The Magic Tower Lord greeted Linel a beat late.
Was he flustered that the busy Emperor had come to the VIP room in person?
“Your leg wound from the arrow was so...worried, so I came with the Empress.”
Contrary to his words, Linel’s voice did not sound like someone who had been worried at all.
“Thank you for your concern.”
The Magic Tower Lord responded to him with an expression that showed no gratitude at all.
“Since you are a distinguished guest, I am even more concerned since you have decided to accompany me to the Continental Hunting Competition.”
I raised my lips softly and performed a much better act than Linel.
“I will get better quickly so that you do not have to worry.”
The Magic Tower Lord answered me very politely.
Moreover, it seemed as if the wound would heal on its own if he just made up his mind to get better quickly.
‘Hmm? It looks fine already?’
I looked down at the Magic Tower Lord's leg and tilted my head.
When I first saw him in the audience room, he seemed to be limping a bit, but now he walks fine.
It was strange, considering that his wounds wouldn’t have healed completely in half a day.
Linel and I sat next to each other on the sofa.
It would seem strange if I suddenly asked about the herb called ‘Kelvarn’...
I thought it would be best to naturally move on to the topic of herbs while having another conversation.
But what should I say?
The moment my eyes met those of the Magic Tower Lord, who was sitting in front of me, I began to worry.
It would be the same face next year, and it would be the same face in 10, 50 years.
I thought that when I first saw the Magic Tower Lord's face, but every time I saw him, he looked mysterious. Maybe my gaze was a bit too blatant, but the Magic Tower Lord touched his jawline with his hand and asked me.
“What did you put on it?”
“Yes, youth and freshness.”
The Magic Tower Lord's eyes widened as if he didn’t know that the answer would fly away, but soon he made a shy expression.
I don’t know why someone who has lived long enough keeps smiling like a spring maiden, but it seemed better than frowning at my words.
Linel glared at me sideways.
Oh, was that too casual an expression for an Empress?
“If you think about it, it’s not that good, Your Majesty.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied with a bitter smile.
Those words just now. They’re extremely dangerous.
If the noble ladies who risk their lives to buy cream made from the skin of monsters to get rid of their wrinkles heard them, they would curse the Magic Tower Lord in front of him.
“What’s not good about it?”
“I think I know why the Magic Tower Lord says that.”
After leaving the main palace, Rosie headed back to the west palace with the basket in hand.
Rosie, who had been silent the whole time, looked down at the basket as she approached her quarters and whispered softly.
“Do you think the Lord of the Tower remembers my mother?”
“I think so. She was one of the last disciples, and on top of that, she was the only woman in the Tower.”
Moiya pushed the basket up slightly with his head and replied.
“My mother said that she came to the continent because she was not popular with her fellow magicians.”
Rosie said with a bashful smile.
“Yeah! I can tell just by looking at your face.”
“...Hey, my mother was beautiful, wasn’t she?”
Rosie glared at Moiya with her eyes wide open.
“She wasn’t beautiful? Where did you get that?”
Moiya, who could see the outside world even from inside the egg, searched her memories and asked Rosie’s mother’s face. Rosie was unable to refute Moiya’s confident words and instead looked up at the sky for a moment and whispered sadly.
“I’m sorry, mother...”
“Oh? Did I remember wrong? Oh, so she's the one who ruined her face because of your father?”
Moiya asked profoundly, her voice filled with deep realization.
“My father was also handsome when he was young! No, he was handsome...”
It must be because he insisted that way his whole life.
As Rosie raised her voice, her father’s face suddenly flashed before her eyes, and she changed her words.
“Then what happened to your face?”
Moiya asked with a look of great surprise.
“Meow. (Don’t be discouraged, Rosie.)”
Aoshi slapped Moiya on the back inside the basket.
“Huh, what are you talking about? You’ve even been confessed to.”
Trying to avoid the presence of the incarnation didn’t seem to work.
I admitted it, but my words came out somewhat defensively.
Linel, sitting next to me, took my hand and placed it on his lap.
It seemed like a signal to me not to worry.
I had confessed to him about the incarnation the day he found out about Moiya.
Feeling his warm hands, I thought it was a good idea to tell him in advance.
“I didn’t mean to blame Your Majesty, the Empress.”
The Magic Tower Lord said, staring at our hands that were folded on Linel’s lap.
“As you said, I felt the existence of the incarnation when I was seven. There was an accident in the royal magician’s laboratory.”
I briefly explained to the Magic Tower Lord how the incarnation came to be inside me.
“Aha.”
“Princess Resilia accidentally spilled the red reagent on the right side of my face. After that, I suffered from a fever for a while, and then I learned of the existence of the incarnation.”
I felt Linel’s hand tighten as he held my hand.
However, the Magic Tower Lord's expression as he listened to my story showed no sign of surprise. He had a relaxed expression as if he had already heard about it from someone.
“It’s truly amazing that you were able to overcome the incarnation’s energy at that age. Normally, you would have died without being able to overcome that energy.”
“I think you already know how the incarnation came to be in me?”
When I asked openly, the Magic Tower Lord said something unexpected.
“The red reagent made by the court wizard was originally... something he was researching for me.”
“Do you know Logan Epin?”
“Of course. He was my disciple.”
“Logan is the Magic Tower Lord's disciple?!”
The Magic Tower Lord nodded.
“Yes, the night Logan came to see me to tell me about the accident, the royal knights followed him. I think they thought Logan was running away.”
“Why would they think that? There was no reason for Logan to run away at that time.”
And he left his own daughter, Bonis.
“They say that Logan met Princess Resilia’s eyes as he entered the lab at the moment of the accident.”
“I remember, too, Logan came into the lab right after Princess Resilia poured the red reagent on my face.”
It felt like yesterday to me.
The Magic Tower Lord raised his eyebrows for a moment and continued speaking.
“Princess Resilia must have said that Logan saw everything she did, so the royal family must have been keeping an eye on Logan. Then, when Logan suddenly went out at night, they must have followed him because they thought he might have noticed the surveillance and tried to escape. They might have even given orders to eliminate him.”
“Ah...”
As the Magic Tower Lord said, it was highly likely that the royal family sent knights to silence Logan.
“Fortunately, he met me that night before the royal knights found him.”
“Where is Logan now...?”
“He lives with me at the Magic Tower Lord.”
“Logan has a daughter named Bonis. You know? She’s my maid now.”
I said, barely calming down my excitement.
“Logan misses Miss Bonis a lot, too.”
I wanted to tell Bonis about this right away.
The Magic Tower Lord smiled as if he had read my thoughts and said,
“There’s no need to rush. People who are meant to meet will eventually meet when the time comes. Logan will meet Miss Bonis when the time comes.”
“Bonis will be really happy.”
I said with a smile, and the Magic Tower Lord nodded and smiled.
The Magic Tower Lord's intense gaze on me was a bit burdensome, so I wanted to avoid eye contact, but since we were talking about incarnations, I brought up the topic of cures.
“Uh... Do you know the herb called ‘Kelvarn’? I heard that it only grows on the island of Aklatto.”
“I’ve only lived for 250 years since I was in my early twenties, and I’ve mostly lived on the island, so I can’t help but know.”
The Magic Tower Lord said as if it was strange not to know about the herb.
Furthermore, it seemed like he already knew why I was asking about the ‘Kelvarn’ herb.
The Magic Tower Lord's gaze lingered on the burn scar on my right face.
I grabbed my dress and cheered inwardly.
“If I give you that information... what can I get in return?”
The Magic Tower Lord asked me with a sly smile, as if he were a merchant trading goods.
“It seems like you want something.”
Linel said, staring at the Magic Tower Lord.
“Yes.”
“Tell me more. I’ll give you whatever I can give you.”
He seemed willing to give anything to the Magic Tower Lord for my sake, and...
“If I give you the information about that herb, can you really give me everything I want... Your Majesty?”
Was he flustered that the busy Emperor had come to the VIP room in person?
“Your leg wound from the arrow was so...worried, so I came with the Empress.”
Contrary to his words, Linel’s voice did not sound like someone who had been worried at all.
“Thank you for your concern.”
The Magic Tower Lord responded to him with an expression that showed no gratitude at all.
“Since you are a distinguished guest, I am even more concerned since you have decided to accompany me to the Continental Hunting Competition.”
I raised my lips softly and performed a much better act than Linel.
“I will get better quickly so that you do not have to worry.”
The Magic Tower Lord answered me very politely.
Moreover, it seemed as if the wound would heal on its own if he just made up his mind to get better quickly.
‘Hmm? It looks fine already?’
I looked down at the Magic Tower Lord's leg and tilted my head.
When I first saw him in the audience room, he seemed to be limping a bit, but now he walks fine.
It was strange, considering that his wounds wouldn’t have healed completely in half a day.
Linel and I sat next to each other on the sofa.
It would seem strange if I suddenly asked about the herb called ‘Kelvarn’...
I thought it would be best to naturally move on to the topic of herbs while having another conversation.
But what should I say?
The moment my eyes met those of the Magic Tower Lord, who was sitting in front of me, I began to worry.
It would be the same face next year, and it would be the same face in 10, 50 years.
I thought that when I first saw the Magic Tower Lord's face, but every time I saw him, he looked mysterious. Maybe my gaze was a bit too blatant, but the Magic Tower Lord touched his jawline with his hand and asked me.
“What did you put on it?”
“Yes, youth and freshness.”
The Magic Tower Lord's eyes widened as if he didn’t know that the answer would fly away, but soon he made a shy expression.
I don’t know why someone who has lived long enough keeps smiling like a spring maiden, but it seemed better than frowning at my words.
Linel glared at me sideways.
Oh, was that too casual an expression for an Empress?
“If you think about it, it’s not that good, Your Majesty.”
The Magic Tower Lord replied with a bitter smile.
Those words just now. They’re extremely dangerous.
If the noble ladies who risk their lives to buy cream made from the skin of monsters to get rid of their wrinkles heard them, they would curse the Magic Tower Lord in front of him.
“What’s not good about it?”
“I think I know why the Magic Tower Lord says that.”
Linel cut in and said something meaningful.
“Huh?
The Magic Tower Lord asked him what he meant.
“How many funerals have you been to in your long life?”
Ah, if you live long enough, you must feel the pain of having to let go of the woman you loved first.
“...It’s hard for me to tell you, Your Majesty.”
If he had been asked a question, he would have answered, but the Magic Tower Lord simply looked at me and answered him.
I was curious about the Magic Tower Lord's answer, but I was somewhat disappointed.
When the Magic Tower Lord avoided answering, my curiosity was piqued even more.
“Is it because you can’t count the number of times, and it’s hard for you to say?”
“Huh?
The Magic Tower Lord asked him what he meant.
“How many funerals have you been to in your long life?”
Ah, if you live long enough, you must feel the pain of having to let go of the woman you loved first.
“...It’s hard for me to tell you, Your Majesty.”
If he had been asked a question, he would have answered, but the Magic Tower Lord simply looked at me and answered him.
I was curious about the Magic Tower Lord's answer, but I was somewhat disappointed.
When the Magic Tower Lord avoided answering, my curiosity was piqued even more.
“Is it because you can’t count the number of times, and it’s hard for you to say?”
“I... don’t look back on the past.”
The Magic Tower Lord laughed and tried to explain.
“I heard you’ve been the same for 250 years. How old were you when you became like this? Some say you were 20, others say you were 21.”
The Magic Tower Lord laughed and tried to explain.
“I heard you’ve been the same for 250 years. How old were you when you became like this? Some say you were 20, others say you were 21.”
“Honestly, I don’t remember exactly. Whether it’s 20 or 21, the important thing is that I’ve always looked like this.”
“That’s true. How did time stop?”
It must have been after the incarnation inside me left the Magic Tower Lord's body.
However, I asked, pretending not to know anything.
The Magic Tower Lord ran his hand through his hair, and his honey-colored hair flowed back down below his eyebrows like golden waves.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty know?”
“!”
I flinched without realizing it, but I pretended not to notice and asked.
“...Me?”
“The incarnation inside me left me, wandered for many years, and then one day entered the body of a seven-year-old girl and settled down there.”
“!”
The Lord of the Tower already knew everything.
“That’s true. How did time stop?”
It must have been after the incarnation inside me left the Magic Tower Lord's body.
However, I asked, pretending not to know anything.
The Magic Tower Lord ran his hand through his hair, and his honey-colored hair flowed back down below his eyebrows like golden waves.
“Doesn’t Your Majesty know?”
“!”
I flinched without realizing it, but I pretended not to notice and asked.
“...Me?”
“The incarnation inside me left me, wandered for many years, and then one day entered the body of a seven-year-old girl and settled down there.”
“!”
The Lord of the Tower already knew everything.
***
After leaving the main palace, Rosie headed back to the west palace with the basket in hand.
Rosie, who had been silent the whole time, looked down at the basket as she approached her quarters and whispered softly.
“Do you think the Lord of the Tower remembers my mother?”
“I think so. She was one of the last disciples, and on top of that, she was the only woman in the Tower.”
Moiya pushed the basket up slightly with his head and replied.
“My mother said that she came to the continent because she was not popular with her fellow magicians.”
Rosie said with a bashful smile.
“Yeah! I can tell just by looking at your face.”
“...Hey, my mother was beautiful, wasn’t she?”
Rosie glared at Moiya with her eyes wide open.
“She wasn’t beautiful? Where did you get that?”
Moiya, who could see the outside world even from inside the egg, searched her memories and asked Rosie’s mother’s face. Rosie was unable to refute Moiya’s confident words and instead looked up at the sky for a moment and whispered sadly.
“I’m sorry, mother...”
“Oh? Did I remember wrong? Oh, so she's the one who ruined her face because of your father?”
Moiya asked profoundly, her voice filled with deep realization.
“My father was also handsome when he was young! No, he was handsome...”
It must be because he insisted that way his whole life.
As Rosie raised her voice, her father’s face suddenly flashed before her eyes, and she changed her words.
“Then what happened to your face?”
Moiya asked with a look of great surprise.
“Meow. (Don’t be discouraged, Rosie.)”
Aoshi slapped Moiya on the back inside the basket.
“Huh, what are you talking about? You’ve even been confessed to.”
Rosie lifted her chin and spoke with a haughty tone. Moiya and Aoshi covered each other’s mouths inside the basket and giggled.
She walked in silence for a moment before opening her mouth again.
“You know, kids. I want to meet the Lord of the Tower quickly and hear about my mother, but I’m actually worried...”
“What?”
Moiya asked, lifting the basket cover over her head again.
“Would the Lord of the Tower know that you hatched from an egg and leave you alone? You were originally his property. I hope he's a good person...”
“He's not normal, but he's not that bad.”
From Moiya’s perspective, who has lived for 300 years since he was an egg, the Magic Tower Lord, who has lived for 250 years at the age of 21, was still a child compared to him.
“That’s right. The Magic Tower Lord, does he really look like someone in their early 20s? Even though he's lived that long?”
“I think he sometimes looks beautiful.”
“Wow, I’m even more curious.”
“But his face is a little better than the cold body.”
Moiya felt a bit resentful that he had just praised Linel.
Still, hate is hate, and facts are facts.
“So you’re saying that his appearance is almost the same as His Majesty’s?”
“I guess so.”
Moiya nodded, thinking about the faces of the two men.
“But they’re not like the orange-haired men, Moiya~.”
Aoshi, who had been quietly listening to the conversation from inside the basket, pushed Moiya’s side with his forepaw and cried.
“Meow meow. (You’re too honest, you’re a problem.)”
“I think Prince Norton is cooler than His Majesty...”
Rosie sneakily inserted Prince Norton between the two handsome men.
“You, stop reading books. Your eyesight has deteriorated a lot.”
Moiya gave her a sharp warning.
Rosie was about to say something when she got angry and said,
“Your Highness Rosie! Where have you been?”
Melanie came towards Rosie from afar, waving her hand.
She seemed to be on her way to Rosie’s palace with her servant, Heddon.
Rosie thought it was very fortunate that she had met Melanie in the garden.
If their paths had been even slightly different, things would have been very difficult.
Rams was being looked after by Misha in the bedroom, but Melanie might have barged in and said she would wait for her in the bedroom.
“Oh? That’s my friend.”
Moiya was glad to hear Melanie’s voice.
“Don’t come out. No, do your doppelganger as Aoshi, quickly.”
Rosie said as she quickly put Moiya’s head into the basket.
There was a loud noise inside the basket for a few seconds, then silence.
“You really went on a picnic alone? Without a servant?”
Melanie asked, looking down at the basket Rosie was holding.
I didn’t know the Magic Tower Lord would mention the incarnation so openly.
Could he sense the presence of the incarnation in me?
“The incarnation... wasn’t what I wanted.”
She walked in silence for a moment before opening her mouth again.
“You know, kids. I want to meet the Lord of the Tower quickly and hear about my mother, but I’m actually worried...”
“What?”
Moiya asked, lifting the basket cover over her head again.
“Would the Lord of the Tower know that you hatched from an egg and leave you alone? You were originally his property. I hope he's a good person...”
“He's not normal, but he's not that bad.”
From Moiya’s perspective, who has lived for 300 years since he was an egg, the Magic Tower Lord, who has lived for 250 years at the age of 21, was still a child compared to him.
“That’s right. The Magic Tower Lord, does he really look like someone in their early 20s? Even though he's lived that long?”
“I think he sometimes looks beautiful.”
“Wow, I’m even more curious.”
“But his face is a little better than the cold body.”
Moiya felt a bit resentful that he had just praised Linel.
Still, hate is hate, and facts are facts.
“So you’re saying that his appearance is almost the same as His Majesty’s?”
“I guess so.”
Moiya nodded, thinking about the faces of the two men.
“But they’re not like the orange-haired men, Moiya~.”
Aoshi, who had been quietly listening to the conversation from inside the basket, pushed Moiya’s side with his forepaw and cried.
“Meow meow. (You’re too honest, you’re a problem.)”
“I think Prince Norton is cooler than His Majesty...”
Rosie sneakily inserted Prince Norton between the two handsome men.
“You, stop reading books. Your eyesight has deteriorated a lot.”
Moiya gave her a sharp warning.
Rosie was about to say something when she got angry and said,
“Your Highness Rosie! Where have you been?”
Melanie came towards Rosie from afar, waving her hand.
She seemed to be on her way to Rosie’s palace with her servant, Heddon.
Rosie thought it was very fortunate that she had met Melanie in the garden.
If their paths had been even slightly different, things would have been very difficult.
Rams was being looked after by Misha in the bedroom, but Melanie might have barged in and said she would wait for her in the bedroom.
“Oh? That’s my friend.”
Moiya was glad to hear Melanie’s voice.
“Don’t come out. No, do your doppelganger as Aoshi, quickly.”
Rosie said as she quickly put Moiya’s head into the basket.
There was a loud noise inside the basket for a few seconds, then silence.
“You really went on a picnic alone? Without a servant?”
Melanie asked, looking down at the basket Rosie was holding.
***
I didn’t know the Magic Tower Lord would mention the incarnation so openly.
Could he sense the presence of the incarnation in me?
“The incarnation... wasn’t what I wanted.”
Trying to avoid the presence of the incarnation didn’t seem to work.
I admitted it, but my words came out somewhat defensively.
Linel, sitting next to me, took my hand and placed it on his lap.
It seemed like a signal to me not to worry.
I had confessed to him about the incarnation the day he found out about Moiya.
Feeling his warm hands, I thought it was a good idea to tell him in advance.
“I didn’t mean to blame Your Majesty, the Empress.”
The Magic Tower Lord said, staring at our hands that were folded on Linel’s lap.
“As you said, I felt the existence of the incarnation when I was seven. There was an accident in the royal magician’s laboratory.”
I briefly explained to the Magic Tower Lord how the incarnation came to be inside me.
“Aha.”
“Princess Resilia accidentally spilled the red reagent on the right side of my face. After that, I suffered from a fever for a while, and then I learned of the existence of the incarnation.”
I felt Linel’s hand tighten as he held my hand.
However, the Magic Tower Lord's expression as he listened to my story showed no sign of surprise. He had a relaxed expression as if he had already heard about it from someone.
“It’s truly amazing that you were able to overcome the incarnation’s energy at that age. Normally, you would have died without being able to overcome that energy.”
“I think you already know how the incarnation came to be in me?”
When I asked openly, the Magic Tower Lord said something unexpected.
“The red reagent made by the court wizard was originally... something he was researching for me.”
“Do you know Logan Epin?”
“Of course. He was my disciple.”
“Logan is the Magic Tower Lord's disciple?!”
The Magic Tower Lord nodded.
“Yes, the night Logan came to see me to tell me about the accident, the royal knights followed him. I think they thought Logan was running away.”
“Why would they think that? There was no reason for Logan to run away at that time.”
And he left his own daughter, Bonis.
“They say that Logan met Princess Resilia’s eyes as he entered the lab at the moment of the accident.”
“I remember, too, Logan came into the lab right after Princess Resilia poured the red reagent on my face.”
It felt like yesterday to me.
The Magic Tower Lord raised his eyebrows for a moment and continued speaking.
“Princess Resilia must have said that Logan saw everything she did, so the royal family must have been keeping an eye on Logan. Then, when Logan suddenly went out at night, they must have followed him because they thought he might have noticed the surveillance and tried to escape. They might have even given orders to eliminate him.”
“Ah...”
As the Magic Tower Lord said, it was highly likely that the royal family sent knights to silence Logan.
“Fortunately, he met me that night before the royal knights found him.”
“Where is Logan now...?”
“He lives with me at the Magic Tower Lord.”
“Logan has a daughter named Bonis. You know? She’s my maid now.”
I said, barely calming down my excitement.
“Logan misses Miss Bonis a lot, too.”
I wanted to tell Bonis about this right away.
The Magic Tower Lord smiled as if he had read my thoughts and said,
“There’s no need to rush. People who are meant to meet will eventually meet when the time comes. Logan will meet Miss Bonis when the time comes.”
“Bonis will be really happy.”
I said with a smile, and the Magic Tower Lord nodded and smiled.
The Magic Tower Lord's intense gaze on me was a bit burdensome, so I wanted to avoid eye contact, but since we were talking about incarnations, I brought up the topic of cures.
“Uh... Do you know the herb called ‘Kelvarn’? I heard that it only grows on the island of Aklatto.”
“I’ve only lived for 250 years since I was in my early twenties, and I’ve mostly lived on the island, so I can’t help but know.”
The Magic Tower Lord said as if it was strange not to know about the herb.
Furthermore, it seemed like he already knew why I was asking about the ‘Kelvarn’ herb.
The Magic Tower Lord's gaze lingered on the burn scar on my right face.
I grabbed my dress and cheered inwardly.
“If I give you that information... what can I get in return?”
The Magic Tower Lord asked me with a sly smile, as if he were a merchant trading goods.
“It seems like you want something.”
Linel said, staring at the Magic Tower Lord.
“Yes.”
“Tell me more. I’ll give you whatever I can give you.”
He seemed willing to give anything to the Magic Tower Lord for my sake, and...
“If I give you the information about that herb, can you really give me everything I want... Your Majesty?”
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