Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better?

Inside the carriage going home, after parting ways with Isidor, I tapped the tip of my shoes and slammed my head against the window.

‘I’m timid, so I usually don’t do skinship first.’

I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere, so I unconsciously arranged his bangs.

‘At that moment, Isidor looked like a puppy in the rain…’

It was strange. I couldn’t believe someone so relaxed and strong looked so weak for a moment. I recalled his pale face, which seemed somewhat sad, and met an aide with sunken eyes as soon as I got home.

‘For some reason, I think something similar has happened in the past.’

“Princess, His Grace is very worried…”

I quickly opened my mouth before he finished speaking.

“I’ll go see my father.”

As soon as I followed the fatigued aide into the office, my father jumped up from his desk.

“You’re late.”

“It’s still nine o’clock.”

The day was short because it was autumn, but it wasn’t too late.

“I can’t believe he called out a child who still hasn’t recovered. Anyway, there’s nothing I like about that Visconti guy. Sit down.”

“… Yes.”

As soon as I sat on the guest chair, he called me with stern eyes.

“Deborah.”

“Yes?”

“It is true that you borrowed Isidor’s strength when you came out of the subspace, but you don’t have to feel indebted to him. I’ll reward him properly.”

“It’s not because I feel indebted to him.”

“Well done, then.”

What?

“I was worried that you might have a weak heart because you’re so thoughtful. If he keeps bothering you while you’re researching, tell me. I’ll take care of him.”

“Sir Isidor knows well how to keep boundaries, so there’s no need for that.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the Duke burst into anger.

“What?! Who is keeping boundaries? That fox bastard? Deborah, there is not one bastard you can trust among men.”

“…”

“He’s definitely like a fox. What he lets on the outside and what he thinks on the inside are definitely different!”

‘He is indeed like a fox. A nine-tailed fox who bewitches people.’

“There’s no way a handsome guy won’t act in a way that benefits him”, my father, who looked like a Hollywood actor, warned. The Duke hated Isidor so much that I gave up defending him and returned to my room.

‘Did something happen between Duke Visconti and my father in the past?’

Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about Isidor’s family. Although I had heard of the spirit summoner Duke Montez and the sword master Duke Orgo, I had never heard anything about Duke Visconti.

I swallowed a sigh and lay down on the bed.

‘I’ve been investigating, but I really don’t know anything.’

And I also used the most competent source of information in the novel. I tossed and turned and stared for a long time at the watercolor-like half-moon hiding in the shadows.

***

‘I had that dream again…’

After escaping from sub-space, I often dreamed of wandering through a desert with a scorching sun, covered in sand dust.

‘Is this trauma?’

As I was sitting blankly on the bed, recalling the disturbing dream, there was a light tapping sound on the window. Purple, who was curled up on the cushion, flew to the window with a curious face.

The protagonist of the tapping was a white bird. The bird was pacing around the windowsill with hurried steps.

I got up, observed the bird, and laughed. A small letter was tied to the bird’s leg with golden thread. Just looking at the color of the thread, I could figure out who sent it.

[Contacting you through Muffin will be a lot faster than sending and receiving letters. – Isidor]

The small card had a subtle jasmine scent. I fiddled with the card and wrote a reply straight away.

[Muffin is cute, so I think I’ll want to return it to you late. – Deborah]

I immediately tied a reply to the bird’s leg and sent it flying. Purple looked at the direction in which Muffin flew with a sad face.

However, the pain of parting ways was also brief, and Purple quickly reunited with Muffin.

[Please show Muffin a lot of love. It likes biscuits. – Isidor]

The Visconti family’s townhouse was also within the Yones District, so replies were quickly sent back and forth.

In addition, a welcome guest also came. It was the 5th Princess.

“Princess, I missed you so much. So much that I even had a dream about that time we discussed the field applicability of the mana purity measurement method. What about you?”

“Me too.”

I didn’t remember the contents of that thesis, but her expectant yellow eyes were so cute that I gave her a positive answer.

“As expected!”

I had tea and exchanged a conversation with the 5th Princess who came to visit me.

The day passed quickly, with letters coming occasionally through Muffin, and the next day, I didn’t loiter around at home and went to the academy. Even though my dreams were unsettling, my body was too healthy.

‘I think it’s been a long time since I came to school.’

I looked around casually, and the students of the Magic Department flinched and avoided my gaze. Not many days had passed since I was sucked into the subspace, but this everyday scenery felt unfamiliar.

“Deborah. Please give me a moment.”

As I was walking down the hallway, I ran into Dean Bert.

When we entered the office, he asked his assistant to bring some tea. The dessert was from Armand. My uncle always prepared a cake from Armand when he had a one-on-one talk with me.

Because he remembered what I had said in the past, and because I felt bitter every time I saw his scar, I couldn’t refuse his blackmail to increase my lectures.

“I felt bad that something like that happened after the academy lecture. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“I can’t believe you were swept away by the Montez family problems.”

‘It seems they don’t really know the exact truth of what happened.’

It is true that I was trapped in the subspace because of Philap, but the cause of the incident that arose was quite different from the truth.

‘I learned about this thanks to the 5th Princess.’

The story was dramatized as if Philap had impulsively stolen an heirloom out of resentment against Duke Montez, and Isidor and I happened to be caught in the middle of a commotion within the family.

The rumors became credible because Philap had been on probation for a long time under his father’s oppression.

‘In reality, he was angry at me for refusing to marry him.’

Philap also seemed to have an inferiority complex towards Isidor.

Since I refused to be the protagonist of a love quarrel, the rumors that distorted the story and made it look like it was a problem within the Montez family weren’t that bad.

‘The money and power of the two families are scary.’

I couldn’t believe they blamed everything on the Montez family and banished the only heir to a distant place.

“Deborah. It will be exhausting, so take a break from both the lectures and classes this week.”

Immersed in my thoughts, I came to my senses at the words of Dean Bert.

“If you’re disappointed, I’ll arrange a place for your lectures as soon as possible. I have underestimated your enthusiasm.”

“…”

“I’m joking. Eat the cake.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, is the production of your basic-level textbook going well?”

“Yes.”

Dean Bert really liked the basic formula book I had made for Enrique’s tutoring. He wanted to distribute it to the students enrolled in the program for gifted people. He said that if I write well, he will admit it instead of a graduation thesis.

‘If I publish it, I’ll get more money and even graduate.’

It was great.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

I was free because I didn’t have any lectures today.

“Let’s go out together. I want to go for a walk because my body feels stiff.”

While walking slowly around the campus with my uncle, I saw a familiar face in the distance. And the people who glanced at Isidor in a daze, too.

In fact, yesterday, using Muffin, we had promised to meet briefly at the academy.

‘He’s here sooner than I thought.’

As Isidor approached me, he saw my uncle standing next to me and paused. Even though he was quite far away, the embarrassment in his jade-colored eyes could be clearly seen. He seemed to have mistaken Marquis Bert for my father.

“Is that gorgeous handsome man over there Prince Visconti?”

My uncle’s long scar twitched.

“Yes.”

“There seems to be no reason other than you for a knight to appear in the Department of Magic.”

“…”

“He seems to like you, but don’t meet him too often. There are a lot of foolish people who don’t know their place and think they’re the best if you treat them just a little bit nicer. Do you understand?”

“… Yes.”

“Keep that in mind.”

Marquis Bert, who had been looking at Isidor with cold eyes, returned to the academy after giving me some bitter advice.

“There is a new unexpected rival every time…”

Isidor murmured incomprehensibly.

“What did you say?”

“But I still won’t give up. No, I can’t.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but hang in there. Why did you ask to meet today?”

He smiled faintly with a white face.

“Do we meet only when we have something to do? It’s just because I wanted to see your face. … Nothing more.”

“Well, we’re supposed to get to know each other and keep in touch from time to time.”

I couldn’t believe he sent me a carrier pigeon of astronomical value that would be used in war just because I said to keep in touch.

“… You pay a lot of attention to what I say.”

Too much.

“It’s because it stays in my memory. In my head. Not a single word is left out.”

My heart sank.

“Can’t you say that kind of thing… sporadically?”

I responded to Isidor while trying my best to calm my trembling heart.

When he came out of the subspace, he must have left his filter behind. How could he say such an embarrassing thing so casually?

“Why?”

There was a sense of suspicion on his face.

“Aah… Never mind.”

“Where shall we go?”

“Yeah. I heard that my favorite shop opened a second space just now.”

We stepped on the fallen leaves, making a rustling sound, and headed towards the west gate.