Episode 128
“Alright!”
I exclaimed the moment Ren finished speaking.
“The diary can be destroyed as much as you want. It doesn’t matter if not a single letter remains legible. Ren, if there’s anything else I can do to help, please, just tell me…….”
Ren gave a faint smile and picked up the diary.
“First, we must return the magical power stored in this diary to the Master. Let’s go to the Magic Tower.”
Of course, Callisteon was utterly bewildered when I told him I was going to the Magic Tower.
“What in the world…….”
We had just been through a major upheaval.
The criminal who tried to harm our newborn daughter was still unpunished, and the wedding was still scheduled for a fortnight away.
But Moghold had weakened himself by attempting a reckless magic for my sake, and in that state, he collapsed while saving my brother.
‘Some male lead he is.’
I clicked my tongue at the absurd delusions I had held over the past year.
Rurik is my real brother.
The brother who loved me so dearly yet acted foolishly his whole life.
‘No wonder my feelings for him felt so intense so quickly.’
Unlike when I had forgotten everything and lived in peace, I could no longer stand by and leave Moghold as he was.
“Cal.”
I walked up to Callisteon and rose onto my toes.
I stretched out my arms, wrapped them tightly around his neck, and whispered.
“How did you endure it all this time, Carl? Weren’t you angry? Didn’t you… hate me?”
I couldn’t even bring myself to look him in the eye.
I was afraid of seeing the transparent heartache reflected in his pupils.
Callisteon hesitated for a moment, but then let out a soft laugh and kissed my forehead.
“I knew you would come to me eventually, so what is there to be angry or hateful about? You’ve given me your heart, haven’t you?”
Coward that I was, I finally looked up.
Instead of the resentment I had feared, his blue eyes were filled only with pure affection.
Overcome with emotion, I was the one who closed the distance and pressed my lips to his.
The man, tougher than anything in the world, soon began breathing heavily, his chest heaving.
The love transmitted through his entire body made my lungs feel tight.
I now know how much I desire this man, that these feelings are wholly my own—not someone else’s—and that this is my choice, not the choice of another.
‘How could I have forgotten you…….’
How dare I think, upon seeing you, that it was for the first time.
I must have started crying again while thinking this, because Callisteon pulled away slightly in confusion.
“Rue, is something wrong? Is there something else I don’t know?”
His rough fingers moved cautiously, wiping my wet cheeks.
But telling him about the past could wait until after Moghold woke up.
“I’m sorry, Carl.”
I couldn’t delay any longer going to the old wizard who was dying even now.
“Can I tell you about it when I get back? I think… my past actions might be part of the reason Lord Moghold collapsed. It seems I… made an unreasonable request to him once. I found out that Lord Moghold fulfilled that request for me.”
Callisteon let out a soft groan.
“That’s too much. Even if the Tower Master did save our daughter, you know I wouldn’t want to send you to the Tower with him.”
I was just about to suggest he come with us instead.
Callisteon let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“There are three conditions.”
I quickly nodded, and he raised one finger.
“One, you return within a week at the latest.”
The corners of my mouth turned up, and another long finger was added.
“Two, you contact me twice a day, no matter what.”
The last one was the most difficult.
“Three, you seek His Majesty the Emperor’s permission yourself.”
I burst out laughing and hugged him tightly again.
Unable to contain the conviction welling up in my chest, I blurted it out.
“I love you.”
I don’t know how sad I was back then, when I entrusted my body to Ren’s flames without being able to say those words to him.
Knowing it might be a confession I could never make again if I didn’t return, if I lost my memories… I couldn’t leave him with memories that would only cause him pain.
“……I love you too.”
A soft reply echoed above my head.
“So don’t even think about staying the full week. Come back as soon as you’re done. You know we finally met today, right?”
As I nodded and looked up, our lips met again.
The second kiss was long and sweet.
Enough to make me want to stay by his side, if only for a little while.
When we arrived at the Magic Tower, I was surprised by its unexpected ordinariness.
I thought the Tower would have a strange and mysterious atmosphere, but aside from the magic stones embedded here and there in the walls, it wasn’t much different from the spires of the Imperial Palace.
And the mages of the Tower seemed startled by the unexpected visitor.
Apparently, receiving guests was such a rare occurrence that Ren explained with a slightly embarrassed face.
“This is Her Highness the Third Princess. I’ve brought her here briefly on business with the Master, so please pay her no mind.”
However, at the mention that we were here to see Moghold, the gazes of even the wizards who hadn’t been paying me attention all poured down at once.
Len ignored all those stares and led me to the treatment room.
Moghold lay there as if dead.
He had grown so gaunt that he no longer seemed like the vigorous mage I remembered.
“My God, Lord Moghold…….”
I collapsed onto my knees beside his bed, grabbing his hand, which was as dry as a twig.
“I’m so sorry. I’m too late. I should have come sooner…….”
Len, who had been standing watch by the door from a distance, finally approached when I started to cry.
“As you can see, we can’t be sure how much time the Master has left. Let’s first try to break the diary’s magic.”
He placed the diary on Moghold’s chest and laid his palm over it.
As Ren closed his eyes and murmured something, a yellowish light gradually rose from the remaining embossed pattern on the diary, scattered in all directions.
And the moment Ren opened his eyes, the tiny lights shot all at once into Moghold’s chest.
Moghold’s magical power, as warm and gentle as sunlight, sought out its master and seeped into his entire body.
It looked completely different from Ren’s magic, which always seemed cool because of its blue hue.
“It’s done.”
Ren let out a sigh of relief.
“Fortunately, it worked as I intended, probably because the Master’s condition is so poor. There was no rejection.”
I nodded, looking at Moghold.
“Lord Moghold, I’m here. Louise, the Imperial youngest, is here. Thanks to your help, I’ve come to you healthy like this.”
Lendo also said, his voice moist,
“Old man, the baby was born. You wanted to protect the baby, even like this, right?”
We pleaded with the old wizard to wake up for a long time, but there was no response.
After a while, Ren spoke.
“But it’s different from me infusing him with my power. What remained in your diary was the Master’s own magic, so it must have helped. You should get some rest. I’ll have a room prepared for you.”
I quickly shook my head.
“I want to stay here. You’re the one who’s been overexerting yourself all this time taking care of Lord Moghold. And you still came to save Prilis. I… I might have no abilities…….”
Ren looked at me with worried eyes, but I stubbornly continued.
“But I still want to cheer him on from his side. I can at least change his cooling cloths.”
Ren finally gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Alright, then. The Master would like that.”
Although it probably started out of guilt towards my brother, Moghold had genuinely cherished me for a long time.
Far more than the Emperor, who shares my blood.
So, I want to do my best, even if it’s late.
Four days had already passed since Ren and I started taking turns napping and nursing Lord Moghold.
The one small mercy was that after the diary’s magic returned to him, Moghold’s complexion had improved considerably.
As I was creating a moist cloth and gently wiping his face, Len, who had finally managed to get some sleep just before morning, got up, his hair disheveled.
“Sleep more, Len. Go to your room and rest for a bit, or something.”
I said that, but Ren yawned and came to sit opposite me.
“It’s time to try and break the spell.”
