Chapter 22
Julius came at me without any roundabout questioning—straight and sudden.
I froze for a moment, completely forgetting that I was supposed to answer him casually.
‘…He knew?’
I hadn’t expected him to notice the way I was looking at him, let alone ask me directly about it.
Unlike Ethan, I had no talent for keeping a poker face or slapping an iron mask onto my expression.
Still, it was a sensitive topic for Julius. I never imagined he’d be the one to bring it up himself.
My thoughts collided in chaos as I hesitated, my red lips barely moving as I fumbled for words.
When I faltered like that, Julius—who had been watching me closely—took a step back instead.
As the dark shadow that had been looming over me receded, I instinctively let out the breath I’d been holding.
Why I was this tense in front of the so-called “angelic male lead,” I had no idea.
Julius seemed to withdraw easily enough, then offered a light apology.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to put any pressure on you, Lady Servita. If I made you uncomfortable, please accept my apologies.”
Under normal circumstances, I would have brushed it off with a joke.
But this time, I was just as flustered, unable to say anything.
Ethan charged forward openly and never backed down, which made him exhausting to deal with. Julius, however, was different.
He slipped in while you weren’t paying attention, stirred everything up, then retreated just as swiftly—making him difficult in an entirely different way.
Just like now. He had shaken my emotions thoroughly, only to step back and apologize.
I stood there blankly, unsure how I was supposed to react.
Seeing that, Julius let out a hollow laugh and ran a hand roughly through his hair, looking lost in thought.
“I… don’t really know how to put this.”
“…Pardon?”
“It’s just… you’re the first person who’s ever looked at me that way.”
He probably meant it as a way to comfort me.
Instead, it tangled my thoughts even more.
‘…The first?’
That couldn’t be true.
There was no way.
Rose Ricetta existed—so why would he say that?
‘They said Rose was the only person who truly understood Julius’s loneliness and pain.’
Even if Rose was gone, her presence should still be etched deeply into his heart.
So why was he placing me where she was supposed to be?
I looked at Julius with even greater confusion.
Whatever he read in my expression made him look slightly embarrassed.
That was enough to stop my spiraling thoughts. Instead, I decided to comfort the man standing before me—clearly burdened and alone.
It wasn’t only because of the dark thought that I was the reason he’d lost Rose.
It was simply… because watching Julius struggle on his own felt pitiful.
That was all.
With that resolve, I did something I knew was rude—I suddenly took his hand.
His face was endlessly warm and gentle, yet his hand was filled with a cool chill. The contrast was ironic.
“…Lady Servita?”
Julius seemed startled by my sudden touch, but he didn’t pull away.
Holding onto his cold hand, I spoke.
“…It’s okay.”
I knew I was overstepping.
“It’s okay to be sad.”
Who was I, someone he’d only met today, to claim I understood his grief or empathized with it?
“The pain of losing something precious… it’s really hard.”
And yet, knowing all that, I still held his hand tightly and poured my heart out.
“Being alone when you’re scared and hurting… is incredibly lonely.”
Because I understood his heart—enduring this moment alone.
Because I knew what it felt like to be thrown into an unfamiliar world and endure loneliness by myself.
That single shared emotion was enough to make me cling to his hand and say everything I had inside.
Julius only stared at me, saying nothing.
After unloading everything, the heavy silence that followed became unbearable.
‘…Did I go too far?’
Just moments ago, his dejected 모습 had reminded me too much of my past self—I couldn’t just stand by.
But now that I thought about it, it was strange.
From his perspective, a stranger he’d just met had suddenly gone, “I know how you feel. It’s okay. There, there.”
I hadn’t thought twice while acting, but afterward, embarrassment crept in.
Uneasy, I glanced once at Julius, then once at my own hand tightly gripping his.
Before he could say anything, I quickly let go.
Julius offered no resistance, slowly lifting his gaze to meet mine.
For a fleeting moment, he almost looked… regretful.
I told myself that was just my imagination.
Shaking off the uncomfortable thought, I bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry! I spoke out of turn without knowing anything—!”
As if creating distance wasn’t enough, I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of what he might say next.
If it had been Ethan, he would’ve snarled, “What the hell do you think you know about me?” and lunged at me.
That thought only made my anxiety worse.
Then, cutting through the darkness, Julius’s voice reached me.
“Open your eyes, my lady.”
His heavy tone made me flinch as I cautiously opened them.
Julius’s expression was dark.
…Did I mess things up again?
His stiff expression didn’t soften easily, making my heart pound.
But the words that followed were completely unexpected.
“Relax.”
“…What?”
“If someone as gentle as you looks that frightened, Lady Servita, it makes it seem as though I was about to devour you.”
The seriousness from before vanished as he lightened the mood with a playful tone.
“How could I ever harm someone as adorable as you?”
At his gentle voice, all my worries evaporated as my heart skipped wildly.
See?! The angelic male lead was still very much here!
Someone—some bastard—would’ve acted like he was about to kill me in this situation!
I looked up at the kind angelic lead with sparkling eyes.
Julius chuckled softly at the sight.
“As expected. You truly are… just as peculiar as I’ve heard.”
“…As you’ve heard?”
Where on earth had he heard that? Now I was curious.
But as I stared at him eagerly, I suddenly froze—like a thief caught red-handed.
Before he even spoke, I had a feeling I knew what he was about to say.
I listened closely.
With a slightly teasing smile, Julius continued.
“I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been staying exclusively at the Mage Tower.”
…They say assumptions can be deadly.
The moment he mentioned the Mage Tower, I already knew where this was going.
Without dragging it out, Julius went on.
“They say you caught the interest of that eccentric Tower Master. That alone made me curious.”
“Well… our Tower Master is a bit—no, very—unhinged… I mean, unique.”
Ugh. Even lying properly was hard.
As I struggled to finish, Julius smiled faintly.
“Still, they say his magical prowess is the greatest among all past Tower Masters. As a mage myself, I take great interest in magic and the Mage Tower—I hear news from time to time.”
“Oh! What a coincidence! I’m a mage too, you know?!”
Yes, everyone. You are currently witnessing a mage from the Mage Tower acting surprised that she’s a mage.
I spoke in an exaggerated tone, as if trying to forge a bond out of thin air.
‘If Ethan ever tries to kill me later… maybe I can beg this angelic lead to spare my life?’
Clinging to that fragile hope, I listened intently.
“When news reached me about Lady Servita, who had stayed secluded in the Mage Tower, I requested His Majesty’s permission to attend today’s gathering.”
“Ah… I’m honored that you noticed me, Your Highness.”
“And when I heard you were engaged to Duke Ethan Clovis… my curiosity got the better of me.”
At the familiar name, I let out a low sigh and rubbed my forehead.
“Haa… that bas—”
“Pardon?”
I nearly called Ethan that bastard before hastily turning my head to scan the surroundings.
That damned mad dog could appear anywhere, anytime, and bite me from behind—constant vigilance was necessary.
Noticing Julius’s gaze belatedly, I laughed awkwardly.
“Oh—nothing at all, Your Highness.”
Even after brushing it off, a chill ran down my spine as I kept glancing around.
Beware of mad dogs—always.
As I awkwardly scanned the area, Julius suddenly took my hand.
The sudden, cool touch made me shiver as I looked up at him.
“…Your Highness?”
When I turned, Julius was wearing an expression utterly at odds with his gentle demeanor.
For a brief moment, I wondered if I’d done something wrong.
Fixing his gaze on my flustered face, Julius spoke in a voice coldly composed.
“I’ll warn you in advance, my lady.”
“…Yes?”
He stepped closer, exuding a chilling pressure.
I bit my lip, trying to act unfazed.
But what came next was impossible to brush aside.
“You must not marry Ethan Clovis.”
