Chapter 16
“From now on, whether we like it or not, we’ll be stuck together. Shouldn’t we at least have a plausible excuse that won’t raise suspicion?”
“In the Mage Tower, it’s just the tower master’s damned two disciples. Outside… you’ll find out soon enough.”
With that bold declaration, Ethan left my room almost immediately, despite being dressed to impress.
I worried that he might be hiding somewhere, scheming some trick, but fortunately, he had fully retreated from my room.
So, I had no clue why he had come to see me, why he’d gone to such lengths to dress up, or anything else.
Still, I didn’t foolishly chase after him to demand answers.
“That’s just like Ethan.”
Why would a mad dog have a reason for his madness?
But a madman with a reason is scarier than one without.
“Maybe it’s for the best that he left so easily.”
I settled on that simple conclusion and sat in my room, welcoming Ethan’s departure.
I didn’t take long, however, to realize that my thinking had been naïve… and that Ethan wasn’t just a madman—he was the madman of madmen.
“…An engagement?”
I stood there, stunned, staring at my mother, who had come barging in with exaggerated excitement.
I couldn’t see her face, but I could easily imagine the expression.
‘What kind of nonsense… no, what kind of ridiculous chatter is this?’
My icy expression probably made my thoughts clear enough.
Yet, without even acknowledging my reaction, Mother nodded enthusiastically, speaking with unrestrained glee.
Caught off guard, I stared at her blankly before letting out a quiet, “Ah—” of disbelief.
“With whom?”
I started to understand the situation.
I am, after all, the only daughter of a respected count’s family. A marriage proposal or two was expected.
Hmm. That’s understandable…
“With whom, you ask? Why, it’s His Highness, Grand Duke Clovis!”
…No!
Impossible!
“Look at her expression! One would think she’s just been struck by lightning from a clear sky! Isn’t it because she’s embarrassed?”
Wow. Mother, you are sharp as ever.
Yes, I do feel like I’ve just been struck by lightning from a clear sky.
And then…
“Oh, you don’t have to hide anything from me!”
Before I could even respond, Mother spoke in a joyful voice.
My head spun, and I instinctively touched my forehead. Shaking it, I finally denied it.
‘Right, while I wasn’t paying attention, some other conversation must have taken place.’
I wiped the shock off my face and looked at Mother with a deliberately light expression.
I’m fine! Totally fine! Fully in control!
“Hmm. I must have missed that. You said His Highness, Grand Duke Clovis, right? And he’s… engaged to whom?”
“To whom, indeed? Why, of course, it’s you!”
“Ah… me…? So, I’m engaged to…?”
“…Grand Duke Clovis?”
The confident expression on Mother’s face faltered slightly. Yet I still couldn’t comprehend her words.
“Ah… so you mean…”
“Yunis! Stop it! That’s enough!”
Caught in the whirlwind of conversation, Mother finally intervened, unable to endure my confusion any longer.
Still, she lingered for a while, holding onto me and repeating, “Grand Duke Clovis has proposed to you!”—explaining something I still couldn’t wrap my head around.
Even Mother, persistent as she was, eventually gave up trying to make me understand and stepped back.
After she left, I remained sitting quietly in my room.
Then, as if hit by a sudden realization, I snapped upright and shouted:
“You reckless madman!”
Only after that burst of frustration did I begin scanning my surroundings, slightly trembling.
‘Even Ethan, as mad as he is, isn’t eavesdropping on me somewhere, is he?’
He’s not hiding, waiting for me to complain about him, right?
After a thorough check and confirming Ethan was nowhere in sight, I let out a long, exhausted sigh and sat down.
Sitting calmly, the situation finally sank in.
‘We haven’t even defined our relationship yet.’
I didn’t realize it would mean this!
I reflected on the absurdity of it, slowly processing:
I am… engaged.
To Ethan Clovis.
Which means…
‘…Hell!’
No need to overthink it. Pure, utter hell!
If I’m engaged, I’ll be dragged straight to the Clovis estate.
Ethan, who already comes and goes through the Servita estate as if it were his own home, will not simply let a trapped prey go willingly.
I stared blankly out the window, thinking to myself.
…Should I run now?
‘The moment you try to escape me, that magic will surge through your body, leaving you to die in agony.’
Wow… I’m doomed.
Then maybe I should hide somewhere Ethan can’t find me?
‘Yunis… are you really going to run from me? If you don’t show up on the day we agreed, I’ll rain meteors everywhere and throw a fit.’
Ah… it’s not just doomed; it’s utterly hopeless.
The tower master is no help at all in life.
‘What… am I supposed to do?’
There is absolutely no solution to that question.
Three days passed.
It had been three days since Ethan threw that ridiculous engagement letter at me and ran off.
Three days since the day I was supposed to report back to the Mage Tower.
By rights, I should have returned to the Mage Tower three days ago, yet I was still trapped inside the Servita estate.
Not only that, but I stayed holed up in my room until dark.
Sitting at my desk, I glared at the engagement letter as if I could kill it with my stare.
“Just now, His Highness, Grand Duke Clovis, came by! What a romantic gesture! He gave the engagement letter shyly as a surprise, just for you!”
…A surprise, yes, but I didn’t even know I was getting engaged.
If I’d said that, Mother, who cherishes her daughter dearly, might have collapsed from shock.
Even after three days, her joyful voice echoed clearly in my head.
The bright, lively tone only made my already chaotic mind feel worse.
I sighed and lowered my gaze.
The engagement letter bore Ethan’s elegant signature, with my name next to it, glaringly empty of any sense of compatibility.
[Ethan Clovis. Yunis Servita.]
The two of us couldn’t be more mismatched—yet somehow we were engaged.
Thinking it over again, it was impossible not to be annoyed with this reckless madman.
“What kind of proposal is this, completely devoid of mood!”
I jumped up, shouting indignantly.
My romantic ideals about proposals had been completely shattered by this ridiculous stunt!
That handsome, beautiful face—what a waste!
If only he had smiled gently, acted charming, used that cursed promise as an excuse… maybe I would’ve gone along with it, my eyes happy.
Why does his meticulous personality vanish at a time like this?
‘…Is this really it?’
Grumbling, I crossed my arms and huffed in mock sulkiness.
Still unsatisfied, I pouted and perched on the edge of my bed.
‘…No wonder he’s a madman.’
I said it playfully, but in truth, I was genuinely troubled.
Yet nothing went according to plan, so I buried my face in my hands in frustration.
“Haah… what should I do?”
“Do what you must. Accept it gracefully.”
Amid my melancholy, an indifferent voice intruded, showing no sympathy for my emotions.
I wish I hadn’t recognized whose voice it was.
Despite my mind, my body instinctively reacted, recalling the voice immediately.
“Eek!”
Looking up, I saw Ethan casually perched by the window.
He looked as if he found my personal little drama immensely entertaining.
“…You make quite a dramatic entrance, even today.”
Having experienced this before, I walked toward him calmly, feigning no surprise.
Under Ethan’s curious gaze, I confidently raised my index finger at him.
“It seems you’ve made a habit of sneaking through windows. That counts as breaking and entering. I’m going to report you.”
After losing my composure for three days, I oddly tried to warn him with a stern tone.
I tried to look intimidating, but Ethan only gave a teasing smile.
“Go ahead. Try it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Who else could talk such nonsense at me, if not you?”
“….”
“If there is such a person, I’d like to see them too.”
…Indeed. I’d like to see that as well.
‘I’d rather learn how to mess with Ethan while he’s my lifelong master than serve that damned tower master.’
While thinking that absurd thought and chuckling, Ethan leapt from the window and strode confidently toward me.
He approached and cast his shadow over me, looking proudly dominant.
His gaze landed on me, and he chuckled.
“You’ve been up to something pretty while I wasn’t looking, haven’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
I didn’t immediately understand, tilting my head.
Ethan watched my puzzled expression and then lowered his gaze.
Following his eyes, I finally realized and let out a low, “Ah—” of understanding.
