Chapter 44

‘I—I don’t even know how I’m supposed to breathe!’

Have you ever focused so hard on your breathing that it suddenly becomes impossible to do naturally?

That was me. Right now.

At this rate, I felt like I might hyperventilate—but there was nothing I could do about it.

All I could manage was to try, desperately, to calm down.

“L-Lycian… Can’t you move a little farther away?”

“…Then why did you pick this alley, Muriel?”

“I didn’t have a choice—I was in a hurry…!”

“And who do you think is losing their mind more right now? Me, or you?”

My trembling hand was suddenly clasped tight—our fingers interlocked as Lycian squeezed.

As if he were suppressing something through sheer force alone.

But he wasn’t the only one struggling.

His warm breath brushed my cheek, my earlobe, featherlight and maddening. Our bodies were pressed flush together, heat seeping through every point of contact.

I couldn’t even tell anymore whether the warmth belonged to me—or to him.

“…Muriel, should we just go out?”

“N-No…! If we get caught, we’re dead…!”

Lycian exhaled—a long, heavy sigh—and the fine hairs along my skin prickled upright.

Shuddering, I hissed in a tiny voice.

“Don’t breathe…!”

“…….”

I could feel his disbelief.

But I didn’t have the capacity to care.

I just squeezed my eyes shut and tried to pretend this situation didn’t exist.

Sienna’s voice, which had been so close moments ago, gradually drifted farther and farther away.

And the instant it disappeared completely—

I tore my hand from Lycian’s and bolted out of the alley.

“Haaah….”

I sank down onto the street with a hollow sigh, as if the ground might swallow me whole.

Lifting my head slightly, I glanced toward the Veratis branch building.

Thankfully, no one was there.

‘Crisis averted….’

It was too soon to run into Sienna. She needed to believe I was still struggling in the contaminated zone.

‘But… why was Sienna visiting the Veratis Guild?’

The question had only just formed when someone behind me pulled me gently to my feet—almost like an embrace.

Of course, it was Lycian.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-You… what about you?”

Maybe because I’d been so hyper-aware of him just moments ago, I still couldn’t quite think straight.

I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him. I just blinked rapidly, eyes unfocused. Lycian answered evenly.

“I’m fine. I have pretty good self-control.”

“Th-That’s impressive! Thank goodness!”

“It is. If I didn’t, that would’ve been a real problem.”

“…….”

I did not want to imagine what kind of “problem.”

I tried to step away from him—but before I could even take a full step, my legs gave out.

“—Hngh…!”

“Careful.”

Just as I was about to crumple, Lycian caught me firmly from behind.

He hesitated for a brief second—

“…!”

And then he scooped me up entirely.

In a princess carry.

Flustered, I sputtered in protest.

“W-What are you doing? There’s no need for this!”

“I guarantee you couldn’t even take three steps like this.”

“That’s not the point…! We can’t walk into the Veratis Guild branch like this…!”

“So what? They’re all eccentrics. They won’t think much of it.”

“That’s just what you think…!”

I protested earnestly, but it was useless. Lycian marched straight into the Veratis Guild, carrying me in his arms.

The person sitting behind the long lobby table, slurping noodles, stared at us—and promptly let the noodles slide right out of his mouth.

Despite being the cause of it, Lycian frowned at him like he was something unpleasant.

“Call the Guild Master.”

“W-Who are you?”

The man wiped his mouth and rose from his chair, looking between us in confusion.

I wanted to die of embarrassment at how I looked, but I forced myself to speak, determined to salvage this train wreck.

“I’m an apothecary. I’d very much like to meet the Guild Master. Is he available?”

“Ah—!! I see! But, um… the gentleman with you is…?”

“This person is my….”

What was I supposed to say? Assistant?

Colleague? Friend? Partner?

None of those quite captured what Lycian was to me.

As I hesitated, lips parting uselessly, a firm voice spoke above my head.

“Bonded.”

“Ah…! So you’re spouses!”

“…?”

I stared up at Lycian, mouth hanging open.

I was too stunned to even speak.

“Please have a seat and wait a moment!”

The man—presumably a receptionist—hurried off somewhere, leaving the two of us alone in the lobby.

I promptly pinched one of Lycian’s cheeks hard.

“Put me down.”

“Can you walk?”

“Do I look like a newborn to you?”

I snapped at him, eyes blazing. He gave a faint smile—and carefully set me down.

The moment my feet touched the floor, I grabbed both his cheeks with my hands and stretched them outward.

“Why am I your bonded partner? Are you just going to keep scamming people?”

Even with his face distorted ridiculously, Lycian enunciated clearly.

“Think of it as a bonded animal. You called me a fox, didn’t you? I’m Muriel’s pet fox.”

“That doesn’t make you an actual fox….”

Though he could certainly be as sly as one.

Shaking my head, I released his cheeks.

I’d just started to step back—

When his hands suddenly shot out and cupped my face instead.

“…?”

My eyes widened, blinking up at him. His hands were so large my face felt completely swallowed.

Lycian’s gaze deepened as he looked down at me. I could see something complicated stirring in those golden eyes.

“Muriel, I—”

Just as he finally began to speak—

“Miss Muriel! And M-Mr. Lycian…!”

A voice bursting with delight shattered the heavy air.

Startled, I quickly stepped away from Lycian.

My cheeks burned, as if we’d been caught in something we shouldn’t have.

“Um… th-that is… did I interrupt something…?”

As expected, the person who had suddenly appeared in the lobby was Allen.

The other man, who arrived a beat later, was the very same guild member who had shown us in earlier.

Sensing the strange atmosphere, he halted mid-step.

I forced an awkward smile at Allen.

“It’s not like that, Mr. Allen… Have you been well—”

Before I could even finish the polite greeting, a voice as cold as winter sliced through the air.

“You’re perceptive. It was a complete interruption.”

Lycian’s lips curved in a mocking smile as he glared at Allen, frost practically etched into his eyes.

‘What—?! What is he doing?’

Flustered, I grabbed onto Lycian’s arm.

He glanced down at me. The moment our eyes met, he smiled softly—as if he hadn’t just been icily hostile a second ago.

“…….”

Is he two-faced?

It seemed Lycian disliked the Veratis Guild far more than I’d assumed.

Realizing that, guilt crept up on me. Was he putting up with this just because of me?

After hesitating for a moment, I spoke carefully.

“Um… if this makes you uncomfortable, we can just leave. You don’t have to force yourself—”

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice cut in smoothly.

“There’s no need to be so considerate, Apothecary. That man is simply a disaster of a human being.”

I turned toward the source of the voice.

Its owner—smooth, pleasing in tone—stepped slowly out from the shadowed corridor.

Click, clack—

The low heels of polished men’s dress shoes struck against marble tile in crisp rhythm.

Tap.

The man stopped beside Allen and lightly struck the floor with his cane, smiling at an angle.

“Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”

‘…Your Highness?’

The unfamiliar title made my eyes widen instinctively.

And without thinking, I turned to look at Lycian.

“Shut your mouth.”

Lycian’s voice came low, almost a growl.

But the man only shrugged, smiling brazenly. There was something distinctly strange about his composure.

‘Is that Dante Veratis?’

The way he addressed Lycian gnawed at me—but identifying who he was took priority.

As if sensing my gaze, the man turned toward me and smiled.

His eyes were a deep amethyst violet. His dark indigo hair flowed all the way down to his waist.

His complexion was pale, which only made the beauty mark beneath his left eye stand out more.

Around 185 centimeters tall, perhaps. Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist—an inverted triangle build. Long, slender limbs.

His features were difficult to define—less like a guild master of adventurers, more like someone who belonged on a stage.

His violet eyes shimmered with interest as they rested on me.

Then, from his pale lips, came a lightly amused voice.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Apothecary. My name is Dante Veratis.”