“…”

As heat threatened to engulf her chest, her heart began to thump.

It was an awful feeling. As the kiss continued, Charlotte frowned. She didn’t even dare to open her eyes in fear that she might fail—that she might not be able to help.

If I can’t be of help to Lord Oswald, I’d rather…!

But right after that—

“—…”

She could feel his hand on her hair, gently stroking her head.

…Lord Oswald.

Then, their kiss ended.

At the same time, on the other side of the billowing black smoke, Randolph screamed.

“Enough! I’ll kill you both…!”

As he spat out those words, his hands were blazing.

He conjured a flaming sword, one which swallowed the black smoke, restoring visibility.

“Oswald, you no longer have any magic left! This is the end! You’re finished…!”

But then, there was a shift in his tone.

“—Huh?”

Pakin.

A clear sound rang as the flame sword he was holding froze, turning into a large chunk of ice. Perhaps because of the weight, the tip of Randolph’s sword hit the floor with a thud.

“…What’s—”

From his voice, it was apparent that he didn’t understand what was happening

However, it didn’t stop. The ice spread from the tip of his sword, encasing the desolate room. Randolph’s eyes, wide open in terror, were fixed on a point.

“…Impossible!”

Ahead of his gaze, Oswald was staring straight at Randolph.

As the cold wind blew in, Oswald took a step forward. Even his eyes gleamed with magic.

“Wait…”

Dismayed, Randolph retreated, trying to pull out his sword.

“Ge-get back…!! Do you think you’ll be forgiven for raising your sword against me, a member of the royal family…!?”

“…”

“I said, get back, you monster—!”

Without caring for the following tirade of curses, Oswald moved his right hand.

Fearing the deployment of a massive magic circle, Randolph held his breath and crouched down. However, Oswald’s next action caught him off-guard.

“What—!?”

After all, Oswald didn’t use offensive magic.

Instead, his fist connected to Randolph’s cheek.

Charlotte was surprised, but Randolph, who was blown away by it, was even more so.

Oswald’s red eyes were trained on Randolph who couldn’t move due to the shock.

“So what if I’m a monster?”

Oswald spoke slowly, yet firmly—

“—Thanks to my power, I can protect those that need protection.”

“…Lord Oswald!!”

She rushed over to Oswald and embraced him with all her might.

“How’s your body!? Are you hurt!? Are you in pain!?”

“No, I’m not, there’s no pain at all… Although, the hand that I used to punch him hurts?”

As he wrapped his arm around her back, he grasped a lock of her hair.

“Seriously, how unreasonable can you be? To endure the shock of the seal’s release, and resist the teleportation circle…”

“I did my best…!! After all, I want to help Lord Oswald!”

Even as she spoke to him, her tears threatened to fall. Oswald was alive and well!

Charlotte was more than happy to witness that fact.

“Then, please praise me! With your voice, with your words!”

“…Charlotte.”

Oswald narrowed his eyes slightly.

However, Oswald slightly frowned.

“Bad girl. You should’ve escaped with the teleport circle I deployed.”

“What…!?”

“Thankfully everything went smoothly—but…”

Oswald, who pinched her nose, finally released her.

“As long as you’re safe, I don’t care… Thank you for being alive, Charlotte.”

“…!!”

At that moment, the depths of Charlotte’s left chest were enveloped in warmth.

For a long time, she had felt like she always wanted someone to say that to her.

Surely, there was no mistaking it, for Oswald always gave Charlotte what she wanted.

“…Still, you were really unreasonable. It’s a miracle Randolph’s order didn’t trigger your contract magic.”

“I’m sure that’s because—”

—Charlotte didn’t finish her words.

A new teleportation circle appeared in the center of the room. Seeing that, Oswald’s eyes went round.

“It can’t be…”

When Oswald was about to say something, a person appeared on the spot.

---

***T/N: Lol Randolph went all gangsta till Oswald get his magic back.

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