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CHAPTER 24
At the question, Asterios’s lips curved gently.
“I believed His Highness had his reasons for everything he did. It’s only natural that you would suspect me as well.”
He answered calmly, as if it were the most obvious thing.
Pfft. Letting out a soft snort, Roziana finally withdrew her murderous intent and ominous aura.
Then, she took the seat Asterios offered her.
A tea set prepared for two awaited them.
“You talk as if you’ve known me for a long time.”
“You don’t necessarily need to spend a long time with someone to understand them. If your appearance had changed and you wore a mask on top of that, I would have found it suspicious too.”
Roziana nodded silently, watching as Asterios poured the tea.
There were several reasons she had been wary of him. His sudden change in appearance wasn’t a major issue — Roziana herself had been reborn and experienced rapid growth.
What was truly suspicious was how much his personality and appearance resembled Tenebres, who had vanished long ago.
And the way he remained utterly calm in the face of her threats, as if he’d lay down his life without hesitation.
Still, Roziana made an excuse for herself. She was genuinely curious, after all.
“Right. Why wear a mask? If you’re hiding your identity from others, shouldn’t you be able to take it off in front of me?”
She had already revealed the truth to him before her own growth spurt.
He had said he would soon grow as well and live as the little duke’s uncle.
And she had seen, through her blurry vision, that his body was indeed maturing.
“Aren’t you going to ask how I grew so quickly?”
Instead, he asked her with a sparkle in his dark golden eyes.
“You must’ve had your reasons, like I did. Maybe some hidden power.”
Roziana swept him over with a sharp gaze. Even behind the mask, his expression remained calm and detached.
“…The reason I wear a mask is because I have a large scar on my face. I stayed in my younger form partly to hide it.”
“Ah… I see.”
Whether it was true or not could be confirmed later. Pretending to have no further doubts about the mask, Roziana didn’t pursue the matter.
Instead, her now-mature, alluring lips busily fired off another question.
“Do you have to keep your true identity as Asterios secret from others?”
“Publicly, yes. But those close to me—Marie, Matthew, and Mikhail—know the truth. Of course, so do the Grand Duchess and the real Little Duke, Henriette.”
“Henriette… that’s the child’s name, huh.”
“Yes. You’ll be meeting the Grand Duchess and Henriette soon.”
“Then what should I call you from now on?”
“If you don’t mind… please keep calling me As.”
At the unexpected answer, Roziana’s purple eyes widened slightly. She was fond of the nickname and had gotten used to it, but she hadn’t expected him to allow her to continue using it.
“Is that really okay? You’ll be sharing the same name as your nephew.”
“Henriette will mostly be referred to as the Little Duke from now on. And Asterios is my original name. Even if I, as his uncle, share the name with my nephew, it poses no issue.”
Historically speaking, it wasn’t uncommon for names to be passed down among grandfathers, uncles, nephews, and sons.
But Asterios had a different reason for keeping his name.
“It will be my name forevermore. Asterios Tenebres.”
Because it was the name you gave me.
“As.”
That was the name she had once called him with her soft lips.
It was the first nickname she had ever shortened for him.
He had no intention of letting any other man be called by that name.
“Well, that works out. I’ll keep calling you As.”
Responding casually and lowering her gaze to her teacup, Roziana looked up at the ceiling after seeing its reflection in the tea. A hinge-like structure under the dome caught her eye.
“Wait… does that thing… open and close?”
The high, wide ceiling had a glass dome with visible seams. It looked like the structure could open up in petal-like layers, creating an open space toward the sky. Asterios answered her question.
“It does.”
When the ceiling opened, the plants in the garden could receive natural rain, and birds and insects could freely come and go.
“That’s amazing! I used to dream about having a garden like this.”
At her response, a smile slipped from beneath his mask.
Of course. This indoor garden was a dream they had imagined together long ago, now brought to life.
“Tenebres, I wish you could fly freely into my garden, where all the flowers, trees, grass, and birds I love are.”
The open glass dome had been designed to resemble the garden Erica loved—and to allow Tenebres, in his dragon form, to freely come and go if needed. Exactly as she had once wished.
Would she ever realize that the fortress-like Grand Duke’s estate, the beautiful indoor garden, and the retractable glass dome had all been created just to protect her?
“Your Highness, His Majesty has been waiting quite a while. We should prepare to return to the imperial palace.”
As Asterios calmly mentioned the next schedule, Roziana put down her teacup.
‘Finally, I’m going back!’
One of her four goals was to rescue Nox, who was trapped in the imperial palace.
“But… I suddenly disappeared and reappeared, and on top of that, I’ve grown like this. Won’t that be strange?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
As expected, he already had a plan. Roziana listened silently to his explanation.
“First of all, it’s only natural that the Grand Duke’s household, having been ordered by His Majesty to search, would return after finding Your Highness. And…”
‘As… Just how far ahead have you prepared?’
And how much more are you planning to hide?
Curious, she waited.
“Everyone in the Empire knows that royals with dragon blood tend to grow rapidly. In fact, the fact that your body matured so quickly is proof that you possess strong dragon power. They will be very pleased.”
“That’s a relief.”
Roziana nodded and looked up at Asterios.
“So, is that everything you wanted to say?”
“Do you have anything to say to me?”
“Yes.”
At her response, Asterios made a subtle gesture. Mikhail, who had been standing nearby with a grim expression the whole time, reluctantly stepped away.
In the brief silence that followed, Nox—who had remained quiet until now—finally whispered through their link. He had been nervously watching Roziana ever since she matured.
[Roziana, why did you…]
‘Hold on. I’ll ask you something later too.’
Silencing Nox, she straightened her back and looked directly at Asterios.
The power of a fully awakened witch flowed through her gaze and posture like a beautifully honed blade.
Her radiant golden hair rippled down her chest, and sunlight pouring through the glass dome made her shine even brighter.
It was as if time had stopped.
Looking at the grown-up Roziana, Asterios saw Erica in her and felt an overwhelming urge to freeze the world around them.
To be the only one who could feel this moment with her.
Breaking the silence, Roziana asked,
“So… when are you going to tell me who you really are?”
At her knife-like question, Asterios held his breath for a moment.
Over a full day had passed, shrouded in dark energy.
Black smoke billowed from the Mage Tower.
Finally freed from the pressure, the mages flew swiftly toward the ruined tower’s top floor.
“Oh my god! My lord!”
“Your Majesty!”
They were calling for the Master of the Mage Tower, Edwin.
The tower’s peak had become a near-complete ruin.
There lay Edwin, who had failed to protect the spire.
“…Deliver a message… to the Emperor of Dreat…”
Cough.
Edwin spat blood before finishing his sentence.
“Please don’t speak, sir. You’re gravely injured.”
The mages poured healing magic into his wounded body.
What Edwin had thrown himself to protect was no longer there.
The structure that once formed the tower’s peak had been ripped away.
They had failed to stop Mephisto.
Laughing at a friend as he unleashed dark magic — that man was the same madman Edwin once knew.
He would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
Now that he had set his sights on Roziana, it was obvious where he’d go.
‘And now even the Cage has fallen into that bastard’s hands.’
Edwin had to inform Leodian quickly and evacuate Roziana.
‘But where?’
Was there anywhere Mephisto’s eyes couldn’t reach?
Edwin’s hands trembled.
‘If only you were still here…’
You would have found a way.
‘…Tenebres.’
At least he had managed to protect the broken cup — Tenebres’s keepsake.
In truth, it was Mephisto’s greed upon recognizing the birchwood box that led to the destruction of the cage.
As the ruler of the demon realm, he instantly summoned an overwhelming darkness that saturated the space with death.
Edwin had to choose.
He couldn’t abandon the unconscious mages to die, nor could he allow the keepsake of his dear friend to be stolen.
Especially not when the medium was now broken and his connection to the Secret Fog severed.
He poured every protective spell he could muster over the Mage Tower.
Except for one place.
The spire.
The beautiful cage was torn away completely by Mephisto.
With monstrous strength and brilliant black wings, he vanished into the demon realm.
“Tenebres…”
Murmuring the name of his long-lost friend, Edwin finally lost consciousness.
