He Thought It Was a Honeymoon

When Shana opened her eyes again, the world outside the window was already flooded with bright morning light.

And tickling her nose was a sweet dessert scent that clashed completely with yesterday’s nightmare.

“Awake, Shasha?”

Lucian Rithardt was sitting by the bed, and for some reason he looked far more cheerful than he had the day before.

Like a predator that had just finished a satisfying hunt.

“I prepared dessert.”

At that, Shana tilted her head and opened the large paper bag he handed her.

Inside were crème brûlée, rose tarts, soufflé cheesecake, and vividly colored macarons.

The spread was so lavish her eyes widened.

“You didn’t make these yourself… so what is it?

Did you summon them with magic again?”

“No.

I bought them from the most famous shop in the capital.”

“So you summoned them, then…….”

“I left money there, so it counts as buying.”

Stamped on the paper bag was the logo of “Madame Sweetie,”

a luxury brand every noble lady in the capital’s social circles recognized.

“I didn’t know you were such a dessert addict.”

“…Well.

For Shasha, I don’t mind at all.”

Something about his tone felt suspicious, and Shana narrowed her eyes.

Lucian pulled out a chair at the table and spoke.

“Shasha, come sit here.”

When Shana sat down, Lucian stuck close beside her, brought over a teapot, brewed fragrant black tea, and arranged the desserts neatly.

He used magic throughout the process, so it didn’t take long.

“This feels like a morning tea party or something.”

‘What is this?’

She remembered thinking about tea parties from her academy days before falling asleep last night.

Was it a coincidence?

Lucian simply smiled gently and said,

“It is a tea party.

Well, closer to a date party, since it’s just the two of us…….”

A party just for the two of them.

‘Now that I think about it…

I rarely got invited to other people’s parties, but with Lucian, we did have these small, quiet ones sometimes.’

Shana took a sip of tea, then stabbed her fork into the fluffiest-looking soufflé cheesecake and took a bite.

The airy cake melted on her tongue like cotton candy, and the rich scent of cheese spread softly through her mouth.

The lingering sweetness, like lightly caramelized sugar, was perfect.

“It’s good…….”

She murmured with her eyes unconsciously closed, savoring the taste.

Lucian’s suspicious behavior and yesterday’s unpleasant memories melted away into the sweetness on her tongue.

Besides, what did it matter what Lucian did?

They were just people working together, after all.

Seeing her reaction, Lucian smiled in satisfaction.

After leisurely taking a sip of tea, he spoke.

“Shasha, do you like dessert that much?”

“Huh?”

“You seem happier to see dessert than me.

I wanted you to look at me.”

‘That drug effect really doesn’t seem like it’ll ever disappear.’

“Tell me I’m better than dessert.

Quick, yeah?”

Shana ignored him and put another bite of cake into her mouth.

“If you say no, I’ll put the desserts away.”

“…Compared to this dessert… you’re just a little better.”

Shana let out a sigh.

At the end of the day, dessert was just dessert.

A person mattered more.

“Shasha, I promise.

I won’t let anyone who bullies you get away with it.”

“…Oh.

Yeah?”

Lucian pulled a sheet of parchment and a luxurious fountain pen from his chest and handed them to her.

At the top of the parchment, written in red ink, were the words “Kill List.”

“From now on, just write their names here,

and I’ll quietly take care of them overnight.

What do you think?”

“…Pfft!”

Shana sprayed the black tea she had been drinking straight out.

This wasn’t an assassination guild or anything.

‘…He’s really, truly not right in the head.’

Just then, Lucian snapped his fingers.

Using magic, he cleaned the tea from his face and said casually,

“Then shall we eat the rest of the desserts at the new house in the capital?”

“Huh?”

Don’t tell me he meant using moving magic right now?

Shana’s eyes widened.

As Lucian spoke, the massive magic circle he had drawn in advance, touching the four corners of the apothecary building to the east, west, south, and north, began to glow yellow.

“Wait, hold on!

What if all the desserts collapse?!”

But the spell was already activating.

As the magic circle shimmered yellow, the air gently rippled.

Pillars of light rose from the floor, wrapping around the room, and the walls and ceiling folded inward like paper in a bizarre spectacle.

Shana was swept up in the sensation of space and time twisting.

And then, in the next instant, everything went silent.

Shana looked around.

Thankfully, not only the desserts on the table, but not a single object had collapsed.

Instead, an entirely new scene stretched out before her.

“…What is this place?”

This was my new apothecary?

Instead of the rough, creaking log walls of the old place, smooth white walls reflected the sunlight pouring in through large windows, glowing softly.

The space was far wider and more comfortable than the previous apothecary, and the books and medicines she had spent days organizing were neatly arranged as if they had always belonged there.

Outside the windows was no longer a secluded forest of grass and trees.

A lively alley unfolded before her eyes, and laughter and the chime of shop bells drifted in on the breeze.

Behind the building was a large garden,

where Shana’s favorite white roses were in bloom.

Every time the wind blew, white petals shimmered as they scattered, carrying a gentle fragrance all the way into the room.

Shana, frozen in place, swallowed her breath, not even realizing the fork had slipped from her hand.

It felt like she had moved into a vague dream she’d once had as a child, not reality.

“This place is…….”

It was an ideal space, as if someone had copied her thoughts and recreated them exactly.

Unable to continue, Shana stared blankly at Lucian.

“I remembered what you told me when you were little.”

“When I was little?

When?”

It didn’t seem like something she’d said during her academy days, when she was already worn down by reality and focused only on graduation assignments.

“When you were really young.

When neither of us was even ten yet.”

By “really young,” he meant the time when Shana, a young lady of a fallen family, had been chosen as Lucian’s playmate and frequently visited the vast Rithardt Grand Duchy.

‘When I grow up and have my own apothecary,

I’ll make the layout like this,

put in really big windows,

and plant white roses in the backyard…….’

Back then, Shana had babbled endlessly about trivial things to the young Lucian, who was unusually quiet and rarely showed emotion.

She never imagined he would remember something she had said in passing.

“I tried decorating it exactly the way you described.

What do you think?

If you don’t like it, I can change it anytime—”

“I like it.”

It wasn’t just that she liked it.

It was so perfect she could imagine spending her entire life here, making and selling medicine.

The shelves were carefully adjusted to her height, and the preparation table for herbs was wide and sunlit, just the way she had always wanted.

“I’m glad.”

Shana stood up and carefully placed her hand on the smooth wooden display shelves.

Reason warned her that this was a place she would have to leave someday once things with Lucian were over,

that she shouldn’t grow too attached.

‘Ah.

Right.’

This wasn’t a permanent change.

At best, it was no different from moving into a rented room.

Shana pulled her hand away and composed her expression.

Then, in a forced cheerful tone, she said,

“How is it designed so meticulously?

It’s amazing.”

“I prepared it in advance—

No, I bought a place that was already used as an apothecary.”

Shana let it go in one ear and out the other, nodding politely.

“You’d feel better if there were desserts and tea, right?

I wanted the moment you moved somewhere new to stay as a happy, pleasant memory.”

She hadn’t expected that to be the reason.

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

How often would she ever get to live in a place like this in her lifetime?

If nothing else, she’d gained one good memory.

If she could live here even once, it was a win.

No matter how short the time might be.

“Lucian.”

“Yeah?”

When she suddenly called his name, Lucian stiffened slightly as he looked down at her.

His eyes held a hint of shyness and expectation.

To meet that expectation, Shana looked straight at him and said,

“You’ve really… become very considerate.”

“Considerate?”

Lucian frowned slightly.

“It’s not even comparable to when you were a kid.

It’s like you’re a completely different person.

Honestly, it’s impressive.”

As she said that, Shana patted his shoulder.

“…….”

“So, where’s the bedroom?”

She turned sharply, searching for the door leading to the living space.

Like the old cabin, there was a separate area inside the apothecary meant for living.

And its level of luxury made Shana gape all over again.

A wide, plush canopy bed, furniture that was clearly top quality, and even a large walk-in wardrobe connected to the bedroom.

‘All this furniture is free.

And the rent is free too.’

It was an unbelievable luxury.

‘Thinking about my academy dorm days,

when I scraped together furniture other people threw away just to decorate my room…

it almost makes me want to cry…….’

But there was something strange.

“Lucian, but…why is there only… one bed?”