With the arrival of spring and the warming weather, even the cold-averse elf who preferred staying indoors began to venture outside.
A gentle breeze stirred the calm surface of the lake, creating ripples that shimmered under the sunlight.
Flamme, her long silver hair cascading down her back, found a spot under the shade of a tree and began flipping through an ancient magic book she had discovered in the lord's study in Vinewall. The tome contained some rather intriguing spells.
Before long, Ivan arrived, carrying a fishing rod and a bucket, his face beaming with satisfaction. He began scattering bait into the water, preparing to fish.
"How did things go?" Flamme asked without looking up, her slender fingers turning the pages of the book. As she brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over her face, the delicate curve of her neck was revealed, her skin as smooth as a baby's.
"I always finish what I start. I've already taken Anna to break off her engagement. It's not like they'd met more than a few times or had any deep feelings for each other," Ivan replied, setting up his fishing spot and taking a seat on a small stool by the lake.
"I didn't give Anna much time to think. In front of her ex-fiancé, I more or less pressured her into agreeing to a new engagement with me. Now I can rightfully move into the count's mansion."
"Lolicon," Flamme shot him a glare. "And proposing in front of her ex-fiancé? That's just low."
"Hmph, you don't understand. It's all part of the play. You should've seen the look on that guy's face—it kept shifting between red and green. If his father hadn't stopped him, he probably would've challenged me to a duel."
"…" Flamme's expression remained blank as she asked, "What about your daughter, Zense? Shouldn't you be spending more time with her instead of fishing?"
"It's fine. Zense is busy with Anna. After Zense caught Anna with her hair when she tripped and fell, Anna started pestering her to teach her magic. It's a good way to keep Zense occupied and help Anna move past her grief."
Ivan felt rather proud of himself for being so considerate. He was practically the model protagonist of a light novel, handling everything with such finesse.
As for the fact that Anna's father and brother had been killed under his orders… Nonsense! They had already died when they were taken hostage by the demons. Ivan had merely given them a dignified end.
"You seem really invested in that girl," Flamme muttered, pouting. "Lolicon."
"That's slander! Even if I were a lolicon, there are different types. I prefer someone like Seri, a legal loli with charm, not some flat-chested child! Wait, I'm not talking about you, Flamme. Don't get the wrong idea. Put the staff down, I'm serious!"
"…"
Flamme eventually lowered her staff and said calmly, "I want a good meal tonight."
"No problem!"
Anna was already quite adorable, a beauty in the making, but Ivan had no ulterior motives toward her.
As he had said, Anna was merely a piece in the game he was playing with the nobles of Vinewall. If she truly disliked him, he could always annul the engagement once he had full control of the city.
After all, practice makes perfect. She'd get used to it eventually.
Perhaps because Ivan's mind was filled with such unscrupulous thoughts, not a single fish bit for half an hour.
Seeing this, Flamme asked curiously, "Why don't you use the magic I taught you? You could catch as many fish as you want."
"At first, that magic felt like a novelty, like having a tool to hypnotize anyone. It was fun at first, but cheating loses its charm after a while."
"I don't know what analogy you're making, but it sounds rather crude," Flamme frowned slightly.
"It's just your imagination. Like how I keep thinking a fish will bite any second now, but—oh crap, it actually did!"
Ivan yanked the fishing rod as soon as he felt the tug, and a small fish, no bigger than his palm, was pulled out of the water, its tail flapping wildly.
"Ahem, let's get back to the topic of why I don't use fishing magic," Ivan quickly changed the subject. "In short, fishing is about the entire process—the anticipation of heading out with your gear, finding the perfect spot, scattering bait, sitting by the lake, and waiting. The moment you finally catch a fish, all that waiting and effort turns into pure joy. So, what a fisherman catches isn't just a fish, but the reward of his hard work!"
"I don't get it," Flamme replied bluntly, then went back to reading her book.
The shade under the tree grew quiet again, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Though neither of them spoke, both Ivan and Flamme felt comfortable in the silence. There was an inexplicable warmth in their shared solitude.
…
Unbeknownst to them, two girls with a height advantage were hiding behind a tree, watching them closely.
"This isn't good," Zense muttered, her expression unreadable. "Dad and Flamme are getting along a little too well."
Anna, standing beside her, looked confused. "What's strange about it? They're sitting a meter apart, doing their own things, and they're not even talking anymore. If anything, it seems like they might be drifting apart."
"Anna, you're still young. You don't understand. Sometimes, the quieter and more mundane things are between adults, the better their relationship is. If they were always laughing and being overly friendly, it might mean they're secretly scheming against each other."
"But Zense, you look even younger than me," Anna tugged at her sleeve. "Let's just go play instead of worrying about them."
"My body may be that of a child, but my mind is mature. I've outgrown childish games," Zense declared solemnly. "Right now, the most important thing is to investigate Dad's potential infidelity. As the great detective, I shall—gah!"
The great detective, Zense, was suddenly lifted off the ground by the back of her collar, like a ragdoll.
"Dad? When did you—?"
"The moment you started speculating about me," Ivan said, setting his daughter down in front of his young fiancée, who looked slightly uneasy.
"Go play with her. Those games might be too childish for a kid, but they're just right for you."
After all, it was never too late to make up for a lost childhood and experience the joys of being a normal child.