Chapter 6

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Imprinted with the Male Lead Chapter 15

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"Lady...!"

"Mary!"

Luciana had been checking the clock every ten minutes until the carriage returned from its errand. The moment she spotted Mary coming back with the box clutched to her chest, she jumped to her feet.

"Is that the item? It's bigger than I expected. Must've been heavy on the way back..."

"Oh, this is nothing! Should I set it down here?"

"Yeah!"

As Luciana began inspecting the box she'd placed on the table from every angle, Mary watched with a pout, her lips pursed. She started grumbling about what had happened at Lordwell Street.

"Lady, um... I hate to say it, but that place felt really off."

"Off? What do you mean?"

Had something happened on the errand?

Mary rarely complained, true to her upbeat nature.

Luciana eyed her cherished maid's displeased expression with curiosity.

"Well, when we got there and opened the door, it was pitch black inside!"

"Huh... Even in broad daylight? That means they must've blocked out the light on purpose..."

Luciana debated whether to calm the agitated Mary first but decided to hear her out quietly.

"It seemed like no one was home, so I called out asking if anyone was there. And get this—a guy just pops out from behind me!"

"Without a sound?"

"Yes! It wasn't even like he was trying to scare me!"

What was that about? Did the duke's knights just handle things differently?

Luciana hadn't heard anything about this either, leaving her equally baffled.

"And that's not all."

"Huh? What else?"

Luciana's eyes widened as she asked, and Mary pulled a fake flower from the vase and pointed it at her own neck.

"Mary?! What are you doing? That's dangerous!"

"Not only did he suddenly point a blade at me, but he demanded, 'State your affiliation,' like that was all he cared about!"

Mary mimicked the mysterious man's low voice and stern face, then tucked the flower back into the vase.

"I thought he'd slit my throat if I twitched, so I whipped out my handkerchief fast. Geez, only then did he back off."

"What?!"

"And that wasn't even the worst part. The second I handed over the item, he shooed me out of there like I was a rat from the kitchen!"

Mary had been anxious enough heading to an unfamiliar place on an errand, so her complaints poured out endlessly. There might've been a touch of exaggeration, but everything she said was true.

"He pointed a blade at you? Are you hurt anywhere? Want me to brew you some warm tea?"

"Waaah... Lady!"

Luciana checked Mary's neck with a worried look.

All of Mary's frustration melted away like snow in the sun as she buried herself in her beloved lady's embrace.

'She's two years older than me, but... Is it because of my past-life memories? Mary just feels like a little sister.'

The hug was tight enough to make breathing a bit tricky, but thinking of how Mary had braved her fear for her sake filled Luciana with guilt.

"Sorry you went through all that because of me. Must've been terrifying. You okay now?"

"I was a little startled, but... for you, Lady, this is nothing!"

"Don't say that. You have to take care of yourself. But thanks—I'm grateful you think that way."

"Heehee."

Luciana let out a relieved sigh at how quickly Mary perked up, patting her back a couple of times.

"You must be tired from the trip. Take a break. You say that, but I bet you were scared on the inside."

"But what about attending to you, Lady?"

"I'll just hole up in the lab anyway. No need to dress up today, and I can have another maid handle any small errands."

With that, Luciana peeled Mary off her and turned toward the door.

"Oh, and I'll make sure to tell them to be more careful next time—no repeats of today. Don't worry too much."

"Lady... You're the only one who looks out for me like th—mmph!"

"Rest up, Mary!"

Luciana shoved the clinging Mary away and hurriedly shut the door.

"There's no maid like Mary anywhere else."

Shaking her head fondly, Luciana snapped back to reality and rushed to the box.

"Finally here."

Gulp.

Her hands trembled as she stroked the rough surface of the box.

This might hold the key to unraveling the tangled mess of her imprint with Richt.

The thought made every second feel precious. She hurried to the lab.

"Now, where did I put it..."

Rummaging through a drawer, Luciana pulled out the golden key Richt had given her from the balcony last time and unlocked the box.

Click!

The cheerful sound of metal turning was followed by her flipping open the lid. Inside were stacks of documents that looked impressive at a glance.

Most were worn from an old research project long ago, but some were pristine and white as new.

"Huh? What's this?"

Luciana spotted the top sheet of white paper and unfolded it.

Neat handwriting at the top indicated the document's purpose.

It was the cleanest among the materials, so Richt must have added a personal note.

'What could it be?'

Luciana's gaze followed the elegant script downward.

「To ensure a smooth passage after the rut ends, follow these instructions without fail.」

"...!"

Luciana realized the return magic's purpose the moment she read the first line.

Rut.

The unexpected issue made her grip tighten, nearly crumpling the paper. It wasn't something she'd accept willingly, even in unavoidable circumstances.

Her mind knew she might have no choice but to spend the night with Richt, but acting on it was a whole different story.

'I'm searching for ways to avoid the rut, but...'

Regrettably, success wasn't guaranteed, so she needed at least this backup plan.

If it came to sharing another night with him, she had to return to the mansion undetected and safely.

Luciana scanned the rest with a faintly shadowed expression.

「1. Infuse mana into the magic artifact, then chant the spell listed below.

2. When the mana stone glows, it's activated. Confirm this, then move to the location for registering the return magic and cast the coordinate registration spell. (Success is confirmed when the mana stone's glow fades.)」

"That's it?"

The process was straightforward. At the bottom were the spells for each step, along with a short note from Richt.

「I had no intention of burdening you, but I can't visit Lady's mansion myself to register the coordinates, so I hope for your understanding. Having graduated from the magic department, you should handle basic spells.」

"...If that's the reason, no choice then."

It wasn't difficult anyway.

"With this level of tech, it must be top-tier even from the Magic Tower."

The spells were in ancient script, suggesting special processing that limited registration to preset incantations—common for custom artifacts to restrict access for specific clients.

"Keshen, tu... Arhram?"

Ancient tongue wasn't for the average person, let alone someone not deeply into magic studies. Helpfully, imperial pronunciations were noted beside the curly script.

"Register coordinates, and it handles both teleportation and return as a set."

Plus, the mana stone glowing on Richt's signal meant at least three spells layered together.

"This isn't just any artifact. Probably worth a capital mansion at least..."

Even for a noble like her, the male lead's wealth was staggering. Tongue-tied, Luciana settled in the center of the lab—it felt safer than her bedroom.

"One step down."

She finished the return magic setup with ease and delved into the contents proper.

The first page of the chronologically sorted logs detailed exactly how imprints manifested.

"...It's just like what he told me."

Helplessly falling in love, and if kept from their mate too long, suffering pangs of longing like lovesickness.