A Lovely Adorable Cat

Despite Brigantiea being a villager, Lucien couldn't seem to use "The Sound of Sovereign" to her. The system always notified him:

[The influence of The Sound of Sovereign couldn't be used.]

Whenever he inquired with the system about it, the response was always the same:

[There is a mental barrier in Brigantiea's mind. The system couldn't penetrate it.]

Frustrated, Lucien found himself pleading with Brigantiea every day to teach him about spells and magic.

Today was no different as they strolled around the village, with Lucien hoping to find something to repair or improve.

"Brigantiea, please, why won't you take me as your student? I'm a quick learner, and I promise you won't be disappointed or endure any pain while teaching me," Lucien pleaded.

He had previously asked Gibson about magic scrolls or grimoires, but the village's poverty had forced them to sell off any records of magic, deeming them unnecessary.

No one in the village had shown interest in becoming a mage, anyway. So what's the point of keeping all of that?

"No," Brigantiea replied bluntly.

"But why? You're a dragon, magic shouldn't be difficult for you, right?" Lucien sighed, recalling what his sister had told him about dragons and magic.

"I really need this, you know? I can't always rely on others for protection!"

Brigantiea halted abruptly, her brow furrowing. "No. Who do you think I am?" With that, she left Lucien standing alone, feeling bewildered by her response.

Lucien found himself puzzled by her words. Was she implying that her race was superior and thus unwilling to teach someone of an inferior race?

Shaking off his confusion, Lucien decided to head outside the village. It had been a while since he had visited Lithira's domain, and as the village chief, he felt it was his responsibility to check on her progress and well-being.

Lithira's domain lay just 100 meters from the village, marked by the sweet scent of flowers and guarded by two golems stationed at its entrance.

Lucien had made it clear to the villagers that this area was off-limits to prevent any disturbances.

As he entered the domain, the golems recognized him and welcomed him inside, leading him to Lithira's workshop.

The workshop itself was housed in a ruined building, its interior spacious and circular, with the roof long gone, replaced instead by vibrant plants and flowers basking in the sunlight.

The atmosphere was warm and inviting, exuding a sense of nostalgia and beauty that matched its owner.

Lithira stood at a table, engrossed in her work, seemingly unaware of Lucien's arrival. As he approached, he noticed a golem seated in the center of the room, inactive and awaiting activation.

As Lucien approached, he rested his hand on the table and inquired, "Lithria, is everything running smoothly?"

Startled, Lithira jumped back, her focus broken. "You startled me! What if I make a mistake and destroy everything in this room?!" she exclaimed, visibly flustered.

Chuckling, Lucien replied, "Oh, I'm sorry. I've been calling you for a while, but you didn't answer," teasing her with a playful lie.

Grumbling, Lithira gestured towards a set of tables and chairs. "Just sit right there!"

But Lucien insisted, "Nah, I'll stay here. What you're doing seems interesting to me." His gaze fell upon a round stone inscribed with strange symbols.

"What's that?" he asked, genuine curiosity evident in his tone.

Lithira furrowed her brow. "How come you don't know anything? It's a Golem Rune Matrix*. Used for activating the golems."

"Really? How does it work?" Lucien scratched his chin, intrigued by the concept.

Lithira paused, considering how to explain it. "Each rune represents a specific action for the golems, like walking, running, or detecting enemies," she began.

"This particular golem is designed for construction work. Those runes are configured to extend their reach to high places and adhere stones together with... cement, I believe it's called?" She glanced upward, trying to recall human construction methods.

"It can also detect when a human is fatigued and needs to rest so it know how to help them, as well as understand simple construction-related orders."

"However, I've set it up so that it can only be commanded by you and me." Lithira tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Lucien found Lithira's excitement adorable as he stepped closer, placing his hand on the table near hers. He couldn't help but notice her flowery scent, because of how close they were.

"I heard that rune can be used for magic, yes? What's the difference between it and a magic circle or magic spell?"

Lucien was glad that sometimes he heard every bullshit Seren said about game and fantasy settings. If he was not, he wouldn't know about this fact and couldn't ask Lithira further.

Lithira's face lit up as she looked at Lucien, rarely encountering someone so interested in Rune or Golem Rune Matrix. Her excitement bubbled over as she began to explain.

"Each rune alphabet represents a different magic spell. If you know the rune, you don't need to go through the process of casting a spell with a magic circle. It's much faster!" she exclaimed, her words tumbling out rapidly as she bounced up and down in excitement, like a child.

"You just need to remember the rune in your head and bam! You can defeat anyone in your sight with a fast speed! It helps when fighting with someone that uses a sword or polearm and assassin!"

"But of course, not everyone could use them, cause the rune alphabet looks similar to each other and if you are wrong in even one stroke of the alphabet, it will blow in your face. So-"

Her eyes widened, their pink hue shimmering like diamonds in the sunlight. Bathed in the golden rays, she appeared truly dazzling. Lucien couldn't tear his gaze away as he reached out to gently caress her cheek.

"Lucien?" she murmured, startled by his touch.

"Do you know how adorable you are when you're excited?" Lucien confessed, unable to contain his feelings. "No, not just that. You're beautiful in everything you do."

What Lucien got from a conversation with his father was, don't be wishy-washy with your feelings. If you like the woman, get her. If you don't like her, then stop flirting with her.

It was straight forward move that changed his perspective when seeing love.

He did like Brigantiea, more like a sex partner. Of course, he was sure that they would be likely more than that in the future. But his feeling with Lithira was much more different.

It was like seeing an adorable cat in front of him and he couldn't resist squeezing it and bringing it home. So he can keep it all to himself.

Was that love? Lucien didn't know for sure, but he knew that he needed Lithira to be his.

His hand gently shifted from her cheek to her hair, bringing it close to his face as he kissed it tenderly.

Then, with a soft gaze, he asked, "So, Lithira, would you allow me to court you?"