Chapter 34
“Your skill at cutting off the tail is extraordinary. Is it the teaching of Marquis Kaion?”
“My apologies.”
Glacies Knights’ commander, Lucas, sighed as he flipped through the papers in his hand. Even before Licht’s return, investigations into his curse had been conducted in secret.
“In fact, I’d say it’s even more impressive than that. At this point, really.”
“She hasn’t changed.”
Licht recalled Empress Elicia, who embraced him with a benevolent smile on the day of his return to the palace. The tears brimming in her eyes and her flushed expression were exactly that of a mother welcoming her child back from death.
“She’s so unchanged that it terrifies me, honestly!”
Lucas shivered, running a hand over his thick forearm. Having endured life-and-death trials with Licht, he could easily imagine the threat hidden behind that smile.
“Still, without some kind of lead, how can we bring charges or spread rumors? It’s not easy.”
“If she were the type to leave traces, she wouldn’t have come this far.”
What the Empress wanted was Caidon’s ascension to the throne. But siding with the Apostles was an act that could tarnish his name, so it absolutely had to remain hidden. On top of that, since the Empire’s people frequently suffered from Apostle attacks, this was a matter that could also endanger Marquis Kaion’s household.
The documents Licht had just been reviewing contained the very first order he had issued upon returning to his office at the palace: investigate any links between the Empress’s backing, the Kaion Marquisate, and the villages attacked by Apostles. If they found a connection, it might lead them to her.
But not even a speck had been uncovered. The Kaion family was a prestigious old house with immense political and economic influence. For there to be no connection whatsoever between them and the attacked villages felt unnatural—almost as if the traces had been deliberately erased.
“There will be a crack somewhere. However small. Keep digging.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Licht shifted his gaze to another document. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Lucas hesitating, as if he had something more to say.
“By the way… did you give the gift?”
“Hasn’t it been delivered yet?”
There was a note of expectancy in Lucas’s voice. It was obvious what he was curious about, but Licht deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.
“Haha, since I recommended the artisan, I was just wondering if it turned out well.”
It had indeed been Lucas who introduced the capital’s most renowned jeweler. Licht gave a light nod; regardless of how he knew such a person, the help had been genuine.
“I’ll employ him again next time.”
“Oh, so it was to your liking! That’s a relief.”
“Mm.”
Lucas still seemed eager to ask more, but since Licht remained unmoved, he had no choice but to quietly leave the office.
“……”
Only after the door shut did Licht rise from his seat and approach the window. The Prince’s Garden spread out below, plants shifting with the changing season as the weather grew warmer.
His gaze settled on a corner full of vividly blooming crimson flowers—Procia blossoms, common in the Tower of Magic. Since they thrived in tropical climates like Angresia Forest, growing them in the drier capital required painstaking care, according to the gardener.
‘It should be ready soon.’
A soft fragrance wafted through the air, gentle rather than overwhelming, filling the surroundings if one lingered long enough. It gave Licht a reason to invite Edel to stroll through the garden. By the end of the week, the work of cultivating them would be finished.
He remembered her hair fluttering in the summer breeze, her delighted face as twilight light seeped into the reception hall. She had once gazed out at the sky, saying its hues were as beautiful as the Magic Tower, her violet eyes shining.
“Wow, the forest is filled with Procia flowers now. Soon their color and fragrance will deepen, won’t they?”
Just as Edel had said, by now the entire Tower was probably drenched in the flowers’ perfume. She had looked forward to that day, but suddenly ended up in the Imperial Palace. Would she be disappointed?
A knock sounded, and the steward, Taden, entered holding a thin file.
“The report you requested, Your Highness.”
“Leave it on the desk.”
“Yes, sir.”
As he left, Licht sensed the man glancing at him. Taden had been this way ever since Edel returned to the palace with him—hesitant, watchful. Not only Taden, but Lucas and the other knights as well.
Licht sighed and sat back down. He reached for the file Taden had left: a report on Zenn, said to be Duke Meliz’s disciple.
“He obtained high-level certification remarkably quickly.”
Zenn was more capable than expected. He had earned high-level certification before the age of fifteen and had not gone through official tests since, though evaluations suggested his growth surpassed even that.
Of course—Duke Meliz was not the sort to entrust tasks to someone unworthy.
“He’s older than I thought.”
Though only an estimated age, he was apparently in his mid-thirties. There was no photograph attached. Licht’s brows furrowed as he recalled what Lelia had reported after Zenn’s visit.
“He was very handsome. Outwardly a young man, though he said he was one of Duke Meliz’s long-time disciples.”
“I didn’t hear much more. Edel insisted she needed to speak with him privately, under the Duke’s orders, so I had no choice.”
The fact that he was handsome and appeared young gnawed at Licht’s nerves. That Edel had spoken with him alone bothered him even more. He had waited a week, expecting Edel to tell him something herself, but she never had.
“What is Duke Meliz thinking?”
Licht muttered irritably. He considered contacting the Duke, but realized he had no excuse to.
During the long years bedridden by his curse, Licht had thought constantly: once he awoke, once he could stand again, he would become closer to Edel. He wanted to speak with her more, to give her the things she desired.
And indeed, he had begun offering her little things she might enjoy. Yet Edel only tilted her head and thanked him politely each time.
He wanted to ask about Zenn, but when Edel gave him that blank look, claiming ignorance, he couldn’t press her. Instead, she happily chattered about a new dessert she liked, oblivious to his turmoil.
But that was where it ended. Edel no longer initiated conversations with him. The memory of her sitting by the Tower’s window, chattering endlessly as she watched outside, now felt faint and far away.
Images flashed in his mind: Edel marveling at the palace from her carriage, meeting the Glacies Knights waiting for them, her eyes wide when she saw Lucas.
“……”
A realization struck Licht. He turned, his eyes landing on a small mirror sitting on a cabinet. Without hesitation, he picked it up and examined his reflection.
A pair of drowsy, deep-blue eyes stared back. Stray strands of black hair fell across his forehead, loosened from the tidy style he had combed back that morning. He had run his hand through it so many times that day. He tilted his head awkwardly.
“Not bad.”
He sighed softly, setting the mirror down again. How many times in his life had he ever looked in a mirror by choice? Even to himself, it felt strange.
At least nothing had changed much since waking from the curse. Edel’s beloved face remained intact. So why did unease still gnaw at him? He almost wanted to march to her and demand: “Do you still love me?”
‘She’d be startled.’
She’d probably blush and fail to answer. Licht pictured again Edel’s enigmatic expression—her eyes always flickering as if full of thoughts, her lips parting as though to speak, then closing again.
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the artifact strapped to his wrist. Just a trickle of magic power into it, and he could speak with Edel instantly.
“……”
For a long time he stared at it, but at last he let his sleeve fall again. He resolved instead that one day, he would speak to her properly.
