Chapter 22
Summer, Alperen, and Adrian had actually been in the same year at the academy.
Adrian, being in the swordsmanship department, probably never noticed her. But Alperen certainly did.
For nearly three years, they’d been rivals—constantly swapping between first and second place.
[Actually, I’ve met the Tower Master before.
We were both in the Magic Department, and he was someone who always stood out.
If he hadn’t suddenly taken leave, he would’ve graduated as the top student.
I doubt he even remembers me, though.]
It had been six years since then—since Alperen had taken time off after his father’s sudden collapse.
But from the way Summer had mentioned him in her letter, she clearly hadn’t forgotten.
Well… who could easily forget Alperen anyway?
I never thought I’d see the day she would bring him up on her own, without me pushing the two of them together.
The thought left me strangely sentimental… and, honestly, a little complicated.
[When I arrive in the capital, will I be able to see you?
Winter says she’d really like to meet you as well.]
“Hmmm.”
Originally, I’d planned to reveal my identity to Summer once she arrived in the capital, become her friend, and then introduce her to Alperen myself.
And if he still hadn’t broken the engagement by then, I was even prepared to push her toward him with a bit of “beauty-strategy.”
But now, Alperen had already decided to end things with Nanael.
That meant there was no reason for me to meddle.
If I interfered too much with the original storyline, I knew all too well what awaited me: prison, on false charges of poisoning.
Of course, there was still the chance my brother Adrian would fall for Summer and end up clashing with Alperen…
But knowing Alperen, he’d probably just step aside without much fuss.
He was always slow when it came to emotions. By the time he realized what he felt, it was usually far too late.
Alright. For now, I’ll just watch from a distance.
With that, I sat down and wrote Summer a reply.
Meanwhile, in the Mage Tower—
Eden burst into the study the moment he heard the Tower Master had returned.
“Tower Master! Are you alright? You suddenly stopped coming, when you used to be here every single day—I was so worried!”
But Alperen wasn’t listening. He was staring out the window—or so Eden thought.
As Eden came closer, he realized Alperen’s gaze was fixed not outside, but on the small potted plant sitting on the windowsill.
It was a seedling deliberately grown with corrupted mana, used to measure how much holy water was needed for purification experiments.
Even when Eden spoke, Alperen didn’t respond, lost in thought.
‘Sorry. I shouldn’t have touched anything in your study without permission. But when that sapling suddenly turned green, I was so shocked. I swear I only brushed it—if something went wrong, I’ll pay for it…’
That was what Rodelia had said.
Yet the sapling in the pot before him remained the same as ever—withered, blackened, lifeless.
At last, Alperen spoke in a low voice.
“Eden. When Rodelia was here… she touched the pot, didn’t she?”
“Ah, yes! Lady Ferris accidentally brushed it. Thankfully, she wasn’t hurt.”
Eden hurried to explain, assuming the Duke was only worried about her safety.
But Alperen narrowed his eyes.
“Then why does the pot look like this?”
“…Pardon? Something wrong with it? Looks the same to me.”
“That’s the problem—it looks the same. Rodelia told me the plant came back to life when she touched it.”
“Oh! Yes, yes, that’s right! After she left, I checked and found it had wilted again, so I ran some experiments…”
Eden rushed to pull out a thick stack of notes and reports.
Like an eager puppy begging for praise, he laid them before Alperen.
Alperen skimmed through them. Clearly, Eden had spent days obsessively running tests.
“…So the possibilities narrow down to two,” Eden concluded. “Either it was a temporary phenomenon caused by an unknown variable… or Lady Ferris herself has some ability that affected the plant.”
He hesitated before adding carefully,
“If you were to… ask Lady Ferris to touch the pot again, just once—”
“That’s not an option.”
The words came sharp as a blade.
“Just because she wasn’t hurt the first time doesn’t mean she’ll be safe a second.”
His blue eyes bore down on Eden, so cold they could slice him in half.
“R-right, of course…” Eden stammered, swallowing hard.
The suggestion had been reckless. The last thing he wanted was to anger the Tower Master again—especially when the lady in question was the daughter of Duke Ferris.
Still, Alperen’s overreaction made him blink. He’s… touchier than usual about this, isn’t he?
Trying to lighten the mood, Eden chuckled awkwardly.
“Well, if something had gone wrong, it would’ve ruined the Tower’s reputation completely. The palace would’ve been furious too.”
That part, at least, was true.
Historically, the Mage Tower had always had a terrible image among common folk. They even called it the “Den of the Mad”—for good reason.
After all, most mages really were crazy about their experiments. Many died or crippled themselves trying out dangerous spells on their own bodies.
Eden himself would probably have gone the same way if he hadn’t fallen under Alperen’s leadership.
But Alperen’s overwhelming skill had united the chaos of the Tower and forced order upon it.
Even so, there was still one thing even he couldn’t solve: purification.
The only method of cleansing corrupted mana was holy water—monopolized by the Temple and the Imperial Family.
That was why Alperen had been conducting these secret experiments in the first place.
Eden cleared his throat. “By the way, the Academy sent approval for the consultant request. She’ll be arriving around July.”
He handed over a résumé.
Alperen glanced over it. The name was familiar—but his expression didn’t change.
After all, he remembered her. She’d once been his rival. Strong enough to keep him on edge.
“Ah, so you know her? This Summer Clopfen. What’s she like, Tower Master? Will she adapt well here?” Eden asked brightly.
“Who knows.”
Alperen set the paper down.
“She might be good at the work.”
That was all he said. Then, moving on to other matters, he added casually,
“Oh, and the carriage I came in—the armrest broke. Arrange for repairs.”
Eden peeked out the window and his eyes widened.
“…Isn’t that the Ferris family carriage?”
“Yes. I broke it on accident.”
“You… broke the chair?”
Alperen’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I was… very displeased with something I heard.”
The chill in his tone made Eden shiver. He wisely kept his mouth shut.
Then—
‘She actually asked if I’d be interested in meeting her son.’
Rodelia’s words from earlier echoed in Alperen’s mind.
His grip tightened.
Crack.
“Ah.”
The pen in his hand snapped in two, splattering black ink all over his fingers.
“Eep!”
Eden nearly jumped out of his skin.
What in the world has gotten him so worked up?!
Alperen stared at his ink-stained hand, then let out a short, humorless laugh.
“…How dare they.”
His voice was smooth as silk, but his eyes glinted sharp as blades.
The Imperial Family had yet to approve the annulment of his engagement.
The Emperor, deeply fond of Empress Rosaria, clearly wished to keep the match intact.
Which meant Alperen would need to make the Emperor an offer even more tempting than the engagement.
And Alperen knew exactly what the Emperor wanted most.
Standing, he told Eden,
“Inform them—I’ll be requesting an audience with His Majesty tomorrow.”
