"It's a pretty name. Ayla."
He spoke in a low voice and reached out his hand, asking for a handshake, as if he was pleased to meet her.
Seeing Luke smiling brightly, Ayla reluctantly extended her right hand.
As she saw him waving their clasped hands up and down to express his pleasure, Ayla cleared her throat, giving him a hint to stop.
Luke, who looked at her expression, carefully put down Ayla's hand with a light smile.
"Oh, right. I think this is yours. Take it with you."
"?"
After rummaging through his pockets for a while, Luke held a small, half-full glass bottle in his hand.
"It was under the bed. I don't think guys like us would use fragrances very often."
Convinced that it was Ayla's, Luke handed her the glass bottle he was holding.
Although it is now a ruined country, this is a precious fragrance brought from Pella, which was once a holy land for wizards.'
Ayla's face turned white as Baron Noir's words flashed through her mind for some reason.
"Are you alright? You don't look so good. I think you should hurry and go back to your room."
"Ah I guess this was too much. I'll be back tomorrow. Please, take care of him."
After speaking, Ayla escaped the medical squadron with quick steps as if being chased by something.
Coming out of the building, Ayla took a deep breath, looked at the glass bottle she was holding, and sighed.
"Why did I think of Baron Noir there?"
This thing obviously belonged to Eden.
Contrary to how he looked, he seemed to have a feminine taste.
Although it wasn't hers, looking at the transparent glass bottle made her wonder why.
Ayla, who hesitated for a moment, slowly looked around and pulled the cork stopper that was keeping it closed.
The sweet scent of roses and a thick musk scent wafted pleasantly through the opening.
It was undoubtedly the scent of Pella.
***
A cold atmosphere flowed between the two people sitting opposite each other.
The usual cups of tea could not be seen on top of the transparent table.
A hostile relationship.
It might be the most accurate expression to describe the two people.
"What is the matter, at this late hour?"
The silence that lingered inside was broken by Owen's low voice.
It was almost midnight, so there was no way he was happy about the visitor that came out of the blue.
Especially if the other person is Theon Ermedi, who snatched away his loved one.
Theon, who had maintained a cold gaze as if he had no intention of answering Owen's question, grabbed a seat and sat down.
Then, he flicked his finger across the table, telling him to sit down too.
"I am very tired because I have just started working. If you have nothing to say, just go back. Your Highness."
"Sit down."
Theon said in an ice-cold voice to Owen, who sighed as he swept his hair, tired.
Owen, who glanced at Theon through the corner of his eyes, bit his lip tight as if his pride had been hurt, and reluctantly sat across from him, straightening his posture. No matter how immature he was, he knew how the royal palace worked. Like the fact that you don't know what will happen to you if you get on the wrong side of the next King, Theon.
Even so, it seemed that he had no intention of stopping as much as his challenging gaze towards Theon.
As time passed, Owen's gaze looking at Theon grew more and more fierce.
The appearance of Owen, who used to be cheeky and call Theon "brother", had long since disappeared. And the reason was very easy to figure out.
"What is it that you want to say?"
An annoyed voice escaped Owen's mouth as if he were displeased with the situation.
Theon, who let out a small snort as if Owen's gallant appearance was funny, slowly opened his mouth.
"Something interesting happened."
""
Owen's eyes began to sway at Theon's voice, which was neither high nor low.
Then, as if he had regained his composure, his olive-colored eyes stopped moving little by little.
"Do interesting things happen in this royal palace? I thought it was just like a prison, so I had no idea."
Owen, who was smiling lightly, made small talk and tilted his head at Theon, as if asking what he meant.
"I'll keep it short. Go back to Hanan. I will tell His Majesty."
""
"Magic is forbidden in the Stellen Kingdom. You broke that law, and we can safely conclude that it is mutually beneficial to end it here."
"Ah I was wondering who the target was, and it was Your Highness?"
As Theon finished speaking, Owen's expression, who was struggling to maintain a light smile, hardened in an instant.
Thinking that Theon must have lusted for Ayla's red lips as much as he wanted with those lips that kept letting out his cold voice, Owen felt like something was boiling deep in his heart.
He could not control the anger that was rushing in because he knew the powerful effect of the delusion better than anyone else.