11
“Of course, I’d show up here of all places.”
This was a place I’d carefully avoided until now, wary of triggering any flags from the original story.
The Magic Tower, my first time visiting, was as dim and shadowy as its reputation suggested.
Alferen might sparkle a bit too brightly, but most mages were no different from the engineering students of my past life.
Perhaps because magic was tied to mathematics, they all seemed to have a fondness for checkered patterns.
And, as expected, they lived on caffeine and chocolate, wholly devoted to their research.
Truth be told, Alferen had a subtle sweet tooth himself.
When he drank coffee, they’d set out an entire bowl of sugar cubes just for him.
At that moment, the receptionist spotted me and asked,
“What brings you here?”
“Hello, I’m here to see the Master of the Tower.”
The receptionist scanned me up and down, then asked mechanically,
“Do you have an appointment?”
Their guarded demeanor was unmistakable, but I tilted my head and answered brightly,
“No, I just came by…”
“Then you can’t meet him. Please leave.”
The receptionist’s response was curt, as if they’d expected this.
Their attitude suggested they’d dealt with this kind of visit countless times.
Caught off guard by the cold reception, I stammered,
“Huh? Wait a second. I’m not some shady person. I’m close with Len!”
“Everyone who comes here says that. If you keep disrupting our work, I’ll call the guards.”
The receptionist’s professionalism was ironclad.
As they raised a hand to summon the guards, I hurriedly shouted,
“Wait, please! Just contact Len and tell him Rodellia Ferris is here!”
“…Ferris?”
The receptionist paused mid-motion, hesitating.
Catching the fleeting positive reaction to the name Ferris, I quickly flashed my family crest-embossed identification plaque.
“Look at this. I’m legit, see?”
In an instant, the receptionist’s demeanor softened remarkably.
“Oh my, Lady Ferris, it’s you.”
What? Their attitude flipped like a switch?
They must have known Alferen and Adrian were close.
The receptionist’s tone turned warm and polite as they asked,
“Are you perhaps here at the request of Lord Ferris?”
“Something like that.”
My vague reply prompted the receptionist to bow deeply at a perfect ninety degrees.
“Please forgive my rudeness, my lady. We’ve had so many noblewomen claiming familiarity to see the Master of the Tower that I inadvertently offended you. Just today, we’ve dealt with this three times already.”
“What? That many?”
Was Alferen that popular?
I’d sensed his popularity in social circles, but I hadn’t realized it was to this extent.
My jaw dropped in shock, and the receptionist continued,
“Ever since he reached marriageable age, the visits have been relentless. Just a few days ago, a young lady tried sneaking in and accidentally triggered the tower’s wards. She nearly ended up a corpse.”
“Goodness…”
“And that’s not all. Every morning, love letters for the Master pile up so much we don’t even need firewood.”
The receptionist’s pent-up frustration poured out without pause.
The more I heard, the more it reminded me of my own behavior in the original story, making me feel oddly solemn.
‘If I didn’t know the original plot, I might’ve been one of those stalkers…’
To be fair, his looks were so striking they practically demanded to be a public resource.
I felt a wave of relief for avoiding at least a bit of the doomed fate.
Following the receptionist’s guidance, I reached the top floor of the Magic Tower, where an aide greeted me first.
“A pleasure to meet you, my lady. I’m Eden Maker, assistant to the Master of the Tower.”
With pale skin and brown hair, he had a somewhat gentle appearance.
His shaggy bangs and large glasses framed weary, shadowed eyes, suggesting he often pulled all-nighters.
“Nice to meet you, Eden. I’m Rodellia Ferris.”
“The honor is mine, my lady. The Master is currently testing a new magic circle, and once he’s in there, he can’t come out right away. Would you mind waiting a bit?”
“Of course not. Oh, and a coffee delivery from Winnif should be arriving soon. I ordered a lot since I wasn’t sure how many people would be in the lab, but I hope it’s enough.”
“I thought Winifred Coffee didn’t do deliveries…”
“They don’t, but my maid, May, is handling it personally. I just picked these up first.”
I shook the café mocha and macaron box I’d brought for Alferen.
“Good heavens…”
Eden’s face lit up with awe as he glanced between the coffee and the dessert.
Nothing captivates people quite like food, after all.
The effort of standing in line with May to get these was well worth it.
“This one’s specially made for Brother Len with extra syrup, so I’d appreciate it if you could cast a warming spell on it.”
“You even know the Tower Master’s tastes? You two must be quite close.”
“Well, he is my brother’s friend, you know?”
“Then please wait a moment. I’ll prepare some refreshments.”
Eden, now even more courteous than before, stepped away.
While he was gone, I took a look around the study.
The room was filled with all sorts of magical artifacts.
There were several items I’d never seen in stores, but one particular flowerpot caught my eye.
“What’s this?”
The unusually plain-looking pot held a wilted sapling.
Its stark, blackened branches stood out all the more for their barrenness.
How busy do you have to be to not even notice a plant drying up and dying without water?
Without thinking, I touched one of the brittle leaves.
Pop!
In an instant, the area around the leaf I’d touched turned lush and green.
“Huh?”
Startled, I stepped back just as Eden returned.
“I’m sorry if I was a bit late… Wait, what? Did you touch that?”
“Oh, yes. Was I not supposed to?”
“Gasp!”
Eden, looking flustered, hurried toward me with a tray in hand.
“Are you alright?”
From his expression, it seemed like the sapling might be poisonous.
I shrank my shoulders and waved my hands dismissively.
“Yes, I’m fine, I think. But after I touched it, the plant… it’s different now…”
As I pointed to the flowerpot, Eden’s eyes widened.
“What in the world…?”
I’d assumed it was just an ornamental plant since it was dead, but his reaction told me otherwise.
Feeling guilty, I clasped my hands together and apologized.
“I’m so sorry. I only touched it lightly. Did I mess something up?”
“You really just touched it?”
Eden’s face stiffened noticeably as he asked again. It was clear I’d tampered with something I shouldn’t have.
With no room for excuses, I offered another apology.
“I’m really sorry. I swear I only touched it a little.”
At my repeated explanation, Eden gave me an odd look, glancing back and forth between the flowerpot and me.
“That’s strange. This kind of reaction is a first. What could it be?”
He fell silent for a long moment, and I stood quietly by his side.
Finally, Eden looked away from the pot and spoke.
“Alright, I understand.”
Was he just going to let it go?
Maybe I hadn’t done anything too terrible after all?
My heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, began to settle back into a normal rhythm.
Eden set the tray on the table and continued.
“This is a special tea crafted by the Magic Tower. It’s good for calming the mind and body.”
“Wow, the color is beautiful.”
The tea, served in a transparent teapot, shimmered with a brilliant blue hue I’d never seen before.
The Magic Tower was known for producing medicinal potions, but they also created highly effective teas like this.
At the mention of “special tea,” I eagerly lifted the cup and took a sip.
“The aroma is amazing. It’s delicious.”
“If you need more, just let me know. I have something to check on, so I’ll step out for a bit.”
Eden swiftly picked up the flowerpot and vanished.
Did I really mess up?
He probably couldn’t say anything harsh because I’m a duchess, but he might be cursing me out in his head.
I decided to sit quietly and sip my tea.
I couldn’t risk touching something else and causing another disaster.
