Chapter 52
The person bound by the ribbon turned out not to be only Michael.
“Ah.”
Jayna, who was wearing a headband with a large ribbon, happened to run into Diamid.
“Hello, Tower Master.”
As their eyes met, Jayna politely bowed her head.
Then, before his mood could sour, she tried to leave quickly—but she couldn’t.
Because Diamid’s gaze pierced straight through her.
To be exact, at the ribbon headband she was wearing.
‘Why is he staring so intently? Did I do something wrong?’
The moment to just gloss over things had already passed. Ignoring the Tower Master wasn’t an option—his presence was simply too overwhelming.
He had stopped in his tracks and was staring at her in silence, and that made Jayna uneasy.
‘Could he be thinking I’ve been wasting the money he gave me on luxuries?’
That wasn’t the case at all. To clear up any misunderstanding, Jayna quickly opened her mouth.
“The gem on this ribbon… Lady Izren won it from another noble girl in a duel. I didn’t buy it with the money you gave me, Tower Master.”
As Jayna explained, the Tower Master’s expression twisted slightly. Since he was someone who rarely showed any emotion at all, that small change startled her.
“I’m not angry because you’re wearing a ribbon.”
“Then… did I do something to offend you, Tower Master?”
“Why are you assuming I’m angry in the first place?”
He still didn’t look particularly cheerful… Jayna wanted to say that, but decided it was best to just keep quiet.
‘Well, if he says he’s not, then he’s not. He’s not exactly someone you want to keep a long conversation with anyway.’
She glanced around for an escape route. There was no good reason to linger before the Tower Master.
“Then that’s a relief. I have something to attend to, so please excuse me.”
Just as she tried to wrap things up and leave, Diamid unexpectedly stopped her.
“Are you… afraid of me?”
Jayna tilted her head, puzzled. She couldn’t tell why he would suddenly ask such a thing.
It wasn’t that she found him frightening. From the moment she came to the Tower, she’d already accepted the possibility of death.
But the question was so unexpected that she didn’t know how to respond.
She almost said that she wasn’t afraid—but then worried he might take it as her looking down on him. So she deflected.
“I’m just not worthy to be having a conversation with the Tower Master, that’s all.”
She hadn’t said she was scared, but the meaning was clear: she felt uncomfortable around him.
Jayna bowed and quickly scurried away.
Diamid, however, remained rooted in place long after she left.
‘So she still fears me… I suppose that’s natural.’
He had only been staring because she was wearing something she normally didn’t—a ribbon headband.
He actually thought it suited her quite well.
But it seemed that had only made her uncomfortable.
‘Perhaps she just needs a little more time…’
Unaware that he had been staring far too long, Diamid left, still deep in thought.
The magicians of the Tower shared their master Diamid’s fastidious nature.
For example, they were extremely wary of outsiders entering the premises.
Even the maid, Yurika, was said to live and eat within the Tower dormitories.
“You can go outside, but every time you do… Oh, never mind.”
Yurika stopped herself midsentence, mindful that Jayna was still a child. But from that reaction alone, Jayna could guess that speaking of Tower matters came with punishment.
‘The Tower’s security really is airtight… Well, I suppose that’s why it’s managed to survive for centuries.’
Feeling a small sense of relief that her life wasn’t in immediate danger, Jayna headed for the rear garden.
“The weather is so lovely today, isn’t it, my lady?”
“It really is. The sky’s so blue and clear.”
The Tower’s enchanted windows could display various skies and landscapes, but Yurika said it still wasn’t quite the same as seeing the real thing.
“It might just be my imagination, though.”
Under the warm sunlight in the garden, Jayna enjoyed fruit sandwiches with Yurika.
“Mmm.”
They were packed so full of strawberries between layers of cream that it was almost difficult to eat—just the way Jayna liked them.
After indulging in the sweet flavor, Jayna returned to the Tower.
Unlike her, however, the other magicians looked extremely busy.
“Salaman’s eyeballs, Neije horns, Pasrnia hide—this is all we got this month?”
“What about the Funi herbs?”
“The northern weather’s been unusually warm this year, so we couldn’t get much.”
“Then what about the Alkendra extract I asked for?”
“Wasn’t that the stuff that caused that explosion last time?”
The Tower was unusually noisy. Jayna looked around curiously, as if she were watching a market scene.
“It’s the day the magical research materials are delivered,” Yurika explained.
She carefully led Jayna deeper inside so they wouldn’t get in the magicians’ way.
“Hold my hand tightly, my lady, or you’ll bump into someone.”
Jayna, like a toddling child, let Yurika guide her through the crowded corridor.
As they passed, neither noticed the fine, dust-like particles drifting subtly through the air.
They shimmered faintly… and quietly seeped into Yurika.
But neither of them noticed a thing as they continued on their way.
Knock, knock.
A soft tapping came from Jayna’s door.
“My lady, I brought you a surprise treat.”
When Jayna opened the door, a sweet fragrance wafted in.
Smiling, Yurika held a tray with milk tea, cranberry scones, and cocoa cookies.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, and gentle wisps of steam rose from the milk tea like mirages.
“Please, set it down—you must be tired carrying that.”
Jayna quickly guided Yurika to the sunlit table.
Beside a vase of colorful tulips, the two enjoyed an impromptu afternoon tea.
“I’m glad you like it, my lady.”
Seeing Jayna’s cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s, Yurika chuckled softly.
“The kitchen staff aren’t as skilled as Lady Hilbengia, but they’re still quite good.”
“Please tell the chefs I’m very grateful.”
The cranberry scone was crisp on the outside and moist inside. The cocoa cookies weren’t overly sweet, pairing perfectly with the sugary milk tea.
“But—where’s your milk tea, Yurika?”
“I brought it just for you, my lady.”
Though she usually liked both tea and milk separately…
‘But not together, apparently. People’s tastes really are delicate.’
Jayna nodded inwardly.
‘Honestly, this milk tea is a little… too sweet for me.’
It tasted as though someone had added more sugar than the recipe called for—and she could even feel undissolved sugar granules at the bottom.
“Thank you for the treat.”
Still, she didn’t show it on her face. She didn’t want to embarrass Yurika.
‘Good thing only I drank the milk tea.’
After lunch and such a heavy snack, she was quite full.
Sensing this, Yurika smiled again.
“Shall we take a little walk? The upper floors of the Tower are quite beautiful.”
“You’ve been to the upper floors before?”
Ordinary residents and even most magicians weren’t allowed to come and go up there freely.
Jayna tilted her head in curiosity, but Yurika only smiled mysteriously.
“I wanted to show you something interesting.”
“You’ve been up there before, Yurika?”
Yurika didn’t answer—she simply turned her back.
The decision to go had apparently already been made.
‘This is the first time she’s ever taken the lead like this.’
Normally, Yurika always asked for Jayna’s opinion first. This time, though, she seemed unusually eager.
“Meow.”
Izren, who had been dozing in a sunbeam, stretched lazily and padded after them in her cat form.
She’d been following Jayna like that ever since Charlotte had thrown her out of class for being a “distraction.” Apparently, Izren thought it was easier to protect Jayna this way.
‘Well, she can help if anything happens. The Tower seems safe enough, though.’
Jayna and Yurika left the room and began ascending the Tower.
A winding spiral staircase.
After several floors, Jayna glanced down.
“We’re higher up than I thought.”
“The weather’s nice—it’ll be beautiful to see the sky from the top.”
Hadn’t they already seen enough sky earlier?
Still, Jayna wasn’t the type to ruin someone’s mood by pointing that out.
‘Isn’t it hard for Izren to climb in that cat form?’
Jayna looked back briefly, then turned away again. She was starting to get winded herself from climbing nonstop.
Being a dragon helped; an ordinary child would’ve collapsed by now.
‘Most magicians just fly instead of taking the stairs…’
Then she realized—Yurika didn’t look tired at all.
‘Wait… isn’t she human? Shouldn’t she be out of breath?’
Jayna was about to ask if she was okay when Yurika suddenly stopped and turned around with a strange smile.
“Can you see the sky clearly, my lady?”
Jayna looked up at the wide opening above—the Tower’s high, open ceiling.
They had indeed climbed quite high, and the sky was visible… but it wasn’t all that different from before.
“That’s unfortunate. I wanted your last sight to be something more beautiful.”
And with that, Yurika lunged, grabbing Jayna by the collar.
Thud!
The attack was so sudden that Jayna couldn’t react.
Not just sudden—inhumanly fast.
And her grip—strong enough to lift Jayna off the ground with one hand!
“Ugh…”
Jayna struggled, choking, her vision blurring as she caught a glimpse of Yurika’s unfamiliar smile.
‘…That’s not Yurika.’
The thought flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t move—her throat was squeezed too tight.
Just then—
“My lady!”
Izren, still in mid-transformation, charged at Yurika with a roar.
