Inside the office, the previously harmonious atmosphere had suddenly turned strange. Precious blueprints and drafts lay scattered across the floor.
All he'd done was hand over a design—why such an extreme reaction?
This time, it genuinely wasn't anything Linen had planned, but the moment their fingertips touched, Holly's reaction had clearly become abnormal.
Normally, Linen would've assumed it was just Holly's male aversion—her body's natural reflex to accidental contact. But right now…
Linen glanced at Holly. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, eyes lowered beneath delicate lashes, and there was an inexplicable allure to her expression, a blush blooming like sunset clouds across her face.
That… didn't look like disgust at all.
Can my system's Title really be this busted? Just a touch makes her react like this?
Isn't it supposed to boost favorability, not turn me into some walking succubus?
Then Linen noticed something else: Holly wore a long black gown perfectly suited to her mature air, the dark fabric clinging gracefully to her figure, leaving only her pale neck and collarbone bare.
Linen had already noticed—a black mark, like a rune or glyph, was etched at the base of Holly's neck, just above her collarbone. Easy to miss against the darkness of her dress.
For high-level Arcana Mages, inscribing esoteric runes on their bodies wasn't unusual. Some of the more eccentric ones would even cover themselves head to toe, becoming living arrays. Linen hadn't paid it much attention.
But just now, right after their accidental touch, that black mark had actually retreated slightly.
Secret glyphs weren't decorative—they existed to activate arrays or defensive measures, usually as a last resort. Arcana Mages, with their fragile bodies, couldn't tolerate too many glyphs burning against their skin at once.
But even that didn't quite fit the situation.
Holly spent most of her life absorbed in artifact research, not Arcana battles. Her Arcana Mage rank was, at best, middling—probably only Tier-6.
But that didn't mean she was defenseless. The reason artificers were called miracle-makers was their ability to achieve the impossible through artifacts. Holly wasn't a Space Arcana user, yet she could smoothly open a Spatial Gate—perhaps even better than Sorgana herself.
Holly's artifacts gave her numerous ways to defend herself—mental resistance, memory alteration, spell reflection, and more—most activating passively and instantly, far quicker than a mere accidental touch could trigger them. She shouldn't need to burn herself with glyphs as an immediate reaction.
In other words…
That rune wasn't something Holly activated herself.
So, was it a sealing rune, or perhaps a curse suppression?
Linen felt as if he'd suddenly seen through everything.
Clearly, Holly was afflicted with some powerful curse requiring constant suppression, or else it disrupted her state. And it seemed particularly potent: just from contact with… no, specifically physical contact with a man, it triggered such a strong reaction.
Yet the effect seemed positive—after their touch, despite Holly's unusual reaction, the rune had retreated rather than spread. That meant the curse was weakening, not needing such aggressive suppression.
Wait. Why does it feel like all the plot threads are coming together?
Given Holly's personality, if the only way to break or suppress an incurable death curse required a man's touch, she'd probably rather die than accept that.
If Zijinghua's greatest miracle-maker did indeed succumb to this curse, the news wouldn't become public; anyone who discovered it would likely be silenced by the Empress herself to preserve Holly's reputation and the Empire's dignity.
If the curse really was designed to take Holly's life, it was a masterpiece of malicious precision.
But now, this curse had met an unexpected obstacle.
Linen might still be low-leveled, but he was undeniably a man.
And thanks to his Title's protective buff, Holly wasn't repulsed enough to completely avoid his touch.
Just now, for example, Holly had gotten lost in the moment and touched him precisely because she'd been wholly absorbed by the Maxim blueprint. But none of her defensive artifacts activated—meaning she barely had any guard against him, if at all.
Looking at Holly across from him, Linen suddenly knew what he had to do.
By now, Holly's expression had largely returned to normal, though a hint of flush lingered. Whether due to heat or something else, a thin sheen of sweat glistened on her exposed neck—if anything, it resembled the aftermath of something far more intimate.
Holly's eyes were unfocused, almost dazed.
She understood her own condition.
She might be the empire's greatest artificer, but she wasn't its best curse-breaker.
As for lifting or suppressing curses, this was already her limit.
The Empress and Sorgana had tried helping, offering endless advice, but to little effect.
Because Zijinghua's top curse-breaker… was a man.
Holly could hardly stand the thought of exposing her body to some disgusting man's gaze; if that were truly necessary to break her curse, she'd likely suffer nightmares forever. Even knowing the curse-breaker was innocent, perhaps even her benefactor, she'd never stop resenting him.
In the end, Holly had chosen to forcibly suppress the curse. But over time, the suppression rune's effectiveness was steadily waning.
To save face for the Empress and Sorgana, Holly chose a compromise: taking on a promising apprentice to pass down her research and legacy. That way, even if she died from the curse, there'd soon be another "Holly Orlando."
Yet now, feeling a strange warmth surging through her, looking across at Linen, Holly saw another possibility.
She'd actually met a man unaffected by her aversion.
None of her artifacts had activated because her guard was already gone.
This realization sent a wave of heat through Holly—especially the spot on her back where the sealing rune lay. It burned, almost feverish.
But in truth, Linen's guess was correct: these changes weren't harmful, but beneficial. The burning sensation was merely the curse responding to suppression; the heat and dizziness were side effects of the curse itself.
Yet at this moment, those side effects were unexpectedly helpful.
In her normal state, Holly would never have shown this expression in front of Linen.
Ignoring gender for a moment, this was still an admiring student sitting before her—to make a face like some animal in heat in front of him… what the hell would that even be?
Inside the office, every second of awareness was pure torment for Holly. It would've been better to lose consciousness completely—like dreaming, where everything ended the moment she woke up.
With that thought, Holly unconsciously leaned a little closer to Linen, her gaze lingering on him.
Some thoughts, once born, grew wildly. The more Holly looked at Linen, the more pleasing she found him.
His golden hair and handsome face were thanks to his dragon bloodline. Unlike the typical frail Arcana Mage, he had a strong build sculpted by years of training, topped with natural noble elegance.
If not for his youth, Linen could easily become any woman's dream lover—not to mention, he'd just officially become a prince after passing the Empress's trial.
Sorry, Your Majesty. I know you treasure your son… but let me borrow him for just a little while, okay?
This is all… for the Empire!
Swept up in intoxication, Holly threw Linen a glance. Despite her aversion to socializing and men, she'd attended her share of palace banquets.
She'd seen noblewomen give men suggestive glances, subtle hints tossed out like silk fans. Holly had always looked down on them, unable to understand how they could shamelessly throw themselves at such pigs.
Yet now, with all reason thrown aside, Holly found herself doing exactly that—using those gestures naturally, as if they were second nature.
So this is what they mean by "truly delicious!"
Right now, Holly felt immense gratitude that the one man she didn't despise was Linen. As a prince raised at countless banquets, surely he'd understand her signal?
Besides, Sorgana had mentioned His Highness was rather flirtatious—keeping an entire Black Stockings Maid Corps in his "golden house."
Ordinarily, that would've been a huge red flag. Yet right now, in Holly's eyes, it became a bonus.
A prince who could satisfy an entire maid corps—surely he could satisfy her and break her curse?
Linen, of course, noticed her meaningful gaze.
But instead of responding to her daze, his next move snapped her sharply back to her senses.
Linen suddenly stood and smacked Holly's hand away!
"Why would you humiliate me like this, Master Orlando?"
The ambiguous atmosphere shattered instantly.
Linen's voice was quiet but thick with anger—a chill pouring over Holly like ice water.
"...Eh?"
The next moment, Holly realized something was terribly wrong. Following Linen's gaze, she looked down to the floor.
Her heart tightened.
Because of her careless move earlier, Linen's precious hand-drawn blueprints had scattered everywhere, some creased and torn.
To an artificer, their designs were as precious as their own children.
And Linen's designs were exceptional—clear evidence of painstaking effort.
Yet she'd carelessly swept them onto the ground without a thought.
"If you don't like my designs, you could've just said so. Why insult me like this?"
Linen bowed his head, crouched down, and quietly gathered the papers in his arms. The sight instinctively made Holly's heart ache.
"W-wait, Your Highness Linen, I didn't mean—"
"Sorry, I was out of line, Master Orlando. I hope you won't forget our agreement. My friend is still waiting for me."
Cutting her off, Linen gathered the remaining blueprints and turned to leave.
In an instant, the now-chilled office was empty except for Holly herself.
She didn't call Linen back. Instead, with rising panic, she realized—she had no right to.
What on earth had she just done?
Not only had she destroyed the work of a talented artifact designer, she'd also shamelessly, under the pretense of her curse, thrown herself at a student like some beast in heat?
Color flooded Holly's cheeks. As drunk as she'd been a moment ago, she now wanted nothing more than to die of shame.
But above all, guilt gnawed at her heart.
That final image of Linen quietly gathering his precious designs was burned deeply into Holly's mind.
For the first time ever, Holly felt genuine heartache for a man.
With a faint sigh, Holly raised her hand. The scattered blueprints swirled gently on a breeze, returning obediently to her hand like swallows coming home to roost.
But glancing at the topmost design, Holly froze.
There on the paper, the Maxim seemed to stare back at her in cold, silent reproach.
Yet a spark of determination reignited in her eyes.
Regardless of intent, she'd hurt Linen deeply.
But the best apology—wasn't it right here?
The Maxim was undoubtedly Linen's finest creation he'd shown her.
If she forged this artifact and presented it to him, wouldn't that prove her sincerity?
Holly's mind instantly cleared.
Yes—but it couldn't be too obvious. It had to feel natural.
But how could she "naturally" run into Linen again?
Next month, the Empress planned to host the Dragonblood Festival. As a Norton, Linen would definitely attend.
She rarely attended social events herself, but she could always "accompany" someone…
That's right—she'd promised to take Linen's friend as her apprentice. If she simply "accompanied" her apprentice Elena, she'd have the perfect excuse to see Linen.
With renewed resolve, Holly sent an Arcana message to Elena, officially confirming her apprenticeship.
...
Meanwhile, walking down the dormitory corridor, Linen felt extremely pleased with his performance.
The "py" application had been submitted. Now it all depended on Master Holly's intuition.
Just then, an excited figure ran straight into his chest.
Looking down, Linen saw it was Elena.
"Linen, I did it! I really did it!"
Elena was so thrilled she could barely speak.
"Slow down. Did what?" Linen asked, puzzled.
"I've been accepted as Master Holly's apprentice…"
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, but Linen was already smiling.
For Elena, becoming Holly's apprentice was a dream she'd never dared imagine. No wonder she was this excited.
But at the same time, it was also time to settle a certain deal between them.
Linen couldn't stop a smile from tugging at his lips.
A blush quickly spread across Elena's cheeks. She lowered her head shyly, whispering sweetly and softly:
"Thank you… m-master."
Linen's smile vanished, replaced by sudden solemnity. He instinctively glanced above his head.
That didn't sound like humiliation at all…
Did I forget to deactivate my Title again?