More than a week had passed since the incident in the equipment room.

Viloti hadn't come to school since that day.

Rumor had it that her father, Lord Silafiel, was punishing Viloti for her reckless act of attacking Isabella, so he had grounded her.

But in reality, it was Viloti who had proposed not going to school.

She had honestly told Silafiel everything that had happened that day, even mentioning that she had fought with Isabella for Felyn's sake.

Silafiel's first reaction was to go after Isabella's family.

And he was also investigating what exactly Isabella had said to Viloti. This would take time, but he would definitely find out.

He didn't blame Viloti at all, because he was afraid her psychological illness would relapse.

"Thanks to Felyn, I'm fine." Receiving this response from Viloti, Silafiel felt much more relieved.

However, it was Felyn again.

Silafiel had somewhat resigned himself to fate. He felt that his daughter could no longer be separated from Felyn.

Moreover, Viloti now didn't even shy away from him, her old father, and was openly praising Felyn in front of him.

It seemed she really liked Felyn.

That Felyn kid wasn't bad either. His heart was in the right place. Although his line of work was dishonorable, at least he was still a virgin and knew how to coax people.

Most importantly, Felyn had no one to rely on and was easy to control. Silafiel could ensure that Felyn would not do anything to wrong Viloti.

However, Silafiel felt that the progress between Felyn and Viloti was too slow. Although it was normal for young people to have a push-and-pull dynamic, his daughter was so outstanding that Felyn should have fallen in love with Viloti in no more than three days.

If all else failed, he could just kidnap Felyn, force him to marry into the family, and have him accompany Viloti every day, accompanying her to study in the Royal Capital District. That way, Viloti would have someone to look after her.

Yes, this was a good idea.

So, should he do it at the school festival? Let everyone know that he and Viloti were already together, publicly announce their marriage, and then stuff the kid into a car that very night and bring him back.

---

Donk District, Silafiel Residence.

In Viloti's bedroom, all the curtains were drawn.

Viloti was currently lying on her bed, holding a communication sigil in both hands, completely unaware of her old father's terrifying plan.

Felyn, are you home now?

The words on the sigil were deleted again.

Felyn, I didn't go to school today.

"He probably knows that already," she muttered to herself.

Viloti had been lying in bed for four hours, but she still hadn't sent a single message.

The words she typed were deleted and re-deleted, speaking of the young girl's inner turmoil.

She was afraid that after she sent a message to Felyn, she would find that he would ignore her completely.

She was afraid that Felyn had really started to avoid her.

She was afraid that the contract thing was real, afraid that she would lose control and relapse again.

Now, she didn't know how to get along with Felyn anymore.

Although she tried her best to avoid thinking about the contract, the thought, like a demon, would always creep into her little head.

"Felyn, I miss you..." she muttered, her feet repeatedly patting the soft mattress, not knowing what to do.

---

Felyn sat on a bench, watching the sunset bid farewell to the world bit by bit.

Today's sunset was very similar to the one on the day his contract with Viloti ended.

Or rather, seeing the sunset made Felyn think of Viloti's eyes.

This was a very bad thought, as if they were lovers.

The autumn days were still a bit cool. The small stream at his feet gurgled as it flowed towards an unknown distance.

Felyn couldn't see the end of the stream, nor could he see his own future.

Confusion is always a young man's predicament.

If there were a reliable senior or relative to give him some guidance, Felyn would feel a little better.

But the path Felyn was walking was destined to be a lonely one.

However, this loneliness might end today.

Felyn looked at the small cake and bouquet of flowers placed on the bench, his hand unable to resist gently stroking the petals.

Olivia's waking hours had been getting longer and longer recently. Usually, she was awake during the day, so Felyn couldn't come to see her.

But recently, her waking hours could extend into the evening.

Because [Karin's Witch] was still being rebuilt, Felyn could only take a detour and buy a cake from another shop in Holmhot.

Speaking of which, would Olivia like cake? What if she didn't like sweets?

He knew nothing about Olivia.

Including the words she said that day, "Big Brother, Olivia loves you the most," Felyn couldn't understand at all why she would think that.

The puzzle could be solved tonight. He just needed to have a chat with Olivia.

But...

Felyn was a little nervous.

He had been sitting on this bench for half an hour and still hadn't moved.

"Felyn?"

A familiar voice came from behind, waking Felyn from his tense thoughts.

Before Felyn could turn around, he heard the sound of a branch snapping behind him.

"What a coincidence, to run into you here."

"What an inconvenience, Adeline."

In front of him was Adeline, wearing a white trench coat. Her rose-tea colored hair draped over her back, showcasing her ladylike elegance and nobility.

She wore black lace gloves and carried a small brown bag.

"I think I heard something unpleasant. I must have misheard." Adeline circled around to Felyn's side. Seeing the cake on his bench, she understood the reason for his visit to the hospital. "May I sit here?"

Felyn looked up at Adeline, his expression seeming to say, Please give me a reason to be convinced.

"This hospital is owned by my family, so... the benches here are probably my family's property."

Alright, defeated by capitalism once again.

I'll fight you rich young ladies to the death!

Felyn moved the flowers, placing them next to the cake to make a seat for Adeline.

The scent of roses wafted over as Adeline approached, seeming to dissipate much of the trouble in Felyn's heart.

Indeed, beautiful girls are nourishing.

"Last time you came to the hospital, why didn't you say so?"

"I-I was afraid you'd feel pressured, Felyn, so I didn't say anything... and my family owns more than just this one hospital, so..."

So you forgot this hospital was yours?!

You can forget that?!

"Viloti... she hasn't been able to come to school recently, has she?" Adeline changed the subject.

"Yeah, she's been grounded by her father."

But Felyn knew it wasn't like that. Silafiel was probably itching to drive Isabella's entire family out at this point; how could he ground Viloti over this matter?

It was most likely Viloti who had requested it herself.

Because she was afraid he would distance himself from her, she used being grounded as a way to temporarily freeze their relationship.

Running away may be shameful, but it is effective.

Felyn somewhat regretted hesitating when faced with Viloti's feet. He should have just gone ahead and touched them, then acted as if nothing had happened in the following days and slowly distanced himself from Viloti.

He wasn't a god; he could also make mistakes.

And just that moment of hesitation had allowed the clever Miss Viloti to grasp the crux of the problem.

Now that things had come to this, Felyn had to think of a new way to solve Viloti's psychological problem.

Viloti already had suspicions about the contract. If she couldn't resist investigating and happened to find out, it would be disastrous.

On one hand, it would be bad for Viloti; on the other, the contract clearly stipulated that Viloti was not to know any of its contents.

For now, it seemed the only thing to do was to first dispel Viloti's thoughts about the contract and stabilize her.

"So what do you plan to do... when you meet her?" Adeline suddenly asked in a small voice.

Felyn turned his head to look at Adeline and saw her hastily avert her gaze.

"You're not asking for yourself, are you?"

Felyn saw through Adeline's little scheme. She kept twirling the long hair that fell over her shoulder, a blush slowly appearing.

She was not only asking about Viloti's future but also her own.

If Felyn didn't plan to completely break off his relationship with Viloti, then there might be a chance for her and Felyn as well.

"I-Is that not allowed? We won't be able to see each other in over a month. If you hide and don't see me, I'll be sad too." She mustered her courage and didn't hide the words in her heart, but spoke them bravely.

"Actually, we could stop seeing each other right now."

"Felyn!"

Adeline gently bumped Felyn with her shoulder, watching a mischievous, triumphant smile appear on his face.

Seeing the smile on the young man's face, Adeline began to smile too.

If Felyn were to ask "What are you smiling about?" at this moment, Adeline would definitely say without hesitation, "When you're happy, I'm happy too."

"So... Felyn, what do you plan to do?"

(End of Chapter)