Chapter 1
“How does it feel to be trapped in the Magic Tower again today?”
The light, careless voice that dropped without any regard for my feelings was unbearably irritating.
Ignoring the voice beside me, I fixed my gaze outside the window.
The black iron bars, sharply jutting upward, looked as dark and damp as ever.
So gloomy that I half-expected a ghost to jump out at any moment.
It was clearly a place that neither welcomed outsiders nor had any intention of ever doing so.
No wonder people say only eccentric, strange mages gather to live in the Magic Tower.
Isn’t that a bit of a stereotype?
Not all mages in the Magic Tower are weird, bad-tempered lunatics!
…Though, to be fair, every mage I’d seen here was exactly like that.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I shook my head.
And yet, the greatest irony was that I myself was trapped inside this gloomy Magic Tower.
No—more precisely…
“Are you listening to me, Eunice? If you don’t answer again, I’ll cry. I really will, you know?”
The biggest irony of all was that this man ruled over the dark, terrifying Magic Tower.
When I reluctantly turned my head, cynical violet eyes shimmered with moisture behind round glasses as they stared straight at me.
“Crying men aren’t attractive, Tower Master.”
“I told you—if you’re handsome, anything goes, didn’t I, my disciple?”
…When he puts it that way, I really have nothing to say.
As I pressed my lips together, he smiled faintly with tear-filled eyes.
…Ha. This is driving me insane.
Someone smiling with tears about to fall should look unsettling—but his face was so handsome that even that looked beautiful.
“Have you ever seen a man cry this prettily? Hm? Eunice?”
This unbearably irritating man was Theodore—the master of this massive Magic Tower and my damned mentor.
Honestly, “Teddy” would suit him better as a nickname.
Unable to endure the Tower’s silence, Theodore had once again been hovering around me since morning.
“I may not look it, but I’m confident my face wouldn’t lose anywhere.”
“No. You look like you might lose your life pretty soon—”
As I shook my head in denial, his violet eyes suddenly flashed.
“What did you say, Eunice? You want me to drain your mana all day again?”
“…No, sir. You’re very handsome.”
Once again, I bowed before authority, swallowing my tears as I spoke words I didn’t mean.
Apparently pleased that I played along, Theodore curved his lips into a smug smile.
“But you know that was a really shameless thing to say, right, Theodore?”
How could someone say they’re handsome without batting an eye?
What’s worse is that I can’t even refute it.
“What’s so new about that? You said it yourself. If not for my eccentric personality, I’d be popular with women.”
“That was before I knew what kind of person you really were.”
Even thinking back on it made me incredulous, so I deliberately shook my head in front of him.
The man I once thought was a heroic savior who rescued me…
“Oh? Then shall we get to know each other properly today?”
“…If you’re planning to siphon my mana again, I’m running away right now.”
“Hey now, that won’t do. Do you know how hard it was for me to scout you? Right, Eunice?”
“See? You’re finally showing your true colors! What am I, a fish you already caught?!”
…I never knew he was a wicked Tower Master after my mana!
The rope I’d clung to in hopes of surviving turned out to be bait set by a vile fisherman seeking prey.
Shrugging casually, Theodore suddenly stiffened and leaned his face close to mine.
His eyes, usually playful, sharpened, giving him an unexpectedly cold, cynical air.
“But I’m genuinely curious.”
“…?”
“You long for the outside world so much…”
“…”
“Then why don’t you leave the Magic Tower?”
Asked in such an unusually serious tone, I fell silent.
Why?
Because…
If I leave, I might die at the hands of that damned mad-dog second male lead.
That was the fate of the novel’s side character—Eunice Servita.
Unaware of my thoughts, Theodore watched me expectantly.
Unable to answer, I let out a low sigh.
If I told him this was the world of a novel… would he even believe me?
To put it simply, I had possessed a character inside a novel.
And not just any novel—but an obsessive, tragic romance I had barely finished reading last night.
The original story went like this:
The female lead, Rose Ricetta, and the second male lead, Ethan Clovis, were childhood friends.
But, as always, the question arose—can friendship exist when love is involved?
Ethan harbored deep feelings for Rose, but Rose only ever saw him as a friend.
Even after she fell in love with Crown Prince Julius Reinhardt, the male lead, she kept Ethan by her side as “just a friend.”
And here lay two major problems.
First, the second male lead was a mad dog who never let go once he bit down.
Second… the person who introduced Julius to Rose was none other than the side character—Eunice Servita.
If that name sounds familiar, it’s just your imagination.
I wish it were.
…I really wish that wasn’t my name.
Ahem. Anyway, Ethan cleanly killed Eunice—the woman who introduced his romantic rival to Rose.
As if that weren’t enough, he even shamelessly informed Rose of the murder.
…Still insane, no matter how many times I think about it.
Upon learning the truth, Rose finally awakened, fought for her love, and that was the novel’s ending.
In other words, I had possessed a side character whose role was to spice up the main couple’s romance—by dying at the hands of a mad-dog second male lead.
No! If you need the heroine to awaken, why kill an innocent side character?! Did anyone ask my opinion?!
You need Rose to see his true nature—so how about this?
I die. Easy, right?
Even my reason for dying is painfully “side-character-like.”
Just as I was about to sink into despair, fate itself shoved reality into my face.
‘My name is Theodore—the only Magic Tower Master on the continent, and a mage captivated by your splendid mana.’
‘Think carefully, Miss Servita. Isn’t it a waste to pour such precious mana into Rose Ricetta?’
I almost wish I hadn’t remembered.
That moment—when I stood before Tower Master Theodore shortly after becoming Eunice Servita—was unforgettable.
The moment I rejected him and took Rose Ricetta’s hand…
Marked the beginning of Eunice Servita’s tragedy.
So instead of mourning my fate, I decided to act one step ahead of the original story.
‘So? Are you saying you’ll use my mana wisely, Tower Master?’
‘You’re quick to understand, Miss Servita. Then I’ll be frank.’
‘…’
‘Come to me. I swear on the name of the Magic Tower—I will make you the greatest mage it has ever seen.’
Looking back, it sounded exactly like a scammer’s pitch.
“Greatest” wasn’t easily achieved, nor did it stir my heart.
‘I don’t need to be the greatest mage. I just need the Magic Tower.’
‘Hmm. Then tell me what you want.’
And yet, the reason I was now trapped in Theodore’s grasp was…
‘Please take me as your disciple.’
…Because this was the only way to escape the novel’s fate.
Without the Tower Master’s permission, not even the Emperor could enter the Magic Tower.
And the current Tower Master was so eccentric that no one dared approach its vicinity.
In other words, it was the only place safe from the original plot.
‘I want to go to the Magic Tower. Please take me there.’
Before even attempting to fight fate, I ran from it.
I won’t leave the Magic Tower until the novel ends.
That vow had been made two years ago.
I had been confined here for two years—and until now, life had been relatively peaceful.
Well… not exactly peaceful.
‘What an innovative confession, Miss. So you want me? I’m not an easy man.’
‘No. Actually, I just need the Magic Tower— I mean, I need you, Tower Master.’
Even if I was desperate to escape my fate, agreeing to that nonsense was my mistake.
One wrong sentence, and I became Theodore’s plaything.
As I shook my head, Theodore immediately reacted.
“Judging by that expression, you’re cursing me again in your head.”
“…!”
A ghost.
He’s clueless about everything else, but somehow always knows when I’m insulting him.
“With that face, did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I’m the Magic Tower Master, you know! The strongest here!”
“…Right.”
“What’s with that belated realization? Honestly, there’s no respect for your mentor at all.”
I couldn’t argue.
…Because it was true.
If I’m honest, he’ll torment me all day!
So I kept my eyes on the window instead.
Undeterred, Theodore stepped closer.
“When you look like that, it’s like I’m some villain who locked a beautiful princess in the Magic Tower.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Well… you’re not wrong.”
“See? I knew it from the moment you started draining my mana every day.”
Just as I thought his face looked particularly infuriating today, a deep smile spread across it.
“…Whenever you smile like that, my spine chills. What disaster are you planning now?”
“What a hurtful thing to say. I simply brought a gift—for a lonely mage in the Magic Tower.”
“A gift?”
At the word gift, I instinctively took a step back.
If it came from Theodore, it only made me nervous.
And, just as I feared, a strange silhouette appeared behind him.
“I thought you’d be bored alone, so I brought one more.”
Along with Theodore’s confident voice, a pair of black eyes glinted sharply from behind him.
…I’m going insane. Truly.
