The Claims of a Man in Love
A delicious smell tickled her nostrils. At the same time, her stomach growled sadly, and Mitina woke up from her deep sleep.
“Hmph… heh heh.”
My half-asleep senses came back to me, and I heard someone smothering laughter. I opened my eyes and unsteadily shifted my gaze to see a familiar head of silver-haired hair beside the bed.
“You woke up because of your own anger? You’re still the same old fool.”
“Kirish…don’t you…”
Hearing that nasty remark, Mitina slowly got up without being able to think properly. As she continued to stare blankly at Kyelse, he blushed slightly and crouched down beside the bed to meet her eye level.
“Breakfast is already ready. Are you going to get up?”
“Hmm…”
“I pushed you really hard last night. If you’re sleepy, you can still sleep.”
Normally, Kyelse would have gotten up, gotten dressed, and put on her uniform right away, but for some reason she was dressed for her day off. Her words to Mitina seemed to be telling her to take it easy since today was her day off.
But today is not a holiday, at least for her. Being a workaholic, she immediately knows this, and her thoughts finally become clear.
(That’s right, a love potion…!)
“…or maybe…”
She remembered the magic potion she had given Kyelse, but before she could start thinking about it, her field of vision was filled with the face of a beautiful man. Suddenly, a hot tongue licked her lips, and slipped into her half-open mouth.
“Hmm.”
Mitina was easily taken aback by the vivid kiss that blew away her thoughts in an instant. Every time their tongues and lips met, the sound of seductive sighs and water overflowed, and the lewd atmosphere brought back the events of the previous night in an instant.
However, as if to prevent that from happening, her vision shook as she received the passionate kiss, and her body sank into the soft bed.
“Shall we continue?”
“fart……”
“Hmm… I guess it’s bad for your eyes. The marks I left on your neck and chest… I was afraid you would attack me in my sleep if I just watched, so I got up and made breakfast.”
Hearing those words, Mitina immediately looked at her own body. Perhaps because of the affair, she was not wearing any clothes, and there were several marks that seemed to have been left by Kyelse.
“When I use my vitality it all disappears, so I didn’t use it today, but how is your body? Does anything hurt?”
“Ummm… in particular…”
“I see.”
Smiling a little happily, Kyelse kissed me again. It was more like a simple touch, a pecking, and it didn’t end with just one kiss, it rained not only on my lips but also on my cheeks and the tip of my nose.
“Today is a rare day off, so… I can spend time with you without worrying about time.”
“holiday……?”
“Yeah. I let you know that I was taking the day off so that we could be alone. That’s why, Mitina.”
Just as Mitina stiffened again at his shocking words, Kyelse embraced her tightly. Feeling his excitement on her skin, to the point that it seemed as if they were about to start, she couldn’t help but swallow.
“Let’s lay our bodies together again… and take all of me deep inside.”
“Eh, yeah…”
“It’s still not enough. I want you so much, I can’t stand it… We’ve finally shared our feelings. I want you to love me more, more, more.”
“――――”
Mitina could only stare at Kyelse, who was blushing and begging for her to love her. To be precise, she was so confused that she could only think about that.
Seeing her gaze, Kyelse frowned in a troubled manner. Then, she gently stroked her cheek and relaxed her lips in a happy tone.
“You make that face too.”
“……face?”
“ah”
Taking out the mirror she always carried, Kyelse looked at her face.
What he saw there was a woman’s face, cheeks as red as Kyelse’s, and tinged with a similar emotion to his own.
Mitina was confused by the sight, but that was blown away even more. After all, the man who was holding her down was about to take off her clothes.
“Wait a moment, Kyelse! I’ll wake up! I’ll wake up now!”
“Wha, why? What just now was already going to complete the flow…!”
“Well, I’m hungry, you know?”
It’s not a good idea to start at this time of day. Thinking this, Mitina stood up and grabbed Kyelse’s hand, ready to get off the bed.
Perhaps because she had complained about being hungry, Kyelse nodded obediently, though she looked dissatisfied. Feeling relieved, Mitina dressed casually and headed to the living room with him.
And while eating, Mitina somehow managed to grasp the current situation and regained her composure. After finishing off her delicious breakfast and politely praising the food, she turned to the happy Kyelse and said,
“I’m off to work.”
The biggest problem right now was the magic potion that he had given Kyelse to drink. He had to quickly procure the hated potion and give it to Kyelse. But to do that, he had to leave the mansion and go to the royal castle first.
“Wh, why do you say that? There’s no problem with taking a break every now and then.”
(That earnest Kyelse-san would do something like this…)
Even though he didn’t want to become a Silver Knight, Kyelse had performed his duties without cutting corners. It was unthinkable that he would take time off work to spend time with Mitina.
A fearsome love potion. Thinking this, Mitina tried to somehow persuade Kyelse.
“It’s not a good idea to take the day off today… I have urgent work to do.”
“…………”
I thought that Kyelse would be convinced by this, but he was frowning in dissatisfaction. It was clear that he didn’t like it.
“Mitina”
“Wh-what is it?”
Still not used to people calling her by her name, Mitina tilted her head in agitation.
Then, Kyelse said.
“Which is more important, me or your job?”
“…Huh?”
“You always put work first… No, strictly speaking, it’s money. Stop living like that already.”
Surprised by the sudden lecture, Kyelse blushed again and stared intently at Mitina. Then, taking a deep breath, she spoke with a determined look on her face.
“If you’re looking for money, I’m here. So you don’t need to worry about money anymore.”
“Eh? What does that mean…?”
Mitina asked, not understanding what Kyelse was saying in all seriousness.
Kyelse glared at me with a frustrated look on her face. Somehow, I felt like I had seen this expression many times before.
“How stupid you are… me! I’m saying I’ll marry you!”
“Huh…?”
”Stunned.” Mitina froze, exposing a foolish expression that seemed to fit that description.
However, she immediately remembered that Kyelse was currently feeling affection for her due to the effects of the magic potion. She immediately scolded herself for taking her so seriously.
“But, the king’s command…”
“She just wants to marry me. And it would be fine if that person was you. Your wish would come true. And you would get to marry me, this beautiful, all-round genius. That would make you happy!”
“Well…?”
When Kyelse said that there was nothing wrong with marrying Mitina, for a moment she thought that he was right, but then she scolded herself again, saying that that wasn’t the important point.
(This is because of the medicine…! Right now, I have to take Kyelse to the royal castle!)
Mitina pulled herself together, not wanting to be swept away by Kyelse’s enthusiasm, and tried to distance herself from the topic of marriage for the time being, changing the subject.
“Let’s put the topic of marriage aside and go to work. Oh, by the way, I would like you to help me out, Kyelse-dono…”
“what?”
“It’s something that’s been bothering me for a long time, and I was hoping you could lend me your help…”
When he told her a desperate lie asking for her help, Kyelse didn’t resist and just smiled happily. And even though he spoke in his usual condescending tone, his voice was filled with affection as he nodded.
“Seriously, can you not live without me by your side?”
“S-sorry…”
“Ah, I’m not blaming you! Rather, I’m, um, happy that you rely on me…”
(Ugh…)
Mitina was doubly hurt by the guilt of having lied, and the destructive force of the words that the normal Kyelse would never say. If Kyelse saw her acting all lovey-dovey like this, she might be so shocked that she would die of rage.
As he was apologizing to Kyelse over and over in his mind, his eyes suddenly met his. Kyelse suddenly smiled with a gentler face he had never seen her see before, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“I’ll help you. Of course. If it’s something important you ask of me… then I’ll do anything.”
“Huh…”
Taking her by surprise, his sweet voice and expression made Mitina feel her face getting hot for some reason. Her heart started beating faster and faster, and for some reason she found it impossible to look Kyelse in the eye.
“Yo, okay then, let’s go to work together!”
“Are you really that happy about having me help you? Ah, what a cutie… In that case, I’ll just keep on working with you from now on–“
Kyelse then looked up as if something had occurred to her. She then took Mitina’s hand as she stood up, and gleefully blurted out words that sounded familiar.
“While I’m at work, I’ll also complete the enlistment procedures for you to become a Silver Knight.”
“……Huh?”
“Become the assistant captain and support me. That way, you’ll be by my side all the time while working. If anything goes wrong, you’ll always be able to rely on me. It’s truly your calling!”
Seeing Kyelse talking with such joy, Mitina was at a loss for words.
Although they managed to avoid the topic of marriage, the conversation veered into something more complicated. The trauma of the previous incident was running through Mitina’s mind.
“Um, I’m going to get changed.”
”Leave it alone here.” Mitina pretended not to have heard anything and started to slowly move away from Kyelse.
But naturally, Kyelse wouldn’t allow that, so she frowned in annoyance and gently took Mitina’s hand.
“Why are you changing the subject? Don’t you agree?”
“Not that I like it.”
“Then why are you looking away? Don’t run away, talk to me properly.”
The escape had failed, and Mitina was silent, with a troubled look on her face. Kyelse flinched slightly at her expression, but then began to speak as if she didn’t want to give in.
“Listen, the Black Iron Knights are a male-run family. There’s no way I could leave you, who is more important than anything else, in a dangerous area full of wolves. So, join the Silver Knights.”
“That’s probably not the case… In fact, I’m not even sure if the people around her even recognize her as a woman.”
“That can’t be! There is definitely a man who is after you, absolutely! Besides, it would be troublesome if you were to be attracted to another man other than me…!”
She had thought the same thing when she was shopping with Istaria, but Kyelse seems to be the type who is jealous and very controlling. For some reason, Mitina thought that the free-spirited Istaria would dislike being tied down.
“What’s more, you have no self-control, and if I take my eyes off you, you’ll easily die, so I can’t leave you with the Black Iron Knights, who have a lot of dangerous jobs!”
Kyelse’s expression was completely serious as she spoke, and her words were very straightforward. Her tone of voice certainly conveyed her deep concern for Mitina.
Despite being unconsciously shaken by Kyelse, Mitina, wanting to end the conversation quickly and head to the royal castle, replied lightly.
“I won’t make that kind of mistake again. I know very well that I caused you worry, Kyelse-dono.”
“No, I don’t understand!”
Just as I was about to brush her off, Kyelse, sensing my intentions, spoke up. Then, she firmly grasped Mitina’s hand and spoke with a frightened look on her face.
“You must have been so scared of me back then… I couldn’t cure the poison with my power, and you told me the rest was down to your physical strength. I wondered when you’d stop breathing…”
“Kyelse-san…”
“I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to even imagine a future without you. So.”
She pleaded with a trembling voice, leaving Mitina confused. But he held her gently, careful not to hurt her.
“Stay within my reach. I will absolutely protect you. You treat me so badly, but I will take better care of you than anyone else.”
Even though she knew that it was all brought out by the love potion, Mitina still felt a tickle in his words. She wondered what had happened to her, when her former self would have said that offering to protect her was none of her business.
But even if it was just a temporary solution, Mitina couldn’t just agree to his sweet words.
Because this was a fabrication created by the drugs. If she accepted that, then she would be ignoring Kyelse’s true will. Or so she thought.
“I understand what you are saying, Kyelse. Let’s hurry up and get to work.”
“N-No you can’t. I won’t let you go until you say you want to join the Silver Knights!”
“That kind of binding is troubling me. Please stop.”
Hardening her heart, she cut him off, causing Kyelse to gasp in shock. Sensing that his arms had weakened, Mitina let go, but then he grabbed her hand as if clinging to her.
“Why, why are you being so cold to me? Do you… hate… me…?”
“Huh?”
When she saw Kyelse’s face, she was shocked, and immediately overcome with guilt. She had seen him look frustrated before, but this was the first time she had seen him look so weak, like he was about to cry.
“I-I don’t dislike you, that’s not true.”
“Then be nicer to me…”
“S-sorry… I may have said too much…”
Mitina was petrified by Kyelse’s exhausted state, but managed to calm him down somehow. She felt like this was the worst thing she had ever done to hurt him.
“I’ll try not to restrict you as much as possible. So don’t hate me. In fact… say you like me more. I know it must be lonely.”
“Y-yes, I’ll do my best.”
Anyway, when Kyelse agreed, he gave a small smile of relief. Seeing that, Mitina also sighed in relief.
“Well then, shall we depart now?”
“Yeah. As we walked, we talked about our affiliations… No, let’s talk about our future. We also need to think about the date of the ceremony.”
“I agree……”
Somehow, the conversation came to a safe conclusion, and after getting changed, Mitina and Kyelse finally escaped from the mansion.
On the way there, I heard Kyelse talk about her plans for the future, saying that she wanted to cut down on her work a bit more so that they could have more time just for the two of them, and that her next shopping trip was to order a dress for the wedding.
Having safely arrived at the royal castle, Mitina immediately began searching for Vite. Since it was an emergency, she didn’t care if her colleagues saw her together with Kyelse.
(Now all that’s left is to find Vite, to find him, and then everything will be over…!)
She reflected on the day that had seemed so long in an instant, and her tension eased as the goal finally came into view.
However, there Mitina encounters an unexpected person.
“Ah, Mitina!”
Accompanied by a familiar, cheerful voice, Istaria came running towards me, holding what appeared to be a present. It seemed she had been waiting for me.
Mitina, who had been completely off guard, froze. Then, remembering how possessive Kyelse was, she panicked, but it was already too late.
“Oh, Kyelse too――”
“Go away, Istaria!”
Kyelse embraced Mitina from behind, like a child hiding a precious treasure to stop it being stolen.
“Don’t go near this thing, don’t touch it, and don’t take Mitina from me…!”
Istaria’s eyes widened in shock at the threatening yell, then she ran off somewhere in a panic.
“Ahh…!”
“Hmmm.”
As Mitina slowly came to understand the situation, her face turned pale.
He had been seen. Of all people, by Istaria, being hugged by Kyelse.
Maybe she had mistaken him for a romantic partner. If he didn’t clear up that misunderstanding quickly, Mitina’s mission would be a complete failure.
Just as Mitina was stricken with despair, she saw Vite heading towards the training grounds out of the corner of her eye. In any case, the first priority now was to get Kyelse back to normal. Mitina managed to pull herself together and called out to Vite in her broken heart.
“Vite!”
“Ah, Mitina-san.”
“Where is the hated potion…!!”
“ah”
Mitina looked unusually upset, while Kyelse glared at Vite without moving away from her. Seeing the two of them, he spoke up, as if he had somehow guessed what was going on.
“By the way, I bet you managed something with that couple yesterday…!”
“Yeah. It was somehow released by the power of love.”
“Huh…?”
“It’s hard to implant emotions. It works well at first, but conflicting emotions disappear and existing emotions are unaffected. This is a complete rethink.”
“……yeah?”
While Mitina tilted her head, unable to comprehend the overly concise explanation, Vite, with a smug look on his face, rattled off about the effects of the medicine in rapid succession.
“This magic potion contains an agent that makes it easier to express feelings through words and actions, but it works so subtly that even experienced magicians don’t notice, whereas the effect of planting is–“
“Enough with the excuses, just give me the medicine!”
Mitina grabbed Vite by the collar again and shook him violently. In response, he hurriedly reached into his pocket and handed over a familiar small bottle.
“Okay… Kyelse, please drink this.”
“Why?”
“It’s what you need most right now!”
Although she desperately pleaded with him, for some reason Kyelse made a displeased face. No matter how many times she told him that it wasn’t dangerous, his expression didn’t change.
“I heard it was a hated drug.”
“That’s the name of the medicine.”
“If you drink this, I might start to hate you. Are you okay with that?”
“It’s okay, Kyelse-dono, I believe that won’t happen, so please…!”
When I told him that, he blushed happily and nodded. Then he took the vial from Mitina’s hand, looked at it suspiciously, and opened the lid.
“It’s a loan. Make sure you pay it back.”
“I, I understand.”
After taking the medicine the debt would be void.
Mitina thought so, but then she realized she had made a serious oversight.
“Hey, Vita. What will happen to your memories from while the drug was in effect?”
At the same time that Kyelse swallowed the medicine, Mitina asked Vite in a trembling voice.
And the answer was:
“Eh? It’s still there.”
“…………”
Mitina was about to throw a punch when her eyes met with Kyelse, whose love potion had apparently worn off. She was stunned, noticing something strange.
(This… could have become even worse…)
Mitina was overcome with a sense of despair even greater than when Kyelse had drunk the love potion.
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