Chapter 50

Nazelbert’s mind went completely blank as he gripped the handles atop Geni the wyvern.

“I wuv you!”

It was a word of immense destructive power, uttered by Agnes right in front of him.

She had clearly tried to say “I love you” but tripped over her tongue. To put it mildly, it was heart-wrenchingly adorable.

Agnes’s “I wuv you!” replayed in his head over and over. If this weren’t such an public or precarious situation, he might have embraced her forcefully, kissed her, and let things progress from there.

However, Nazelbert told himself that now was the time to maintain his gentlemanly composure.

At that moment, Geni finished the roll.

“Lord Nazel… d-did you hear that?”

Agnes’s back looked fraught with anxiety as she asked in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Come to think of it, she had been trying to tell him something for a long time. Every time she tried, someone had interrupted, but could it be…?

Again, the cute voice echoed in his mind: “I wuv you!”

The moment the realization fully dawned on him, Nazelbert found Agnes more precious and irresistible than ever before.

“Agnes, I heard you loud and clear. So you felt the same way I did. I’m so happy.”

When he replied, Agnes’s ears turned beet red. He was dying to see her expression, but for now, he had to prioritize a safe flight. It was a frustrating constraint.

He accompanied her through a few more of Geni’s rolls before turning back toward the manor. Having returned to the town center, they stopped the roll practice and switched back to a normal cruising flight.

The clever Geni flew toward the manor garden of his own accord.

“You can let go of the handles and switch back to the reins now, Agnes.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Nazelbert fought against a fresh surge of impulse. What was wrong with him—being so deeply affected not just by her “I wuv you,” but even by her calling him “Teacher”?

“Hey, Agnes… look at me?”

“Eh? Yes?”

When she spun around to face him, her face turned redder and redder by the second, exactly as he had expected. Was it even legal to be this cute?

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Nazelbert leaned in and stole a kiss from her plump, rosy lips.

“Mmm… mmh…”

With her hands still gripping the reins, Agnes closed her eyes and let out a sweet, soft sound.

Geni, paying no mind to the two riders on his back, gradually descended and touched down in the manor garden.

The riding lesson for the day was over.

Feeling a mix of conflicting desires—reluctance to let the moment end versus a craving to dote on Agnes to his heart’s content now that they were on safe ground—Nazelbert dismounted first. He landed on the grass, then turned back.

“Agnes, jump down into my arms.”

He spread his arms wide for her as he always did, but Agnes, her face flushing even deeper, began to hesitate.

“I-I can get down by myself!”

However, jumping was her only real option. Nazelbert was standing right at the landing point, effectively blocking her from dismounting any other way.

Agnes puffed out her rosy cheeks and struggled for a while to find a way down on her own, but eventually gave up and leaped from Geni’s back toward Nazelbert.

Catching his angelic wife firmly in his arms, Nazelbert felt a wave of satisfaction. Before meeting her, he hadn’t known he possessed such a stubborn streak.

“Well done today. You’re very good at riding, Agnes. Even the new recruits in the Knight Order aren’t this natural.”

“Really?”

“In riding, technique is important, of course, but the bond of trust with your mount is what truly matters.”

“Then it’s all thanks to Geni.”

Agnes tried to walk across the garden, but her steps were wobbly. This was a rite of passage for anyone not used to riding; she had been just as unsteady when they first arrived in Sutrena.

Nazelbert scooped Agnes up and carried her toward the manor. Once inside, Kelly was waiting for them.

“Kelly, I’ll leave Agnes in your care.”

He brought her to her room and handed her over to her maid. Having moved around for so long, Nazelbert needed to wash up and change his own clothes as well.

“Agnes, I’ll see you in a bit, alright?”

“Y-Yes. Lord Nazel, thank you very much.”

As he stepped away, Kelly spoke to Agnes.

“Lady Agnes, we should give you a massage before you get sore muscles. Please, lie down.”

As usual, Kelly seemed to adore Agnes and was quite overprotective of her.

After closing the door, Nazelbert could hear their conversation from inside.

“Lady Agnes, your whole body is quite stiff. Have you been reading too much again?”

“Maybe… I just wanted to learn about the territory as quickly as possible…”

“You mustn’t overdo it. Please, take it in moderation. Let’s work out the tension here as well.”

“Mm… mmm… ahhh, that feels so good…”

Hearing Agnes’s defenseless voice through the door made Nazelbert’s heart race just a little bit.