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"And it's been a while since we met, so this much contact is natural, right? I even tried to act more like a couple, but I barely held back."
"......"
Ayla bit her lip and glared at Felix next to her with a dumbfounded look.
Felix then smiled shamelessly.
"Why, are you curious about what that is?"
Ayla frowned at his nonchalant attitude.
'Why is he so cheeky all of a sudden?'
Felix used to tease her often, but this was the first time he had been so mischievous.
She somehow felt a little unfamiliar with Felix by her side.
"......It's okay. And we didn't usually do this much."
"We didn't. But I'm going to start paying attention from now on."
Felix tucked Ayla's hair behind her ear as he spoke. It was an extremely affectionate gesture.
"If I act indifferent after becoming the Heir, people will definitely talk behind my back. Everyone will say Ayla was heartlessly abandoned."
"That's true, but......"
Ayla eventually shut her mouth because Felix's words weren't exactly wrong.
"And I don't want strange guys having false hopes either."
"What do you mean?"
"Kadin. He's still giving Ayla those clingy looks."
"Why do you hate that?"
"I just do."
Felix turned his gaze away instead of answering.
He held Ayla's slender arm tightly, recalling what the Red Dragon had said.
"What happened to Ayla and Princess Peony? Why can't I see their future?"
[That's because they don't exist in that time.]
He could finally understand.
The Dragon showed him that future to warn him not to lose his precious things.
'It's just something that happened in the future anyway.'
There was plenty of room to change things depending on his actions.
Ayla would not die in this life.
Felix's gaze turned to Ayla, who was walking alongside him.
In a world of monochrome, only she was shining brilliantly.
Perhaps because it was the first day of the semester, classes ended sooner than expected.
As soon as the three of them finished their morning schedule, they went straight to Ayla's Greenhouse.
It was to have a conversation away from the eyes of others.
"The Greenhouse is bigger than I thought? Did Ayla decorate all of this?"
Felix exclaimed as he looked around.
Ayla shrugged and replied.
"I didn't plant much. It's all thanks to Professor Jacy for managing it well."
Soon, the three of them took their seats at a table inside the Greenhouse. Peony opened her mouth as if she had been waiting for this.
"By the way, it felt so good when you said something to Rosia earlier, right?"
Peony made a playful expression and tried to imitate Ayla's words exactly.
"What did you say? 'Are you satisfied with that position?' or something like that."
"Haha, did I?"
"Yeah, you've always just put up with it. What's gotten into you?"
"I don't think I have to put up with it anymore."
Ayla shrugged with an indifferent expression.
Ayla's position was now as big as Rosia's.
She had become the owner of the Divine Beast, and her boyfriend, whom she was dating, had been revealed to be the Heir of Duke Argenta.
Also, if she made and took the perfect Cure with the herbs that Felix brought, she would be able to surpass her in magical talent.
Ayla brewed tea with a much more relaxed face and poured it in front of each of them.
Felix took a sip of the warm tea and made a satisfied expression.
"Can I come here sometimes too? I feel so relaxed coming here after being harassed by people all day."
Peony pouted at his words.
"You say that, but your face looks very bright. I don't know if I should call you Young Duke now."
"Don't tease me, Peony."
Felix looked embarrassed for a moment before continuing.
"Just because Duke Argenta became my father doesn't mean anything will change, especially in front of you two."
His warm gaze then turned to Ayla.
Ayla tried to avoid his gaze and looked at Peony.
"As Felix said, people are watching us outside, so it would be good to gather here when we have important conversations from now on."
"Yeah, I agree. I'm going to start telling you things that I can't dare to say outside from now on."
"Did something bad happen during the vacation?"
Ayla's expression quickly changed to one of concern.
In fact, she had been worried because Peony's expression didn't look good since they were heading here.
Peony smiled as if to reassure her when she saw that.
"It's okay, it was just hard because you guys weren't by my side, but the result isn't bad news."
After saying that, Peony took a deep breath and carefully opened her mouth.
"Actually...... don't be surprised, the Imperial Palace investigated the person who poisoned me. And I found out who it was."
Felix and Ayla's faces hardened with tension at the shocking words.
Peony revealed the truth to her two friends without hesitation.
"It was Darian."
"What? Really?"
"......That snake-like bastard."
Shocked reactions poured out from both sides.
Peony smiled bitterly as if she understood the reactions of the two.
But Ayla couldn't shut her mouth.
This was the first time she had heard this, even though she knew the original story.
'The person who killed Peony in the original story was that person?'
Of course, she thought he wouldn't be a good person from the start, since he avoided responsibility for her and married another woman.
But she never thought he would be so heartless as to poison his own sister.
Even if he was cold to others, she thought he would be different to his younger sister, Peony......
Unlike Ayla, who couldn't believe it, Felix reacted as if he had expected it.
"I'm not surprised. I thought he seemed like a bad guy."
"......You thought he seemed like a bad guy? We've only met him once."
"Guys who are only good at talking are all the same, Ayla."
Felix twisted his lips as if he was telling her something very important.
He seemed more edgy than usual.
'Was his first impression at the ball not very good?'
Ayla tilted her head for a moment and then asked Peony again.
"But how did you find out?"
"I followed Lona. In the process, I found out that Darian's doctor was involved in making the poison."
"I see......"
Ayla was in great shock, but she soon accepted it.
It wasn't impossible.
Darian wanted to become Emperor so badly, so he might have felt threatened by Peony and did that.
"So, are you okay?"
She remembered that the two of them seemed quite close last time.
If so, she couldn't even imagine how messed up Peony's heart must be after learning the truth.
"To be honest, I'm not okay. But that doesn't mean I'm going to just sit still."
Peony smiled faintly.
All Ayla could do for her was hold her hand tightly.
"You'll be able to get through it. I'll be cheering you on from the side."
"Thank you, Ayla."
As the atmosphere became somber, Peony changed the subject as if she couldn't bear it.
She targeted Felix as if she couldn't be the only one revealing secrets.
"So, Felix, what happened to you?"
"Me?"
"Tell me what happened during the vacation. It seems like there were quite a few things going on at the Argenta estate."
Felix looked embarrassed as the attention and interest suddenly focused on him.
Then, as if something suddenly came to mind, he said, "Ah," and took out a small pouch from his pocket.
"That's right, Ayla. It's the herb you asked for."
"Ah, you didn't forget to bring it."
Ayla's face lit up in an instant.
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