040. What I Truly Want (4)

Owen left the office with just those words.

As Bella stared blankly at the office door, Kyle spoke up.

“So, is that really all there is to why the Saintess personally came here?”

Only after he spoke did Bella’s gaze finally return to him.

“Yes.”

That couldn’t be true.

I came to test you.

This was her honest thought, but Bella did not make the mistake of saying it out loud.

Would she be crazy to say that?

“Alright…”

Of course, Kyle wouldn’t believe it so easily.

It was obvious.

No matter how kind and good-hearted a person was…

Would someone as significant as the Saintess come here just to ask for permission?

It was something that even the original Bella hadn’t done.

“Sir.”

Facing a doubtful Kyle, Bella called for the holy knights.

Two of them, who had brought gifts, stepped forward.

Bella watched in admiration as they placed the gift packages on Kyle’s desk.

The situation between the three earlier was surprising enough.

It was remarkable that they waited quietly without a sound.

It was also impressive that they didn’t mind being treated as mere decorations.

“These are small gifts as a token of our apology and understanding.”

“Thank you, I’ll accept them.”

Kyle glanced briefly at the gifts and nodded.

He seemed not to care much about what the gifts were.

“…But, Tower Lord.”

Choosing her words carefully, Bella finally asked what she had been curious about earlier.

“Are you friends with Duke Verdun?”

“Well…, yes. Somehow.”

Kyle, who had been stretching out his words, nodded his head.

His ears turned slightly red, as if he was embarrassed.

‘What’s with that reaction?’

Her feelings of confusion intensified.

As she stood there bewildered, Kyle asked her a question.

“But the mages didn’t say anything even though the Saintess herself came here? Did they not recognize the Saintess?”

“Oh, yes. They didn’t really say anything.”

When Bella confirmed, Kyle frowned.

Even with his furrowed brow, his face remained handsome.

‘He is really handsome…’

His blue hair and eyes gave off a mysterious and enchanting aura, and his face was both beautiful and striking.

In Korea, he would have been perfectly suited to be an idol with his good looks.

If Owen looked like an actor, Kyle would be an idol.

Owen’s facial features weren’t exactly rough, but compared to Kyle, they were more pronounced.

“I must apologize for that. It’s clearly the fault of the tower members for not recognizing the Saintess.”

While Bella was admiring Kyle’s face again, Kyle apologized.

Bella blinked at him briefly before shaking her head.

“No, it’s not really a mistake. It’s been a long time. It’s natural that ordinary people wouldn’t recognize the symbol of the Saintess.”

The symbol of the Saintess was silver hair and silver eyes.

However, it had been 200 years since a Saintess had appeared.

By now, the very existence of a Saintess would have faded from memory.

It was likely that ordinary people wouldn’t know what the symbol of the Saintess was.

“In that case, I won’t say anything more.”

“Yes, it’s really fine. Even in the temple, there are those who don’t understand the significance of the blue color.”

Similarly, people didn’t know the symbol of the Tower Lord very well either.

Just as the Imperial family symbolized gold, the two dukes of the empire symbolized red and black, and the temple symbolized white, the magic tower also had a symbolic color.

It was none other than the blue color of magic.

The direct line of the imperial family was born with golden hair and golden eyes, and the direct descendants of the dukes had red and black hair and eyes. This was just a superficial difference.

Of course, some of them who trained with swords, spears, or bows could wield red and black energy, but that only applied to some direct descendants who were knights.

The silver hair and eyes of the Saintess and Saint, and the blue color of the Tower Lord, had entirely different meanings.

Silver was the color that appeared when pure divine power was concentrated, and blue was the color that appeared when a large amount of magic power was present.

“That’s true.”

Kyle let out a short laugh and then stood up from his seat.

“Since you’ve come all this way, let me at least see you to the first floor.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure you’re busy….”

“This much is fine.”

Pretending to be modest, Kyle responded with a smile.

His reaction puzzled Bella once again.

‘The relationship with Owen has changed, and he doesn’t show any particular affection for me, but basically, nothing seems different from the original story?’

Kyle’s attitude was quite friendly.

Kyle was originally a prickly person.

Except for Bella, that is.

Now, Owen was also included in the exceptions.

‘Should I ask Kyle about Owen…?’

It would be the quickest way to get answers.

She knew they were friends and that, for some reason, Kyle liked Owen quite a bit.

To the point of blushing all the way to his ears, it seemed he was deeply affected.

“Um, Tower Lord.”

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

“You mentioned earlier that you’re friends with Duke Verdun.”

“Oh, yes.”

“What kind of person is the Duke?”

Bella asked in a roundabout way, as she couldn’t ask directly.

What she really wanted to know was about Owen’s request and his relationship with Kyle, but she couldn’t ask that directly.

Asking that way would surely make her seem like a rude person prying into personal matters.

“Owen?”

“Yes, Duke Verdun.”

“Hmm… He was very different from what I expected. Polite, kind, and gentle.”

Kyle’s ears turned red again.

“He knows how to embrace people. He stood up for others. He really cherished his people.”

“….”

What on earth is that reaction?

Bella looked at Kyle with a perplexed expression.

Anyone could misunderstand.

Kyle looked just like a boy in love, shy and bashful.

‘No way.’

As her thoughts reached that point, a faint suspicion crept in.

It’s true that Kyle falls in love with Bella at first sight.

But what made him truly fall for her wasn’t her appearance.

Kyle grew more fond of Bella because of her kindness and gentleness.

Bella won Kyle over by caring for him, cherishing him, and standing up for him.

“And he was very strong. That part was as expected.”

And crucially, Bella and Owen had something in common.

They were both extremely powerful and valuable assets.

‘…No way. Even if the original story is falling apart, how could the second male lead like the male lead?’

Even if the original story was falling apart, it would be genre-breaking for the second male lead to like the male lead.

It would be absurd for the second male lead’s sexual orientation to change overnight.

‘Unless he was bi or pansexual from the beginning.’

But it was hard to believe that would be the case in a romance fantasy novel.

Shaking off the thought quickly, Bella spoke up with words of admiration.

“Rumor has it that he’s a very cold and calculating person, but I guess it was just a rumor.”

“Rumors are often distorted. But why are you asking about this? Could it be…?”

Could it be?

As Bella tilted her head in curiosity, Kyle sighed.

“Unfortunately, Saintess, you should give up on Owen. He already has someone he likes.”

“What?”

Bella asked reflexively in surprise, and Kyle shook his head as he replied.

“The longer you hold onto your feelings, the harder it will be. It’s better to let go as soon as possible.”

“….”

What on earth is he talking about?

Seeing her confused expression, Kyle elaborated.

“You heard him in the office earlier, right? Owen asked me for a favor.”

“Yes.”

“That favor was for someone he likes. He asked me to create a recording crystal. He wanted to capture that person’s image. When I suggested a portrait, he said it wasn’t enough.”

Someone he likes.

There was only one person that could be in this context.

Lucia Edelte, the villainess of *The Flower of the Empire*.

“Lady Edelte?”

“Yes, the young lady with red hair.”

Kyle, who wasn’t well-versed in the social circles and nobility, roughly described her appearance.

The young lady with red hair.

That description was enough.

There was only one young lady in the empire with red hair.

“I see.”

Even to his friend’s eyes, it seemed they were in a romantic relationship.

And Owen hadn’t denied it.

That’s why Kyle was so certain.

“It’s easier to give up. They seemed very solid. Hard to break.”

“…Hard to break?”

While Bella was organizing her thoughts with a heavy heart, Kyle added more.

Hard to break?

For some reason, his expression seemed odd.

As if he had tried it himself.

“They seemed very steadfast. As if they could devote everything to just one person.”

“….”

Then why do you know that?

Why do you know it so well?

‘Because you’re friends?’

They said they were friends.

If they were close enough to ask favors of each other, they must be quite close.

But even so, do friends usually know this much about each other’s romantic feelings and relationships?

In an ordinary friendship?

‘No way.’

No.

There’s no way.

Neither Owen nor Kyle were the type to divulge every little detail.

Which means…

“Knights, please wait outside.”

The group had almost reached the entrance of the magic tower on the first floor.

At Bella’s suggestion, the holy knights quickly took the hint and bowed.

“We will be right outside the door.”

“Alright.”

The holy knights exited the tower first.

Bella turned back to look at Kyle.

He wore a puzzled expression.

‘…These characters are all so thorough, except for Bella. How can they all act so well?’

Bella swallowed a sigh and composed herself.

The reason the original story deviated was largely due to Owen and Kyle.

Especially Owen.

Owen’s unexpected kindness towards others had caused changes.

“Tower Lord.”

Fortunately, there were no passing mages around.

Bella spoke in a very serious, low voice.

“Do you like Duke Verdun?”

Kyle blinked, as if trying to comprehend the question.

Then, realizing what she meant, his ears turned red again.

“Wh-why would you ask that?”

“It just… seemed like you did. Like you liked the Duke.”

As Bella added this, Kyle let out a deep sigh and responded.

“Yes, I like him. How could I keep someone I don’t like by my side?”

I knew it.

Hearing this, Bella fell into deep thought again.

She needed to think about how to fix the original story, where the love lines had completely broken.

Because of this, Bella missed hearing the next part.

“There’s no reason to make friends with someone you dislike. It’s bothersome. Although it’s my first time having a friend, so I’m not really sure.”

The part she really needed to hear.