“Indeed. In an act of profound charity, you were fed mouth-to-mouth.”
“What?!” Albert raised his voice in surprise, still burdened by his misconceptions.
“You just don’t remember because you were unconscious at the time.”
Johan’s teasing tone and smirk finally made Albert realize that he had fallen for another one of Johan’s pranks. He shot his friend an exasperated glare just as they heard his subordinate announce that the researcher had arrived.
When the researcher entered the room, Albert stared in wonder. The person he had assumed was a man was actually a woman, but more than that, he was taken aback by the color of her hair and eyes.
Her hair was black, as were her eyes—an unusual combination in the Kingdom of Salutania. Albert could think of only one woman who worked at the institute: one of the potential Saints who had been summoned using the Saint Summoning Ritual.
She’s… But she’s so much different from what I’d heard.
Everything Albert had heard about the potential Saint said that she was gaunt and taken by illness. Furthermore, according to the gossip of the maids who had waited on her while she lived at the palace, she disliked dressing up in luxurious gowns, preferred plain clothes, and carried herself like a woman from a farming village. He had also heard from Johan that she was like the other researchers in that she appeared not to care much about her appearance.
However, while the woman before him was dressed simply, her appearance was tidy, and she didn’t at all resemble the rumors about her. Though she had pale skin, it wasn’t as sickly as the maids had claimed; she had a healthy complexion and there were no traces of dark circles under her eyes.
Sei had been living a much more comfortable life than she had in Japan, and her homemade skincare products had done their work. Her ivory-white skin and cherry blossom lips appeared fresh and youthful. Even her waist-length black hair had a lovely sheen.
Albert had heard that the Saint wasn’t preoccupied with skincare like a typical noble lady, yet her natural beauty captivated him.
When he thought on the moment later, he suspected he had fallen in love on the spot.
“Excuse me. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” She must have been called here under the pretext that she was to deliver a document.
“It’s quite all right. Thank you for bringing this.”
“Well, I’ll get back to the institute then.” She handed over the document and made to leave right away, but Johan quickly stopped her.
“Wait.”
Albert was taken by surprise for the umpteenth time that day.
He was the third son of the lord of the Hawke Borderlands. House Hawke had been a military family for generations and led the Kingdom of Salutania’s army. On top of that, as they held the rank of borderlands lord, they had more practical power than the average marquis. Furthermore, his grandmother, the previous lady of the Hawke Borderlands, had been the older sister of a previous king. She had been so beautiful that they’d called her “the Frozen Rose.” The three brothers of House Hawke had inherited her beauty and received a slew of marriage offers since they were very young.
Everyone in high society knew the tale of how Erhart, the second son, had begun to loathe women after seeing his older brother Josef swarmed by girls. Albert had likewise been on the receiving end of many amorous glances while he attended the Royal Academy. His aversion to women wasn’t as bad as Erhart’s, but he preferred not to associate with them. Thus, Albert had adopted an expressionless look to keep the swarms at bay.
However, despite that impassive expression and the icy gazes from his frigid eyes, Albert continued to be an object of admiration for many women due to his good looks. Although he tried not to allow them to get close, some remained undiscouraged and continued to try to approach him. Once they managed to latch on, they were never easy to dislodge.
Therefore, because this had been Albert’s experience with women thus far, he was shocked to see Sei immediately try to leave. What surprised him even more was that he wanted to stop her from going.
Albert and Sei introduced themselves to one another, and as she looked at him, he detected no hint of the zeal he was accustomed to seeing in the eyes of other women.
That was when Albert became aware of his own heart. He found he wanted Sei to look at him in the way those women did—the very same kind of gaze that he had until now shied away from.
Having become aware of those feelings, Albert was quick to change his behavior. He treated Sei kindly, inadvertently making it seem that this was the way he treated all other women and that he had never behaved in any other way.
Sei, who had no experience with love, was the perfect match for Albert, who was fed up with the advances of other women. He was sure that Sei would be angry if she learned this, but when she grew flustered at his teasing, he realized that she was beginning to feel the same for him. That made him happy.
It was an immature way to flirt, when one took their ages into account, but it was…cozy. Albert wanted to continue enjoying the time he spent with her.
However, Johan was right—if Albert didn’t make his move soon, that cozy relationship would likely come to an end.
Fine. No more delays. It was finally time to act.