“Ah…….”
Ah!
Her mind went completely blank.
While Ione was still frozen, unable to regain her composure, admiration burst out from all around.
“Oh……”
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, what brings you here?”
It was Orgen who saved Ione from her stunned state.
He gently escorted the stiff Ione down from Adrian’s lap.
“W-well…… teleport, danger, escape……”
They say when a person is too flustered, words won’t come out.
That was exactly how Ione felt right now.
Teleporting away from the mad sorcerer was the right move, but she couldn’t understand why she had landed on Adrian’s lap.
Regardless of the reason, she desperately needed to explain the situation.
However, when she saw Adrian’s cold expression, her tongue wouldn’t cooperate, probably from shock.
Adrian asked,
“What happened?”
“It’s—it’s dangerous.”
“What is it?”
Ione had tried to teleport away because she felt threatened by the sorcerer, but somehow she ended up on Adrian’s lap.
Though it wasn’t a long explanation, Ione was completely speechless in response to his question.
Thinking about it, it did sound ridiculous.
“Please, Your Highness.”
Once again, it was Orgen who rescued the pale, frozen Ione.
He carefully helped her sit on the sofa, wrapped a thick blanket around her from somewhere, and handed her a glass of tea.
“First, calm down.”
She was already calmer and understood the situation — just not capable enough to handle the responsibility.
Ione didn’t rush to speak, as if she was silently negotiating for her own life.
‘Even condemned prisoners enjoy a final meal; I suppose I can live long enough to drink a cup of tea.’
By this point, she was almost resigned, barely thinking straight.
“It’s the power of the Western Tower Lord.”
Ione, sipping tea and enjoying the grace Orgen had bought her, flinched at Adrian’s words.
“There’s nothing suspicious.”
Following up was Seton’s voice.
“What exactly is dangerous…”
Just as Seton was about to say more, there came a knock at the door.
Penelope entered, as if on cue.
“Your Highness?”
Ione flinched.
Thinking calmly, Penelope had no reason to bother her, but the sight of her flashing purple eyes startled Ione reflexively.
She could even feel the tea sloshing.
At that moment, a soft sensation wiped away the spilled tea. Looking up, Ione saw Adrian silently standing right beside her.
“…Wipe it.”
Their eyes met, and Adrian handed her a handkerchief to wipe her hand.
“Thank you.”
As she murmured and took it, Adrian turned and called Penelope in as if it were perfectly natural.
“What did you do to cause this?”
“What did I do?”
“I came here using the teleport you made.”
“I will handle this.”
Adrian’s voice was icy, and Seton unusually stepped in as a mediator.
Or rather, he tried to.
Until he heard Adrian’s words and lost his mind for a moment.
“What did you do to make my wife so frightened that she clings to me?”
My wife?
Clinging to me?
He said something embarrassing without changing the expression on his beautifully crafted face.
There were so many things to point out, no one said a word.
‘I never clung to him
!’ Ione felt wronged.
“My wife?”
Orgen was shocked.
“Frightened?
” Seton was utterly confused by the situation.
Everyone was faithfully convinced of their own reasons.
The only one who stayed clear-headed was Penelope.
She responded to Adrian’s interrogation with a surprisingly confident attitude.
“I was just trying to build some rapport.”
“How exactly?”
“I approached kindly. You can’t build rapport from a distance.”
“Why would someone like you—”
Her choice of words was a little rough.
But Penelope acted as if she didn’t hear Adrian and calmly continued.
“Because I can see it.”
She pointed at her own eyes, then tilted her body to look past Adrian, locking eyes with Ione.
“Because I can see it, I wanted to know how this could happen. Your Highness.”
“…….”
What could she possibly see?
Ione didn’t understand what Penelope meant.
But it seemed only Ione was confused, as Adrian’s usually relaxed atmosphere turned sharply cold.
“You can see it?”
“Yes?”
“You can see it?”
“Oh, yes. You know my eyes. I can see magic.”
“See what in your eyes?”
Penelope smiled brightly at Adrian’s question.
“Magic, of course. What else would I see?”
“Magic?”
“It’s such a beautiful color, I can’t take my eyes off it. It’s the first time I’ve seen a color prettier than Seton’s, Your Highness.”
Though Adrian asked the questions, Penelope kept staring only at Ione, with those famished violet eyes.
‘Wow…….’
Ione quietly admired.
With such nonsense, she managed to smooth over the fact that the Grand Duchess had clung to the Grand Duke out of fear. Impressive.
It was absurd, but she was glad it made the teleport incident on Adrian’s lap slide by unnoticed.
Still, a chill ran down her spine.
What was that sorcerer?
“Mind your own business. She’s my wife.”
With Adrian’s dry command, the violet gaze left Ione, blocked precisely by Adrian himself.
Not seeing the sorcerer’s tantrum was a relief, but Ione tilted her head in confusion.
Why was Adrian suddenly treating her like his wife?
A dozen questions popped up and vanished in a moment.
“Think flexibly, Your Highness. Even if I took an interest, it wouldn’t change that you’re the Grand Duchess’s husband.”
Penelope smiled smugly.
“Stop with the ridiculous wordplay.”
“Why are you acting so close?”
“Aren’t you the master of the Western Tower?”
“Oh my! We’re allies now, aren’t we?”
Hearing the brief exchange, Ione understood the situation.
Seton was from the Northern Territory, so that was one thing, but basically, they had to be careful in front of outsiders.
At that moment, Ione realized,
‘This is an opportunity!’
The perfect chance to change her image.
Adrian had already marked her as a bride trying to run away.
She needed to respond actively.
‘I can’t miss this!’
She twitched her lips and stood up.
She slipped her hand into Adrian’s dropped one, naturally wrapping her other arm around his forearm, and everything happened in an instant.
Not forgetting to press her forehead gently against his shoulder, so as not to scare the madman with her clear eyes.
“I’m okay.”
He flinched.
She felt a faint twitch in the arm she touched.
Did he dislike it? She thought, but stubbornly held on.
The glare she got made her scalp tingle, but since it wasn’t visible, she could endure it.
Was he planning to push her away?
The silent Adrian’s attitude made her anxiety swell dangerously.
Heartbeat racing.
At that moment, with a faint sigh, the tension in his arm slowly loosened.
“You say you’re okay?”
Fortunately, Adrian did not push her away in front of the Western Tower Lord.
Rather, as if understanding what she wanted to do, he moved accordingly.
He gripped their clasped hands firmly as if to show them off.
‘Oh my God!’
Ione tried hard not to scream.
Such a rare sight—a long, straight, unmistakably masculine hand slowly wrapping around hers!
“...What?”
Dazed by this unprecedented scene, she missed what he said next.
“…….”
Embarrassed, she looked up and found he had been staring at her the entire time.
“Our marriage is obvious in your eyes, yet you say you will just watch and do nothing?”
Knowing she hadn’t heard him properly, he repeated his words in a tone that made Ione’s heart drop.
The long lashes framed his shining blue eyes, which looked truly magnificent.
For a moment, her mind went completely blank again.
“B-but we’re cooperating right now.”
“Why should you worry about that?”
“That’s...”
Depending on how you hear it, it could mean very different things.
Either he didn’t want her to worry, or “
Who do you think you are?”
Ione blinked.
Her reflection in his bright blue eyes looked foolish.
She blushed as if she had fallen for him.
“Who do you think you are?”
Snapping back to her senses, she shook her head desperately.
She almost lost her mind because of his ridiculous good looks.
“I’m your wife. Of course I worry.”
Though presumptuous, she muttered the last part aloud.
Anyone could tell she was a pitiful Grand Duchess.
‘He probably didn’t expect me to talk back like this.’
Adrian’s expression tightened slightly.
Watching this with quiet delight, Ione smiled faintly.
He had no idea, right? Even if I’m not a typical K-office worker, I say what I want.
Meanwhile, the arm wrapped around her stiffened firmly.