“That being said, it doesn’t mean I can tolerate you prowling around a man who already has a husband and a son like a dog in heat. Unless you accept that you missed a chance at a fortune you won’t find again in the next life and back off, I will be forced to respond accordingly. This is as far as my sympathy goes.”
Digory, who had been listening silently, suddenly began to shake.
Felix thought he was crying, but the sound of explosive laughter echoing through the hall quickly proved otherwise.
Lowell’s neck was now practically on fire.
“You’ve made a massive misunderstanding. Well, yes. Lowell Clark was something akin to my first love. He had his stupid side, but isn’t he a spectacular beauty? However, more than that, I followed him because I found the fact that he has zero mana fascinating. People with absolutely no mana are extremely rare. I suppose to others, it might have looked like harassment.”
Felix bared his teeth at the man for calling Lowell stupid, even if it was in the past.
But Digory didn’t stop.
He seemed to be working himself into a frenzy.
“But the Lowell Lucas I met this time… he gives off a very strange scent of mana. It’s not that it’s vast or powerful, but his Light Attribute feels almost like Holy Power. It’s fascinating that someone with no mana suddenly gained it, let alone such a unique energy! I want to study him, no matter what it takes.”
His voice grew louder, laced with madness.
Lowell finally realized why he’d been feeling so chilled.
‘I feel like I’m looking at a mad scientist from a movie.’
While the man was a researcher of magic, he shared that same brand of obsession.
‘And unique mana? Is it because of the soul-swapping?’
Lowell grew anxious that Digory might say something he shouldn’t.
‘Is it because our attributes are different? Felix never noticed anything strange about my mana.’
Lowell knew that even if Felix found out he wasn’t from this world, his feelings wouldn’t change now.
Still, he had no intention of revealing the truth, and his heart hammered against his ribs.
“Grand Duke Felix, listen to me. This could be a new attribute of mana. If we investigate, we might find a way for even those with weak mana to become strong.”
The conversation continued, regardless of Lowell’s anxiety.
“Are you saying you dare to use the Grand Duchess as a research subject?”
Felix’s roar caused Digory’s madness to subside slightly.
He might value his research over his life, but it seemed he wasn’t entirely immune to fear.
“Of course not. I simply want to observe how the mana changes depending on the situation and hear the story of how he regained his mana. I won’t cause him any harm at all.”
“I heard you set up a new lab as a condition for returning to your family?”
Digory, who had been talking non-stop, sensed the impending doom and shut his mouth tight.
“If you don’t want to see that lab burn down in a ‘tragic accident,’ you had better fold that impious curiosity of yours.”
Digory’s smug face turned pale.
Seeing him react more sensitively to the safety of his lab than his own life, Lowell—and the knights—couldn’t help but think the man was truly insane.
“Y-you wouldn’t, surely? Grand Duke Felix, you are a mage too, are you not? My research is of incredible value. Burning it would be a loss for all of humanity.”
“What do I care about humanity or some pathetic data? Compared to Lowell, they are nothing but trash.”
Digory searched Felix’s face for any sign of a bluff.
Realizing the man was dead serious, Digory broke into a cold sweat, realizing he’d finally met someone crazier than himself.
At least Digory knew he was mad for research.
But the man in front of him, Felix, didn’t seem to realize he was mad for Lowell.
A madman who doesn’t know he’s mad is always the most dangerous.
Digory’s lips went bone-dry.
“It seems you’ve finally come to your senses. If you want to find out whether I can actually burn your lab down or not, feel free to try me.”
Lost in the exchange, Lowell’s legs suddenly gave out.
Tia caught him as he stumbled, but in the sudden silence, the sound rang out clearly even to Felix’s slightly dulled ears.
“Who’s there?”
Lowell’s pupils shook. He’d been eavesdropping partly by circumstance and partly by choice.
‘He’s not calling for me, right?’
He wanted to brainwash himself into believing that, but his reason already knew the answer.
In fact, it would be weirder if anyone other than Lowell appeared right now.
“You had better show yourself before I come over there.”
Felix’s cold voice echoed through the hallway.
Deciding that hiding further was pointless, Lowell peeked his head out from behind the pillar.
The moment a familiar shock of blonde hair appeared, it was Felix who looked struck by lightning.
He rushed toward Lowell, his expression one of utter shock.
“Why are you out here in the middle of the night?”
After asking, Felix realized he’d been talking just a short distance from their room and looked mortified.
Furthermore, as he recalled the words he had just uttered, a look of despair crossed his face.
“I-I shall be going now.”
Fearful that Felix might find an excuse in this accidental encounter to burn his lab, Digory took off at a full sprint.
Lowell had a gut feeling that the man would never show his face again, if only to protect his research.
“Lowell.”
Felix called his name in a low voice, looking displeased that Lowell’s attention was even briefly stolen by the retreating man.
Only then did Lowell realize he hadn’t answered Felix’s question.
“I woke up and you weren’t there. I was worried, so I came out to look for you.”
An awkward silence settled between the two.
Both knew exactly what they should talk about, yet neither could bring themselves to open their mouths.
“Did you see everything?”
Lowell realized Felix had forced the question out through a thick layer of embarrassment.
He wanted to tell a white lie and say he hadn’t heard a thing.
‘But even if I lie, we both know the truth. It’ll just make things more awkward.’
Lowell chose to be honest once again.
“Yes.”
For a moment, only the sound of three people breathing filled the corridor.
“Let’s go back to sleep.”
Felix, his ears glowing a deep red, made the suggestion in a whisper, and Lowell did not refuse.
A subtle, awkward tension lingered between them well into the next day.
It wasn’t that they had quarreled or fought, but somehow Lowell and Felix remained out of sync.
There was the lingering embarrassment and the fact that, however briefly, they had kept secrets from one another—but Lowell was also deeply bothered by what Digory had said about his “unique mana.”
As his worries compounded, it became increasingly difficult to break the silence.
“I’m back!”
Edwin returned, having been out running around with his nanny and escort knights.
Lowell felt as if he could finally breathe again the moment the child entered the room.
But that relief was short-lived as Edwin, sensing the anomaly, immediately stirred the hornet’s nest.
“But, Papa, why aren’t you and His Highness talking?”
“Hm? We are talking.”
Lowell forced an awkward smile and made an excuse, but the child shook his head firmly.
“No, not that! You two! Why aren’t you talking?”
