Chapter 13
When I first discovered Ethan’s secret, there was one question that bothered me more than anything else.
Why did Ethan hide himself in the Mage Tower?
Ethan Clovis was a cruel and cold-blooded man who eliminated anything that stood in his way.
In the original story, he killed Eunice without hesitation for the single reason that she had helped Rose connect with Julius—and then openly told Rose about it, as if it were nothing.
Yeah. A lunatic on a whole different level.
Our sub–male lead, who could have lived flamboyantly on his own merits even without the Mage Tower, lacked only one thing.
Rose Ricetta, the female protagonist.
But that Rose Ricetta had become someone who no longer existed in this world.
One of Ethan’s greatest goals had been completely erased.
And yet, despite that, Ethan suppressed his temper and slipped into the Mage Tower, groveling under a sly tower master like Theodore.
Which meant one thing—
there was something here that Ethan desperately wanted.
But what is he rushing around looking for so seriously? Is he searching for something?
Our tower master may look airheaded and harmless, but his instincts are surprisingly sharp. You’d better be careful when pulling tricks.
Indeed, Ethan already seemed to be carefully observing the Mage Tower, as if searching for something.
At first, I’d been curious about what that might be.
But not anymore.
Now that I knew Claude was none other than Ethan Clovis—the mad dog from the original story—his strange behavior was easy enough to understand.
He came here to solve his curse.
In the original story, Ethan Clovis’s greatest goal was to possess Rose Ricetta.
But just as important was his desire to erase the demonic power flowing through his body.
The way to break Ethan’s curse was to overwhelm the demonic power with something equally powerful.
The most effective force was divine power—but when two opposing forces collided, the one who had to endure it, Ethan himself, could die.
So Ethan chose magic instead.
He searched for a mana stone that could amplify it.
Which meant that, in the original story, Ethan needed Rose Ricetta not only because he was drawn to her—but because breaking his curse depended on her.
The Ricetta family possessed one of the few mana stones on the continent.
At first, Ethan approached Rose solely to steal that mana stone.
But as his feelings for her gradually became genuine, the story spiraled into tragedy.
Seen that way, it was easy to understand why Ethan endured humiliation after humiliation to sneak into the Mage Tower.
He’s trying to steal the mana stone Theodore treasures so much!
With Rose dead and the mana stone now unobtainable, he chose the Mage Tower as his alternative.
Only then did I fully grasp the situation and nod to myself.
That was when Ethan, who had been watching my reaction, slightly furrowed his brow.
…He noticed.
Maybe because he really was a mad dog—he could sense it instantly when someone was badmouthing him.
I laughed awkwardly, forcing out an ahaha with a dazed expression.
Alright! Situation understood!
But even if I understood everything—
I wasn’t the novel’s heroine.
And I wasn’t about to stupidly reveal that I knew all of this.
If I slip up and say the wrong thing, I’ll end up completely wrapped around Ethan’s finger!
Having steeled my resolve, I raised my right hand high before Ethan could speak.
“Me! Me!”
“What are you doing?”
As Ethan crossed his arms and stood crookedly, I sent him a bright, reassuring look.
“I won’t tell anyone that you snuck into the Mage Tower, Ethan!”
“…?”
“And I won’t tell anyone that you’re sweet-talking the tower master and doing suspicious things here either!”
So don’t worry! Wink.
I confidently winked at him.
But instead of relaxing, Ethan dropped his casual demeanor and glared at me sharply.
…Was that not it?
Unlike my earlier confidence, I shrank slightly and carefully watched his reaction.
When I glanced at him, Ethan suddenly smiled—an oddly cheerful smile that didn’t suit him at all.
“Of course.”
“…Pardon?”
“The moment you speak of it aloud, you’ll disappear before your voice even finishes scattering into the air.”
“……”
“If you want to keep hold of that flimsy life of yours, you’d better watch your mouth.”
Sir, you really shouldn’t say things like that so casually.
I felt Ethan’s cold gaze slowly coil around my body.
For a moment, I wondered if I should run right now.
But my stiffened body refused to move.
When I looked up at him with a pale face, Ethan merely shrugged as if it were none of his concern.
In this situation, there was only one thing I could do.
“…Yes, sir.”
I bowed my head and surrendered quietly.
Ethan frowned slightly, clearly annoyed by my strange form of address.
But by now, I was trained well enough that this level of intimidation no longer terrified me—I managed an awkward laugh instead.
Ethan simply shook his head and let it go.
Just as I was adjusting myself to suit Ethan, he seemed to be gradually adjusting to my odd behavior as well.
It was… a strange feeling.
Still, I nodded in quiet satisfaction.
Even the Ethan who had treated me like an enemy moments ago had restrained his ferocity.
If I wanted a rational conversation, now was the perfect time.
“Then… may I ask you something?”
“Think carefully.”
“Huh?”
At the sudden warning, I tilted my head.
Ethan stared straight at me with a colder expression than ever.
“If you say something as ridiculous as before…”
He trailed off deliberately, fixing me with a piercing stare.
I had a pretty good idea what he hadn’t said.
I won’t let you off so easily…?
Rubbing my forehead, I sighed inwardly.
I’d barely escaped death—and now this?
Still, backing down wasn’t an option.
With trembling eyes, I stood before him.
As his curious red eyes settled on me, I spoke, bracing myself.
“You said it yourself. That I’m the only person who survived your curse.”
“……”
“So what exactly is that curse?”
I knew how sensitive a topic it was—for both of us.
But I also knew that avoiding it would only make our fragile relationship even more dangerous.
So despite his warning, I brought up the subject he hated most.
Ethan’s reaction was far more intense than I expected.
“Are you curious?”
“…What?”
“About what it feels like to die in agony within that curse?”
“……”
“If you’re curious, I could show you myself.”
The problem was—
this “intense reaction” was nothing like what I’d imagined.
“Ah—no! Absolutely not! I value my life more than anything in this world!”
“Hm. For someone like that, your boldness in front of me is rather irritating.”
“…You wouldn’t enjoy it if I cried and begged, would you?”
Don’t tell me that’s your preference—
I stared at him in horror.
Ethan frowned elegantly and warned me in a low voice.
“Stop with the useless thoughts.”
“…You noticed?”
“You weren’t even trying to hide it.”
“That’s true.”
When I quickly agreed, Ethan sighed and shook his head.
So… I survived, at least for now?
In any case, if I couldn’t escape Ethan no matter what, it was better to at least keep him interested.
Not that his interest would fade once he realized his curse doesn’t work on me.
The realization drained me, and I let out a tired sigh.
Watching me, Ethan chuckled softly.
“Still. You’re more entertaining when you act boldly like this.”
“…I’m desperately struggling to survive, you know.”
“That’s exactly why it’s entertaining.”
“…Ah. Yes. I’m sure it is.”
I finished weakly, resigned.
Then Ethan spoke again, his voice tinged with curiosity.
“You asked what my curse is?”
“…Yes. Is that terrifying aura I saw before the curse?”
“Half right. Half wrong.”
I tilted my head at his cryptic answer.
He’d been perfectly clear about killing me earlier—so why was he being vague now?
I pouted slightly in irritation.
Ethan wore an unreadable expression, whether he understood me or not.
As I stood there uncertainly, he suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Ah! W-wait—why again?!”
“I’m not going to kill you, so don’t panic.”
“Even if you say that…”
I couldn’t hide my trembling gaze as I looked up at him.
“Close your eyes.”
“…What are you planning to do?”
See? I knew it.
“Don’t make me reconsider sparing you. Just do as you’re told.”
“I’m closing them.”
As I shut my eyes, pitch-black darkness filled my vision.
With my sight gone, my senses sharpened instinctively.
Soon, I felt blue mana flowing through the darkness.
“You can feel your mana, right?”
“Yes. Very clearly.”
Do you know how much hell Theodore put me through just to make me control this?!
As old memories resurfaced, Ethan continued.
“Then can you feel my mana?”
“Huh? Of course I—”
I froze mid-sentence.
The power I felt was overwhelmingly intense—nothing like the gentle flow within my body.
“Aah!”
Unable to endure it, I quickly opened my eyes.
Ethan’s red eyes were already watching my startled face.
As if he’d expected this reaction, he remained calm.
“I told you earlier. Half right, half wrong.”
“…Yes.”
“This is why.”
He finished briefly and tightened his grip on my hand.
Not understanding his intention, I watched silently.
Ethan placed my hand against his chest.
Thump, thump.
I could clearly feel his heartbeat.
“W-what are you doing?!”
I tried to pull away in shock, but his grip was too strong.
Watching my reaction indifferently, Ethan said:
“Demonic power flows within my mana.”
