It hadn't been intentional, but the welcome turned out much more intense than expected.
"..."
"..."
The two stood there, blankly staring at each other.
Liana was still in Isaac's arms, unmoving due to the command, "Stop."
"Wow."
"That was… intense."
Sharen and Clarice, who were watching from either side, couldn't help but be impressed.
They hadn't expected Liana, who had been subjected to Subjugation, to take such a direct and bold move.
"Oh dear! What are you doing, running off on your own like that?!"
The Tower Master, Regant, who had gotten off the carriage late, hurried over.
Isaac, shaken back to his senses by Regant's words, gave a quick follow-up.
"Liana, let go."
"Okay, got it."
Liana released him.
As she took a step back, the regret on her face was plainly visible.
"…That's a shame."
Ah, right.
Liana's blatant statement.
Because of Subjugation, she couldn't hide her true feelings, so she just said them as they were—
"I'm so happy to see you again, Isaac."
"..."
"You're really cool."
"..."
"I want to stay with you forever—"
"Liana. From now on, when you talk, don't say anything you want to keep secret."
A hasty patchwork attempt by Isaac.
He thought it might work.
"I love you."
"..."
It had no effect at all.
"…Isn't that something she never intended to hide?"
"Exactly. You said not to say things she wants to keep secret. She doesn't want to hide it."
Was that so?
But judging from the bright red flush on Liana's face, it didn't look like she was trying to be open about it.
Well, at least she doesn't look completely overwhelmed anymore.
Before, her eyes would spin and she'd look like she had no idea what to do.
Now, though she was still embarrassed, she wasn't as lost in the confusion.
"Liana, try not saying anything."
It was practically a contradictory command.
Subjugation was a curse that forced the affected to speak their thoughts, but what would happen if you told them not to speak at all?
An accidental experiment.
The result was underwhelming.
"I'm curious how that'll turn out too."
And just like that, Liana answered her own curiosity. It seemed that the curse's nature took precedence over commands from the caster.
"How fascinating. Discovering things like this, bit by bit—that's what makes learning fun for people who pursue knowledge."
Gone was the panic from before; now Regant looked at Liana with sharp, intelligent eyes, the eyes of a mage hungry for knowledge.
He swallowed hard, as If this was the perfect opportunity to study the Subjugation curse in detail—
"The Tower Master needs to head to the royal palace first. My sister is waiting."
Princess Clarice cut in.
Someone like the Tower Master couldn't just stroll through Evergard on vacation.
At her words, Regant snapped back to reality and quickly dropped to one knee.
"Tower Master Regant, at your service, Princess Clarice Evangel Legardia!"
"…Quite the dramatic greeting."
Regant and Clarice left for the royal palace.
Liana, Sharen, and Isaac returned to the mansion they'd been at earlier.
Since Princess Adeline already knew about Liana's condition, she hadn't insisted on bringing Liana into the palace.
"You haven't had lunch yet, have you?"
"No, not yet."
"I'll tell Karen to prepare something. She's my maid, but she's pretty good at cooking."
"Your maid… that reminds me of Millie."
Liana's eyes widened the moment she spoke.
Even though she knew she shouldn't say it, the words still spilled out—such was the effect of the curse.
"I'm sorry, Isaac."
And just like that, the apology came right after.
So she still feels guilty about Millie…
The fact that she immediately thought of Millie when maids were mentioned said as much.
Isaac forced a smile in reply.
"Millie lives close by, so I visit her sometimes. The maid I just mentioned, Karen, also checks in on her now and then."
"Oh… thank you."
Liana naturally followed the flow of conversation.
Isaac subtly guided the topic to ease her guilt, and the fact that she expressed her gratitude the moment she realized it—well, that was just Liana being Liana.
"Today's lunch is pasta! I begged Karen to make it! I told her to add tons of cheese so it's super rich and creamy!"
Sharen, standing beside them, cheerfully chimed in. It was hard to tell whether she lacked awareness or was just too aware.
In Sharen's case, it was probably the former—but the timing was perfect.
"And after we eat, let's go to Bella Bakery! Their bread and pastries are super good, sis!"
"Sure, let's do that."
"Yay!"
Liana smiled, finding her younger sister adorable as she cheered excitedly.
'That's because she couldn't get them last time and now she's asking Liana to buy them.'
Bella Bakery was quite a pricey shop even in Evergard.
With many high-ranking nobles living in the capital, the bakery catered to them using only the finest ingredients—raising both taste and price accordingly.
As a result, it was popular among noblewomen and young noble ladies.
As they entered the mansion, a savory aroma greeted them.
Just like Sharen had said, it seemed the pasta was already being prepared.
They stepped into the dining room.
Between the pasta noodles Karen was diligently boiling and the fragrant sauce filling the air—
A woman was already enjoying an early taste: Silverna Caldias.
Still in her pajamas, she was nibbling on light snacks.
"Ah! Why is Silverna eating all by herself?!"
Sharen ran over and plopped herself into the seat next to her, starting to eat as well.
Meanwhile, Liana was slightly flustered by Silverna's disheveled appearance.
"Huh?"
The fact that that was all she managed to say out loud showed just how slow her thinking was.
Seeing Silverna in such a relaxed state flustered Liana.
Anyone could see she'd clearly spent the night here.
Noble mansions always had guest rooms prepared.
In fact, Helmut's estate had an entire row of guest rooms.
So it wasn't strange for a guest to stay over like this.
But the fact that this guest was Silverna made Liana's heart pound intensely.
Especially when she looked like she owned the place, lounging around like that in loose clothes.
It almost felt like she was a wife enjoying a lazy afternoon after a long, passionate night with her husband.
"Even I've never had an experience like that…"
"Lia?!"
Isaac quickly covered Liana's mouth.
Her sulking, childlike tone was startling—but more than that, she had walked right into Silverna's trap.
"Wow, it's true?"
Silverna had only heard about Liana's "Subjugation Spell" condition in words. This was her first time seeing it in action.
Which is why she found Liana's blunt, unfiltered comments so amusing and fresh.
"Don't say anything, Lia."
Isaac hurriedly tried to stop her again.
Anyone could tell from a glance that a barrage of questions was coming.
"Oh, come on. Can't we all just have a nice, honest chat for once?"
Silverna's tone was closer to a playful complaint.
But Isaac didn't remove his hand.
That's when Liana grabbed his wrist and gently pulled his hand down.
Her firm, unyielding look made Isaac falter.
The binding was no longer pushing her to charge into the palace and kill Princess Adeline with a greatsword.
But her current expression carried the same level of grim resolve.
"Ha…"
And that clearly ignited something in Silverna as well.
The two women locked eyes.
A tense, potentially explosive moment.
The one who broke the silence was, as always, the bold northern woman.
"No matter what I did… you know it's none of your business, right? Ex-wife?"
"Wow."
Sharen interjected while munching on snacks.
In the past, Liana might have stayed quiet—but not anymore.
"I know I have no right to interfere with what Isaac does. But I also know Isaac wouldn't have done anything like that."
"...."
"Back when we were newlyweds, maybe things were different. But I know how conservative Isaac was when we were dating."
Silverna bit her lip.
'That's true.'
Before entering Helmut's estate as its head, his relationship with Liana had been quite sweet.
"Alright, I'll admit it."
Liana continued without pause.
"I was jealous. Waking up late in Isaac's house, in pajamas, basking in the sunlight and smiling mischievously while remembering the night before—yeah, I envied that."
"…That's surprisingly detailed."
Maybe because she was just saying whatever came to mind?
"Yeah, I won't deny it. I may be the head of House Helmut, but I'm still a woman."
"...."
"So of course, I'd want to kiss Isaac in bed, caress each other's most intimate spots, and watch him smile in satisfaction as he—"
"Liana, go outside. Get some fresh air."
At Isaac's words, Liana obediently turned and walked out.
Silverna, watching her blankly, scratched her cheek and quietly followed.
"This… is kind of fun."
"Haa…"