Chapter 53
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Lately, Lea’s daily life was sharply divided between day and night. During the day, she lazed around in her palace like a wastrel, not moving a muscle. But when night fell, she would secretly head to the Crown Prince’s palace in her fox form.
“Where do you keep going every day?”
He always left the balcony window open so the fox could come and go easily. The summer night air flowed in, cool and refreshing.
“Kang!”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re hungry, right?”
Looking healthier than before, he picked up an apple slice with his own hand and fed it to the fox’s mouth.
Each time he did that, Lea felt a ticklish sensation all over her body—not the shivering kind of discomfort, but a soft, unbearably bashful kind of warmth.
Crunch, crunch. As the fox munched on the apple, Calix gently ran his hand along her soft fur.
She must have been wandering all over outside, yet her fur was softer than any he had ever felt. He couldn’t stop touching it. She was an oddly addictive fox.
“Mm, the wound’s completely healed. That’s a relief, Luna.”
His fingers, brushing over the spot where she’d been injured, naturally stroked under her chin. Lea let out a gentle purr, purr and quietly sat on his thigh.
“Mm, the collar suits you too. I wonder if I picked it because it matches your eyes.”
At his words, Lea blinked slowly. Had her eyes always looked so luminous?
She didn’t care what she became, as long as he saw her in a favorable light.
“You’re heading out again at dawn, aren’t you? You little rascal. What keeps you so busy every night?”
“Kang! Kang!”
Cal, there’s still so much I need to prepare—for your sake. So please understand me.
Holding back the words she could never say, Lea gave a lively cry. Calix held her close as he drifted off to sleep.
Lea waited patiently for his breathing to settle into the rhythm of deep sleep. Watching his face carefully to make sure, she finally slipped out from his arms.
Still, she didn’t immediately shift back into human form. She waited silently, and only when she was sure he was asleep did she transform and begin her familiar guiding process.
There were other reasons she visited each night, but the most important was to guide him.
Before her regression, Calix had awakened his ability through Lucy’s steady guiding.
That was still a long way off, but if he received regular guiding from an early age, his power would become overwhelmingly strong.
If his own strength were solid, then Lea wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore.
Concentrating until sweat formed on her brow, she poured her energy into the guiding session. Then she quickly returned to her fox form and slipped out of the palace.
Once safely back in her own palace, she took off the necklace Calix had given her and hid it, then collapsed into bed.
Having just emptied out her energy for the guiding, she had nothing left in her body. Only then was Lea able to end her day.
The next day, while she was resting in her palace, Zion came to visit. And he brought with him a welcome guest.
“Young Master Felitier?”
“I hope you’ve been well, Lady Haisley.”
Unlike before, when his eyes had been glazed over as if drunk, his now-clear blue eyes looked straight at her.
“Lady Haisley, I know you said before that you didn’t want a gatekeeper, but…”
At Lea’s request, Zion had agreed to become Derek’s Esper mentor. And the reason he had decided to help Derek wasn’t just because Lea had asked.
Though unintended, Derek had come to know all of Lea’s secrets, and placing him as her escort knight would help manage that risk.
Truthfully, Zion wanted to protect Lea himself. But in his current position, that wasn’t possible. He also knew she was still closely watching Bianca’s reactions, so he couldn’t push things.
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