Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

“Last thing I’ll ask. You’re not sick or anything, right?”

“I’m fine, really, I tell you.”

“Alright. Still, give me your luggage.”

“Ah… Oh, are we allowed to go inside?”

“All the furniture has been moved in. We could start living here from today, but since the wedding is tomorrow, let’s just look around for now.”

Julia nodded slightly.

“Let’s enter.”

“Okay.”

As Eugene turned to open the front door, Julia finally shivered secretly.

Even without a mirror, she could tell.

Her expression must be quite suggestive right now.

Nothing felt normal. Her reason, responding half a beat late, and her body, overly sensitive to his every touch…

It’s as if her body had turned into a pot of boiling stew.

The reason was clear.

“So the furniture has been moved in…”

Today…

Julia was going to use this housewarming as an opportunity for a dry run.

It was a decision that made her side tickle just thinking about it.

If you’re going to boil stew, controlling the heat is essential. You can’t make a delicious stew just by blindly increasing the heat.

If it threatens to boil over, you need to reduce the heat or add cold water.

Julia chose the latter.

“Wow… It’s like an old house from a painting.”

The late afternoon sunlight slanted appropriately, casting light and shadow.

Although the arrangement of furniture like sofas and dining tables followed that of the Oslo family, it somehow looked fresh. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Unlike that place which was never peaceful, here, there were only the two of them, and it would be a space for just the two of them from now on, which likely contributed to the sense of anticipation.

Her excitement subsided and her mouth opened involuntarily.

To be honest, Julia had prepared herself not to be disappointed rather than harboring expectations. After all, she had lived in a grand mansion all her life.

But who would have thought that expectations would arise the moment she stepped inside?

A nest.

The coziness that immediately brought that word to mind was here.

Meanwhile, Eugene, who had misunderstood her admiration, stood by the window and scratched his cheek.

“It’s a bit old. No, actually, it’s quite old. If you were expecting a clean interior like the mansion, I’m sorry. Maybe we should have discussed it together.”

“I’m not disappointed at all. Rather, this might be the most successful of all the tasks I’ve left to you so far, you know?”

Julia smiled brightly and gave Eugene a sly look.

Now that her excitement had subsided, it was time to reclaim the initiative she had lost with that intention.

But he just smiled.

“You like it?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s good. You haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll cook something simple while trying out the kitchen.”

“Ah, I’ll help.”

Instead of answering, he smiled once more and headed to the kitchen, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

Julia absently stroked her left forearm with her right hand.

Her lips formed an ambiguous shape, neither smiling nor frowning.

It’s amazing.

Even though it was such an ordinary conversation, having it under the same roof made a corner of her heart tingle like this.

After savoring the winter sunlight and ruminating on their conversation for a moment, Julia suddenly shook her head vigorously.

This won’t do.

The consideration of that ash-haired young man is like a delayed-action poison in disguise. If she settles into that warmth, she’ll surely end up with a married life little different from when they were dating.

Regardless of how comfortable her time with him is, it’s certainly not something to welcome.

Well. They’re married now, aren’t they?

“…”

It’s inevitable to want him even closer.

Achieving the goal is tricky.

She could follow the precedent from that alley before, but if she had understood men’s hearts so well, it wouldn’t have taken six years to get to the wedding in the first place.

A dry run.

That’s the only answer.

To carry out the plan, she first had to wait for the sun to set. It wasn’t exactly a respectable thing to do, after all. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Julia headed to the kitchen with quick steps.

“What can I help with?”

“I’ve finished preparing. Just sit at the table.”

Of course, Eugene’s life skills, honed in a family of one son and five daughters, overwhelmed Julia who had lived in a mansion all her life, resulting in the curious scene of her trying harder to find something to help with rather than actually helping.

But in conclusion, time passed smoothly.

“How is it?”

“Mm. It’s delicious.”

“One of your eyebrows is raised though?”

“It, It’s because it’s so delicious.”

After finishing a satisfactory lunch, except for the fried egg with a somewhat peculiar taste…

They spent time on small tasks like confirming the wedding schedule and attendees, organizing accounts, adjusting furniture positions, and making lists of additional items to purchase, and before they knew it, the scenery outside the window had darkened.

The sun had set.

Sure enough…

Eugene, who had been looking at the accounts while sitting on the sofa, spoke to Julia who was wandering around the living room as soon as he confirmed that it had gotten dark outside.

“When should we head back?”

“What do you think, Eugene?”

“Well… I think it would be good to go back around now. We shouldn’t risk any problems with tomorrow’s wedding, after all.”

This is it.

She instinctively realized that this was the crucial moment for her plan.

Julia put on an expression that openly dripped with disappointment.

“Hmm… I’d like to have dinner before we go. I brought something.”

“You brought something?”

“Yes. Wanna see?”

The first step of the plan.

Julia took out a bottle as big as her forearm from the luggage she had brought and showed it to Eugene.

“Here. It’s a 25-year-aged wine. I brought it to drink together, what do you think?”

“Still, drinking on the night before the wedding…”

“It’s the eve.”

“…”

“Not the night before the wedding, but the eve. Ugh, don’t make that face. I heard that well-aged wine doesn’t make you drunk easily because the components have evaporated. Right? Aren’t you curious about the aroma and taste? I am.”

Curiosity gradually appeared on his face, which had been clouded with hesitation.

It was going according to plan.

Based on experience, he has a surprisingly good appetite.

Even though he doesn’t usually enjoy alcohol, the inertia of a curious scholar will not let this opportunity pass.

As it’s an easy-to-drink alcohol, a moderate intoxication will come quickly, and then various things can be tested.

Soon, Eugene smiled as if he couldn’t resist.

“Alright, alright. Then I’ll prepare some snacks instead of dinner.”

“Okay. That sounds good. I’ll change into comfortable clothes, so you should dress comfortably too.”

“Sure.”

Until this conversation, he probably thought today would be a peaceful day.

But for Julia, it was a dry run.

The second step of the plan was solely to break his composure.

Julia changed clothes in one of the upstairs rooms and then carefully came down the stairs barefoot. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

That is…

“…Eugene. Could you not look at me for a moment?”

She wore only a thin nightgown with an equally thin robe over it.

“Mmph.”

It’s dark all around.

It’s as if she was lying on a boat floating in the vast sea.

In a situation where the only sensation she felt was someone touching her cheek, Julia regained her consciousness.

Wait a minute.

Touching her cheek?

“Huh?”

She opened her eyes.

At the same time, her gaze met with the ashen-haired young man who was looking at her with his chin resting on his hand.

There’s a gap in her memory. What on earth is going on?

It was none other than Eugene who filled in that gap.

Subtly hiding his right hand that had been touching her cheek under the table, he opened his mouth.

“You’re awake. You slept comfortably.”

“Eugene. Did I, fall asleep?”

“You drank too much. You emptied half a bottle of wine by yourself.”

“Ugh…”

Intense shame overwhelmed Julia.

Eugene, who had pinpointed exactly what Julia was embarrassed about, continued speaking.

“Don’t worry about being impolite or looking unseemly. You just fell into a dead sleep after emptying the fifth glass while half-dozing.”

“Isn’t, isn’t that impolite?”

“Pfft. Isn’t it funny to talk about manners in front of someone who used to be a beggar?”

He said that and then reached out his hand.

He gently supported her chin with his gloved right hand, and with his left hand, he lifted each of her arms sprawled on the table and brought them to the center.

Only when she put her head down again could she understand Eugene’s intention.

It was because the pillow made of her arms, not the cold table, touched her left cheek.

It was a simple act of changing her posture to a more comfortable position. In the midst of this, she was just surprised to see her thin forearms fit into Eugene’s hands, which was proof that she was literally in a state of having just woken up.

“Bear with that for a moment. I’ll move you to the bedroom after I finish cleaning up.”

“Bedruum?”

“It seems like you’ll have to stay overnight today.”

“…I’m sorry. It looks like I’ll have to.”

Julia apologized honestly.

It wasn’t just because she had just woken up. In a situation where the intoxication hadn’t even subsided, going home would be unreasonable.

Although it could cause problems with the wedding, Eugene just grinned.

When Julia tried hard to smile back, he finally started clearing the plates.

Looking at his back, she thought.

How did it end up like this? [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Was it because Eugene’s reaction to her flimsy attire was more dramatic than expected?

Was it because the conversation with him was enjoyable as always?

Or was it because, unlike Eugene, who was satisfied with one glass, the wine suited her taste?

It’s clear that all three apply.

Thinking about it now, the last one was especially a big oversight.

Alcohol doesn’t discriminate in making people drunk. The fact that Eugene gets drunk easily means that she can also get drunk easily, and her alcohol tolerance wasn’t particularly better than his.

“…”

How foolish can a person fixated on a single goal become?

She didn’t expect to become the very example of it herself.

Julia curled up in a fetal position on her stomach.

However, she didn’t become completely depressed.

As the gap in her memory gradually filled in, she realized something.

That the dry run had been quite successful.

The negligee (T/N: a see-through nightgown) and robe. Despite wearing two layers, they were so thin that the blue brooch swayed pitifully.

Although she didn’t have the courage to open the front, she had tightly tied the waist sash, but that seemed to have its own effect. Even though he tried to appear unaffected, he occasionally hit the plate with the fork he was trying to use to pick up snacks.

It was evidence that he found her attractive like this.

That alone was enough. Even with skinny legs and a body that couldn’t be called voluptuous even as a white lie, he showed interest.

A dry run. It truly lived up to its name in terms of results.

She couldn’t help but be satisfied.

Once again, her eyes closed.

The clumsy plan had come to an end for now. There was no need to test herself and him unnecessarily anymore.

What replaced that empty space was a gentle drowsiness.

Tranquility.

She looked at Eugene, who was cleaning dishes in the kitchen, blinking her eyes slowly.

She should help. But even though her clothes are thin, her body won’t move as if it’s cold.

As soon as she had that thought, he turned around and said with his eyes, ‘Staying still is helping.’

Consideration.

Eugene was being considerate of her. Why?

Because he loves her as much as she loves him.

Julia curled up a little more.

“Oh…”

Is that proposition self-evident?

As both her mind and vision became hazy, her reason, which was trying to maintain its sharpness albeit dully, stood out alone.

Julia loves him.

Even though there are times when she doesn’t understand her own heart, it’s also true that no one knows it better than herself. That’s why she could answer confidently.

Then.

Why does he love me?

A theorem without proof is useless.

As the intoxication breathed in a bit of foolishness and recklessness, she opened her lips towards Eugene’s back.

“Eugene, why did you want to spend your life with me?”

Immediately after…

Julia was surprised by her own words.

This must be what they mean by words you want to take back. The pleasant intoxication transformed into a winter-like piercing cold in an instant.

Biting her lower lip, she prayed. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Please, let him not have heard.

Why was magic treated as superstitious sorcery for hundreds and thousands of years?

It’s because there are things in the world that are difficult to codify, and love is a concept that has established itself as a representative of that, no less than magic.

If someone could logically answer why they love someone, books with strict academic definitions of love would already be circulating in the world.

She asking a question with no definite answer.

It’s a difficult problem that is very likely to cause conflict, with nothing good for either the questioner or the answerer.

The fact that it keeps repeating endlessly despite the clear negative consequences must mean that everyone, regardless of the era, felt this burning heart.

Thinking about it itself is not wrong.

But, voicing the question at this moment is clearly a mistake.

If she ruined this peaceful day, the wedding that should bring happiness after years of waiting, with her own mistake, it would remain a lifelong regret.

She desperately wished he hadn’t heard her and…

“Why did I want to spend my life with you, you ask?”

When Eugene kindly responded to the foolish question, she was dumbfounded.

Suddenly…

She realized that there was no hesitation in his answer.

There was no sign of trouble or the sharp voice characteristic of someone facing conflict.

Just a calm answer.

Trying not to let her trembling voice show, she opened her mouth towards the ashen-haired young man who was still turned away, concentrating on cleaning the kitchen.

“Yes.”

“Julia. What color are my eyes?”

“Dark gray. With a mix of brown…”

Why is he suddenly asking such a thing?

Just as she clutched her chest because her heart was aching…

“That’s why.”

A concise answer came back.

T/N

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Thanks for reading, see you in the next one!