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Chapter 38
‘Ah, really.’
Why did bad feelings always turn out to be right?
When I subtly turned my stiff neck, Carlos was standing a little ways away.
His gaze was fixed on Zion, who stood behind me. His eyes were cold, clearly showing his displeasure.
“…Who are you?”
Every word was sharp.
It was natural—this was a stranger in the archduke’s residence, appearing without warning. He probably looked like an intruder who broke through security.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
“Um, well…”
I quickly stood between Carlos and Zion.
“This is the head of the mage tower.”
“…The head of the mage tower?”
Carlos raised an eyebrow. ‘This kid?’
It made sense. This wasn’t Zion’s true form, and explaining it properly was awkward, so I just gave an uneasy look.
“Yes. This is the person I met when we went to the western mage lands. I requested an analysis of the refined stones, and now he’s here with the results.”
I rushed out my explanation.
Carlos’ gaze returned to Zion, scanning from top to bottom. Coldly.
Zion didn’t react. He just stood there, lazy expression unchanged.
“…Normally, when visiting someone else’s territory, you send a letter first. Being the princess’s aide doesn’t excuse such rudeness.”
Carlos’ voice dropped low. Pressure radiated from it. Any normal person would have been intimidated. But Zion…
“Knocking on doors is annoying.”
“……”
“Going straight to Loreah is faster.”
Carlos’ brow twitched. More like disbelief than anger.
I wanted to scream. I quickly inserted myself, trying to think of the best words. Nothing came.
“…Archduke, um… the head of the mage tower—”
“I understand.”
Carlos raised a hand, cutting me off.
He sighed, then looked at Zion again.
“…If he’s the head of the mage tower, you should have something to say. I’ll take you to the reception room.”
“Ah, no.”
Zion waved his hand.
“I only need to speak with Loreah. The archduke can step out.”
Carlos’ eyes narrowed. His displeasure deepened. Of course—he was being told to leave his own territory.
I hurried to intervene.
“As I said before, the refined stone matter is something I personally requested from him. It’s my issue… I’ll hear it separately.”
Carlos looked down at me, eyes asking what secret I was hiding. But he didn’t ask. Just like before, he didn’t pry.
“Don’t try anything foolish, princess.”
A warning in a short sentence.
Carlos turned and added,
“Next time, let them know in advance.”
Then he walked down the hall. I watched his back disappear and let out a long sigh.
“Was that stressful?”
Zion asked casually.
“Because of you.”
“Me?”
“…Never mind. Let’s go. Somewhere quiet to talk.”
“The training ground?”
“Later.”
I grabbed Zion’s wrist and walked in the opposite direction.
We arrived under a gazebo in the east garden. This part of the archduke’s residence was especially quiet. Only occasional bird songs could be heard.
I sat on a bench inside. Zion sat across from me.
“Alright, let’s talk.”
“You’re in a hurry.”
Zion smiled and took out a small crystal orb. Inside, a faint red glow shimmered.
“I analyzed the refined stones you mentioned.”
“Yes.”
“Here’s the conclusion first… something interesting came up.”
He flicked the orb with his finger, making the red glow ripple.
“These refined stones are different from ordinary ones.”
Zion’s purple eyes looked straight at me. The lazy look was now serious.
“Purity is too high. Normally, impurities mix during refining. That’s why it’s called ‘refined stone.’ But this… has none. I’ve never seen stones like this.”
“……”
“Which is why I’m curious.”
He tilted his head.
“Where did you get these?”
“……”
I stayed silent.
‘If I tell him I made them with my blood… how would he react?’
I had asked for his cooperation, but I had no idea how he’d respond. One habit I gained after regression: never gamble on uncertain things. Two chances in my life—I couldn’t risk it.
“I can’t tell you the source. But I can provide as many stones as you need for research.”
“Loreah, you have many secrets.”
“Things just turned out that way.”
Zion stared at me for a long moment, then shrugged.
“Alright. I won’t ask now. But…”
He leaned forward suddenly. His purple eyes came close, sparkling, and he smiled softly.
“Tell me someday. I’m curious.”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
Zion leaned back, yawned, and looked at the sky. Then suddenly asked:
“Have you ever been outside the archduke’s residence?”
Suddenly?
“Well… when I went to see you…”
Zion shook his head.
“Not that. For fun.”
Of course not. Since coming to the archduke’s residence, the only time I left was for the western lands. I’d stayed hidden. Being a princess made it risky to go out, even with an artifact disguise.
Sensing my quiet refusal, Zion suddenly jumped up.
“Let’s go explore.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m new here. I want to see it. Come with me.”
Before I could finish, he grabbed my wrist.
When I blinked, we were standing in the middle of the archduke’s city.
My strength drained. Doing this so quickly…
“…We really came out.”
“Yeah.”
Zion ignored my sigh and looked around curiously. His usually lazy eyes sparkled subtly.
‘I knew he was hard to reason with.’
No choice now.
“…Let’s only be out for an hour.”
“Okay.”
I grabbed him to stop him from pulling me too far.
“Wait, wait. You’re not going to walk around in these clothes, right?”
“Ah.”
Finally, he stopped with a popping sound. Good.
In my extravagant dress and his ornate robe, two young nobles roaming the city would attract too much attention.
“I forgot it’s been so long.”
Zion snapped his fingers. My dress disappeared, replaced with simple commoner clothes. He too changed into a plain outfit.
…We couldn’t fix our fancy faces, though.
Zion put a finger to his lips for a shush, then gently took my hand.
“Let’s go now.”
