Chapter 18
“No! Of course not. I just wanted to be sure.”
Gerard was a very gentlemanly mage.
He did get overly excited during healing, but that was because he had suffered from demonic energy addiction for so long.
By nature, he was the very model of a courteous gentleman.
But would the Gerard of now really be the same as the Gerard of the past?
I’ve changed too. There’s no guarantee Gerard hasn’t.
Still, she believed Gerard was a good person.
“To make sure nothing like that happens, let’s both take extra good care of our health.”
Why does his voice sound a bit curt?
Eloise shrugged lightly and continued.
“Alright, then all that’s left is to decide when the contract ends.”
“Contract end?”
“Yes. Rainbow Holes might disappear someday.”
“Is that another forecast?”
“Let’s call it a wish. Even if they keep appearing, a better healer than me might show up someday.”
“That won’t happen.”
Gerard was firm. He frowned slightly and continued.
“Our contract will end the day one of us dies.”
“What? Me? The day I die?”
Gerard let out a short laugh, as if that were absurd.
“The day I die.”
“That would be the day the continent falls.”
Eloise’s shoulders drooped.
Just imagining Gerard dying made her chest ache.
“That’s right. I won’t die easily. And from now on, I’ll cling to life even harder. So let’s make the contract end on the day I die. There’s no room for negotiation.”
Gerard grabbed the pen floating in midair.
He was going to write the clause himself.
“Do you agree?”
If one of them died, the contract would end anyway.
And if Rainbow Holes disappeared completely before that, healing would no longer be needed.
Then Gerard wouldn’t look for me anymore.
At that point, the contract would naturally become meaningless.
There was no need to argue further with a tired man.
“Alright.”
With her consent, Gerard moved the pen decisively.
***
The ceiling was high, chandeliers glittering like hundreds of embedded stars, casting light in all directions.
Beneath that dazzling glow, Noah stood on a richly embroidered golden carpet, slowly swirling a glass of wine.
“So Eloise Rubelia’s forecast was correct?”
“Yes, Your Highness. She predicted the Blue Hole precisely. This time, even the timing was accurate.”
At the report, Noah hummed softly, an unreadable sound.
After sipping his wine while gazing out the window, Noah turned back to his aide.
“Is Rubelia still with Gerard?”
“Yes. I’m told Lord Gerard is personally caring for her, saying he’ll take responsibility for her collapsing inside the Blue Hole.”
“Pfft.”
Noah burst into laughter, setting his wine glass on the windowsill.
The aide stiffened, unable to understand what was amusing.
“What do you think?”
Noah suddenly stopped laughing and asked.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I don’t know how to answer. Please spare my life.”
The aide dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
Noah frowned.
After executing a few useless subordinates who couldn’t take a hint, his remaining aides now trembled at the slightest thing.
Do they think I kill people at random?
Fear was fine, but conversation grinding to a halt was not.
And if he did kill someone, it wouldn’t be on expensive carpet.
Staining it with blood would be a waste.
“I’ll hold onto your life for now. So answer me. Does Gerard look like the kind of man who would feel personally responsible for a mere healer collapsing in a Hole?”
The aide thought carefully before responding.
Gerard, the emperor’s illegitimate son and Noah’s half-brother, was the continent’s hero and savior.
His achievements as Tower Master were dazzling.
After Gerard became the youngest Tower Master in history, magic advanced by leaps and bounds.
Mage treatment and welfare improved dramatically as well.
Mages praised him without reservation.
Yet Gerard never rested on that praise.
He strictly punished mages who abused magic as a weapon, earning public support.
But that didn’t mean he was soft-hearted or overly compassionate toward small sacrifices.
Countless people had been injured or killed inside and outside Rainbow Holes.
Gerard had repeatedly called those losses unavoidable sacrifices.
Instead, he ensured bodies were respectfully recovered and generous compensation paid to the families.
The injured received enough support to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Still, no one had ever heard of Gerard personally nursing an injured mage.
So regardless of Noah’s intent, objectively speaking, Gerard personally caring for Eloise was undeniably unusual.
“I don’t believe he’s that kind of man.”
“I agree. Then we can think of it this way. Eloise Rubelia is special.”
“To Lord Gerard?”
“To Gerard, perhaps. Or…”
Noah paused.
“To herself.”
Her forecasting ability was already enticing enough, but Noah couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more.
What could it be?
Noah grew curious.
“Clear my schedule tomorrow morning. I’m going to the Magi Administration.”
Eloise Rubelia.
Whatever it was that Gerard coveted, Noah’s curiosity burned.
And Noah, Crown Prince of the Norban Empire, was not someone who needed to restrain his curiosity.
***
Eloise rested at Gerard’s residence for a full day.
He had stopped her when she tried to return to the dormitory.
“What should I tell Merlin? She must be worried.”
I’ll contact Merlin as soon as I get to the office.
But once again, Merlin was pushed aside.
“We meet again. My legs hurt waiting outside, so I came in. You don’t mind, right? Ah, should I start using honorifics now, since you’re a team leader?”
Crown Prince Noah was sitting comfortably in Eloise’s office.
Eloise leaned back and double-checked the nameplate.
[Forecast Team]
The gold lettering on the navy plaque was unmistakably clear.
Why is His Highness here?
Eloise clenched her fist slightly.
Crown Prince Noah, with his brilliant golden hair, resembled Gerard in many ways.
A tenacious personality, exceptional ability, and a sharply sculpted nose.
But their relationship was far from good.
Even setting aside the political tension of Noah keeping Gerard in check, they couldn’t get along.
Noah saw the Mage Tower as a bottomless money pit.
The mages working in Rainbow Holes were paid by multiple nations.
The country paying the most was Norban—the empire of both Noah and Gerard.
As a result, the Norban imperial family wielded enormous influence.
The heads of both the Disaster Response Headquarters and the Magi Administration was officially Emperor Calyx of Norban.
In practice, Noah handled most of the work.
So Noah often attended meetings at the Disaster Response Headquarters and the Magi Administration.
Usually with Morgana.
Today, he was alone.
“Done staring? Can I come in now?”
Eloise snapped back to herself.
She had been staring at the Crown Prince too openly.
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
Eloise bowed deeply.
“It’s better not to do things you’ll need to apologize for.”
As she bowed, Eloise pouted slightly.
So much for being like Gerard. He’s just a bad-tempered man.
Those close to Noah all knew the cruelty hidden behind his sunny smile.
“I’ll be more careful.”
“With Miss Rubelia, I might be willing to overlook it a few more times.”
When Eloise raised her head, their eyes met.
“That means I have a deep interest in you.”
She nearly blurted out, Please don’t!
She had never experienced Noah firsthand, but she’d seen how he treated his subordinates.
He replaces people like broken parts if they displease him.
Eloise stiffened.
“Let’s skip the honorific talk. Sit down.”
Very fitting for a crown prince.
From the moment he arrived, Noah had controlled the conversation, acting like the owner of the office.
Technically, he is the owner. This land and building belong to Norban.
Suppressing her irritation, Eloise moved to sit—then hesitated.
Still, he was a guest, and she was the owner here…
“Would you like some tea?”
Noah raised an eyebrow and studied Eloise closely.
It wasn’t a look—it was an examination.
