"That's important. Why didn't His Majesty try to stop the rumors about His Highness the Crown Prince by saying that he was weak to magic? Officially, it was announced that he was weak. In any case, thanks to that, the ominous rumors that His Highness was bringing death have disappeared."
"Yes. In addition, after the quarantine, the speed of the employees' entry has become more thorough, and they are replaced periodically."
The chamberlain cautiously nodded. Only then did Endymion understand why he had remained in hiding for so many years.
Everyone who knew him thought he was weak to magic and would die soon.
He thought he wouldn't be dethroned.
Endymion blinked and listened again.
"Since then, I have been consistently seeking advice from the temple. Aren't there rare cases of temples improving the magical vulnerability? It also happens that the curse and the magical vulnerability symptoms overlap. In any case, the crotwn Prince is already seven years old. If this continues, Semele's fate will be ruined."
The doctor, who was always careful in front of him, spoke sharply.
Endymion blinked strangely and pulled his robe closer because he suddenly felt colder.
"So, a few weeks ago, when the Queen was visiting the temple, she was praying at the altar. At that moment, a black flame burst out from the altar, and an oracle came down telling His Highness the Crown Prince to marry Princess Ametrine!"
"Yes, yes? Are you talking about Oracle?"
"Yes. Suddenly, the fire burning the sacrificial offering disappeared, a new black flame burst into flames, and a voice was heard! The priests also testified that it was definitely an oracle. That, Princess Ametrine, who is rumored to be loved by the gods. They say that due to the recent famine, everyone is trying to get her hand in marriage."
The doctor explained with a hint of excitement. The chamberlain swallowed with a shiver of excitement on his face.
"But the oracle said that if Princess Ametrine and Crown Prince Semele marry, the sickness of the land and the famine of the continent wilI end. So His Majesty hurriedly proposed marriage to Ametrine, but the Princess chose the Crown Prince. What a surprise!"
"Is that really her? The Princess who rejected all the hundred or so marriage proposals?!"
"Yes, that too, almost immediately! The oracle is real!"
The doctor and the chamberlain were chatting away without even realizing he had appeared.
Endymion stood still, already hearing that Princess Ametrine was coming to Semele.
'I don't think I can last more than 20 minutes.'
All he could think were cynical thoughts. No life had ever come into contact with him more than that. He would be drained of color and vitality, and he would become critically ill and die.
'It doesn't have anything to do with me anyway.'
Endymion drew the line without thinking, for he had no interest or feelings for anyone.
"Huh! Your Highness?"
"Your Highness! Where are you going!"
The chief steward and the doctor who happened to find him were shocked.
Endymion thought it was a good idea and told them to light a fire because it was cold. The chamberlain looked embarrassed, nodded, and hurriedly disappeared.
"You came early. Did your training get pushed back?"
"No, Your Highness. But did you hear that?"
The doctor asked, stepping back as if he was afraid of touching him. Endymion tilted his head and asked back.
"What? A trust or marriage?"
"Have you heard everything?"
The doctor shut his mouth with a look of frustration.
Endymion waited silently for his reaction, but the Doctor seemed to be deep in thought and did not respond.
"I go first."
Endymion blinked his indifferent eyes and returned to his room.
Before he knew it, the chamberlain had lit a fire in the fireplace and was warming up the room. Endymion stopped in front of the fireplace and thought.
'When we meet, instead of saying hello, I guess I should ask her to leave a will.'
That was the first and last thought he had of the Princess. Even that was quickly dispelled by the bone-chilling cold that had set fire to the fire.
Endymion sat down before the fireplace, shivering from the nameless cold of a day that was neither winter nor night, and warmed himself by the fire until the wood was blackened and the flames died out.
And late at night, the doctor came.
"Your Highness, Princess Ametrine will arrive in three days."
"That's fast. I think it's the first time I've heard of it today."
Endymion replied indifferently. He had no interest in it whatsoever, but it was sudden.
Then, the doctor suddenly held something out.
"It's a drug that erases memories."
"..."
Endymion looked at the Doctor with his empty blue eyes.
The doctor seemed determined.. uncorked the vial, placed it on the table, and stepped back.
"The oracle will be right, no doubt. But wouldn't all the problems be solved if this marriage goes smoothly? If the fact that this marriage is related to the curse of decline were to leak out, uncontrollable chaos would result."
The point was that no one was supposed to know the inside story, not even the parties involved in the marriage.
'If the trust fails, it means death, if it succeeds, it means deception.'
Either way, the Princess would be left unaware of anything. Endymion, who was chewing over the cold reality, asked.
"I'm curious. If I get married, will the cold go away?"
"Huh? What is that?"
"I was always cold when I was alone, but I think I'm okay now."
Earlier, he felt like he would freeze even if he kept the fire burning, but now, as they had our first long conversation, it was strangely warm. Even though the fireplace flame had gone out.
"If you get married, you'll end up living with someone."
If I talk to the princess like I did now, and see her face to face, will this strange coldness that has been brewing recently disappear? Endymion wondered.
"You must be feeling better after being warmed by the fire all this time. Now, hurry up and do that."
But the doctor answered nonchalantly and waved his hand.
He said that it was a medicine that he personally developed while studying the royal curse his entire life. It was a medicine that erased all memories related to the curse.
"His Majesty the King and the Queen have also given their solemn consent. If you drink this medicine, Your Highness will remember that the reason you have been in seclusion until now is because you were not feeling well. It will not harm your other memories at all."
The doctor's voice was desperate, as if trying to reassure him. It seemed as if he knew that he was afraid.
Endymion, who didn't care at all, picked up the vial with indifferent eyes. And then he obediently tilted the vial.
"Well done... Soon... Three days..."
The Doctor's voice rang out in pieces. His vision became blurry, and all his senses became dull.
Finally, Endymion lost consciousness, feeling his mind go blank.
***
"Oh, Mion!"
Flash.
His tightly shut eyelids opened. Endymion rested his hand on his forehead in a daze.
"Wake up, Mion."
A familiar voice tickled his ear. He turned his head and saw purple eyes looking at him.
"Is there a problem?"
She gently scolded him, asking why he was suddenly closing her eyes and not speaking. Endymion blinked quietly and then hugged her delicate body.
"Huh?"
"I just felt dizzy for a moment."
It was small but warm like a spark. Endymion muttered and hugged her.
Nothing had happened, but he felt unnaturally dizzy. Maybe that was why he just wanted to burrow into the warmth. Suddenly, Julia, who had been hugged tightly, lightly patted his back.
"Oh, are you experiencing any hallucinations?"
Boris looked back and asked worriedly. Endymion blinked and shook his head.
"No. I don't remember anything."
"Then that's fortunate! Well, I cast a protective spell on you, so that's not possible."
"I didn't know you had motion sickness. Now that I think about It, my ears did feel a little stuffy when I passed through the gate."
Julia whispered softly and pushed him away. Endymion wrapped his arms around her waist, acting cute with a look of regret on his face.
"Right. So I want to hold you a little longer."
"Oh, no. Stop it now. Look over there!"
Finally, Julia, her cheeks reddening, pushed him away and pointed somewhere urgently. Endymion turned his head, following her delicate fingers.
A vast, sheer ice canyon. A breathtakingly overwhelming landscape. And in the middle of a barren land, devoid of life, a castle so tall it hurts your eyes.
Boris shouted as he jumped out of the boat.
"Hahaha! Welcome!"
It was a Magic Tower.
Boris, who had returned after a long time, was very excited and started talking wildly as he explained.
"We've now entered the barrier. It's always winter outside! It's because it's the northernmost part of the continent, but there's also a large-scale magic being used to maintain the extreme cold to block any approach from the surrounding area."
Julia and Endymion approached the magic tower, listening carefully to the explanation.
"Please wait here for a moment."
Boris stopped the two near the back door and left with a request. The visit of the royal couple was a secret, so he was currently checking for signs of activity at the Magic Tower.
Of course, the wizards were mostly nocturnal, and even when they were awake, they mostly stayed locked in their respective laboratories. But just in case, Boris carefully examined the situation and decided to take the two with him.
"It seems bigger than I thought."
Julia looked up at the tower with sparkling eyes.
Below, a steep ice canyon stretched out, and above it, the Magic Tower stood tall like a castle made of glass.
"Is it true that you have to live your whole life in here to be a true wizard?"
Julia muttered with a mixture of awe and regret.
Although beautiful and lofty, the tower seemed desolate and lonely at the same time.
Besides, Boris said that a wizard should never have friends, family, or lovers.
Even marriages are said to be contracted only with the few who have the best chance of producing a wizard child, and even then, only under the strict planning and surveillance of the Magic Tower.
"Don't wonder about that."
"Huh?"
Julia, who had been staring at the magic tower as if she was being sucked in by the firm voice, came to her senses. Endymion gently pulled her closer.
"If you take an interest, you'll be captivated."
Endymion stubbornly turned her gaze back to him. Julia blinked and held back a smile.
"What is that? I'm not a little kid who gets addicted to candy."
"Don't you know the story of magic bewitching people?"
Endymion put his arm around Julia's waist, half jokingly, half seriously.
"A story about a fisherman who a bandoned his family after falling in love with a mermaid's magic. A story about a Queen who abandoned her children after falling under the spell of a fairy. Something like that."
Julia laughed as she mentioned the fairy tales and bedtime stories she had heard when she was little. Endymion nodded, looking at her wearily.
"I can't just let you be taken away by magic. I raised it like that."
"Foot. Raise it? How?"
It was like a kitten that was worried that it would lose its owner's love.
'And you were disgusted when I told you that I raised you.'
As Julia finally giggled. Endymion raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth.
"What... Like, something like t his?"
In an instant, the distance between their faces became closer.
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