Chapter 22
Summer, Alferen, and Adrian were of the same cohort.
Adrian, from the swordsmanship division, likely didn’t know Summer, but Alferen did.
They had been rivals, vying for first and second place, for about three years.
[Truth is, I met the Master of the Mage Tower back at the academy.
We were in the same magic division, and he was the kind of person who stood out wherever he went.
If he hadn’t suddenly taken a leave of absence, he probably would’ve graduated at the top.
I doubt he even remembers me.]
It had been six years since Alferen took a leave of absence after the previous duke’s sudden collapse—a reunion long in the making.
Judging by the way Summer mentioned Alferen in her letters, it seemed she still hadn’t forgotten him.
Well, Alferen wasn’t exactly the forgettable type.
Who would’ve thought the day would come when Summer would seek him out on her own, without my meddling?
It felt oddly poignant, yet somehow…
[Will I get to see you when I come to the capital?
Winter says he wants to meet you too.]
“Hmm.”
Originally, I’d planned to reveal my identity to the heroine once she arrived in the capital, befriend her, and introduce her to Alferen.
If I hadn’t broken off my engagement by then, I’d intended to use Summer’s charm to my advantage.
But with Alferen already set on ending his engagement, there was no longer any reason for me to interfere in their relationship.
Meddling too much in the original story would only land me in a prison ending, right?
There was a chance my brother would fall for Summer and clash with Alferen, but…
“Hmm. If that happens, I bet Alferen would just concede without a fight.”
Alferen was clumsy with emotions.
By the time he realized his own feelings, it was usually too late.
“For now, maybe I’ll just keep my distance and watch?”
I sent a reply to Summer.
When Eden heard the Master of the Mage Tower had arrived, he burst into the study like a shot.
It was because Alferen hadn’t shown up at the Mage Tower unannounced for days.
“Master! Are you alright? You used to come every day, so when you suddenly stopped, I was worried…”
Despite Eden’s boisterous greeting, Alferen just stared out the window.
Puzzled, Eden strode closer.
“Master?”
Alferen wasn’t looking outside but at a flowerpot on the windowsill.
It was a seedling contaminated with dark mana, cultivated to measure the amount of holy water needed for purification.
Yet Alferen, seemingly oblivious to Eden’s presence, was lost in thought.
I’m sorry. I was too careless in an empty study. Honestly, I was shocked when the sapling suddenly turned green. I swear I only touched it for a second, but if I messed something up, I’ll make it right…
Contrary to Rodellia’s account, the seedling in the pot was still blackened.
After a heavy silence, Alferen finally spoke.
“Eden. Rodellia said she touched the flowerpot when she was here.”
“Oh! Yes! Lady Peris accidentally touched it, but thankfully, she wasn’t hurt.”
Eden quickly recounted the incident.
He assumed Alferen was concerned about Rodellia Peris.
At this, Alferen furrowed his brow and asked, “Then why does the flowerpot look like this?”
“Pardon? Is something wrong? It doesn’t look any different to me.”
“Exactly—why is it unchanged? Rodellia said the plant in the pot came back to life.”
“Oh! Yes, that’s right! I actually ran a few experiments because of that!”
Catching on to Alferen’s intent, Eden’s voice grew animated.
“When I checked after Lady Peris left, the flowerpot had withered again, so I thought there might be another variable at play.”
He handed over an experiment report, explaining eagerly.
His enthusiasm was like a puppy wagging its tail, begging for its work to be noticed.
Alferen reviewed the report.
It seemed he’d been immersed in this experiment the entire time he was away, given the sheer volume of work piled up.
“…So, we’ve narrowed it down to two possibilities. Either it was a temporary phenomenon caused by an unforeseen variable, or some power within Lady Peris affected the plant in the pot.”
Eden cautiously broached the subject, gauging Alferen’s reaction.
“So, here’s the thing. If the Tower Master could ask Lady Peris to touch the plant in the pot one more time…”
“No. Just because she was lucky enough not to get hurt the first time doesn’t mean it’ll be safe again.”
Alferen dismissed the idea without a second thought, his sharp blue eyes boring into Eden like daggers.
“W-Well, that’s true.”
A chill ran through Eden, and he gave an awkward smile, licking his lips nervously.
Even he had to admit it was a reckless suggestion.
She was, after all, the daughter of the Peris dukedom. He’d already incurred the Tower Master’s wrath with his last blunder; he couldn’t afford to make himself even more unpopular.
Still, he’d thought their close relationship might make it okay…
‘Why does he seem even more intense than usual?’
Trying to brush off the prickling tension in the air, Eden ventured a lighthearted remark.
“I suppose if anything happened to the young lady, all our efforts to polish the Mage Tower’s image would be for naught. The imperial family might catch wind of the experiments too.”
The current Mage Tower enjoyed one of the best reputations in its history.
Since its founding, the tower had been notorious among the general public.
It was dubbed the “Den of Lunatics”—or simply “the Den”—for a reason.
And honestly, it wasn’t far from the truth. Every mage in the tower was utterly obsessed with magic.
In the past, countless mages had died or been gravely injured experimenting on themselves to develop new magical arrays.
Eden himself had joined the tower out of a pure love for magic, and had he not met Alferen, he might’ve perished in some reckless experiment long ago.
It was Alferen who had united this ragtag bunch into a cohesive force.
No mage could resist feeling awe in the face of his overwhelming magical prowess.
Yet even he couldn’t perform purification.
The only known method to purify corrupted energy was holy water—a resource monopolized by the imperial family through their close ties to the temple.
That was why Alferen was conducting these experiments in secret.
“We received official approval from the academy for their cooperation. They said they can send someone to the tower by July.”
Eden handed over a resume, and Alferen gave it a cursory glance.
He recognized the name but felt no particular attachment.
They’d been rivals, vying for first and second place before she took a leave of absence, so her skills were likely top-notch.
Eden, ever excitable, piped up, “Looks like she’s from the same academy as you, Tower Master. What’s Miss Summer like? Will she fit in at the tower?”
“Who knows,” Alferen replied, setting the resume down with a shrug.
“She might do well enough.”
That was the extent of his commentary on Summer. As he moved on to review other matters, Alferen added, “The seat in the carriage I rode here is broken. Can you arrange for repairs?”
Eden glanced out the window at the carriage and widened his eyes.
“Wait, isn’t that a Peris family carriage?”
“Yeah. I accidentally broke it on the way here.”
“The seat?”
Eden tilted his head, puzzled, and Alferen’s voice took on a dark edge.
“I heard something particularly unpleasant.”
Eden felt another chill and brushed his shoulder lightly.
“The seat must’ve been old, then.”
No need to pry further—it looked dangerous enough as it was.
Just then, Alferen’s grip tightened as he recalled Rodellia’s casual remark: ‘She straight-up asked me if I’d consider meeting her son.’
Crack.
“Oh.”
The pen in his hand snapped, ink soaking his fingers.
“Eek!”
Eden shuddered at the sight of the shattered pen.
What on earth had happened to rattle him like this?
Staring at his ink-stained hand, Alferen let out a hollow laugh.
“How dare they.”
Despite his refined tone, his eyes blazed with intensity.
The imperial family had yet to respond regarding the annulment.
The emperor, who doted on Consort Rosaria, likely wanted to maintain the engagement.
The only option was to present the emperor with a proposal as enticing as the engagement itself.
And Alferen knew exactly what the emperor desired.
As he left the Mage Tower, he issued a command to Eden.
“Inform His Majesty that I’ll seek an audience tomorrow.”
