Chapter 59
When the door closed, Licht sat down in the office chair and turned his gaze to the artifact placed on the desk. It was a small piece. Perhaps just a little smaller than the palm of his hand.
What pleased him most was how it captured Edel’s features, one by one, with such detail. Licht’s careful fingertips brushed over the silver strands of hair.
But if there was one regret, it was that the vivid lavender hue hadn’t been expressed properly. Nor had the faint blush that always crept onto her cheeks whenever she faced him.
Edel had given Licht the artifact during dinner the night before.
“If… if you don’t need it, you can just tuck it away somewhere! But I thought it was proper to give it as a gift anyway, since you’ve helped us so much. And besides, Lelia and Marine begged me to make sure you received it.”
Not needed? Could there be any gift he desired more desperately? Every day, he had awaited dinner time with her. But now, he could spend time looking at a little Edel whenever he wished. Nothing could be more satisfying.
“This artifact is currently set up to let you communicate with me. Of course, if you want to change the settings, you can ask Lelia—or actually, you can probably do it yourself!”
He had once given Edel a communication orb as a gift, though he had said it was for her safety. Because of that excuse, he had hesitated to use it first. But since this was Edel’s gift, perhaps he could allow himself to use it at least once.
After fiddling with the artifact for a long while, Licht pulled a stack of documents from beside his desk. His lazily softened blue eyes sharpened in an instant.
It was a report on the black magic cast into the magic stones presented by Lady Bastille. The traces hadn’t been left intact, so they couldn’t be fully analyzed, but one thing was certain: the apostle who had infiltrated the banquet was no small fry. That was why the Emperor had hastily ordered the barrier reinforcement.
“It will begin soon.”
By now, most of the necessary personnel should have arrived at the imperial palace. For a while, there would be little time for training—or for meals with Edel. The thought furrowed Licht’s brow. But there was no helping it.
He was the one who had insisted Edel would be safer in the palace. And yet now, she was being dragged into danger. That fact made his nerves razor-sharp at all times. Still, Edel was also the only one who could dull those nerves—or melt them away entirely.
If more danger arose in the palace, who knew what kind of reaction the formidable Duke Meliz might have. So ensuring the palace’s safety was important not only for Edel, but for Licht himself as well.
With a small sigh, Licht tightened his focus and began reading the report thoroughly.
“What is this?”
“The Ludensa Daily. It’s one of the biggest newspapers in Ludensa.”
“Ah, no, I know it’s a newspaper…”
Early in the morning, I was still half-asleep when Marine and Lelia knocked and woke me. But the bold letters printed on the newspaper Marine held in her hands quickly drove away any lingering drowsiness.
[The Hidden Jewel of the Magic Tower, Edel. Who Is She?]
There, right beneath the title—smaller only than the newspaper’s name—was my own name. And below that… wasn’t that the back of my head in the photo?!
“Why is my name here?”
My voice trembled with panic. Lelia, noticing my unsettled state, hesitated before answering.
“It seems that the artifact we created has gotten an even bigger reaction than we expected.”
Big enough for a full newspaper article?! I was too shocked to even reply as I took the paper from Lelia and spread it open. From the front page to the third page, a special feature spanned across, full of photos and writing.
My eyes darted over the article in haste. The first part was full of descriptions and praise for the artifact, along with news that people were lining up to place preorders.
Then, my name—Edel—began to appear. My eyes moved down the page and froze.
What the hell?!
I swallowed my curse before it slipped out loud. Because right there, at the center of the article, was an illustration of me—being held in Licht’s arms.
They probably hadn’t been able to use a photo because, at the time, no one would have had the presence of mind to pull out a photo artifact. But still, to draw it?!
“What is this supposed to be…”
“……”
Both Lelia and Marine, realizing what I was pointing at, said nothing. Marine even turned her eyes away with a strangely shy expression. What on earth was wrong with them?! Pressing a hand to my throbbing head, I forced myself to look back at the article.
Words like “held in his arms” and “close relationship” appeared again and again—phrases sure to cause misunderstandings for anyone reading. It would be all too easy for someone to think there was something between me and Licht.
Well, not that nothing happened… but it’s not like something actually did either. Not that I want something to happen…
My head was a storm. Tonight, I’d be facing Licht at dinner. What would he think if he saw this illustration in the paper?
I hoped desperately that Licht hadn’t seen it. But there was no chance of that. This was one of the Empire’s biggest newspapers, covering his own welcome banquet. Of course he would have seen it.
“The good news is, the response to the artifact is overwhelmingly positive. And that’s all thanks to your idea, Edel!”
Marine tried to lighten the mood with her bright tone, seeing my darkening expression. And she wasn’t wrong—the response had been far beyond anything I expected.
The concept of a “tiny fairy in your pocket” seemed especially appealing to lovers who wanted to share secret conversations. People were lining up to buy it as gifts for their partners. Truly, the results of our first product using Bastille’s magic stones were more than satisfactory.
“I only provided the initial idea. Marine’s design and Lelia’s engineering are what made it real.”
And that was true. Anyone could come up with an idea. The hard part was turning it into reality. Thanks to experiences from my past life, I knew that better than anyone.
My sincere words of praise left Marine and Lelia briefly speechless.
“You flatter us.”
“We’ve also been receiving floods of letters from young ladies of the capital’s social circles. They’re all very curious about you, Edel. Many are asking if you’d be willing to join them for tea…”
“Haha, me?”
At Licht’s banquet, the noble ladies had been more friendly than I expected. A few had even invited me for tea. But from what I knew after devouring countless romance novels, not all noble ladies could be trusted to be so kind. So I hesitated to give a firm yes.
“One family we’ve kept in touch with for a long time—though we haven’t met recently—has also written. They’re interested in distributing the artifact to other cities outside the capital, and in Bastille’s magic stones as well.”
“Other cities?”
“Yes. They believe they could help with distribution outside the capital.”
It was an intriguing offer. For now, production and distribution were being handled through Jen’s trading company, the Jensky Merchant Guild. But once awareness grew, expanding beyond the capital was the obvious next step.
Of course, there’s no way we could put this much effort into every artifact we produce. The smart move is to ride the current popularity, then release a mass-market version.
I quietly crunched the numbers in my head. That way, when the time came, I could exit the business cleanly. My ultimate goal in this life was to secure a comfortable, leisurely retirement, complete with steady passive income.
“You’re right. For now, Jen is helping, but if we expand beyond the capital, working with other guilds might be necessary.”
My positive response brightened Marine’s expression. She hesitated for a moment, clutching the hem of her fluttering dress, before speaking again.
“Actually… there are many young ladies who want to meet you in person, Edel—my muse. If it’s all right with you, perhaps we could invite a few of them to the palace?”
“To the palace?”
A muse? That was embarrassing. But seeing Marine’s nervous face, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse. After all, this was probably the first time she had ever created something herself. Of course she’d want to show it off if the results were this good.
She probably just wants to brag to her friends, right?
It wasn’t a big deal. At most, it would be like the banquet—sitting among the young ladies, enjoying tasty sweets, and chatting. Time would fly. In fact, since the banquet had been full of tension, maybe this time it could actually be fun.
The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. Smiling brightly, I gave Marine my answer.
“Of course. I’d love to!”
