Chapter 137………………………………………..
Epilogue (2)
Temia squeezed out the last of her strength, gently pushing away Lowell—who had been patting her comfortingly—and spoke.
“Sniff… Thank you. I feel a bit better now.”
Because she had cried so much, her voice came out nasal, and even to her own ears it didn’t sound very convincing. Still, her head felt much clearer now, and she felt confident she could look at the situation with a calmer mind.
Temia slowly lifted her head and met his eyes. Lowell was still looking down at her with a worried expression that hadn’t quite lost its shock yet. It was obvious he didn’t care at all whether her face looked swollen or messy. The thought made something tickle inside her chest. If it had been before, he would’ve teased her face all day long. But now he was focusing entirely on her feelings, and that made the corners of her lips curl up without her realizing it.
“If it weren’t for you, Lowell, I might’ve just collapsed right here.”
“Do your legs hurt? Want me to carry you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant… I meant you’ve been a source of strength.”
“Hm? Realizing how precious I am only now? You’re a bit late.”
Grumbling like that, he still took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from Temia’s eyes.
“The situation’s messy, so it’s not exactly clean. But it’s better than using your hands, right?”
“I could’ve just wiped them on my clothes.”
“Then your eyes will swell even more. They’ll start stinging soon too.”
“Really?”
Now that he mentioned it, she could feel a faint sting around her eyelids where he was carefully touching.
When did he start noticing things like that…?
It was definitely the kind of overprotectiveness she used to hate, yet somehow it didn’t feel unpleasant. That was probably because it was him.
Temia wasn’t confused anymore. Everything was over now, and the emotions swelling in her chest spilled out.
“Lowell, there’s something I want to tell—!”
“Excuse me! Is the magician here? We need him to come for a moment!”
Someone suddenly appeared at the entrance of the tent, pulling the flap open and urgently calling for Lowell. Everyone’s gaze turned toward him.
“Temia, didn’t you have something to say?”
“…No. It can wait until you get back.”
“Hmm, alright. I’ll be back soon. Get some rest.”
Lowell waved his hand and walked away. Temia clenched her fist.
Right. If I’m going to confess, I should do it when I look a little more presentable! I was too hasty just now.
Covered in dust and soot like this wasn’t the right time. At least when Lowell returned soon, she could hold his hand and sit beside him. For now, that would be enough.
But Temia’s expectations were soon shattered.
“Temia, the magician has been sent to the royal palace to help clean up the aftermath. He told me again and again to take good care of you. Honestly… as if I wouldn’t! You’re my daughter! That brat—who does he think he is, telling me not to neglect you!”
Hearing this from Duke Etbal, who had returned afterward, Temia silently fell into despair.
At this rate… will I miss the timing again?
What if she kept postponing it and Lowell’s feelings disappeared? She believed that was unlikely—but still, with everything seemingly working against her love life, she felt like crying all over again.
After that, she vaguely heard news about how all the remaining enemies at the scene had been captured, and various people expressing concern for her. It all passed by like the wind.
She didn’t see Lowell again until a whole week later.
* * *
Lowell finally escaped from the palace and looked back with a scowl.
“Ha. They really cling like parasites.”
While he’d been stuck there, he’d worked nonstop without even a moment to breathe. Of course, considering the massive chaos caused by the incident, he couldn’t completely refuse. But now he had reached his limit.
Lowell hurriedly packed his things and put on his coat.
“That’s it. I’m leaving.”
“What? You brat! There’s still a mountain of work left! Where do you think you’re going?!”
Casey—who had been drowning in work after the chief court magician was named the mastermind behind the incident—snapped at Lowell. But Lowell, suffering from a severe Temia deficiency, didn’t care.
“I don’t know. I’ve done enough already. What more do you want from me?”
“What do you mean ‘what more’? The country is practically collapsing, and instead of helping clean things up as a royal magician, you’re planning to run off?!”
“Yes! What are you going to do about it?! I’m just a workshop magician! I caught the culprit and saved people—what more do you want?!”
Lowell didn’t back down. He might have become gentler around Temia, but his core personality hadn’t changed.
“Don’t you think you’ve been shameless since before? If Temia says she doesn’t like me anymore because of this, will you take responsibility? Give someone else an official position and make them do the rest!”
Hearing such an unexpectedly affectionate statement slip naturally out of his mouth, Casey froze in shock.
Did that really come from that rude disciple of mine?
Did Lowell… actually fall in love?
By the time Casey shouted something after the escaping Lowell, it was too late. Lowell had already run off and never looked back.
* * *
“Lowell? What are you doing here…?”
After running for quite a while, Lowell finally arrived at the front gate of the royal palace.
And there—unexpectedly—stood Temia, the person he had been longing to see.
For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating.
But the lovely voice ringing in his ears was unmistakably hers, so he pulled her small body into a tight embrace.
Feeling her warm body finally filled the emptiness in his chest.
“Temia, how did you show up at exactly this moment? I was just escaping to come see you.”
“…Well, I was on my way to see you too.”
“Wow, we really are on the same wavelength! That feels pretty good. You missed me too, right?”
Speaking in an excited tone, Lowell wrapped a lock of her soft hair around his finger and whispered near her ear.
Normally, Temia would jump back, her face turning bright red as she denied it. Just imagining that reaction made Lowell struggle to suppress his growing smile.
Hm? Shouldn’t she be pushing me away by now…?
But even after a moment passed, Temia stayed still.
Sensing something strange, Lowell leaned back to look at her face. It was flushed just as expected, but she also looked noticeably nervous.
Before he could even ask what was wrong—
“Y-Yes. I missed you…”
Temia admitted it honestly.
Lowell’s mouth fell shut in shock.
But Temia kept going.
“Lowell, the reason I came today… is because I couldn’t wait any longer.”
“For what?”
“For you.”
She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand tightly. Her clenched fist trembled slightly with nervousness, but this was something she had to say.
“After everything was resolved, I said I’d give you an answer. You remember, right?”
“You came all the way here just to tell me that?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“To be honest, when I first met you, I thought, What kind of person is this? You were shameless and completely lacking in consideration…”
Lowell really had been that kind of person. Part of it might have been Temia’s prejudice back then, but he truly hadn’t been someone easy to get along with.
“…You didn’t come here just to insult me, did you?”
“Let me finish!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ahem. Anyway! You weren’t just that kind of person. You were shameless and inconsiderate, but you were also someone who could change all of that for my sake.”
Temia had seen that change herself. Because of it, the future had changed too.
“You’re someone kind and thoughtful to me.”
And most importantly—
“I like you. I don’t think I can be without you by my side anymore. I want to stay with you.”
Her heart raced at everything he said and did. She wanted to stay beside him.
Running all the way here just to confess was proof of that overflowing feeling.
“So… that means you’re officially accepting me, right?”
In response to Lowell’s question, Temia nodded and hugged him tightly.
She buried her face in his chest, trying to hide her red face.
Lowell laughed softly.
“Temia, look up for a second.”
“…No. My face is too red.”
“I’ve seen it plenty of times already.”
At that, Temia reflexively lifted her head in protest—and Lowell seized the opportunity.
He leaned down.
Their faces grew close enough that their breaths touched.
But Lowell didn’t stop.
Soon, their breaths intertwined into one.
Nearby, a palace attendant walking past dropped the documents he was carrying with a thud.
Under the clear sky, in front of the royal palace—
it was the scene of a major scandal.
* * *
They thought all that remained now was to return to a quiet and comfortable life.
But the world wasn’t so easy.
After the passionate confession, the two returned to the workshop hand in hand and spent the entire night talking about everything they’d missed.
They talked until just before sunrise, so the next day didn’t start until well into the afternoon.
During their late tea time, Reri—who had been waiting alone downstairs—looked at them both and said:
“Master and Lady Temia, you’ve both become extremely famous, you know?”
“I was already famous as a genius magician. As for Temia, she’s probably famous for being cute. What’s so special about that?”
“Seriously…”
Reri rolled his eyes before clearing his throat and pointing with his wing.
“I guess neither of you realize how noticeable you are!”
At the end of his wing was today’s newspaper.
And the article decorating the front page was titled—
“‘The Heroes Who Saved the Kingdom’s Brilliant Proposal’? What is this?”
Below an illustration skillfully depicting the two of them kissing, the article continued at length.
