Chapter 30
But strangely enough, the sound didn’t send chills down my spine or make me feel repelled like last time.
For a moment, I even thought that maybe this was okay.
‘I’ve lost my mind.’
I splashed cold water on my face, intentionally letting the cold breeze hit my face. Nothing worked better to snap me out of it than a cold breeze.
I replayed the events at the boutique in my mind. I needed to look at the situation rationally, pushing aside the emotions I felt at the time.
‘What exactly are his intentions?’
While it was the Count who had messed up my mood, it was Aeon who had kept me confused.
The disappointment of not being a true daughter of the High-Learn family would melt away like ice in the spring light. If I had been living as a true daughter, it would have been a shock I could never forget, but thankfully, I had been treated coldly enough. It almost felt like I had lived that way for this moment.
The only thing that remained was the embarrassment of the moments when I had acted like a noble young lady.
‘Why did Aeon make the Count say such things?’
He must have known I’d be mentally affected.
‘Was he trying to shock me?’
But if that was his purpose, then what else was there after that?
‘A murderer’s amusement? A whim?’
It would have been easier to just dismiss it that way. But the fact that his words had genuinely comforted me still lingered in my heart.
Unlike the words that had wounded me from the Count, Aeon’s words still bloomed warmly in a corner of my chest. It almost felt like that murderer was truly on my side, someone who understood me.
“Would you mind stopping by there for a moment?”
I was pulled from my thoughts by his voice. Looking in the direction he pointed, I saw a shop with a pink sign.
I couldn’t guess his intentions, so I tilted my head slightly and looked at him.
“It’s a famous chocolate shop. There’s a tea party in a few days, isn’t there?”
Tea party and chocolate. When I connected those two words, something came to mind.
“Isn’t it customary for the invited guests to bring small gifts? I thought desserts like these would be perfect for a noble young lady.”
It wasn’t that I had failed to prepare; it was because I knew this wasn’t a real tea party. To create a solid alibi, it was best to follow Aeon’s suggestion.
“That’s a good idea.”
Seeing me nodding repeatedly, Aeon spoke softly.
“I thought you’d like it. While we’re at it, I’ll get a few for Miss Selinia as well. They’re much tastier than the chocolates we tried before.”
When he mentioned the chocolates we had tried before, it naturally reminded me of what I had eaten in my past life. I had never actually eaten chocolate in this life.
“Do you know which chocolates I’ve tried?”
“Weren’t they the ones that were either too sweet or too bitter?”
It was a vague answer that could apply to any dessert. But I had no energy left to argue about chocolates again.
That was how our outing ended, with us buying chocolates.
Aeon was reading a book in the hall on the first floor.
The empty hall, much like any other, wasn’t really a good place for reading. But he had gone so far as to bring a chair to the center of the room.
I could see him from the third-floor staircase.
That meant, if I raised my head, I could probably spot him coming down the third-floor corridor.
‘Of course, today of all days.’
There was no other way to think about it. It was the day I was supposed to meet Karina.
‘He’s not trying to watch me, is he?’
Even if he couldn’t read my thoughts, there was much Aeon could do.
He could find out where I was, or even teleport here in an instant.
I had recently learned that he had the ability to float in the air, and beyond that, he likely wielded magic that surpassed human limits.
“Are you going out?”
As soon as I stepped onto the first floor, Aeon noticed me and closed the book.
Was he trying to come with me? For a moment, I felt uneasy.
“Yes, it’s been a while since a tea party. I’m a little excited. There’s something fun about women gathering and gossiping.”
I deliberately emphasized the word “women.”
“If I had known there was going to be a tea party, I would have bought a dress instead of just an outfit. No, I should have bought both. I was too short-sighted.”
“You’re not lacking in any way to make do with just this.”
“True, Miss Selinia, you are so beautiful.”
He said this without changing his expression. His handsome face and the cheesy words suited him quite well.
‘Maybe he’s the kind of person who lures others into his web and creates numerous Selinias.’
It was unsettling how he could smile at me, even knowing that he couldn’t read my thoughts.
“Would you like to join me for dinner when you return?”
“Dinner?”
“I realized that I’ve never had dinner with you, Miss Selinia.”
After seeing that spectacle in the restaurant on the first day, I had always eaten alone in my room. When my answer was delayed, Aeon spoke again.
“I’ll make sure to prepare your favorite dishes.”
I nodded in agreement and quickly left the Mage Tower.
‘This is it.’
The LeMont Baron’s estate was a mansion built with red bricks. It was a long building, with square windows along the walls, a style that was currently in fashion.
Compared to the Mage Tower, it was new enough to be considered modern. And that also meant that the family’s history wasn’t very long.
‘Just like I read in the books.’
But there was no time to admire seeing something I had only read about in books.
“Hello, I’m Selinia… of the High-Learn family. I came with an invitation.”
I hesitated for a moment about whether to add my last name, but Karina had no way of knowing about the recent incident.
I decided to just use the name on the invitation.
The door opened immediately, as if they had been waiting.
“Lady High-Learn, welcome.”
A bright voice greeted me.
When I looked up, I saw blue eyes like the winter sky, gently smiling.
Her red hair was tied high, flowing in the cold wind as if it could pierce through the air.
“Karina?”
I called out her name before realizing it was an inappropriate thing to do.
“I’m sorry, Lady LeMont.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m used to being called by my name in the military.”
“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to come out in person.”
“I was looking out the window.”
I remembered that Karina had spent fifteen days for me.
Since we hadn’t set a specific time, from her perspective, she had been waiting for an unexpected visitor.
I was grateful for her thoughtfulness and felt sorry at the same time.
“I was worried you might not be able to make it.”
“Thankfully, I’m not restricted from going out.”
“That means there’s a bigger restriction than that.”
As someone accustomed to investigations, Karina read more into my words than I had intended.
“Shall we go to the reception room? After all, it’s a tea party.”
Karina smiled and led me.
“If the weather had been warm, we would have set up in the garden, but with the bad weather, we couldn’t. Oh, right. Betty, prepare tea and snacks.”
Karina was speaking more quickly than usual, almost looking flustered.
She didn’t show it, but I had the feeling she was nervous about meeting me.
“Does he know I’m meeting you?”
Before I could sit down in the reception room, Karina asked a question.
“You mean the person who’s locking you away?”
“You mean the Mage Tower Lord. Yes, he saw the invitation you sent.”
“So it was the Mage Tower Lord…”
“He even made sure to bring a gift for me.”
I gave a wry smile as I pulled the chocolates out of my bag. Since it was a gift, I had wrapped it in lavender-colored paper with a large ribbon.
“Well…”
Karina sighed as she touched the ribbon. Her reaction was similar to when she realized the Mage Tower Lord was the culprit in the story.
Aeon was definitely not an easy opponent for her.
Karina, who wasn’t involved in magic, saw Aeon’s magic as an impenetrable fortress, a dangerous weapon.
Had it not been for Ludis, who helped her through his knowledge of him, Karina wouldn’t have been able to defeat Aeon.
‘But this time, I’m here.’
At the same time, my shallow understanding of magic worried me.
I would have to ask Selini for recommendations on alchemy or magic books.
“The Mage Tower Lord… Before I heard from Eaton about his daughter and you, I never suspected him.”
Karina’s gaze fell on my hair.
Then, realizing she needed to explain the situation, she spoke again.
“About half a year ago, there were reports of women with brown hair and green eyes going missing in Bainan.
Actually, the disappearances might have been going on even longer.”
I nodded, recalling what I had read in the books.
“Once I learned that both you and Eaton’s daughter had brown hair and green eyes, I suspected the same thing was happening again. And…”
