Terrance took a quick glance around. It was full with reliable people, but still, the outside was the outside. He would have never known when his words could leak out, so he reduced the information that he relayed to the fullest extent as possible.

“Anyway, please come back—please. One of the staff in the office will die at this rate.”

“Then, it should be fine to take this opportunity and die.”

“My Lord!”

Molitia, who had been watching all this while, soon closed the book at the voice of the currently crying Terrance. As he realized her small movement, he immediately turned his head.

“It must have been so noisy. Don’t worry about it. Get that guy out soon…”

“Raven, I’m perfectly fine. Feel free to go.”

He closed his lips for a while. She seemed to be asking if he hadn’t been listening to Terrance’s speech before.

“I am all warmed up for now. You’ve also seen the reduced meds as well.”

“It was just like this back then. You let me go easily and then, you fell sick.” He growled in a low voice. Raven acted as if he was traumatized after what happened that day. Wherever she went, he was always with her. He even used to feel relieved, albeit barely, only when Molitia came into his line of sight.

But if she were to fall down while he was away again this time— Raven immediately felt his heart pounding only with the hypothesis which he had just thought inside his mind.

“I’ll always have Pillen and Lili next to me.”

“That’s right! It won’t take that long, My Lord. You can just go and look through some of the documents and process the payment itself.”

Terrance swiftly responded to Molitia’s words.

“If that’s the case then, you could have brought them here.”

“My Lord, please save my face—at least.”

Terrance was a knight, but he was also a commoner who never had a decent title. It was already a great honor to be able to walk around the Imperial Palace that comfortably.

“I’ll just stay home—calmly.”

“Sigh.”

Raven gave a soft sigh.

Work and Molitia. If he had to choose between those two, of course it would definitely be the latter. However, if the latter herself was the one who asked him to choose the former, then he absolutely had no other way of overcoming it.

“When I’m done with these, I’m going to ask you to acquire a private audience with His Majesty. The work in the Imperial Palace is far too dependent on this one, sole Duke.” “It’s only because you are that competent.”

“That’s right, My Lord.”

Terrance quickly added to the apprehension that his Lord might change his words even if it was just slightly. Raven’s forehead wrinkled exceedingly.

He sighed again before placing his hand on her cheek. The cheek that was being caressed by that big hand of his appeared to be much chubbier than before.

“If you’re going anywhere, tell me and take Gilbert with you. I’ll post another knight with you as well.”

“I got it.”

“Don’t you forget to value your own body—the most.”

“I won’t overdo it.”

Raven bent slightly down. Molitia immediately knew what he wanted. The pair of lips that had passed along his chin and nose, softly settled to brush against his forehead.

“…I’ll be back soon.”

“Goodbye, Raven.”

Raven had to tread with one heavy step away.

What had already been waiting for him was a mountainous pile of documents that were absolutely more than he had imagined before.

His feet, which were just about to leave after the urgent work, were still tied to the office. It was all because of those people, who had taken proper care of his anger, but still, they didn’t let him go at all.

The work was coming along well, and just like Terrance had said, his own initiative had progressed a whole lot. On top of that, when reports arrived that relayed the detection of a subtle atmosphere between the continents, he finally realized that it could no longer be ignored.

As the schedule to return home to Molitia was delayed instantly, only a sigh was let out in the office. In the end, Raven had no other choice but to postpone his own vacation.

——————–