C112
8. Overflowing.
He thought it wouldn't be too difficult to carry her on his back because she's not a child. It didn't take long for Isidor to realize he was wrong.
Before, he thought he could pretend to be relaxed just by taking care of her, but now he can't even pretend to be okay.
The moment her soft body climbed onto his back, tension instantly rose, and heat began to rise up his neck.
The muscles in his back and neck were tense.
Due to the rapid beating of his heart, he even had the illusion that his vision was blurred for a while.
He knew for the first time that he could let his senses take over.
Princess Deborah, who usually joked with her frank tone, was exceptionally quiet, but he didn't even have time to notice.
This is because he was distracted.
Isidor, who could barely perform the spell, realized after a long time that he was still in the same place.
He slowly turned in the opposite direction and smiled to himself.
The blue floor that had long since disappeared was visible in the distance.
"It's crazy."
Normally, he would have quickly realized that he could never get away with something as simple as a teleportation spell.
But he was focused only on the back of his neck.
Every time her regular, shallow breath blew from the back of his neck, his nerves focused on her, and her red lips came to mind.
In the end, he returned to the starting point, but unlike before, he felt like he was about to overflow with a slight touch.
It was similar to the way water in a glass was held just short of spilling over.
Isidor thought that being aware of emotions acted as a much more powerful catalyst than he believed.
The unfamiliar feeling that was rising towards her was simply called affection, but it was more unbearably charming than before.
And in proportion to that, his desire to be the one special person for her also deepened.
He won't allow someone like Philap to dare approach her.
Biting his lips slightly, he slowly descended to the floor to find a new way to escape.
"Ah."
Princess Deborah took a deep breath and slowly pulled her arms away from his tense shoulders.
As soon as she put her feet on the ground, she staggered to her knees, and Isidor quickly caught and held her lightly.
"Are you not feeling well?"
The princess's complexion was not very good.
"... I know you don't want to appear weak and you're patient, but you don't have to do that with me."
"... I have a slightly dry throat."
She frowned as if she were thirsty.
"Why didn't you say so?"
"I thought I could bear it. They're probably looking for us. I'm still okay."
"How do you endure the thirst? It must be painful."
Princess Deborah had been giving a lecture at the academy just before coming here and fainted after being dragged by a mana wave, she even had nightmares and sweated.
Unlike him, who maintains his condition with mana, she was in a situation where she had no choice but to be thirsty to the point that her throat hurt.
"I'm sorry. I didn't pay attention."
Isidor quickly took off his gloves and rolled up his sleeves.
"It may be dangerous water. Stop."
She was nervous.
"This place belongs to the spirit world, so it will be fine. Spirits don't live in a contaminated environment."
"But... wait!"
Before she could stop him, he bent down, reached out, and took a sip of water as if to check.
"... No problem."
He extended his long arms again and brought his hands full of water near her mouth.
"Drink."
"... You don't need to do this. I know you have good manners, but..."
"You don't even need to wet your hands."
He didn't want the princess to risk falling and causing him to bend down to drink the water.
He couldn't help but feel angry that he had to suffer and fall into this situation because he couldn't arrive sooner.
When he thinks of Philap, his murderous intent flares up.
"Eh? You're thirsty."
He extended his pale, soft hand, exposing it gently.
As if she were looking at a poisoned apple, the princess, who was nervous for some reason, slowly lowered her head.
Soon, Princess Deborah's long purple hair slipped down like a curtain and tickled his hand.
".....
At that moment, he thought the way she drank fresh water looked cute because it resembled a bird, bowing her head deeper each time.
When all the water was gone, a gentle touch softly brushed the palm of his hand.
It didn't take him long to realize that her lips had touched his hand.
Princess Deborah, with her long purple eyelashes down, raised her head in surprise.
As he gazed into her shining red eyes filled with embarrassment, he moistened his wet lips.
"Sir Isidor?
Droplets of water had accumulated at the corner of her mouth, flowing down her slender chin, which drew Isidor's attention even more intensely.
Although he could survive for three days without drinking water, an unbearable thirst arose in an instant.
"Deborah.
In a moment, Isidor, who had shortened the distance, called her name.
In the past, they had always maintained their distance with a wooden desk in between, but they could no longer display the patience they boasted of and shortened the distance.
Suddenly, the agile princess's eyes opened wide.
For a moment, it felt as if her blatant possessiveness was reflected in her bright red eyes.
Slowly holding his breath, he closed the distance and wiped the water droplets away with his lips.
".....
The sweet taste seeped through his mouth.
"What do you think?
Isidor's well-formed lips brushed against her ear.
"...?
"Have a formal relationship with me.
-----------------------------
... A formal relationship?
Does she mean dating?
She leaned in with her seductive face, and with her soft lips, she dried her mouth, then whispered as if she were sharing a secret.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a kiss, but due to his low voice, it felt somehow like one.
But, do you want to date me right now? I, who hadn't understood right away, licked my lips a little late.
"It's... it's too early to start dating.
I had no choice but to show my true feelings when it hit me head-on in a way I had never imagined.
It would be a lie to say that I wasn't attracted to Isidor, who was sweet, kind, and even beautiful.
However, I was still unsure if I was ready for a formal relationship.
"... It's not that you don't like me, but it's too soon?
I nodded.
"The princess is about to debut soon, and I'm already an adult... aren't we both old enough?
"It means we don't know each other well enough to officially date.
In my past life, I suffered from a fear of being disliked and felt pressure to reciprocate someone's feelings if they confessed to liking me, so I had a passive and pathetic relationship.
Under the fictitious name of relationships, how many times do people exploit emotions, become obsessed, and hurt the other party?
"Honestly, I'm interested in Sir. That's why I want to know more about who he is and if I can put my heart into it.
"The princess needs time to get to know me, but I didn't take it into consideration because I jumped ahead.
She nodded because it seemed like she understood me well.
"What is it?"
It's probably because of my mood.
I had a feeling I was still hiding something, like the master.
"I'd like us to keep in touch and get to know each other better, often eat together...
I continued as carefully as I could because he asked candidly.
"In fact, I've never thought about dating before, so if Sir Isidor doesn't like this kind of slow relationship...
In this world where marriage is for the benefit of the family, there is no courtship period between friends and lovers.
She thought Isidor wouldn't like the continuation of such an ambiguous relationship, and she didn't want to force it.
"I like it. I can't dislike it.
But he responded immediately.
"...
"The princess's thoughts and opinions are much more important to me.
At his words, my heart fluttered.
"Let's do it. Let's get to know each other first.
