~Chapter 19~
The lecture hall in the palace was built like a staircase.
The stage was at the lowest point, and all the seats overlooked it from above.
Which meant—I had to endure the nobles’ arrogant gazes falling on me from start to finish.
Being treated like a caged monkey by these so-called elite people was far from pleasant. Maybe that’s why I started talking faster—I just wanted to get it over with.
“…Therefore, if we can operate the airship with half fuel and half mana, I believe we can boost trade with the mechanical city, where mana is blocked.”
“When can the trial run begin?”
Someone from the audience suddenly asked. At these briefings, unexpected questions like that often fly in. If you fail to answer properly, you become a laughingstock.
“If we assume we start in the second quarter of this year, the prototype should be ready in the second half. Taking safety tests into account, I believe the trial run could begin next year.”
“Is that even possible?”
At that moment, Crown Prince Rayester, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly interjected. He leaned his chin on his hand and smiled mockingly.
“You’d need to build a whole new airship, right? Then there’s safety testing, trial operations… Looks like you didn’t factor in the costs, did you?”
“She probably doesn’t have a sense for money.”
Someone added, and laughter rippled through the seats.
‘You’re just an orphan from a poor background, right?’
That’s basically what they meant. I barely managed to force a smile.
‘I hate that I’ve gotten used to this messed-up way of talking.’
I had already expected to be attacked over the budget. But I’m not the kind of fool who just stands still and takes the hits.
“It won’t go over budget. We’re modifying existing ships, not building new ones from scratch.”
I answered confidently, and the crown prince raised his eyebrows. I boldly held out the pre-prepared budget plan in front of him.
“The additional parts and systems are cheaper than you’d think. Labor and other costs have been reasonably calculated as well.”
Rayester took the papers. When he confirmed that what I said was true, his face slowly hardened.
“Your Highness must be too busy with state affairs to be familiar with such details.”
If you translated my words into their ‘flawed language,’ it would mean:
If you don’t know, shut up.
I smiled sweetly, and Rayester’s brow twitched slightly.
He was sharp—he probably got the message. And that was oddly satisfying, like clearing a lump in your throat.
Luckily, the crown prince didn’t try to pick another fight after that. Though he did glare at me with those cold eyes.
Heh. Got nothing left to say, huh? I didn’t leave you any openings!
“That concludes my presentation. Thank you.”
The flawless presentation wrapped up without a glitch.
As expected, there was no applause. Not that I ever wanted it from these people.
While the nobles shuffled out of their seats, I quickly gathered my materials. I was in a rush.
I have to get to Shiz.
She might be pretty smart, but she’s still just a six-year-old. Leaving an energetic kid all alone in the heart of the cold palace wasn’t exactly comforting.
As I hurriedly packed up, a shadow fell over the desk.
I looked up to see the crown prince standing in front of me.
“You’re lucky every time, aren’t you?”
He smiled down at me, his gaze sharp.
“It’s called being competent. I deliver results every time.”
I stared up at him, refusing to back down.
The smile at the corners of Rayester’s lips slowly vanished. His handsome, gentle face, always laced with subtle charm, turned as cold as midwinter.
I’d bet my entire fortune—this is his true face.
“No matter how many times I try to crush you, you survive. Like a cockroach.”
“Haha, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
My bad blood with this pretentious crown prince started when I was first appointed as a royal mage.
Back in the day—when Aska became the head of the Tower of Dawn.
Inside the Edelheim royal court, concerns began to grow.
“The Tower of Dawn is getting too powerful.”
Aska Willovis was an unmatched genius.
There were growing rumors that he would one day become a legendary archmage. As frustrating as it was, those rumors weren’t baseless.
Worried that the already-independent Tower of Dawn would gain too much power, the King of Edelheim carried out a major reorganization of the Royal Magic Division.
The previous strict hiring rules that only allowed pure-blooded nobles were relaxed to bring in more people to the Magic Department—and I was one of them.
I was Relshiz, the so-called “Rival of the Tower Master.”
All that effort I’d poured into studying hadn’t gone completely to waste, but…
‘So they’re just using me to keep Aska in check, huh?’
I wasn’t happy about it. It felt like I owed this position more to Aska than to my own hard work.
And it wasn’t like I was treated well after coming to the palace either—my social status held me back.
The biggest backlash came from within the Magic Department itself. They didn’t want to work under someone born a commoner.
As a result, I ended up doing most of my research alone.
And to make things worse, the Crown Prince had a terrible relationship with his father.
‘The new chief of the Magic Department?’
It was about a month after I’d been appointed as chief magician.
The Crown Prince secretly summoned me to his office and said:
“Staring at the setting sun will only bring darkness. I hope you’re sharp enough to understand.”
He was speaking in puzzles, but it was clear—he wanted me to join his side.
‘Would things have been different if I’d accepted back then?’
A meaningless question now. I’d rejected Rayester’s offer without hesitation.
“I came here to study magic, not to get involved in political games.”
That was when I first saw how terrifying the Crown Prince could be when he dropped his smile.
From that day on, the silent pressure began.
Having failed to win me over, Rayester seemed to decide to exclude me altogether.
He cut my budget, picked fights whenever I was visible, and went as far as creating annoying regular report meetings just to make my life harder.
Of course, I didn’t take it lying down.
I openly racked up results in the Magic Department and proved my worth at every opportunity.
His retaliation only grew fiercer when it became clear that I wasn’t going anywhere.
‘This is so low and pathetic.’
I looked into those mismatched blue eyes, hoping this damn Crown Prince would just go do his royal duties and leave me alone.
“It’s not a good look, sitting here and clinging on like this.”
“I’m afraid I don’t quite follow what you mean.”
I innocently tilted my head, pretending not to understand, and Rayester gave a chilly smile.
“Do you know why you’ve been able to keep your job as chief magician until now?”
That voice, once smooth like a song, was now sharp like ice.
“It’s because I’ve been allowing it.”
“…Is that so?”
Didn’t really feel like he was “allowing” anything. I figured this was just a threat that he’d do worse if I didn’t back off.
“If you don’t want things to get unappealing, you should step down. It’d be better for you too, don’t you think?”
Rayester had a point. It wasn’t like I had always dreamed of becoming a royal magician.
But the one reason I stuck it out through all the hardship was simple.
Because if I gave up this position, I wouldn’t be Aska’s rival anymore.
Aside from the Tower of Dawn, the royal magician post was realistically the highest I could reach.
It was a matter of pride.
No matter what, I wouldn’t leave the palace on my own two feet.
I tugged up the corners of my mouth into a tight smile.
“Thank you for the encouragement. I’ll continue to do my best in service of the Edelheim royal family.”
Rayester’s eyes sparkled sharply.
“You really are…”
He was about to say something more when—
“Your Highness, are you leaving already?”
A group of noble ladies gracefully approached us.
“We were hoping to speak with you a little longer…”
Rayester folded his eyes into a charming smile.
“Conversations with beautiful ladies are always my pleasure. I just received a rare tea as a gift—it would taste even better shared.”
“Oh my…”
Their cheeks flushed pink. It was a ridiculous sight.
‘What’s so great about that smug face anyway?’
