Whaaaaaaaat?
What?
Huh?
Whaaaaaaaaa?
Sophie’s mind went blank.
Wait, no—bright red? If you mixed those, it’d make pink. That’s a spring color. How auspicious!
The colors that met Sophie’s eyes up close, however, were just like daybreak.
Those long eyelashes of his fluttered up, revealing Sophie’s dumbfounded expression in his blueberry eyes.
A pure-white robe? Is he some sort of angel? At least, that was how well Sophie thought it matched the absurdly beautiful man before her. Livio ran his fingers across Sophie’s hair and stood up.
“Stay right there, okay? Don’t move.”
“Yerp!”
Whoops, tripped over my tongue there.
He looked so cool throwing off that white robe into the wind like that!
But none of those thoughts that ran through Sophie’s mind mattered.
“Don’t move”? Bwa ha ha! Don’t you worry ’bout that! And just who do you think I am? Like I could move right now? You think I could actually move?
Sophie clasped her mouth with her hands. She’d been reborn as an entirely new, trembling sort of creature. How was she even supposed to move her body again? She couldn’t even remember how to do it. How did humans walk again?
Sophie couldn’t peel her gaze away from Livio’s handsome profile.
His long eyelashes cast a shadow on his face, and that sharp stare as he glared at his foes was so beautiful it sent a chill down her spine.
That beautiful man’s...lips...had come down...on Sophie’s own.
Sophie gasped, speechless.
N-N-No, hold up! It was just for a second! I was hurting and I was coughing, and—maybe it was just a misunderstanding? Maybe I was just delirious? Or dreaming? You know, something hallucinatory like that!
It was Livio, after all.
He was cooler and prettier than anyone Sophie had ever met. He’s crazy cute when he snickers with his face bright red from blushing! He’s the most beautiful creature in the whole world!
That same Livio had come to Sophie’s rescue.
“Help.” She’d only said a single word. But it was a single word Sophie had never been able to say to anyone.
There’d been no point in saying it, and even if she had, she hadn’t thought anyone would actually help her. It had always been far more constructive for her to do something about the situation on her own. It didn’t feel good having your hand swatted away when you reached out for help.
But Livio had held Sophie’s hand the whole time. He’d taught her that it was okay for her to speak.
So, when she screamed for Livio to help at the top of her lungs, Livio had done just that as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Livio’s arms embraced Sophie, his fingers pushing her hair to the side—they were both so gentle. When Sophie considered how Livio really, truly cared for her, she couldn’t help but be overcome with joy.
She’d wanted such care for so, so long. It was something so simple and commonplace, and yet she’d always been denied it. But now that she finally had it, there was no containing the happiness that she felt.
“Thank you for calling me.” That was what he’d actually said.
To think that Livio would be this overjoyed that Sophie would lean on him and yearn for him! His eyes had filled with a sweet, joyful light as his pale cheeks flushed pink—all the while looking like he might cry! That was how he’d said it, so of course...
I really, really like him. Of course that was what she’d thought.
I just like Livio so much! Sophie had felt like she’d filled a whole jar right up to the brim with sparkling blueberry jam. He was so adorable, and Sophie had been just so delighted and proud that she couldn’t hold back a smile. She’d wished those eyes would stare at her forever. Feeling a sense of joy that seemed to gently permeate all the way to her fingertips, Sophie had let her guard down and—
Then, at that very moment...
He’s really close.
Those eyelashes of his sure are long.
Just as the thought had occurred to her, she’d felt his lips on hers. There was no mistaking it—it had been a kiss.
Sophie’s heart felt like it might explode in her chest.
“Sophie, are you okay?” Lunetta ran over to Sophie as she hid her burning hot face in her hands.
She wasn’t okay in the slightest, tiniest, least little wee bit, but she lifted her head anyway. Think about the situation here!
No, really, could you please think about the time and place, Sir Livio? Sophie thought, but there was no way she could say such a thing out loud.
“I-I’m...f-fine...” she finally stuttered.
“Your face is really red. You must’ve been in a lot of pain...” Lunetta said.
The pain from being squeezed like a rag was long gone—her face was red for an entirely different reason. Sophie vigorously shook her head.
Livio would’ve had his back turned to Lunetta, so she wouldn’t have seen the reason Sophie’s face was so red. Unable to bear it even a moment longer, Sophie’s happy-go-lucky brain dropped its bell.
“What about you, Lunetta?” Sophie asked. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Lunetta answered. “I’m used to it, after all.”
Hearing a mighty smack, Sophie turned her head to see crumbling debris and a pair of leather boots not far from it.
Behold, for he shall bring destruction to the world and everything in it! Or at least that was what the deep furrow in Vyce’s brow seemed to be saying. He was in the worst mood imaginable. Now that’s scary. Sophie unconsciously clenched Lunetta’s hand.
“Lunetta,” Vyce said. “A defensive wall.”
“Understood.”
Trying to avoid getting in Lunetta’s way, Sophie gently released Lunetta’s hand as the witch’s hair began to give off a red light.
Vyce cast the white robe he’d been wearing to the ground as the king of Magyck, who’d been knocked onto his back, slowly wobbled to his feet.
“Damn you, you barbaric lowborn...!” the king growled. “Using magic like that... It’s sacrilege, you filthy fiend!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Livio asked, turning around with a dubious expression on his face. Sophie’s shoulders perked up as Lunetta tilted her head to the side.
“You’re circulating your own magical energy through your sword, right, Livio?” Lunetta asked. “I think that’s why you were able to cut off the flow of the king’s magical energy. Magical energy is normally only used to control magic, so it’s quite an unusual technique—or, rather, no magician or witch would even think to do so. It’s a rather high-level technique, in my opinion.”
“Huh?” Livio blinked in surprise. He wasn’t blinking because Lunetta had complimented him on his “high-level technique.” Instead, he had a stumped look on his face that seemed to say, Wait, really? “Was I actually doing something like that...?” Livio asked.
“You...didn’t know...?”
“So yer tellin’ me the secret to House Warrion’s exceptional combat abilities,” Vyce said, “is that you manipulate magical energy while fightin’, huh?”
“I’m really not good at magic, and I didn’t have any idea I was doing something like that...” Livio replied. “Wonder if father knows?”
“The fact he never bothered to tell you,” Vyce replied, “probably means it’s been generation after generation without thinkin’ much about it at all.”
“Seriously?” Livio said. “Man, we really are a family of idiots...”
Livio brandished his sword while Vyce cracked his neck as they continued their outrageous conversation. While their voices were light enough, one look at their backs was enough to see they were still carrying anger. Their entire air was something to behold.
“Well?” Vyce asked, turning his attention to the king. “Aren’t you gonna tell me how it feels tyin’ up your own daughter who freezes at the sight of ya? C’mon, tell me all about it. Common folk like me just don’t get it, you know?”
“That’s right,” Livio added. “And I’m a barbaric lowlife myself, so it’d be really great if you could tell me just how on earth you can bully two frail young ladies like that. As thanks for the lesson, I’ll be more than happy to teach you what it feels like to rue the day you were born—with a hands-on demonstration, of course!”
Livio’s laughter was entirely too cute. The sound was so far removed from what he was saying it was actually terrifying. Livio was putting his entirely nonchalant rage on full display, but Sophie had to admit she liked that side of him too.