🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
After taking a long-awaited stroll through the streets of the capital, Pinesa, and finishing a splendid dinner at a restaurant, Del finally collapsed onto the soft bed prepared in her room.
Looking over at the white fox curled up asleep beside her, Del chuckled softly. She carefully stroked its glossy fur.
Nike must have been lonely, because she had become even more talkative than before. Then again, they had only seen each other once every two months, so it was understandable.
Perhaps because the tension had finally left her body, the moment she closed her eyes it was already morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, and the chirping of birds filled her ears.
At the royal palace, there had been so many assassination attempts that she had always slept lightly.
“Yaaawn.”
“Good morning, Master!”
Already awake and busily moving around, Nike set a plate in front of Del, who sat at the table with messy hair.
“Mmm, morning.”
Still half-asleep, Del spread jam over the bread on her plate.
After breakfast, Del returned to her room and stared into the mirror, absentmindedly touching her now shorter hair.
She had cut it because wearing the veil had been too hot, but honestly, this length was much more convenient.
Once she draped the freshly pressed white robe over herself, she was ready to head out.
The robe, embroidered with countless geometric golden patterns, was both a powerful magical defensive artifact and the symbolic uniform of Delcia herself.
As she stepped outside and closed the door, another door beside hers opened at the perfect timing.
Did someone move in?
Without much thought, she turned to close her own door when a low laugh reached her ears.
A chill ran down her spine.
“You know, Professor, I don’t think it’s acceptable for you to wake up this late.”
The smooth Veltan language flowed like water into Del’s ears.
Her body stiffened at hearing a language that absolutely should not have existed here.
And worse—the voice was painfully familiar.
Haha. I must be hallucinating.
Even so, Del turned her head far more slowly than usual.
She knew it was impossible. And yet…
The moment she saw the brown-haired man smiling gently at her, Del screamed.
“AAAH!”
She tried to stumble backward, only to realize her feet had tangled.
I’m falling!
“My, are you alright?”
Before she knew it, the man had already leapt forward and caught her around the waist.
His startled face was close, his eyes widened in surprise.
Smack!
Delcia slapped his hand away and hurriedly stepped back before pointing accusingly at him.
“What are you doing here?!”
Her voice rang through the quiet morning hallway in Rosen, the Republic’s common language.
The man’s smile deepened.
Dressed in a white shirt, navy jacket, and brown trousers, the man looked ordinary enough to disappear into any crowd on the street. At first glance, his relaxed posture and gentle smile made him seem harmless.
But Del knew better.
Very few people realized that beneath that warm and handsome appearance lay a body honed through rigorous training, and hands roughened with sword calluses. Unlike herself, who had absolutely no talent for swordsmanship, he knew how to wield both magic and blade with equal mastery.
“What do you mean, why am I here? This is my home, isn’t it? You should know that.”
Theodore Rain de Veritas.
Why exactly had the king of Veritas come all the way here?
“Stop playing word games. Sure, this technically is your house, but didn’t you only buy it to prevent anyone from discovering my absence?”
When she had agreed to the contract marriage, he had promised to provide every convenience possible.
That was why he had spent an absurd amount of money purchasing the apartment next door. Since their unit sat at the end of the hallway, they only had neighbors on one side.
And yet he never said the things he truly should have.
“Of course.”
“Then shouldn’t you sell the place already? What exactly are you doing here?”
Though it looked old on the outside, the apartment building was protected by powerful magic.
Not so much to keep outsiders from invading, but rather to prevent the walls and furniture from being obliterated by the insane magical experiments conducted by the resident mages. Still, it was sturdy enough to survive even a meteor spell hitting it directly.
That was why the apartments were far more expensive than they appeared.
Most residents valued privacy above all else.
Del was one of them.
The value of the building suddenly felt dramatically diminished, and Del’s mood soured immediately.
“As you can see, I moved in. It’s small, but surprisingly comfortable. I was actually considering bringing a housewarming gift to the neighbor next door, though I didn’t expect to run into you so perfectly.”
“So you’re really planning to live here instead of in the perfectly good royal palace?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Despite speaking entirely different languages, neither showed the slightest intention of compromising.
At that moment, a rattling noise came from behind the man.
Delcia immediately grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.
The man obediently allowed himself to be dragged inside her apartment before she slammed the door shut behind them.
Standing before her, his body felt as immovable as a wall.
Caught awkwardly between the door and the man, Del looked up at him.
“Your Majesty the King… would you mind moving?”
The moment she reluctantly switched to Veltan, the man’s eyebrow twitched upward slightly.
He stretched out an arm, planting it against the wall beside her face before lowering his head and whispering lazily,
“So you’re done calling me casually now? I liked it better before.”
Unbelievable.
She finally matched his language, and now he switched to Rosen instead?
Unable to tolerate any more nonsense, Del finally exploded.
“You sure talk a lot of crap. Seriously, what kind of place do you think this is?! You’re the king!”
The Rosa Republic at the center of the continent and the Kingdom of Veritas in the south faced each other across the sea.
So why in the world was the king, who should have been handling affairs in the northern capital of his kingdom, here?
Unlike Del, who was nearly shouting in disbelief, Theodore merely shrugged lightly.
“Handling state affairs isn’t a problem. Though it would be troublesome if people discovered I’m here.”
“Exactly! So—”
“Are you going to tell them?”
Really?
That silent question in his gaze left Del speechless.
One wrong move could spiral into an international diplomatic disaster.
More importantly, she would have to explain why this man had moved in next door to her in the first place.
Remembering how she had recently faked her death and escaped the kingdom made cold sweat run down her back.
Her death had been perfectly staged.
But if someone connected the dots, it wouldn’t be impossible.
The king, publicly mourning his dead queen, found living in an apartment in another country?
And with her, of all people?
It would become the scandal of the century.
Just imagining it made her dizzy.
People might even uncover the fact that they had known each other long before the marriage.
Del poked Theodore’s cheek with her index finger.
“Are you trying to make my life difficult, Your Majesty?”
Even at such disrespectful treatment, he remained still, gently taking hold of the hand pressing against his cheek.
“Of course not. I have no intention whatsoever of revealing my identity. The only people who know I’m here are Edith, Zephyr, Mera… now you, and that familiar of yours over there.”
“Then hurry back before anyone finds out.”
The man smiled, his eyes curving warmly as though genuinely delighted.
“Are you worried about me?”
“We’re friends.”
Now that the contract was over, that was all they were.
“…Friends.”
Was it her imagination, or had he hesitated slightly before answering?
As Del looked at him curiously, Theodore casually asked,
“By the way, weren’t you heading to work?”
“Huh? Ah! Damn it, I’m cutting it close!”
Pulling out her pocket watch to check the time, Del spun around.
Then, just before opening the door, she shouted loudly,
“Nike! Once I leave, make sure you kick this guy out!”
“Ah, yes!”
The white-haired girl peeked out from the kitchen.
Theodore glanced at Nike, who was openly glaring at him suspiciously, then cheerfully called out toward Delcia as she dashed out the door.
“Looking forward to being neighbors.”
What exactly is that idiot planning?
“It truly has been a long time, Hendel.”
“It’s good to see you again as well, Headmaster.”
Forget it. Thinking about him is a waste of time. Work comes first.
Answering gracefully, Del shook hands with Headmaster Sorel Yerif before sitting on the sofa across from him.
The Academy headmaster’s office felt strangely nostalgic.
The overflowing bookshelves and display cases packed with trophies and awards were one thing, but what really stood out were the piles of mysterious objects whose purposes were impossible to guess.
If people like Del specialized in creating entirely new magical theories and spell structures, then the headmaster excelled at refining those ideas into practical tools anyone could use.
His inventions had greatly improved both convenience and public safety for ordinary people lacking magical ability.
“So, I heard you’re returning to the Academy this semester.”
“Yes. For now, I’m thinking of teaching either ‘Applied Magic Studies’ or ‘Ethics and Philosophy of Magic.’”
One was an advanced, practice-oriented course mainly for upperclassmen.
The other was a foundational course taught to underclassmen.
“That’s unfortunate. The ‘Macro Magic Circle’ class you opened right before your sabbatical was fascinating too.”
The larger a magic circle became, the greater the magical power and properties required to operate it.
Hearing mention of her former course, which specialized in colossal-scale magic, Del scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“I realized my abilities were still lacking. I plan to organize the material more systematically before reopening it.”
“Fair enough. Though honestly, if I had to choose only one, I’d prefer you teach the upperclassmen. The complaints from students who enrolled in the Academy specifically to attend Delcia Hendel’s lectures are becoming rather overwhelming.”
“Oh, you exaggerate too much.”
“I’m serious.”
Sorel smiled warmly, faint wrinkles forming around his mouth.
His lemon-colored hair streaked with white, aged face, and gentle eyes that seemed capable of embracing the entire world naturally reminded Del of someone else.
A photograph hung on the wall of the office.
At the center was a black-haired woman grinning fiercely while choking a lemon-haired girl by the neck.
Even though the woman had already lived for over half a century at the time the photo was taken, she looked astonishingly young—a symbol of the overwhelming magical power she possessed.
As Del silently stared at the photograph, Sorel, following her gaze, carefully asked—
