Chapter 49
The incident had been serious enough to drive an entire family out of the capital, yet not a single rumor had spread.
That could only mean one thing—the Ferris family had wanted it handled quietly.
Even Nanael didn’t know the full details. But she suspected that digging into it might uncover a wound deep enough to scar Rodelia Ferris forever.
“Yes. Thanks to the gifts you sent with your letter, I received a lot of help.”
Behind Jessica Miranda’s polite manners, Nanael could see her eyes searching—probing for what Nanael wanted from her.
Nanael wasted no time.
“I heard you suffered injustice, eight years ago.”
At the mention of that day, Jessica’s face went pale.
“N-no, not really…”
“There’s no need to hide it. In a way, you and I are alike, Lady Miranda.”
“Alike? Me and Your Highness?”
“You must not have heard yet, since you’ve only just returned to the capital.”
Nanael swirled her teacup gracefully, her lips curving into a smile.
“Rodelia Ferris stole my fiancé.”
“R-Rodelia? Ah—”
Jessica had let Rodelia’s name slip too naturally, then snapped her mouth shut in alarm.
Clearly, she had been away from society too long—she hadn’t learned how to mask her expressions.
From that one reaction, Nanael felt her certainty grow. Her smile deepened.
“They say the quietest cat is always the first to curl up by the fire. I understand you, Lady Miranda. That woman is truly despicable, isn’t she?”
“…”
“So, won’t you tell me what happened that day, eight years ago? If you’re by my side, you’ll never be unfairly driven out again.”
By my side.
That was why Jessica had broken her family’s promise and returned to the capital in the first place.
Nanael had sent her letters and gifts, asking her to serve as her personal lady-in-waiting.
‘Even if she’s only a duke’s daughter, no one would dare touch the Princess’s own attendant.’
Jessica had no idea of Nanael’s true reputation. To her, this wasn’t a poisoned apple. It looked like salvation.
Her honeyed words were enough to win Jessica over completely.
Truthfully, Jessica still thought of that day with deep resentment.
It had been nothing but children’s mischief, yet her entire family had been banished from the capital. Wasn’t that punishment too harsh?
Since then, her parents had endlessly blamed her, lamenting their ruined lives. She had eventually run away to the capital to escape the guilt.
Not everyone can become a princess’s attendant. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
As Jessica wavered on the edge, Nanael delivered the finishing blow.
“And if you serve me faithfully, I’ll reward you with far more than you could ever imagine.”
At that, Jessica’s eyes sparkled.
“That day… it was…”
She began to speak, not realizing she had just bitten into the poisoned apple.
* * *
Sunlight streamed through the Magia hideout, warm and lazy.
Inside, Lottie was busy sketching, while Sierra and Glaster whispered together, making small noises.
Watching them, I suddenly spoke up.
“Magia is supposed to be the Magical Flora and Fauna Club, right? Then why don’t you have any magical creatures or plants?”
Sierra flinched at the unexpected jab and stammered, “W-we do!”
“You’re not about to say the standard wind spirit that every mage has, are you?”
“Ugh.”
Caught, Sierra sulkily lowered the whistle hanging from her neck.
Glaster stepped in to cover for her.
“Magical flora and fauna are extremely rare. And even if you find them, taming them is no easy task. You usually have to raise them from the egg or seed to even have a chance at a contract. But… the problem is, even if you get an egg or seed, hatching it is nearly impossible.”
“Exactly! And even if you succeed, there’s no guarantee you’ll form a contract. They’re such free-spirited beings—try to force them, and they’ll vanish right away.”
Magical creatures and plants were incredibly sensitive.
After all, they belonged to another realm, and could withdraw from this world at any time.
“So, do you even have any seeds or eggs?”
“We do. We’ve just… never managed to hatch any.”
“So basically, you wasted money.”
Both Sierra and Glaster winced at the blunt words.
As the club’s leader and treasurer, it had to sting being called out by the new recruit about their club’s survival.
“In the past, it was easier—dragons and spirits often wandered freely, so contracts weren’t rare. But now, all we can find are traces. And when traces appear, we usually just seal them away out of fear they’ll cause trouble. I’ve heard the Tower secretly grows plenty of magical plants, but I’ve never seen them myself…”
Glaster rambled more than usual until Sierra cut him off.
“Honestly, most of the so-called ‘traces’ of magical creatures these days are fakes. We’ve even been scammed a few times. They’re that convincing.”
“Ugh.”
Their sighs and tired faces looked like weary grad students drowning in dead-end research.
Still, their passion was undeniable. They truly loved magical flora and fauna.
Remembering Sophia’s shadowed face, I decided to steer the conversation.
“Do you know of any way to melt an ice dragon’s glacier?”
To anyone else, it might have sounded like an absurd question. But Sierra answered seriously.
“If you mean the ice dragon’s glacier, the ice that never melts—there’s no way. It’s impossible.”
Of course. That was what everyone said.
After all, even Alperen had been forced to rely on the Imperial Family because of it.
But maybe a magical-creature enthusiast might know something more.
“I was just wondering if maybe… there’s a method.”
I tried to brush it off as idle curiosity.
“Well… the Tears of the Fairy King might work,” Sierra said slowly, her sharp gaze fixed on me.
“But if it’s an ice dragon that turned corrupted… the tears alone wouldn’t be enough. You’d also need something like holy water to purify it.”
Sharp, indeed.
From just a vague question, Sierra had figured out exactly which dragon I was talking about.
Of course—anyone with even a passing interest in magical creatures knew the story.
Six years ago, the Ainruk knights had set out to slay a rampaging ice dragon. They killed it, but the cost was the life of the duke.
Alperen had then transported the dragon’s corpse to the Tower.
And since no items related to it had ever surfaced, everyone assumed it was still there.
For someone like Sierra, who was studying for the Tower’s mage exams specifically to see that dragon, it was common knowledge.
“And if holy water still isn’t enough?” I pressed.
“Then you’d need something truly primal.” Sierra shrugged.
“Like the real Fairy King appearing to melt it himself.”
…What a useless answer.
How was anyone supposed to drag the Fairy King—who hadn’t cared about humans for centuries—into this world?
“So basically, you’re saying it’s impossible.”
“Exactly. And if the dragon’s already dead, then the glacier binding it can never be undone.”
Her firm voice made me sigh deeply.
So, just like in the original story, the former duke was destined to die.
Alperen will grieve, won’t he?
In the novel, after his father’s funeral, he hadn’t left his room for days.
It had never been described what went through his heart—only that when he finally emerged, his face had looked like a completely different man’s.
Even I, after only a few visits to the former duke, felt restless and heavy. How much worse must it be for his son?
“To add one more thing,” Sierra said, “anyone struck by the ice dragon’s glacier—whether alive or not—is essentially already dead.”
Even without names, we both knew who she meant.
Quietly, I murmured,
“Yes… It really does look as if time has stopped. Just frozen in place.”
“…So the rumors were true, then,” Sierra whispered, her face pale.
