That’s Not What Kissing Means! - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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That’s not what kissing means!
Episode 110

For some reason, I felt abandoned by Julian.
He remained as aloof as a cat.
“Let’s go eat now.”
Theo crossed into the Dining Room with Evelyn.
Evelyn laughed upon seeing the vase on the table, brimming with fresh flowers.
“You’re truly a wonderful son, Theo.”
He was remarkable—bringing flowers daily out of habit to honor his promise to his father and bring joy to his mother.
Theo pulled out Evelyn’s chair and seated her.
“My father wanted me to fill the vase for my mother. Though she mentioned something different.”
“What did she wish for?”
He moved to the seat across from her, speaking casually.
“That I should treat my future wife the same way to be loved.”
“….”
“So I’m making the effort.”
Theo shrugged. So these flowers were….
‘They weren’t for the Duchess—they were for me…!’
As Evelyn’s face flushed, he smiled.
“Perhaps I should change the paintings in the Manor as well.”
The center of the Duke’s Mansion still displayed portraits of the Previous Duke and Duchess with young Theo.
But having promised Evelyn a future, he decided to look forward only.
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”
When Evelyn asked, embarrassed, he replied with a puzzled expression.
“What’s the problem? Once this matter is resolved, we’ll be husband and wife.”
“That soon?”
Her eyes widened.
“…Or not?”
Theo’s face fell in a way entirely unlike him.
His drooping lips and listless eyes laid bare his disappointment.
Evelyn spoke with deliberate coyness.
“You promised a future together, but we never discussed when that would be.”
At her words, Theo’s expression crumbled as though the world were collapsing.
Evelyn was actually somewhat surprised.
She hadn’t realized he was anticipating their marriage with such eagerness.
Unable to contain her laughter any longer, Evelyn covered her mouth with her hand.
Yet the soft giggles that escaped found their way to Theo’s ears.
“Were you teasing me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Tell me it was a joke. I’m not confident I can wait for long.”
“First, I need to get my parents’ permission.”
“Of course. I need to show them I’m worthy of you.”
Tension flickered across Theo’s eyes. He was imagining the encounter in his mind.
“What are your parents like?”
“Well, my father is gentle and compassionate. My mother is intelligent and composed.”
“You’ve inherited the best qualities from both of them.”
….
Evelyn said nothing and took a bite of her salad.
If anything, the most similar trait was….
‘I inherited my mother’s weakness for handsome faces.’
My mother would likely become quite serious the moment she saw Theo’s appearance.
‘My daughter has finally…!’ she would probably say.
The two of them conversed for a while about the days ahead.
As the meal was coming to an end, the Duke’s Mansion butler appeared in the Dining Room.
Donovan and Helena had come to visit.
“It seems to be quite urgent.”
Theo and Evelyn had planned to visit the Research Lab in the morning.
Yet they had come to the mansion without waiting for him.
For the cautious Donovan to arrive in such haste, it seemed like a serious matter.
“Show them to my office.”
At Theo’s command, the butler hurried away.

* * *

Upon entering the office, Donovan and Helena straightened to attention.
Theo and Evelyn took their seats on the sofa across from them.
“What’s happened?”
The Duke, cutting straight to business, spared Donovan the pleasantries.
“Helena and many other mages have been researching the ceremonial circle.”
He spoke in a grave tone.
“All those materials are stored in my office bookcase. They’re far too sensitive to leave elsewhere.”
“I imagine it’s no ordinary bookcase.”
Theo, knowing Donovan’s nature, made an educated guess.
“Correct. I designed it myself. An invisible barrier surrounds it—anyone else who touches it gets repelled. And when the barrier is breached, it warps in a way that leaves unmistakable traces of the intruder.”
Donovan explained that only he, as the designer, could decipher those marks.
“If their intention was merely to consult the materials, they would have asked Helena or me. But this was clearly a covert intrusion.”
Helena opened her mouth, her expression heavy with guilt.
“Someone attempted to steal the research documents. Yet only a handful of people know about this work.”
Moreover, Helena herself oversaw all those involved.
“So those who know about the ceremonial circle would be a few mages, Donovan, and Helena?”
Donovan shook his head.
“I’ve researched several magical artifacts to dismantle the circle. There are mage-engineers who saw that work. I also informed Advisor Jayden about acquiring components for the artifacts.”
“I see.”
Jayden was one of the advisors who managed affairs within the Estate. He primarily handled trade-related matters.
The circle of those involved was small, yet no obvious suspect emerged.
What could the intruder’s true purpose be?
Why steal the ceremonial circle research to deliver it elsewhere?
Only one answer made sense.
Someone who knew of the ceremonial circle’s existence and harbored deep suspicion of Duke Ashford.
“I never imagined there was a traitor conspiring with the Temple.”
Theo laughed bitterly. All those belonging to House Ashford had dwelled here for countless years.
They had built trust and affection through time. As the head of the house, I trusted them equally.
To suspect those closest to me….
Helena and Donovan both looked deeply troubled.
‘Could there be someone from the Ashford Estate connected to the Temple?’
It was extraordinarily rare for anyone to travel from the Holy Kingdom to the Estate.
There had to be some established connection.
The answer came without difficulty.
“Lionel Orban.”
Donovan affirmed Theo’s words.
Lionel had often stayed at the Estate alongside the Previous Duke.
That’s when he had planted his trusted agent here.
If so, this connection had been cultivated over a considerable span of time.
Evelyn, who had been listening, offered her thoughts.
“Capturing the intruder immediately is difficult, isn’t it? What if we use him instead?”
Everyone focused on her clear voice.
“We’ve already told the Grand Cleric a false prophecy. He must be suspicious of him by now.”
She continued.
“But given his obsession with the Sacred Artifacts, he’s in an anxious state. At this moment, we create traces of Calimedes. The person Lionel has hidden will deliver that news.”
Evelyn explained what would happen next and the plan she had devised.
Theo nodded after hearing it.
“We can catch the culprit and eliminate Lionel.”
Donovan, who had been listening, spoke of what he would do next.
“Then, as you say, Miss Evelyn, I will make it appear as though the God of Death has appeared.”
“Yes, sophisticated magic will be used, so get Helena’s assistance.”
Theo instructed the two sitting across from him.
“Don’t reveal this to anyone. Not even those close to you.”
At the head of the house’s command, Helena and Donovan bowed their heads.
“Then we’ll take our leave. We’ll act as though we haven’t discovered any traces of the intruder.”
Soon after, the two returned to the Research Institute.
Evelyn carefully observed Theo.
For some reason, the office felt even more hollow.
“Theo, are you alright?”
He had been betrayed by someone within his own house.
Theo smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“There’s one thing I’m grateful to Lionel for.”
“Grateful for?”
“Thanks to him, I’ve become unshakeable by most things.”
He took Evelyn’s hand as she sat beside him.
“There’s no need to worry about me.”
“You’re truly strong, Theo.”
He agreed with Evelyn’s praise.
“I’m an upright and strong child, after all.”
When he mentioned his mother’s letter again, Evelyn made an exasperated expression.
“How much longer are you going to keep saying that?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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