Andre stared at Lidi in disbelief. Seeing his surprise, I recalled that Andre had set slimes on Lidi.

Since Lidi came back I forgot about it as something inconsequential, but originally that's how things should have been.

"Lidi… What does it mean?"

When I tried asking out of curiosity, Lidi answered with her gaze wandering about.

"E… err. Listen, those were special slimes made of magical power… That's why."

"… I see. I understand. You don't have to say more."

Lidi spoke vaguely, but I understood what she was trying to say.

That is to say, the slimes were erased with neutralization magic.

I'm glad Lidi is endowed with neutralization ability. Just imagining slimes doing something to my Lidi, I can't forgive him.

Again anger towards Andre filled my heart.

I put down Lidi, and while protecting her with my back I faced Andre.

Perhaps astonished, Andre repeatedly shook his head.

"And? I understand regarding slimes, but why did you fall from the ceiling, Lidi?"

I ignored Andre, and while looking over my shoulder asked. Lidi returned an awkward voice.

"I didn't think I was in the ceiling. I just went through the air ducts, when suddenly my surroundings began collapsing and I became awfully fl.u.s.tered. There was no escape in such a place, so…"

"Air ducts…"

As Lidi easily told me something unbelievable, I lost strength.

But Lidi said.

"Because I didn't want to be taken somewhere, I thought of running away until you came, Freed."

"I see. And then you fell down with a cute scream."

"Uuu."

I wryly smiled at Lidi's words that she had escaped from the room she had been imprisoned in through air ducts.

After all, they're air ducts. Who'd think of entering them.

I think it's an incredibly Lidi-ish idea, and since thanks to it she's fine now, I have no complaints, but… I smiled at how typical it was.

I recalled her escaping me many times before our feelings came together like this.

"That's my Lidi. So that's why the tip of your nose is black. Cute."

"Eh? Eeeh?"

Lidi rubbed her nose in a fl.u.s.ter. It had been only slightly dirty, and yet it got darker thanks to her rubbing. I felt sorry for Lidi who asked, "Did it come off?", with a serious face, but despite the situation I laughed.

"Why did you rub it? It's gotten even darker. Stay still… Yes, it came off."

"Ugh… Thanks."

I took out the handkerchief from my coat and wiped Lidi's nose. Perhaps embarra.s.sed to be taken care of, Lidi flushed and hung her head. However, she was truly lovely as she nevertheless gripped the hem of my clothes.

"How about having a bath once you're back?"

Since she looked to mind, I cleaned her body with magic while stroking her head. Lidi smiled with relief and nodded.

"Thanks. Yup… It was unexpectedly dusty inside the air ducts."

"We're in an old castle that's been abandoned for years. It couldn't be helped."

"Is that so? The room I was brought to was surprisingly clean, so I didn't notice. Are we in Wilhelm?"

"We are."

Lidi, who looked around, seemed to have absolutely no idea where she was.

When I briefly explained our location, she said, hmm, and tilted her head.

"You ran away through air ducts? And escaped from slimes? That can't be…"

Andre had only been listening to Lidi and me talk, but perhaps he finally came to his senses as he muttered so.

My mood, that had relaxed, tightened.

I s.h.i.+elded Lidi again and faced Andre.

"It seems things didn't go as you planned."

There was hatred in Andre's eyes glaring here. I warded it off with a smile. Now that Lidi is back in my grasp, I've become considerably composed. Of course, I will never again be careless.

"Lidi is a woman who always goes against expectations. She's not somebody a person of your caliber can do anything to."

She erased slimes with neutralization magic, searched for an escape way, entered a vent she didn't know much about… and now fell from the ceiling.

The developments that led to the current situation are truly impossible to imagine. Every Lidi's action is unpredictable, I and Alex are always led by the nose by her.

There's no way Andre, who doesn't know her well, could predict it.

Behind me, Lidi muttered, "I wonder. I think it's normal. After all, you'd normally run away, right?", but I think an ordinary n.o.ble young lady would at best wait for help while crying, unable to move.

Lidi doesn't notice she's strange to act on her own… but such Lidi is cute too, so I stopped myself from pointing that out. Besides, Lidi ran away because she wanted to go back to me. When we return, I'll hug her with all my strength and love her as much as possible.

While glaring here with a frustrated face, Andre spoke.

"I don't care about that woman. I just wanted you to suffer. That's my revenge for Leitis!"

"So you're still saying that…"

I could tell my eyebrows scrunched when Andre said that name.

Leitis.

The foreign n.o.blewoman who Andre claims to be his mate.

But, n.o.body believes it.

His relations with women didn't fit his a.s.sertions that she's his mate at all, and after he failed the Royal Flower ceremony he stopped looking at her.

Even though he called me a criminal who stole Leitis's virginity without listening to me saying that it was different, even though he a.s.serted that she's his mate, far from investigating what happened to her afterwards, he didn't even try asking about her.

If she truly was his mate, there's no way he'd lose interest so easily.

Besides――.

"I said it many times. I'm unrelated. I never had an interest in your former fiancée. On the contrary, it was irritating how she followed me around."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Andre got enraged, but it's the truth.

Even though Leitis came to Wilhelm as Andre's fiancée, she tempted me behind Andre's back.

No matter how many times I refused, she persisted so much I got fed up with her.