Caught off guard by Adrian’s sudden gravity, I could only blink in response.
The air crackled with tension, as if he might start a fight depending on the answer.
In contrast, Alferen, faced with the sharp question, responded with calm indifference.
“Probably the same reason you went all out buying things for Deli.”
“What?”
Adrian looked on the verge of transforming into a wrathful demon.
“Concern for a friend’s little sister, let’s call it.”
Their gazes locked for what felt like an eternity.
Why are they fighting over a potion…?
As the atmosphere grew heavy and I floundered, unsure of what to do, Adrian suddenly relaxed his expression and grumbled.
“Well, I suppose Deli is so adorable and lovable that anyone would want to dote on her.”
Excuse me? Me?
I tilted my head, my face a mask of disbelief, and Adrian continued.
“So, can I use the rest of it?”
Was that his goal all along?
No wonder he was acting so serious…
This guy is absolutely hopeless.
I shook my head in exasperation, and Alferen, with his usual impassive expression, muttered, “Do whatever you want.”
“Score!”
Adrian let out a triumphant cheer and swiftly snatched the potion.
His shameless behavior made even me grimace.
The three of us were muddling through the conversation when I spoke up.
“But don’t you have to be somewhere? Isn’t today the noble council meeting?”
“I was just about to head out.”
Alferen gave a faint smile and rose from his seat.
His gaze lingered on me briefly, his face tinged with something like reluctance.
“Deli, let’s pick up our conversation another time.”
At the mention of our ongoing discussion about breaking off the engagement, I stared at him, dumbfounded, and asked, “Are you really serious about this?”
“Depends on your answer.”
Alferen chuckled softly and ruffled my hair.
“Get some rest.”
His quiet whisper left me staring blankly at his retreating figure.
It really seemed like Alferen was serious about ending the engagement.
Was it really this easy?
If I’d known this was the way to go, I would’ve tried it ages ago!
Still reeling, I didn’t notice Adrian watching me closely until he asked pointedly, “What’s with that look? What were you two talking about?”
“You don’t need to know. And give me that potion.”
Adrian, who’d just swiped Alferen’s potion, pulled a long face.
“That’s harsh, Deli.”
I ignored his whining and flashed a meaningful smile.
At long last, I could see the signs that my doomed ending was finally starting to change!
On a tranquil, leisurely afternoon, Nanael was elegantly sipping tea when her mother, Consort Rosaria, paid her a visit.
“What brings you here? No schedule with big brother today?”
It was a jab at her mother, who was always bustling about for her brother, Crown Prince Chezare.
Despite Nanael’s sarcasm, Consort Rosaria pressed her lips into a tight line and fixed her with a stare.
The maids nearby, sensing the weight of her presence, quietly slipped away. Without warning, Rosaria struck Nanael’s cheek with a sharp slap.
Crack!
“Foolish girl.”
With those curt words, Rosaria tossed something onto the table.
Nanael, about to protest the sudden blow, caught sight of the document on the table and let out a bitter laugh.
It was a notice of broken engagement.
‘You’ll soon find out, Your Highness, the price you’ll pay for what you did today.’
The sudden memory of Alferen’s warning made everything click into place.
“So that’s what this was about?”
The backlash was far greater than Nanael had anticipated.
She was dumbfounded.
Even she hadn’t imagined he’d flip his stance so abruptly, like the turn of a hand.
Did he not care if her father lived or died?
Or had he already found another way?
Her mind swirled with a tangle of thoughts.
Just then, Empress Rosaria began her interrogation.
“Didn’t I tell you to watch your behavior? No matter how much leverage we hold, your opponent is Duke Ainluk! At a time like this, when you should be a pillar of support for your brother, how exactly do you plan to clean up this mess?”
Nanael, in a fit, hurled her prized tea set onto the floor.
Crash!
Even the jarring sound of shattering glass didn’t faze her as she calmly sipped her tea, savoring it.
She acted as if none of this had anything to do with her.
Her serene demeanor was deliberate, meant to provoke Empress Rosaria further.
Nanael muttered in a biting tone.
“So, it’s about my brother again, isn’t it? Of course. Mother only shows her face when it concerns him.”
“Enough of your nonsense. Go to the duke right now and beg for his forgiveness.”
“What exactly did I do wrong?”
“Whatever it was! Didn’t you say we need that man to make your brother emperor?”
“It’s not like I’m the one becoming emperor.”
Nanael’s sarcastic retort made Rosaria react fiercely.
“Nanael! If your brother doesn’t become emperor, we’re as good as dead. Don’t you understand that? Where do you think all the luxuries you enjoy come from?”
Empress Rosaria’s body trembled as if seized by a fit.
As a princess of a fallen kingdom, her mother was consumed by ambition for power.
She acted as if her life would end if Cesare didn’t ascend the throne.
Having endured her mother’s hysterics for years, Nanael felt nothing but disgust.
“Fine. I’ll apologize.”
With a half-hearted reply, Nanael finished dressing and headed for the Magic Tower.
The Magic Tower, a strategic command center and research hub jointly established by the imperial family and the Ainluk lineage, was where new magical arrays were developed, mana was studied, and potions were crafted.
The position of Tower Master had always been held by the most gifted mage of the Ainluk family.
Thus, no one questioned Alferen’s appointment as Tower Master, given his reputation as a prodigy from a young age.
“Greetings, Tower Master.”
Ethan Maker, the chief aide, bowed as Alferen reviewed documents and asked,
“What’s the status of the experiment?”
“The purification rate still can’t keep up with the contamination rate. As expected, maintaining purification without holy water…”
Ethan trailed off, lowering his head.
Six years ago, after the former Duke Ainluk was gravely injured and fell into a coma, Alferen had been tirelessly researching ways to fully purify corrupted mana cores.
The mana core—a vessel for mana, akin to a mage’s heart.
Tragically, the former duke’s core had been damaged during a subjugation, and he hadn’t woken since.
Alferen’s gaze drifted to a potted plant in the study.
The blackened, withered tree exuded a palpable gloom, one of the research samples tainted by dark magic.
“Ethan, if the imperial family cuts off the holy water supply, how long can we hold out?”
“Well, considering the erratic acceleration of contamination, we wouldn’t last half a year.”
“Then we’ll need to succeed before that.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t let anyone into the lab today. I’m going to extract a new sample.”
With that, Alferen left the study.
The research was conducted in strict secrecy by only Alferen and Ethan, with other mages barred from access.
This secrecy had intensified since the former duke’s collapse, when the imperial family began meddling excessively in the tower’s affairs.
“What is he thinking?”
Ethan couldn’t help but worry about Alferen.
At the prime of his youth, the duke was holed up in the tower, consumed by research—it was impossible not to feel concerned.
Later, while Ethan was overseeing the training of new mages, an unexpected visitor arrived.
That late afternoon, having come up with a plan, I headed straight for the Magic Tower, where Alferen was.
Opportunities like this didn’t come every day.
With my future at stake, I couldn’t afford to waste time.
Armed with a café mocha and an assortment of desserts from a nearby café to soften his mood, I arrived at the Magic Tower.
