Chapter 14
“Exceptions can happen at any time.”
What does that even mean, that the princess falls into that exception? My insides weren’t just boiling anymore—they were burning with acid.
At least my handsome former favorites had personalities that were mostly as good as their looks. In other words, it had been a long time since I’d had a favorite who so blatantly acted like a spoiled brat.
So, I couldn’t hold back and impulsively blurted out,
“…I’m not coming tomorrow.”
It was a declaration that I wouldn’t show up for work tomorrow, even though I’d never missed a single day until now. For a brief moment, I saw Axel’s eyebrow twitch, but that was it.
“…Do as you please.”
Axel’s expression truly showed that he didn’t care if I did or not. I dropped my head in dismay, my face blank with shock.
That’s too much…
He’s really not going to stop me? I thought we’d built up some rapport over this time…
Feeling like I was grasping at straws, I slightly lifted my head and asked Axel in a small voice. Even to my own ears, it sounded a bit pathetic.
“…Aren’t you going to ask why I’m not coming?”
After a brief silence, his characteristically cold voice came through.
“That doesn’t seem like any of my business.”
At his relentlessly cool words, I hung my head low again.
“Fine.”
Without looking at Axel’s face, I turned my body right away. Then, I slowly walked toward the door.
With each step, tears…
Tears…
They didn’t actually flow, but I was sharpening a knife in my heart.
Gritting my teeth, I hid my eyes blazing with fire and ignited my resolve inwardly.
I’m really going to seduce you somehow…
The colder Axel was toward me, the more it fueled my fire. He would never know.
Honestly, it was partly out of spite that I’d said I wouldn’t go, but there was actually a real reason.
It was the contact from the video orb shop I’d visited last time.
The manager, in a very cautious tone, hemmed and hawed as he relayed the message from the Magic Tower side.
They said if I wanted them to make that thing, I should come to the Magic Tower alone myself.
The Magic Tower was an exceptional place.
Mages were full of eccentrics, and it was the only place where social status didn’t hold sway.
They’d chase money one moment, but if something suddenly displeased them, they’d abruptly drop whatever they were doing.
Because of that, many merchants suffered headaches. But there was no other institution to replace them, and with their skills and product quality guaranteed, even nobles mostly bowed and scraped before them.
From what I knew, mages didn’t like letting people into their domain, so why on earth were they telling me to come?
It was fortunate they hadn’t outright rejected my request… but I was extremely curious about the reason.
The carriage provided by the Magic Tower was like something straight out of Cinderella—true to a Magic Tower carriage, there was no coachman, and as soon as I got in, it started moving on its own.
‘Oh, this is what a fantasy world feels like!’ I experienced it firsthand, and while racing along without knowing the destination, it happened.
The window, which had shown only dense forest paths until now, suddenly revealed a different landscape. As if someone had applied a filter, the scenery changed abruptly, and I gaped in awe.
And no wonder—the buildings unfolding before my eyes were as grand as the imperial palace in scale and splendor.
Like a child, I sparkled with excitement, opened the window, and stuck my face out. My hair fluttered in the wind, and a pleasant fragrance wafted gently.
I’d imagined a closed-off place as a typical magic tower: a long stretch of dreary gray stone towers. I never expected it to be this refined.
Probably, my guess was that once you passed a certain boundary, the hidden place revealed itself.
The carriage stopped in front of a building that looked like a temple, and after lightly glancing around, I cautiously got out.
As soon as I stepped down, there was a pop like a balloon bursting from behind, and the carriage vanished without a trace.
I’d been so busy chasing after Axel that I hadn’t had time to experience things like this, but magic was incredibly novel and fun. It made my heart pound as if I’d stepped into a fluffy fairy tale.
Only after climbing the shallow steps did the buildings come into proper view. A wide avenue stretched straight ahead, cool and open, with a vast garden spreading out beside it.
There were people I assumed were mages: some sitting on benches, others lounging comfortably under trees, and still others drawing large magic circles in the middle of the path for research.
As I slowly walked along, observing them, I suddenly felt something odd.
‘Come to think of it, these people… they’re not paying any attention to me at all?’
I must be an outsider to them, yet they weren’t noticing me. In fact, it went beyond that—they were treating me as if I didn’t exist.
Standing still and blinking, I decided to muster some courage since I didn’t even know where to go. I took a breath and called out loudly.
“Um, excuse me!”
In that instant, their gazes focused on me all at once, but only for a moment. Then, like spotting an ant on the path, they all went back to their own tasks.
My pupils shook wildly from side to side. It felt like I’d been dropped alone into the vast ocean.
Ha, not just one person, but all of them pretending not to see and ignoring me…?
I swallowed hard.
‘They say it’s full of eccentrics…’
It seemed that was true. It’s not easy to act like that.
‘…So where exactly am I supposed to go?’
From the looks of it, even if I grabbed someone and asked, they wouldn’t answer… All I had was the invitation sent by the Magic Tower.
As I stood there like a protruding rock, all alone, that’s when it happened. A suspicious squirrel passed right in front of me.
The moment I saw it, an idea flashed.
‘Wait, isn’t this that cliché? The one where an animal leads you to follow it…!’
This was the unique space of the Magic Tower, so it was entirely possible. The situation fit perfectly.
Finally convinced, I boldly called out to the squirrel.
“You’re telling me to follow, right? Right!”
As if answering, the squirrel twitched its tail once and started running ahead.
“Oh, w-wait! I’m coming!”
I started running to match it.
However, there was one big problem: contrary to my expectations, the squirrel was incredibly fast.
Of course, I knew wild squirrels boasted tremendous speed…
But I’d imagined a cozy run with the squirrel!
Not this insane full sprint!
My legs moved without rest. And so, for the first time since possessing this body, I began a mad dash.
In my imagination, the squirrel would wait for me, we’d make eye contact, and stroll along hand in paw—or whatever…
How on earth did it turn into this!
“Huff… Pant…”
Finally stopping in place, I gasped for breath. My heart pounded furiously, as if it might burst. I collapsed onto the spot.
“Y-You crazy squirrel…”
The squirrel, which had zipped through the building at incredible speed, had now vanished from sight. Thanks to that, after running around like a lunatic for a while, I was stopped in some unknown place.
As I tried to steady my irregular breathing, that’s when it was. After calming down a bit, I slowly lifted my head and looked around.
