Chapter 18
Somehow, Suspicious People (3)
I lowered my head, fiddling nervously with my hair.
“R-right? It must look unusual to Your Grace as well…”
Honestly, I’d never seen anyone else with hair like mine. Not in the 19 years of my past life, nor in the 19 years of this one.
“….”
“….”
I don’t know how long the silence lasted. Eventually, the presence in front of me disappeared, followed by the sound of quiet footsteps.
When I looked up, Eclipse was already back at his desk.
“I’ve kept you too long. You may return for today.”
He placed my lesson materials neatly back onto my cart.
I bowed deeply, then hurried out of the office.
“Haa… haa…”
By the time I stopped, out of breath, I had reached the classroom. I parked the cart outside the door and leaned against the wall.
‘Ugh, why did I get so flustered?’
My brain, which had been working fine when there was distance between us, froze completely when I stood so close to Eclipse.
“Why’d you do that, huh?”
I slapped both cheeks with my palms, scolding myself. I’d been talking smoothly until the very end—only to mess it all up.
That’s when a cheerful voice spoke up:
“Oh? I don’t think we’ve met before.”
I turned. A man with pale sky-blue hair and bright red eyes stood before me. His impression was gentle, friendly. Tilting his head curiously, he let out a short exclamation.
“Ah, are you the new magic tutor? The one Saintess Lynette personally scouted?”
I dropped my hands from my face, realizing he must have heard about me already.
“Yes, that’s me.”
At my reply, the man grinned.
“I knew it. Your hair color is so unique—it gave you away immediately.”
(…Says the man whose own hair is sky-blue. Did he forget?)
‘But… who is this guy again?’
Sky-blue hair and red eyes—such a striking combination, I should’ve remembered.
As I searched my memory, he introduced himself:
“Ash Hart. I teach etiquette to Lady Lynette.”
Ash Hart? That name rang a bell. My eyes widened as I recalled.
‘Oh—that Ash Hart. The one who used to be a notorious rake in society, until he completely turned his life around…’
He had nearly ended up on Eclipse’s chopping block. I had expected him to look wild or indulgent, but—
‘He’s… surprisingly proper-looking.’
Whatever happened, it seemed he had truly reformed.
He smiled warmly at me, snapping me back to reality.
I quickly bowed.
“Elsie Bloomhire. Pleased to meet you.”
“Same here, Miss Bloomhire. Let’s get along as fellow teachers.”
So much for my prejudice—he was a very approachable man.
Meanwhile, in Eclipse’s office
Suspicion often breeds curiosity. And to Eclipse, Elsie was exactly that sort of person.
“Silbern, still no word from Jade?”
“No. Only that we must wait a little longer.”
Eclipse let out a small sigh. It had already been days since he’d sent the request, yet there was still no result. Should it really have taken this long?
Watching his lord’s troubled expression, Silbern quickly added:
“They say the object you sent for analysis is a magic tool made with very powerful mana.”
“A magic tool?”
“Yes.”
Silbern nodded firmly.
“Though it is strange, isn’t it? Even the Tower Master struggles to handle it. Why would something like that be found in Your Grace’s office?”
The request had been about the violet powder discovered on the office floor not long ago.
“Of course I’ll take the Archduke’s request! Leave it to me!”
That was how Jade—the greatest archmage on the continent, and master of the Mage Tower in the towering Hern Mountains—had responded. He was careless and frivolous, yes, but his skills were unquestionable.
“Still, it’s unusual. He’s never taken this long before. But don’t worry—the results will come soon. It’s Jade, after all.”
Even the meticulous Silbern trusted Jade’s abilities completely. For him to struggle this much… it was almost unheard of.
‘Just what kind of object is it…?’
Then came a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
It was Penny, Elsie’s assigned maid. She bowed respectfully and handed Eclipse a small envelope.
Inside was exactly what he had ordered: a strand of Elsie’s hair.
“Well done. You may go.”
After Penny left, Eclipse opened his desk drawer. Inside was a glass vial containing a pink strand of hair.
‘As I thought.’
The new strand matched perfectly with the one already in the vial.
‘So nothing changes.’
He had already suspected this, but he disliked leaving things vague. Now it was confirmed—Elsie Bloomhire was directly tied to the strange events of late.
‘That woman… what is she really plotting?’
He had only allowed her into the mansion at Lynette’s request, but his doubts remained.
What confused him most was something she herself had said:
“Um, can’t you give me a lifetime contract?”
Yes—that. A lifetime contract.
Eclipse could not make sense of it. If any other servant had asked, it would have been understandable. For those who lived day to day, nothing mattered more than job security and steady pay.
He knew that better than anyone—though he was now a noble, he had once been a commoner himself.
But Elsie was different.
Could a woman so suspicious, exuding secrets at every turn, really have asked that out of nothing more than a desire for job security?
‘Impossible.’
In his office alone remained three things: the strand of hair, the vial of mysterious powder, and the witch who had saved Lynette by coincidence.
All three pointed to one name—Elsie Bloomhire.
And now, Jade’s analysis confirmed that the violet powder was indeed part of a powerful magic tool.
“Your Grace, regarding her livelihood before entering the estate—she sold magic tools to survive.”
“Yes. Magic tools, you say.”
It was exactly what Elsie had admitted herself: before becoming Lynette’s tutor, she had lived as a street vendor, selling magic items.
‘Then… could that powder also be hers?’
If so, then Silbern’s earlier words carried even more weight.
“They say the object is a magic tool, crafted with immense mana.”
Crafted with immense mana…
‘So that’s how she saw through Lynette’s secret? With such skill, it’s possible.’
A mage capable of making tools even the Tower Master found difficult. Such a person could easily notice Lynette’s incomplete awakening.
‘There must be another motive. I cannot let down my guard.’
Her enthusiasm for Lynette’s lessons.
Her eagerness to read every book.
Her too-perfect compliments.
It all had to be calculated.
So then why—
“Soon, I’ll bring in more books. Could you assist me?”
“If you need anything for lessons, just ask. Don’t worry about the budget.”
—why had he said something so foolish?
To show kindness to someone he should be wary of.
Closing his eyes, Eclipse pressed his fingers to his brow.
‘…I must be sleep-deprived. My judgment is slipping.’
To think he’d acted as though ready to hand her everything, just because of a few flattering words.
He recalled her earlier compliment:
“The one who chose those books has excellent taste. They were all first-rate.”
It was so obviously an attempt to soften his guard—and he had fallen right into it.
