“…I see. Keep what we just talked about a secret from others.”
“What? Why?”
“If it becomes known that you acquired ancient magic without explanation, your safety could be at risk. Don’t tell anyone for the time being, and don’t try to research it. It’s safer to wait until the archaeological investigation is over.”
It was for the same reasons Eleanor had mentioned earlier. I felt grateful for Father’s concern for me, but I also felt guilty for not disclosing the exact truth.
– He’s a good father.
Eleanor’s voice echoed in my mind.
– And a pretty good looking one, too.
‘…….’
“What is it?”
Father asked as he noticed my anxious expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing. …Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
“…What you said earlier is true, right? You won’t meet that person again?”
“…….”
I hesitated for a moment, and Father frowned with a serious expression.
“Swear on your late mother’s name. Swear that even if that person comes back and looks for you, you won’t meet them alone. Promise me that you’ll inform me immediately.”
“…….”
“Eila.”
“…Alright, I promise.”
I said it in a small voice.
There was no chance that Clyde would come back to find me, but even if it were the slightest possibility, I couldn’t let Father know.
However, if I didn’t take this oath, Father would never be reassured.
Anyway, I’ve told countless lies up to this point. What difference does one more make now?
“In return, Father, promise me too. Promise that you won’t pursue Clyde’s whereabouts under any circumstances.”
“…Alright.”
I heaved a sigh of relief at Father’s response.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
After sending Eila out of the office, Julion sat there with a troubled expression, lost in thought.
He hadn’t imagined that Eila would become so attached to that half-demon.
The dead Chestina was a particularly compassionate woman, too. Especially towards those she deemed pitiful. She couldn’t simply leave those who evoked her sympathy alone.
Was Eila similar to her mother in this regard?
Thinking of his deceased wife, a faint ache spread through his chest. It had been nearly twenty years since he lost her, but the longing had never faded, no matter how much time had passed.
Perhaps it was because he felt he had failed to protect her, even though she was his wife.
Julion had promised Eila that he wouldn’t pursue that half-demon, but in reality, he had already dispatched a tracking unit through his secret organization, the Twilight Moon.
The half-demon could wield extraordinarily powerful magic, far beyond that of an ordinary demon.
If he wished, he could single-handedly bring down the Empire.
He was a dangerous existence that couldn’t be left unchecked.
Of course, in terms of magical power, Julion was the only one who could potentially confront him within the Empire.
There was a clear need to intensify magical research. Ideally, not just to contain him but to develop a magic that could definitely neutralize his powers.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
In the end, I faced no consequences for my involvement with Clyde.
It was supposed to have been brought to a formal hearing, but it appears that my father and Raphir prevented it.
Officially, I had helped Clyde escape under the influence of his enchanting magic, “against my will.”
The spell I used that day was concluded to be a simple invisibility spell cast on Clyde.
Of course, what I had memorized was a spell clearly different from the invisibility spell.
Fortunately, except for Father, it seemed that the others were relatively far from me, and under the influence of the magical restraints on their bodies, they didn’t properly hear the spell. Thanks to this, I could somehow pass it off as an advanced invisibility spell that I had improved.
Father, citing health reasons, confined me to the estate.He watched me more closely than ever before, making sure I couldn’t take a step outside the mansion.
This time, my brothers also didn’t ask any questions about my actions.
For a while, Aslan wore a guilty look on his face. He seemed to feel deep responsibility for everything that had happened in Andela.
Even when I said it wasn’t his fault, he would just shake his head in silence.
Neither Aslan nor Nita asked me a single word about Sapphire or Clyde.
Perhaps father had kept them from speaking.
Perhaps Father had prevented anyone from speaking about it. Within the house, all discussions about Andela were tacitly forbidden. It was as if none of those events had ever happened, and we lived without mentioning them.
And so, two years passed.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━
[…So, I’d like to invite you to a tea party next Wednesday. This time, it won’t be hosted by Princess Sylphia or the empress, but by me personally.
I hope you don’t scoff at the idea of a man’s tea party. The Duke of Rojasis is trying to keep you from attending any banquets or galas, so this is the only way for us to meet.
Of course, it’s a ‘tea party,’ but there will only be two attendees, you and me. It’s a secret even from Sylphia, so I hope you’ll keep the fact that you’re entering the palace on that day strictly confidential. She won’t try to keep us alone for even a moment, I assure you.
Aren’t you getting tired of being cooped up in that house all the time now?
As my sister said, there’s only one practical way to escape from that house. I believe there’s no need to mention what that is.
My side is still empty, but I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it that way. The Emperor and the Empress have started to become more serious and watchful.
So, I’ll be waiting as if one day is a thousand years.
With unwavering love, Raphir Enshus Mule Palma]
After reading Raphir’s letter, I sighed quietly.
It had been two years since the incident, but my “leave of absence” had yet to end.
I was still stuck in these stifling days, unlike anything before.
Raphir wasn’t exaggerating when he said that the royal tea party was the “only way for him to see me.” Other gatherings were highly likely to be prohibited by my father.
Fortunately, Raphir or Sylphia could invite me, and with Father working at the palace, it was allowed only if it took place during daylight hours.
I appreciate Raphir’s consideration, but I couldn’t help but feel conflicted. My heart was torn as I continued to delay giving him an answer to his proposal.
Actually, I wasn’t delaying it; it was more like rejection, but Raphir refused to accept it, which led to this situation.
As I sighed again, a voice echoed in my mind.
– You shouldn’t dwell on it.
‘Ack! I told you not to randomly talk to me like this.’
– Your path as a mage is the only one you should pursue. Until you reach a level beyond what I achieved, don’t even think about marriage.
‘You don’t need to worry. I have no intention of getting married in my entire life.’
– Why is that?
‘Why do you ask when you told me not to think about marriage?’
– Because it would be a waste to die a virgin. I did not marry Christian, but I’ve done my fair share.
‘Ugh, stop! I don’t want to hear that!’
I protested as Eleanor’s voice laughed in my head. After that, I couldn’t hear any more voices.
Eleanor would randomly speak to me like this several times a day when my mood allowed it.
At first, it was strange and uncomfortable, but after two years, I had grown somewhat accustomed to it.
During this time, besides the time-stopping spell that I learned as her “disciple,” I hadn’t learned any other magic.
Eleanor had subtly hinted at teaching me other magic a few times, but I pretended not to hear.
In this constrained daily life where even the smallest things were controlled by my father, practicing such advanced magic felt burdensome.
I was about to start writing a reply to Raphir when I heard a knock at the door.
“Eila, it’s me.”
“Brother Heufeln? Please come in.”
The door opened, and Heufeln walked in.
It had been a month since Heufeln had returned home for a long vacation.
The long and brutal war with the demon realm had finally come to an end.
Several months after the events in Andela, the demons had unexpectedly withdrawn from the front lines, remaining quiet for over a year.
Of course, there was no telling when they would return, so he remained on the front lines and prepared for another invasion.
However, compared to the days when we faced demons in battle every day, the situation had improved significantly.
Evidence of this improvement was visible in Heufeln’s much softer expression compared to before.
“What were you doing, Eila?”
“I was about to write a reply to the Crown Prince.”
At the mention of the Crown Prince, a thin crease formed on Heufeln’s forehead.
