‘Did he notice that I know his identity?’
If so, my fate was obvious. Even if I were Eon, the first thing I would do is eliminate anyone who discovered my true identity.
‘I have no way of knowing how much of my thoughts he can read…’
Fighting an enemy whose abilities are unknown is a difficult task. But now, with Eon carefully observing my reaction, I couldn’t afford to hesitate.
I looked at him, maintaining a composed expression as much as possible. I hoped he would confuse my thoughts with those of other servants—or, at the very least, assume he had misheard me.
“Devour me, you say? Quite the vivid metaphor.”
Feigning indifference, I responded to his words.
“Yes, I’m afraid of you, Tower Master. You could know everything about me, after all. It’s only natural to feel as if I’m completely exposed.”
At the same time, I carefully studied his expression. However, the way he gazed down at me with lazy amusement made him resemble nothing more than a well-fed lion. Just as I was about to give up on finding any clues from his face, he finally spoke.
“Afraid, you say… It’s interesting that I can instill fear in you.”
Rather than addressing me directly, it sounded more like he was muttering to himself.
‘Interesting? That’s not something a predator would usually say.’
It was as natural as nightfall that he would terrify me.
“Selly was never afraid of me.”
So that’s where this was going—he was still going on about Selly.
“What she thought of you has nothing to do with me. I am not her.”
Besides, those past Sellys probably also saw Eon as a harbinger of death in their final moments.
“Very well. I won’t call you Selly anymore, so why don’t you relax a little? Your face looks as stiff as wax.”
His words almost sounded as if he were being considerate, leaving me momentarily speechless. Perhaps thinking I hadn’t understood, Eon elaborated.
“I meant that your face is far too pale.”
“My face has always been pale. What can I do? I spend all my time in a windowless workshop.”
This time, Eon burst into laughter. It wasn’t his usual smirk, but genuine amusement.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to take you for a walk sometime. Being too pale isn’t good for your health.”
The way he said that while glancing at my crutch was downright infuriating.
After completely ruining my mood, Eon left the laboratory. His visit had no clear purpose—why had he even come?
“I think the Tower Master just wanted to see you.”
Hearing Selly’s interpretation, I wordlessly stared at her. Her eyes were clear and unwavering, free from tension or awkwardness. She was definitely different from the other maids.
‘But why…?’
I recalled the way she had smiled brightly and claimed she had forgotten her real name. Eon had acted as though he were bestowing a name upon a pet. No, calling it a pet was putting it nicely. Selly couldn’t have failed to notice that.
“You look like you have a lot of questions.”
Perhaps I had been staring at her too intently. Since she had spoken first, I decided to get straight to the point.
“Is it true? The name Selly.”
“Yes. Just as you heard.”
She answered nonchalantly.
Up until a moment ago, I had thought she was different from the maids—just a normal person. But now, I wasn’t sure how to see her.
“But does it really matter that much?”
She continued speaking as she cleared away the teacups on the table, as if it was no big deal.
“What matters is that I get to be a researcher in the Magic Tower. Names can be changed ten times over if needed. Whether it’s the name of an old lover or a deceased pet, it doesn’t make a difference.”
It sounded as if she had changed her name as the price for entering the Tower.
“Well, I suppose that doesn’t apply to someone like you, who has the Tower Master’s attention. But I wanted to join the Magic Tower no matter what.”
There were things I wanted to correct, but for now, I decided to let her continue speaking.
“Do you have any idea how powerful the Tower Master is?”
“The greatest mage in the empire?”
“That phrase doesn’t do him justice. It leaves out the part about how ordinary mages can’t even hope to reach his level.”
How unfortunate. The serial killer who held my leash was even more powerful than I had anticipated.
“I want to learn as much as I can from him while I’m here. For that, I don’t care about anything else.”
Well, this was a workplace too, after all. A place where people sought to gain something. Selly was simply an ambitious, career-driven researcher. If she was unaware that Eon was a murderer, then her ambition made sense.
But if that was her reason for being here, had she never once thought the Tower was… strange?
“Have you ever found anything strange about the Magic Tower?”
“Do you mean the fact that all the women here have brown hair and green eyes? Or the maids’ unnaturally stiff demeanor?”
She immediately pinpointed the key issues, leaving me astonished. She wasn’t bound by a subordination contract like I was, nor was she oblivious to the oddities of this place. Yet she remained here, solely focused on her goal.
“Many mages are eccentric. Some have rather unusual tastes. This is nothing.”
Adjusting her glasses, she gave me a look that seemed to question why I was concerned with such trivial matters.
“Rather than worrying about that, wouldn’t it be better for you to focus on your research? The Tower Master is taking an interest in you, after all. I’m quite curious about your skills.”
Her gaze behind her glasses was the same as the ambitious colleagues I had met in my previous life.
‘Selly… You’re in entirely the wrong genre.’
If this were a standard fantasy story, she would have made an excellent rival or comrade.
“Yes, let’s do our best.”
Forcing an awkward smile, I nodded. At the same time, the small hope I had held onto crumbled.
When I had checked her wrist, I had thought we could work together to escape this place.
‘Even if I reveal the truth about Eon and the maids, she’ll probably dismiss it as my imagination.’
No, perhaps she would even say that as long as she could master alchemy, she didn’t care if he was a murderer.
Five days passed. The maids still moved like robots, and my restless dreams continued.
I focused solely on healing, drinking external injury potions. To avoid stress hindering my recovery, I had all my meals in my room and avoided encountering Eon.
For a brief moment, I had foolishly hoped Rudis might come looking for me at the Tower. But of course, that never happened. I wasn’t the protagonist—there was no way the male lead would fall for me at first sight and come searching for me.
‘I have no choice but to find an ally within the Tower.’
I needed someone who hadn’t signed a subordination contract with Eon—someone who could expose the Tower’s secrets to Rudis or Karina.
The only person who came to mind was Tara, the girl I had seen at the last meal.
Unlike Selly, perhaps she wanted to escape.
So, once I was able to walk properly again, I immediately went to the laundry room.
Just as I was about to step inside—
“Oh my, young miss, what brings you here?”
Before I knew it, Marilyn was standing in front of me.
