"...What is it?"
"If you don’t want treatment, forget it."
"No, I do."
Penelope stepped closer to Ahwin. He flinched and pushed her forehead with his hand, his earlobes turning a noticeable shade of red.
"How close do you plan to get?"
"You told me to come closer, so I did. Why are you pushing me away now? Come on, hurry up and treat me."
Penelope closed her eyes and stood her ground. Ahwin let out an exasperated sigh before gently brushing her forehead with his fingertips.
At that moment, a luminous blue light emanated from Ahwin's hand.
"...!"
A cool sensation spread, and the pain vanished completely.
Penelope opened her eyes wide.
"Is... is that healing magic? You can use healing magic too?"
"If it’s something simple," Ahwin replied nonchalantly.
Penelope stared at him, her mouth slightly agape.
How can he act so casual about this? The more I learn about this man, the more he surprises me.
While there were many wizards in this world, those who could use healing magic were exceedingly rare. That was why potions sold at such high prices.
He never used healing magic in the original story. Was it because they were all so strong that they didn’t need it?
Thinking about how often Ahwin’s abilities shocked her, Penelope shook her head in disbelief.
Ahwin, noticing her reaction, narrowed his eyes before reclining on the sofa again, closing his eyes.
"I'm going to sleep now, so don’t stare or pounce on me this time."
"I was just looking at your hair. You dyed it, didn’t you?"
"Yeah, but it didn’t go well."
"You could’ve done a better job."
"Some lousy alchemist sold me cheap dye. Whatever, just get back to work. You're disturbing my sleep."
"Fine."
Penelope pursed her lips and walked to her desk. A daunting pile of documents awaited her attention. If she didn’t process and approve them all today, her work would grind to a halt.
A little while later, there was a soft knock, and the door opened. It was Giselle.
"Madam, I’ve brought some food..."
"Shh."
Penelope brought her index finger to her lips, and Giselle’s eyes widened as she glanced at Ahwin lying on the sofa.
Penelope gestured toward the table and made a circular motion with her hand, signaling Giselle to leave the food and quietly step out.
Giselle smiled and placed the tray on the table, remembering to set a cup of herbal tea in front of Penelope.
"..."
Ahwin didn’t stir, deeply asleep. Perhaps he found getting up too bothersome.
With a sigh, Penelope opened the first document and began her work.
***
The next morning, before dawn.
Penelope received unexpected news from Laura.
"Who’s here?"
While the maids were helping her wash up, Penelope lifted her head, forgetting that her clothes might get wet. Laura replied again.
"Mr. Lucas has arrived."
"This early? Already?"
Penelope was taken aback. It wasn’t even 7 a.m. yet, making his arrival all the more surprising.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t specified a starting time for Lucas.
But still, don’t most people have breakfast before coming to work? Did he see anything on his way here?
When Lucas arrived, the sun probably hadn’t even risen yet.
Even if he’d come at 8 a.m., he would’ve been considered early. What kind of zeal made him clock in at such an unreasonably early hour?
"For now... Could you take him to the drawing room? He probably hasn’t had breakfast yet, right?"
"Most likely not. Should I prepare coffee for him?"
"Please do."
"Understood. Don’t worry about it."
Laura smiled warmly and left the bedroom. Penelope felt as though all traces of sleep had vanished.
By the time she finished washing up and dressing, it was 7:30 a.m.
When she opened the door to the drawing room and entered, Lucas sprang to his feet.
"But aren’t you tired?"
"Good morning, Lady Penelope!"
"Ah, good morning. Why don’t you have a seat over here?"
Lucas sat at the round table Penelope pointed to. Stretching lightly, she took a seat across from him.
The maids, as if waiting for the moment, brought steaming dishes to the table.
While Lucas glanced around awkwardly, Penelope began sipping her coffee.
Suddenly, she turned to Giselle and asked, "By the way, has Ahwin woken up? He didn’t seem to eat dinner last night either."
"The wizard? He’s still sleeping in the office."
"Still? Honestly, unbelievable."
As Penelope shot up from her chair, Lucas was startled and stood up with her. Suppressing a yawn, Penelope said, "Lucas, you can sit back down. You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Let’s eat together. I’ll just go get one more person."
"Ah, actually, I already ate—"
"Don’t bother lying. It’s obvious."
"...Yes, ma’am."
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Lucas sat back down, flustered. The maids, unbothered by the scene, calmly set another place at the table.
Penelope made her way to the office and opened the door.
"Still dreaming, I see."
Ahwin was lying on the sofa, just as she’d left him the previous night. The robe she’d draped over him was still in place.
Despite the discomfort of the sofa, he hadn’t stirred. There wasn’t a hint of restlessness; he didn’t even seem to be dreaming.
"Ahwin, wake up. It’s morning. How long do you plan to sleep?"
"...I want to sleep more."
His voice, heavy with sleep, answered her lazily. Penelope was convinced he must have gone at least three days without rest.
"At least eat breakfast before you go back to sleep. You’ll ruin your stomach."
"...No nagging, Pepe."
"Who’s Pepe? Huh?"
Penelope stood there, mouth agape. He’d just gone ahead and shortened her name on a whim. So he had been dreaming, after all.
Shaking her head, Penelope walked to the window and threw the curtains open. The once dim office flooded with light.
"Soon, officials will come here to give their reports. Get up and eat breakfast."
Ahwin frowned deeply, squinting as he cracked his eyes open.
"...Is it morning already?"
"How many times do I have to say it, wizard? Get up, drink some herbal tea, and eat a bowl of hot soup."
"...The smell’s not bad."
Muttering under his breath, Ahwin slowly rose from the sofa, his hair sticking up in all directions from his night on the cushions.
The funny thing is, even now, he still looks handsome.
Following Penelope, Ahwin trudged into the drawing room. The maids, seeing his disheveled hair, let out small giggles.
Ahwin pressed his wild hair down with his palm.
"Is it that bad?"
"You’re fine. Just eat, wash up, and go back to sleep if you want."
"I feel wide awake now, though..."
Ahwin trailed off, his eyes falling on Lucas, who had just risen clumsily from his chair, causing the dishes to clatter noisily.
Turning to Penelope, Ahwin asked, "Is that the guy from yesterday?"
"My secretary. Seems he decided to start early today. It’s fine if he joins us for breakfast, right?"
Ahwin glanced at the wall clock, furrowing his brow.
"What, did he sleep here at the castle last night?"
"Ah, no. I went home and returned early—"
"I wasn’t asking you."
"..."
Lucas shut his mouth, clearly flustered. Ahwin strode over to him, stopping just in front of him and staring down with an intimidating gaze.
Naturally, Lucas shrank back. Ahwin didn’t seem to realize how unpleasant it was to be looked at like that.
"Hey, stop that. This isn’t the place for it. The soup’s going to get cold. Sit down and eat."
"..."
Without a word, Ahwin sat down and crossed his arms. It was clear he didn’t like Lucas.
Not that my secretary needs to impress Ahwin, but still.
Penelope sighed inwardly, realizing once again how poor Ahwin’s social skills were.
"Lucas, you should sit too."
"Ah, I’m fine. Really, I already ate."
It was an obvious lie, but it seemed Lucas was desperate to escape the situation.
Penelope sighed silently again.
"Even if you’ve already eaten, have some more. Today’s your first day, and you’re going to be so busy you won’t have time to catch your breath. Fill up now, or you’ll regret it later."
"..."
Unable to refuse his superior’s suggestion twice, Lucas hesitantly sat down. Ahwin was already devouring his soup with no regard for the awkward atmosphere.
Penelope sipped her coffee and began her meal. As the silence persisted, Lucas finally picked up his spoon and started eating cautiously.
Halfway through the meal, Penelope decided to take the initiative to engage with Lucas. She couldn’t let him spend his first day projecting nothing but exhaustion.
"Lucas, where are your parents from?"
"Ah, if you mean my hometown, it’s in Caferun."
"Caferun?"