Chapter 56…
“No. I’m the king, so I’m not going!”
Dealing with the mage would come later.
Besides, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t use magic without going to the Magic Tower.
The real problem had been that she couldn’t handle the overflowing mana — not that she didn’t know magic.
Learning spells wouldn’t necessarily solve that.
“T-then… you’re not going to be a magician with us?”
Vivian asked, eyes wide.
If you didn’t go to the Magic Tower, you couldn’t become a mage — that was the limit of what she knew about magicians.
“Um… I will be a magician too, but…”
“What about our mage squad?”
“I’ll do that too, but…”
Ellie couldn’t give a clear answer to anything.
Her evasive tone made Vivian wilt.
“D-don’t tell me… you’ve lost interest in being a magician?”
“No, it’s not that… But I heard that not everyone can become one.”
“Eh?! Really?”
“Yeah. You have to be born with mana to do it.”
“Ahh, I see… But how do you find that out?”
Ellie shrugged.
Nilit had found out somehow, but Ellie had never done it herself. Still, there was Nilit in the royal palace.
“Can’t we just ask the mage?”
“Oh! That’ll work!”
“Can we go ask right now?”
“Me too, me too!”
Everyone was eager.
Vivian, the most impatient of the bunch, ran straight for the door.
“Steward! Could you call the mage—oh?”
But it wasn’t the steward waiting outside.
“D-Duke Wheaton?”
“Oh, Lady Senol, isn’t it?”
Duke Wheaton stood there smiling pleasantly, a bouquet in his hands.
Behind him stood Lady Raval, Marquis Simon, and Lilkia — all looking very tense.
“Good afternoon.”
Vivian hastily lowered her hands, grabbed her skirt, and curtsied neatly.
“Oh my, it seems I’m a step late. I just wondered if I might deliver a small gift — but it seems I wasn’t the first guest today.”
Ellie frowned.
‘Liar.’
She had already heard the commotion outside earlier. There was no way he hadn’t.
He must have been lurking somewhere, watching Vivian, Jurna, and Cleus enter — waiting for his chance.
If she let them in but refused him, it would look bad — and he knew it.
“May I come in as well, Your Majesty?”
He asked with an innocent smile.
“…Come in.”
Ellie allowed him in — she wanted to hear what he was scheming this time.
She remembered the way he used to frighten Princess Ellia with his words:
“The envoy coming this time is terrifying, Your Majesty. You might faint the moment you see his face!”
“I heard people gossiping about Your Majesty’s fashion sense behind your back. If this continues, they’ll mock you!”
“There’s no need for you to review such documents yourself. Keep reading them and your eyesight will fail — you could go blind!”
Princess Ellia had fallen for all of it — and even Lady Raval had been fooled alongside her.
He had tried similar tricks on Ellie during her examination, too.
‘Let’s see what kind of threat he tries this time.’
After all, every “threat” he made revealed a card he held.
Now was the time to watch and learn.
Ellie fixed her sharp eyes on the smiling duke as he approached.
Seen like this, he almost looked like a kind uncle — gentle, warm, harmless.
“How have you been feeling, Your Majesty? I’ve been terribly worried.”
“Really?”
“Of course! You are the pillar of Nerendis — how could I not worry?”
The irony made Ellie’s skin crawl.
If she’d overworked herself and fallen ill, it was because of him — because she’d pushed herself to study and outsmart his manipulations.
And now the cause of it all was pretending to worry? It was infuriating.
Ellie glared at him, silent.
The duke kept his smile, unbothered by her cold stare.
“I must apologize for not realizing how frail Your Majesty’s health was.”
“How is that your fault?”
Ellie knew he was the cause, but not responsible.
Responsibility implied authority — and she’d already learned from books that giving someone responsibility gave them power, too.
She wouldn’t give this man any of that.
“If I had known Your Majesty’s condition, I would have insisted on taking more burden upon myself, as your loyal subject.”
There it was. The same trick again.
That’s how he’d ensnared Princess Ellia — who’d been even frailer than Ellie, always catching colds and fainting from the slightest exertion.
He’d said:
“Allow me, your humble servant, to shoulder more of your duties. You should rest, eat well, and regain your strength.”
And Ellia had listened — and been ruined.
Ellie’s eyes hardened.
“No. I’ll do my own work.”
“…Is that so.”
The duke smoothly brushed it off and handed her the bouquet.
“Then at least accept my heart. Flowers and a small gift.”
The bouquet was enormous — nearly as big as Ellie herself.
And the gift…
Ah! The gift!
The bouquet!
The children’s faces fell one by one.
They had tried their best, but compared to the duke’s offerings, their letters and modest flowers looked pitiful.
They should have brought presents too — big ones!
Ignoring their crestfallen looks, the duke pressed a small box into Ellie’s hands.
“Would Your Majesty care to open it?”
Ellie ripped off the wrapping without enthusiasm.
Inside was a glass vial, no bigger than her finger.
“What’s this?”
“Perfume — made from Rohen flowers.”
“Oh! Rohen perfume!”
Vivian’s eyes went wide.
“As expected, Lady Senol, ever attuned to the trends of high society, recognizes it.”
“…What is it, exactly?”
It looked like one of her brother’s experimental vials — except prettier, with a painted design and ornate lid.
“Go on, smell it.”
Ellie hesitated but sniffed.
It was fragrant — a floral scent she’d never smelled before.
“It smells like flowers.”
“Yes, a rare fragrance indeed — the Rohen flower grows only in Udelok. It’s said to ease fatigue, improve the skin, and calm the mind.”
“This is really famous! A single bottle costs as much as a carriage!”
Vivian nearly drooled at the sight.
Even if she’d decided to follow Ellie down the mage’s path, she still couldn’t help knowing about society gossip — and this perfume was the coveted item of the season.
Rohen perfume!
But Ellie’s eyes flashed for a different reason.
That was the very perfume that had ruined Princess Ellia.
‘So this is it…’
She sniffed again. Still, it was just perfume — nothing magical about it.
“I prepared it hoping for Your Majesty’s speedy recovery. If you ever need more, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Ellie’s gaze turned icy.
“How much?”
“…Pardon?”
“How much does it cost?”
“Haha, it’s a gift — I couldn’t possibly take payment.”
He waved it off with a laugh.
But Ellie’s cold stare didn’t waver.
“And if I finish it and ask for more — then how much?”
“….”
The duke’s smile froze.
He still had a faint grin, but Ellie saw the chill in his eyes.
“I see Your Majesty already appreciates Rohen’s true worth.”
“I’m not buying.”
Ellie’s words were crisp and final.
Princess Ellia had fallen because of that very perfume.
At first, she hadn’t thought much of it either — just an ordinary gift. But when people began praising and envying her for wearing it, that admiration had become addictive.
It wasn’t the scent that trapped her — it was the praise.
Eventually, Ellia couldn’t live without it and poured the royal treasury into Duke Wheaton’s pockets.
The perfume had only been the beginning.
Everything he offered after that became the next high-society craze.
Princess Ellia gained fame.
Duke Wheaton gained wealth.
Her brother’s words echoed in Ellie’s head:
“Ellie, watch closely. The real question is — who ends up with the money? That’s what matters.”
He’d emphasized that part again and again.
“If the money doesn’t end up in your pocket, you’re just a sucker.”
He’d begged her never to be one.
Ellie took that lesson to heart.
“Give it to me for free.”
And with all the dignity of a monarch — she shamelessly extorted him.
