“Tistye, are you perhaps ill?”

“No, I just want to be closer to you…”

W-what am I saying!

Tistye was shocked by the words spun by her own mouth.

“False” Tistye passionately stared at Gaizel as she gently reached for his shoulders. The moment she applied force, she fell on top of him.

No!? What on earth am I doing!?

Tistye’s desperate resistance was to no avail. “False” Tistye leaned on Gaizel, whom was lying on his back, and bewitchingly gazed at him.

“—I love you.”

“…”

Lord Gaizel, no!! Please run away!!

Tistye sought to regain control of her body, as Gaizel once did. However, no matter how much effort she put into it, she couldn’t even lift a finger. To be able to break free from such an enchantment, how good was Gaizel’s mental prowess?!

Eventually, “False” Tistye bent over in a seductive manner. Gaizel reached for Tistye’s cheeks and lifted his face as if to accept it.

No! That isn’t me, Lord Gaizel…

Even though it was technically her, Tistye felt as if she was being possessed by an unknown being. Tistye shed soundless tears.

In the meantime, the distance between the two narrowed and their lips touched—at that moment, Gaizel grinned.

“—You aren’t Tistye.”

“—!!”

Gaizel grabbed “False” Tistye’s chin as he pressed her against the bed. Their positions had reversed.

Pinning her body without giving her a chance to escape, he quickly grabbed the swaying jewel in Tistye’s ears.

“Is this the cause?”

He removed the metal fitting and removed the earrings from Tistye’s ears.

Tistye’s consciousness suddenly became clear. Feeling had returned to his hands and feet.

With relief, Tistye finally spoke. That was when she noticed the weight on her waist.

“Lord, Gaizel…”

“Tistye, are you alright?”

“Yes! But, if you can please get away—”

Towards Tistye, who spoke with an utterly reddened face and choppy words, Gaizel was quiet for a while.

Noticing he was on top of Tistye, Gaizel moved to the edge of the bed with tremendous force.

“F, forgive me, I didn’t mean to… I had no choice but to restrain you.”

“I, I understand! Thank you very much…”

After a somewhat awkward silence descended upon them, Tistye fearfully approached Gaizel.

Looking at the earring in his hand, she gazed curiously at Gaizel.

The moment he removed the earring, all my senses returned… something must’ve occurred…

Frowning, Tistye gently called out to the jewel to test it.

“Um… Mr, or Mrs. Spirit, if you have something to tell me, I’d like you to say it?”

However, as a matter of course, there was no reply.

Tistye, who became embarrassed at once, shouted. “S-sorry.” She covered her face with both hands.

After seeing such a scene, Gaizel went towards the window while holding the earring.

“Lord Gaizel?”

Although Tistye chased after him, Gaizel didn’t stop. After opening the window, he stepped into the balcony. It was a calm night with a half moon, with almost no wind.

However, without enjoying the tranquil scene, Gaizel approached the railing.

Below, a beautifully arranged courtyard and a fountain where water constantly danced could be seen. There was a fence surrounding the mansion. Of course, no one was around at that time.

Beside Tistye, whom was wondering, Gaizel relaxed his shoulders—before suddenly swinging an arm back, ready to throw the earring with utmost force.

There was no guarantee that the earring would remain unscathed when thrown from such height. Not to mention, Gaizel’s arm was strong.

Surprised, Tistye’s mouth hung wide open. Suddenly, the earring emitted a high-pitched female voice.

“Nooo—! Unbelievable—! Someone, stop this guy—!”

“L, l, l, lord Gaizel, please wait a moment!”

Hearing the voice, Tistye immediately went to stop Gaizel. Gaizel lowered his arm as if nothing had happened. He apparently never intended to throw the earring from the start.

“Did you finally decide to reveal your true identity?”

“Did you have to resort to such a method!? For you to suddenly decide to throw me away!”

“Um, you are…”

Still unsure of the situation, the confused Tistye beckoned towards the earring within Gaizel’s grasp.

Then, a light purple smoke rose from the piece of levanite.

“Eh!?”

The fine particles converged and eventually took the form of a small person.

She had soft-looking hair parted in two and had a pretty face. However, as of the moment, her cheeks were puffed. Eventually, she spoke of her terrible dissatisfaction.

“I apologize for overdoing it, but I really want to meet my Darling!”

“D, darling…?”

“That’s right, so lend me your cooperation!”

Fuun. After hearing the woman’s protest, Tistye looked awkwardly at Gaizel. Gaizel also sported a slightly frustrated look on his face.

“…Although it may be a little unbelievable, she’s probably a spirit. Perhaps she possesses humans whose wavelengths match her own through the stone, and controls their behavior.”

Indeed. Tistye must had been at the mercy of said possession. Aware that the stones indeed hosted spirits, the incident at the royal palace finally made sense.

“So, Lord Gaizel and Van…”

“Exactly. Spirits dwell in these stones. In other words, there’s a high possibility that a spirit also dwells in the other jewel. Which means—”

Tistye and Gaizel arrived at the same conclusion. He nodded the moment he saw Tistye’s convinced expression.

“The one this spirit is looking for, it’s probably the spirit residing in the stone intended for the tiara.”

---

***T/N: …Something tells me that that isn’t a conclusion someone would normally arrive at, especially when it’s involving a creature of unknown origin.

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