She watched as the bird grew smaller over the nighttime city sky, then reread the letter from Wayne. It included a lot of nagging, but all of it was out of concern for Lacey.

That’s just like him. A smile naturally formed on her face.

∗ ∗ ∗

“Seriously, I thought I was getting attacked by demonkin. Do you have any clue how I felt? It was dreadful!” Wayne continued his rant. “I opened the window in the middle of the night and all of a sudden something came hurtling at me. It streaked right past my cheek and stuck into the wall. You know what it was? Your fault, that’s what! I know I’m the one who used magic to send a message first, but you have way more magical talent than me, so if you cast the same spells, they can be disastrous! Understand?!”

“S-Sorry...”

“Anyway, most people wouldn’t be able to replicate an original spell they’d seen for the first time right on the spot.” Wayne grumbled this last part. Lacey just stood there, shoulders scrunched apologetically.

Lacey had repeated her wish in her response to the letter Wayne had sent. She was hesitant to follow what was written in the reply that came the next day, but she went to the palace anyway per his request. The letter had been accompanied by a writ of permission issued under Wayne’s name since the soldiers on guard weren’t particularly familiar with Lacey’s face.

She’d set foot in the palace a few times before, but its resplendence was her polar opposite. It made her feel like she was going to vanish, but Wayne came to her rescue, and now she was walking next to him.

At the moment, he wasn’t using concealment magic like he’d been when they had met up in town. His true face was completely visible to people besides Lacey, and it attracted lots of gazes. While they weren’t focused on her, it still made her nervous. She shrank back.

“Lacey?”

“Uwehhh...”

“What are you doing? Anyway, are you really sure you want to burn it?”

He was talking