricks again.’

Though he had tied up Fedelian and Kasys, he couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t pull some tricks. They both had a knack for being eccentric.

Surely they’d concoct some messy schemes while ensuring they wouldn’t get caught by the Duke and Emperor.

“Am I going alone?”

“You’ll be accompanied by the public affairs officers’ knights.”

Fedelian looked over the cluttered desk and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to Johan.

“Take a look.”

Johan accepted the paper from him and skimmed through the contents.

There was mention of the Count Ekarshi’s territory in the west of the Empire, which reported discovering a potential dungeon in a nearby village.

Surely the villager who found it reported it to the Count, and Count Ekarshi requested reconnaissance and confirmation from the public affairs office.

“It’s just a straightforward verification, so it should be simple.”

“When is the date?”

“The sooner, the better. You should leave right away.”

“Understood.”

Johan politely bowed and left the office. Upon returning to his position, Fransia looked puzzled.

“What was it about?”

“A special mission has come down.”

“A special mission?”

“They say a dungeon has been discovered in the territory of Count Ekarshi in the west of the Empire. It’s a mission to confirm it.”

“…A dungeon?”

Hearing the word ‘dungeon,’ Fransia’s face darkened noticeably. She knew, too, the kind of things that could happen there.

“Don’t worry too much. The situations you dread won’t occur.”

“Still…”

Fransia bit her lip, filled with concern. Johan could tell that she felt uneasy about what Kasys and Fedelian might do, yet she felt powerless to do anything.

Though she had knowledge of the future, unless she acquired artifacts or something, there was nothing useful to do right away.

“It will be fine.”

Reading the worried expression on Fransia’s face, Johan smiled gently and stroked her head.

Fransia seemed to like his touch, comfortably allowing him to pet her.

“When is the date for the mission?”

“Starting today.”

“That soon…?”

“Dungeons need to be discovered early for easier management.”

Dungeons are akin to lumps of darkness. If not identified and managed promptly, the number of demon beasts will grow wildly.

Fransia set her face in a serious expression.

“Make sure to keep the pendant and gems I gave you close.”

“I will.”

Johan smiled again, reassuring her. At his warm smile, Fransia’s face softened a little.

“Well then, I’ll be off right away.”

Though Kasys and Fedelian might pull some schemes, Johan felt confident.

No matter what they plotted, he believed he could overcome it all.