* * *
Only after glancing back at the knights at the entrance did I speak.
“Hey, did I ever… have a particularly close relationship with the Fourth Prince?”
“Pardon?”
Serta’s lemon-yellow eyes wavered slightly.
I didn’t miss the moment and observed him closely, but his expression was pure confusion.
“I don’t think you’ve had any significant interaction with him, as far as I know.”
“Really?”
Serta looked genuinely perplexed.
“Yes. When have I ever lied to you?”
Ah… Were we that close?
His eyes were sincere. I’d known him to be loyal, but I hadn’t realized it was to this extent.
Well, I guess it was on me for not noticing over the past six years.
Ah… Were they really that close?
His gaze was sincere. I always thought of him as someone with strong loyalty, but not to this extent.
Well, I suppose it’s on me for not noticing in the past six years.
I had thought he simply pitied me at the end, but perhaps there was some lingering affection after all.
That makes it all the more bittersweet.
“Tower Master.”
“Hm?”
Serta called my name in a low voice.
Startled, I looked up at him.
He asked with an unusually serious expression.
“I heard the Fourth Prince was denied an audience, but you met him in the garden. Was there some sort of incident?”
“There was no incident.”
Other than him being a bit crestfallen.
Serta looked at me with a complicated expression before speaking.
“I will follow your will, Tower Master.”
“……”
Hmm, judging by his words, it seems I didn’t have much interaction with Ateol.
What he’s really saying is probably, “I don’t know why you’re suddenly siding with the Fourth Prince, but if that’s what you want, go ahead.”
Even if it were a secret relationship, someone like Serta or Cloden should have known about it.
But apparently, they didn’t.
Feeling somewhat awkward after parting with Serta, I returned to my room to find Cloden waiting there.
I asked him the same question, and his answer was much the same.
Cloden also didn’t seem particularly fond of Ateol.
After snacking on the refreshments Cloden had silently prepared and lying down for a bit, I felt my energy returning.
I wanted to just rest, but seeing my stamina bar tick up from 7 to 8 made the deep-seated work ethic I thought had died years ago rear its head.
I needed to investigate.
What kind of relationship did Ateol and I actually have?
Like when I went around gauging favorability last time, I wandered the tower and asked people about it.
Unlike favorability, those who were relatively close to me should have known more, so it was easier this time.
But in the end, all I managed to gain was a significant decrease in my favorability gauge.
With a pitiful gauge in the 60s and stamina drained back down to 5, my body sagged with exhaustion.
Sighing, I took off my robe, which dragged down to my toes, washed up, and lay down comfortably.
Only then did the gauge slowly begin to refill.
“Hmm…”
I lay there, wiggling my toes, deep in thought.
Judging by how even my closest aides knew nothing, it was highly likely that the Fourth Prince and the fake Tower Master really had no connection.
Surely they weren’t the kind to sneak over the wall at night to sing love serenades, whispering pilgrim verses and exchanging passionate kisses.
Right?
Besides, the Magic Tower isn’t some Capulet garden.
The hurdles are far too high.
A daunting tower, said to be the tallest in the world, a labyrinth designed to ensnare intruders for eternity without my permission, countless magical traps, and even more guards and knights.
Not to mention, there isn’t even a place to kneel before my balcony—it’s just empty air.
The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Ateol is just toying with me.
I checked my status window.
I hadn’t noticed a notification earlier, but my favorability had risen slightly.
Beside the favorability number was an eye-catching message.
[Tip to Quickly Increase Favorability!]
If this existed, why didn’t it tell me sooner?!
Then again, what could I expect from a status window that didn’t show up for six years?
Hastily, I tapped the message.
The window flashed theatrically before a pop-up appeared.
“Closeness of the body often leads to closeness of the heart. How about trying physical contact?”
“……”
This is madness…
Not only is it a dating sim, but it’s also R18-rated.
I spent two full days just lying in bed.
Though familiar with the festival preparations, I skimmed through the handbook for formality’s sake.
The festival day arrived soon enough, and Ateol came to greet me in front of the tower from early morning.
The moment he turned, standing against the backdrop of the carriage, and our eyes met, I stopped in my tracks.
He was dressed impeccably from head to toe…
“Ah…”
Even in that brief pause, I nearly tripped as my robe caught underfoot.
If Cloden and Serta hadn’t been flanking me, I would have fallen flat.
Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and pretended nothing had happened, standing upright.
I hadn’t expected to be so affected.
But how could I not be when Ateol looked so overwhelmingly stunning?
Though I’d grown somewhat accustomed to his face, I’d never seen him dressed up like this.
He wore the imperial navy-blue uniform adorned with ceremonial medals, likely awarded in name during several battles.
To me, who didn’t know the meaning behind each medal, they merely appeared dazzling.
His uniform was embroidered with gold and silver thread, paired with a grayish-blue cape that complemented the uniform’s color.
Black shoes. Golden hair slicked back.
Honestly, he looked more like the Empire’s young emperor than the crown prince Caleus, who came to greet me in similar attire six years ago. No, he surpassed even that.
As I neared, Ateol gracefully knelt on one knee, bowing his head as he looked up at me.
“Your hand, my noble one.”
I hesitated briefly before extending my hand.
He kissed the back of it, rising slowly while still holding it.
A faint tingling spread from my hand to my arm.
Cloden opened the carriage door.
I leaned on Ateol’s hand to step inside.
Once seated, I idly played with the hem of my hood while Ateol adjusted his cloak and took the seat opposite me.
“……”
I shouldn’t have looked up.
Under my hood, our eyes met directly.
Quickly averting my gaze, I could feel his eyes following me.
Pulling the hood further down and letting my hair fall forward, he finally adjusted his posture.
Even for that brief moment, his eyes burned bright red.
My body stiffened as a chill ran down my spine.
The tension in that instant left my palms damp with sweat.
For the rest of the ride to the festival grounds, neither of us spoke a word.
The rattling of the carriage was the only sign of time passing.
It took about 30 minutes to reach the grand balcony overlooking the square where the festival was being held.
The carriage moved at a slow pace, but those 30 minutes felt like an eternity.
It was as if I were holding a plank the entire time, drained as if I’d done exactly that.
There will be countless occasions to be around Ateol in the future, and yet…
If only he were a bit more easygoing, maybe this wouldn’t happen.
No, that’s not it.
I’m not scared of his demeanor—I’m scared of Ateol himself.
“We’ve arrived, Tower Master.”
I flinched visibly at Ateol’s quiet voice.
If someone saw me now, they might think I was guilty of some crime.
They say it’s the one who strikes that loses sleep at night, but that’s a lie.
Though it’s not like Ateol chose to forget.
* * *
