Master, I Swear I Didn’t Mean To! - Chapter 12

“…A contract?”

“Yes. Because if it’s only verbal, I can’t trust it.”

Cassius’s eyes narrowed. His gaze seemed to be chastising her, as if to say, Are you openly admitting you can’t trust your master?

But Eki, unfazed, summoned paper and a pen and began scribbling. The main content was as follows.

「 Until the effects of the ultra-strong luck potion wear off, neither party shall take issue with any form of physical contact, speech or behavior that may cause discomfort, unintentional nudity, or any other such acts, and all harassment occurring during this period shall be regarded as unintentional and dismissed without question. 」

After quickly signing, Eki handed the contract to Cassius. He looked down at the document with a sour expression and let out a deep sigh. By the way, it didn’t even include a clause for compensation in the event of breach.

“Do we really have to go this far?”

“Yup.”

“…You really do only pick the most useless things to bother with.”

Despite his words, Cassius humored her. He took the pen Eki held out and signed his name with elegant strokes.

Eki smiled with satisfaction at the sight of her name and Cassius’s name side by side.

“There! So now you can’t hit me just because I stripped you!”

Cassius’s cheek twitched. He shot her a long, disapproving look, then leaned back deeply against the sofa as he replied,

“From now on, stay away.”

“Eh.”

“And unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t talk to me either.”

“Is that even possible? We still have to draw magic circles.”

“That’s why I said absolutely necessary.”

Since he had accepted her terms, now it was time for her to accept his.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

He pointed the stem of his pipe toward her and said coldly,

“For the time being, don’t even come near me.”

Eki’s mouth fell open.

It was the moment her privilege of gazing upon beauty disappeared.

❖ ❖ ❖

In a way, it was inevitable.

‘Because now he knows I’ve been admiring him.’

Dragging her exhausted body, Eki lay down on her dormitory bed and stared up at the dozens of portraits of beautiful people plastered on her ceiling.

There was a singer winking one eye, a knight flaunting his bulging muscles, and even a dancer from the Eastern Kingdom fluttering a fan. Eki liked all beautiful people regardless of gender.

‘Hah… But he saw this room.’

She felt like an idiot. No matter how comfortable she was around Cassius, how could she have lived so cheerfully without realizing he had seen her bedroom?

Strangely enough, she wasn’t exactly upset that he had discovered her secret. Rather, it felt like something that was bound to happen had simply happened.

‘But my oversleeping incident was months ago. Has he been holding back all this time while I ogled him so brazenly?’

Eki tossed and turned, crumpling her blanket.

It was a little embarrassing. She didn’t mind that her hobby was revealed, but for her master to know she liked his face, especially for the man himself to find out, was mortifying.

And who would’ve thought that, taking Eki’s hobby into account, the effect of the ultra-strong luck potion would manifest as ‘creating indecent situations with the stunning Cassius’?

Eki let out a silent scream. Then, recalling that stunning body of Cassius’s, she froze. A blush crept across her cheeks.

‘I was too flustered to dwell on it earlier, but…’

Her master’s a*s had been absolutely perfect.

And it wasn’t just his a*s. The chest she had grabbed upon entering the tower had been firm and muscular, brimming with elasticity, and the naked front she had seen that morning was beautiful enough to be carved into a mold and preserved for generations.

A sturdy frame, sharply defined muscles, and smooth pearl-white skin like silk. His pale pink n*****s were set perfectly upon his chest, as if sculpted by a master artisan…

‘I really did want to touch him.’

The sudden thought left Eki staring blankly into space before she came to her senses.

“Ughhh.”

She shook her head furiously, tangling her short red hair in her own hands.

“Forget it. Forget it. I have to forget.”

No matter what, how could she possibly lust after the body of the master she had followed for seven years? This wasn’t the same as her harmless hobby of admiring beauty. This was her actually feeling desire for the man who had always scolded her mercilessly.

And on top of that, he was hundreds of years older than her. Even an empty-headed idiot couldn’t be that empty-headed.

‘Maybe it’s because I haven’t dated in so long…’

Pulling the blanket over her head, Eki took a deep breath.

Yes. She had merely been shaken by being in the presence of a body so fiery and heroic it belonged on an ancient temple mural. That was all. She certainly did not harbor any unseemly feelings for Cassius, yep. She had even declared it proudly to his face.

‘I should just sleep. I’ll have to go back to drawing magic circles like a dog again tomorrow.’

Thinking of the massive workload ahead surprisingly calmed her pounding heart. Like a desperate office worker falling into a deep sleep for survival, Eki quickly succumbed to slumber.