Chapter 144 : The Return
On a crisp, refreshing morning—the first of its kind in a long while—Aracila combed her hair neatly and donned her Magic Tower uniform with care. The pure white morning sunlight illuminated her serene, smiling face.
As she descended the stairs to leave for work, the butler, head maid, and other household staff gathered in the foyer to see her off. It was the day their mistress, once unjustly accused and confined, had proven her innocence and reclaimed her place. Their faces radiated uncontainable joy.
“Have a good day, my lady,” they said.
“Thank you,” Aracila replied softly, stepping outside.
Two carriages awaited, and standing before them was Damian, who offered a gentle smile and extended his hand. Aracila placed her hand in his large one with natural ease.
“Have a good day at work, my lady,” he said.
“You too, Damian. See you after work.”
The carriage carrying Aracila set off first, with Damian’s following close behind. They rode side by side through the bustling streets until they parted ways near the plaza.
Through the carriage window, Aracila’s eyes traced the silhouette of the Magic Tower in the distance. I’m finally returning to my place. How long she had waited for this day.
Stepping down from the carriage, she strode confidently through the Tower’s main gate. The guard at the entrance bowed respectfully. By now, there wasn’t a soul in the Tower unaware of Aracila’s return.
Inside, rose petals were scattered lightly across the floor, and a banner hung from the ceiling: “Congratulations on Your Return, Lady Aracila!”
With a soft chuckle, Aracila followed the trail of petals to her laboratory. Along the way, everyone she passed greeted her warmly.
“Aracila, congratulations on coming back!”
“Welcome back, Senior!”
“Lady Aracila, it’s such a relief to see you here again!”
She responded with a subtle smile and a nod, her demeanor calm yet gracious.
Her laboratory, sealed off and inaccessible for so long, buzzed with lively sounds. She knocked deliberately on the door, and the noise inside fell silent in an instant. They’re up to something, she thought, a faint smile playing on her lips as she slowly opened the door.
Pop!
A small firecracker burst, showering the air with colorful paper. Sally and Rudy stood before her, one holding a bouquet of flowers, the other a cake.
“Welcome back!” Sally squealed.
“Congratulations on your first day back, Senior,” Rudy said.
“Blow out the candles and make a wish!”
Aracila hugged the bouquet to her chest, leaned forward to blow out the candles, and closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. “Thank you, you two. The petals and banner outside—that was your doing, right?”
“No, no!” Sally said, waving her hands. “Other people prepared those to celebrate you.”
Aracila’s expression flickered with surprise. To think that others beyond her two juniors were genuinely celebrating her return.
When she had been unjustly expelled by Fernando’s machinations, Aracila had been consumed by despair and frustration. Despite her dedication to the Tower and her prowess as a mage, she had felt unrecognized, as if her entire life as a mage had been negated. But she had been wrong.
There were those who saw her worth, who judged her not through the lens of prejudice but by the path she had forged.
It wasn’t all for nothing, she realized. The fruits of her steadfast journey, despite what others said, were tangible in this moment.
“I’m grateful for everyone,” she said softly.
“Oh, come on, Senior! With all you’ve shown us as a mage, it’s only natural,” Sally said.
“You’ve accomplished so much. That’s why people are reacting like this,” Rudy added.
“Is that so?” Aracila murmured, a gentle smile spreading as she carefully set the cake and bouquet on her desk.
Having been showered with her juniors’ congratulations, she knew where she needed to go next. “I’ll be back in a bit,” she said.
“Where are you going?” Sally asked, her eyes wide with curiosity at Aracila’s sudden departure.
Aracila pointed upward with her index finger. “To see the Master. He asked me to come by when I returned.”
It was time to meet her mentor.
When she had been expelled from the Tower, Philip hadn’t been able to help her. But Aracila harbored no resentment. She had seen Fernando blackmailing him and understood how difficult it would have been for Philip to intervene. Besides, after the trial, Philip had swiftly expelled Fernando and his allies and reinstated her, leaving no room for grudges.
“Master, may I come in?” she asked at the door.
“Enter,” came the immediate reply.
Aracila stepped into the familiar office of the Master of the Tower. Philip, floating lightly in the air, greeted her with his characteristic chuckle.
“You’re here, Aracila.”
<Chapter 145 A Long-Awaited Reunion
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here,” Aracila said, stepping into the Master’s office.
“Ho ho ho, has it?” Philip replied with his characteristic chuckle, slowly descending from his floating perch to meet his disciple face-to-face.
Aracila’s brow twitched slightly as she noticed his frame seemed smaller, his hair whiter than before. “Were you terribly worried while I was gone?” she asked.
“Why would you ask such a thing?” Philip said, deflecting.
“You seem to have aged so much all of a sudden.”
“At my age, growing old is all that’s left to do,” he said with a wry smile, using magic to pour tea into a cup and gesturing for her to sit. Aracila settled across from him obediently.
“I’m proud of you, Aracila,” Philip said. “Proving your innocence and reclaiming your place all on your own—you’ve truly come into your own.”
“I’ve always been taller than you, Master,” she teased.
“Ho ho ho, you cheeky thing!” Philip laughed heartily, but his expression gradually sobered. In a low voice, he offered an apology. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Aracila asked.
“For not helping you during that council meeting.”
“It’s alright,” she said. “If you’d blindly taken my side, it might have worked against us. It’s because you didn’t that they’ve fallen so far now.”
Back then, Aracila had only suspicions, not evidence. If Philip had defended her without proof, any evidence she later produced might have been dismissed as fabricated. By stepping back and letting the vote stand, Philip ensured that no one could challenge the legitimacy of her lawsuit’s outcome.
“Even so, I feel I’ve been an inadequate mentor, and I’m deeply sorry for that,” Philip said. “As a gesture of my apology, I’ll grant you anything you wish. Tell me, what do you want?”
“Hmm.” Aracila paused, lost in thought. Having already received so much guidance from her mentor, she couldn’t think of anything more she needed. Maybe a nice teacup? she mused, but then an idea struck her—Monica’s jewelry box. She still hadn’t unraveled the complex magical seals locking it. With Philip’s superior magical expertise, he could likely solve it in an instant.
“I do have a request,” she said. “I have a jewelry box sealed with a locking spell. Could you help me open it?”
“Bring it to me, and I’ll take a look,” Philip agreed readily. When he asked if that was truly all she wanted, Aracila nodded.
After a bit more light conversation, she rose from her seat. “I should get going.”
“Alright. Do well today,” Philip said, watching her stand and offer a respectful bow. “Congratulations on your return, Aracila.”
“Thank you, Master,” she replied with a bright smile, leaving the room with a light, confident step. Philip’s lips curved into a fond smile as he watched his spirited, unyielding disciple go.
After work, Aracila headed to the Hayden Marquisate to meet Paula. She wanted to tell her friend about everything that had happened since Lady Harriet’s party. How would Paula react to the news that their longstanding friendship with Frederick had shattered?
Aracila worried that Paula, caught between her and Frederick, might be hurt by the fallout. Still, she calmly recounted her decision to cut ties with him.
Paula listened quietly, and by the time Aracila finished, she was covering her mouth with both hands, unable to hide her shock. “My goodness… Frederick’s completely lost it.”
Not only had he deliberately sparked a scandal, but he’d even tried to eliminate Damian. The revelation was so staggering it left Paula reeling.
“If he cared about you that much, why didn’t he just confess?” Paula said, exasperated. “What is this mess?”
“I never knew he was that kind of person,” Aracila admitted.
“Neither did I. I thought he was kind and gentle for a royal…” Paula rubbed the back of her head as if nursing a bruise. “This stings.”
She reached out and took Aracila’s hand. “You did the right thing, though. Cutting him off decisively like that.”
“It wasn’t hard once I saw his true colors,” Aracila said. “But Paula, are you okay?”
With two of the trio at odds and estranged, Paula, who had been close to both, was left in an awkward position. Frederick’s actions against Aracila were undeniably vile, but objectively, they had nothing to do with Paula. If Paula chose to maintain her relationship with Frederick, Aracila couldn’t fault her for it.
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Paula replied, shrugging with surprising nonchalance. “I’ll be honest—since we were students, I always wondered if Frederick ever saw me as a real friend.”
Though the three had been inseparable back then, Paula had always sensed that Frederick’s attention was fixed solely on Aracila. Without her, Paula doubted they would have even spoken, let alone become friends. Their connection existed because of Aracila.
“I knew Frederick only stayed close to me because of you,” Paula said. “When you weren’t around, he barely said a word to me.”
“Really? That makes him even worse,” Aracila said, frowning.
“I think so too. In a way, he used me to stay near you.”
Their trio’s friendship had lasted longer than it might have as a duo because of that dynamic. Frederick must have known it, clinging to the title of friend despite his indifference toward Paula.
“So, I don’t have any lingering attachment to my friendship with him,” Paula said. “I don’t want to stay friends with someone who’d do something so low and petty.”
Paula’s ability to so easily let go of her ties with the crown prince stemmed from one simple truth: she had never sought to gain anything from him. Like Aracila, she had treated him as a genuine friend, which made her decision to cut ties swift and resolute.
“So don’t worry about me, Aracila,” Paula said, flashing a warm smile. “You’ve got enough on your plate already.”
Aracila returned the smile, touched by her friend’s generosity, but Paula’s voice suddenly dropped, her tone tinged with concern as she leaned in closer.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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