The mysterious chess master.
'No, I won the chess itself.'
The mysterious, moderately skilled chess player, Lionel.
In Isabella's mind, Lionel's identity had been roughly narrowed down to one of three possibilities.
First, the scion of some noble family.
Second, a child raised by some knight order.
Third, a rising force that appeared recently - a young prospect raised by the Climbing Team or a New Guild.
She had never even considered that he might be related to Dolores.
There was no way she would marry a man and have a child.
When she visited this mansion a year ago, the only child here was Ruby.
"He's my child."
"Huh...?"
Isabella's mind went blank for a moment.
'What is this?'
And then.
On Dolores's face, Isabella caught an interesting change.
It twisted subtly...
A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
An expression of 'oops' layered over it.
It was the face of someone who just realized she had misspoken.
'...Oho.'
This side of her is new.
Soon, Isabella's interest in Lionel welled up even more.
A clear blunder by Dolores, caused by a momentary excess of emotion...
Lionel, just who are you, for Dolores to act like this?
And at that moment.
Isabella's unique Thought Acceleration activated.
Crackle...
Information rearranged itself in her mind.
[Why is she reacting so violently?]
'This isn't the scale of reaction she'd show over just a boy.'
[The fact that it's a boy is strange to begin with.]
'You would never let a man into your life. Even if it's a child.'
[Where did those gloves come from, anyway?]
'If it were the usual you, you'd have used the gloves as bait to drain me dry.'
[Lionel's right hand was... swollen.]
'That child refused, saying he had no interest in magic.'
Watching the situation in third person, her thoughts accelerating at the same time.
Isabella's heart beat one step faster.
Crackle.
The noise cleared, and the information began converging toward a single conclusion.
'Lionel is connected to the 20th-Enhance Gloves.'
Having realized this, Isabella's mind cleared.
Finally, she had obtained a weakness for this cold, sharp, occasionally seemingly kind but mostly ill-mannered Dolores.
"...Hehe."
She nodded with a delighted smile.
"I've realized it, Dolores, the core of your anger..."
But then.
"Huh?"
Whirr...
Without her knowing.
A blue magic circle was subtly being drawn beneath Isabella's feet.
Her gaze turned downward.
Teleportation Magic that forcibly sends endangered allies outside the battlefield.
Since there was no intent to harm, Isabella's Autonomous Defense System did not activate.
Dolores had her hand on her forehead without even looking at Isabella.
With a truly exhausted expression.
"Elysia, wait-"
Bang!
Isabella's body vanished in an instant.
"Haah..."
Dolores questioned her own heightened emotions.
She let out a sigh.
***
It's no joke.
After listening to someone talk for three hours.
Even while bathing, I felt like I could hear phantom voices.
It's been a while since I met someone this talkative.
Without even drying my wet hair, I headed to the study where Ruby was.
"You abandoned me."
Ruby, this won't do.
I knocked on the study door.
"Ruby-chan~"
Without waiting for an answer, I opened it.
"Y-you came?"
Ruby answered without looking at me, face buried in a book.
"Hey."
I slowly approached her and gently lowered the book.
Ruby was biting her lips tightly and puffing out her cheeks as if she couldn't hold back laughter any longer.
Well, well, well.
So you knew all along.
"Did you have fun?"
Ruby asked me with the corners of her mouth pulled up.
At first I thought of punishing her by tickling her toes, but...
"Hehe. Yeah."
Since it was the first time I saw Ruby laugh so brightly and happily.
I just patted Ruby's head and threw myself onto the beanbag beside her.
Honestly, she didn't seem like a bad person.
She was the passionate type, so it must have been hard to push her away, but I didn't feel like doing that anyway.
Flump.
My half-exhausted body sank into it.
I'm tired; it might be fine to just sleep like this.
Starting tomorrow, I have to make Dolores's socks...
I'm also curious what she talked about with Isabella.
She seemed to have come here because of her curiosity about my gloves.
Just then.
I felt a gaze from beside me.
When I slightly turned my head, Ruby was staring intently at my forearm.
"...?"
"It got a little thicker. It seems... firmer."
Even if it's an elementary schooler's body, after being spun around for hours, temporary pumping does happen.
Ruby seemed to find that fascinating.
"So that has a use."
"Did you do it without me?"
You have a good eye. Must be because you're a mage.
Ruby quietly stared at my arm like that for a few minutes.
Whether she looked or not, I rested.
Some time passed like that.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Yes."
The door opened at the same time as my answer.
Dolores was standing there.
With a quite gloomy expression, at that.
***
-Lionel? I prepared the ore, and I've applied lubricant too.
She seemed to have spent more time outside preparing gifts for me and Ruby.
There were no more schedules for today.
Time passed, and the three of us prepared for sleep.
Zzz...
Ruby fell asleep.
Moonlight entered the bed through the window.
My body was severely fatigued from hard training and Isabella's antlion pit.
My mind was still awake.
"......"
I turned my head and looked at Dolores.
She seemed to be closing her eyes and preparing to sleep comfortably.
Honestly, it was hard to judge clearly from the short time I'd known her, but.
'She looks drained.'
I thought that.
A feeling that she'd changed a little since Isabella arrived?
However, I'm not the type to hold back my curiosity.
Nor am I careful enough to read someone's feelings in detail.
"Lady Dolores."
I called her quietly.
"......"
She slowly opened her eyes at my call, smiled, and turned her head.
I asked directly.
"Did something happen today?"
"...Sometimes, Lionel."
"Yes."
"You don't seem like a child."
"......"
That hit a nerve.
Instead of answering, Dolores gave a warm smile and rose from her spot.
Then, like yesterday, she went around the bed and came over to my side.
Rustle.
The blanket lifted slightly, and she lay down beside me.
"Just because I feel a little sorry toward Lionel?"
"Me?"
What is there to feel sorry about toward me?
"Today was a bit noisy, after all."
"It wasn't bad."
She seems to be talking about Isabella.
I just didn't feel all that bad about it.
"......"
But was that not the answer she wanted?
Dolores shut her eyes tightly... and barely opened her mouth.
"If you want to take Isabella's magic lessons... tell me anytime."
"What?"
"I can send you to Isabella by carriage."
What is she saying?
Absolutely, absolutely not.
I admit that she doesn't exactly have a bad personality.
But I didn't want to do that face-to-face.
I can't do it twice. No way.
"......"
I carefully examined Dolores's expression after she made that shocking remark.
She probably doesn't want me to leave.
Wait a minute.
With her eyes closed, her face looked resolved to something.
Only after seeing that expression did I understand the situation.
'...No way.'
This person.
Does she think I've taken a liking to Isabella?
From Dolores's perspective.
It might have looked like I had a fairly good time with Isabella.
So in case I might want Isabella's magic lessons.
If she resolved to allow it even if she didn't want to.
"Um, Lady Dolores."
"Yeah."
"I like you, Lady Dolores."
Dolores's eyes slowly opened.
What's the reason I'm working so hard?
"I don't want magic, and I don't want anything else."
Meeting her eyes, I continued.
"I have no intention of going anywhere."
I said it like a joke, but.
"I like you, Lady Dolores."
In this life, it's you, Dolores.
If a 30-year-old said this, he'd be pointed at as cringey or crazy, but.
I'm Lionel, 13 years old.
This level of cringe is worth enduring.
"I see... Lionel..."
Dolores closed her eyes and nodded.
Then.
Her feet caught my eye.
Her feet were bare.
Since I told her to walk around barefoot, she really was barefoot.
And her feet, having taken off the equipment that halted the curse, were...
'They're frozen.'
They were frozen blue enough to tell at a glance.
She must have walked around all morning barefoot with only shoes on.
This person intends to stay like this until the shoes I make are ready.
And she tells me to go somewhere in this state?
That's nonsense.
My heart becomes very uncomfortable.
When I fixate on something, I tend to see nothing else around me.
Thump.
"Ugh?!"
I grabbed Dolores's feet.
"Lionel, let go! They're cold..."
Cold, really too cold.
Living like this is too sad.
I don't care. I just.
"I'll be back."
I jumped up from my spot.
I'd already lost my sleeping rights anyway. My hand, perhaps because the medicine was working, had almost healed by the afternoon.
I grabbed her socks on the nightstand.
And Tmir's Ice Footrest, gripping them tightly and shaking them.
Swish swish.
As I held her socks and waved them around.
Dolores's cheeks turned red.
"I'll take these."
Late night.
Usually, even when working, you should do it when your mind is clear.
Studying, gaming, all the same.
"Please sleep first."
Dolores opened her mouth to say something, then closed it.
[No one can stop him, mm-hmm.]
It was a face that already knew trying to stop me was useless.