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Chapter 60
Finding a high place to watch the fireworks was harder than expected.
Every open spot they could see was already filled with people.
They’d gone back and forth like that three times already.
‘Maybe it’s time to give up.’
She glanced sideways at the duke.
His tightly pressed lips and sharp eyes scanning the surroundings made it clear—he hadn’t given up yet.
“Lucas, what about over there?”
She pointed toward a clock tower that, a hundred years ago, had been used by mages before it was repurposed instead of demolished.
It was easily the tallest building in the district.
Through the tower’s many windows, there were no silhouettes of people. The roof might be another story, but compared to the crowded streets, it looked empty.
“It’s high, deserted—exactly what you wanted, right?”
“That place should be locked…”
Lucas trailed off, narrowing his eyes as though something had occurred to him. Then he started walking toward the clock tower.
Just as he’d said, the front door was tightly sealed with a padlock. But Lucas turned and headed around to the back.
The narrow passage between the wall and the tower was barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
Suddenly, he stopped.
“There’s a door here.”
“…There really is.”
And it wasn’t even locked.
Once they stepped inside, they were greeted by a horrifying sight—an endless spiral staircase.
‘I’ll die before I reach the top.’
She hesitated. Then Lucas looked around, found a lever on the wall, and pulled it. Instantly, a magic circle appeared on the floor.
Thanks to it, they were transported straight to the top floor.
“It seems this magic circle doesn’t go all the way to the roof.”
And there wasn’t a staircase leading up, either.
It would’ve been nice to have an open view from above.
Lucas scanned the walls, took a few long strides, and knocked on a section that bulged outward.
Clunk.
The wall shifted—and a hidden staircase revealed itself.
‘So it really was used by mages a hundred years ago.’
A magic circle and even hidden stairs to the roof—impressive.
When they finally climbed up, the view opened wide around them. She looked about in awe before turning to ask,
“Lucas, have you been here before?”
“No. First time.”
Her eyes widened.
He’d found both the magic circle and the hidden staircase so easily—yet this was his first visit?
Anyone else would’ve thought he was lying.
Sensing her gaze, Lucas squinted slightly, eyes fixed on the stairs.
“It’s just… I had a feeling.”
His voice sounded a little uncertain.
“I somehow knew there’d be an open door here, and could sort of sense where the stairs would be.”
So the famed intuition of the Igaluc family worked even like this.
At least getting lost wouldn’t be a concern.
She crouched down, and the duke sat beside her.
“Everyone looks like toys from up here.”
Only now did she truly grasp how high they were.
“There’s probably no higher place than this.”
She stopped watching the crowds and turned to look at Lucas.
After seeing his stubborn determination in finding the highest spot, she finally asked the question that had been on her mind.
“Lucas, did you know there’s a legend about watching the fireworks from the highest place during this festival?”
“Of course I did. You think I came here without knowing?”
He curved his lips into a faint smirk.
“…Faye told you, didn’t she?”
“Who else?”
It was the answer she’d expected—so why did she still feel oddly disappointed?
The trembling in her chest slowly calmed.
“We became husband and wife for Faye’s sake, remember?”
Lucas turned his head toward her, his golden eyes locking with hers.
“I remember.”
“And we promised to get along, to be good partners for her.”
“We did make that promise.”
A small smile played on his lips. It was a relief—those memories weren’t all bitter for him. That alone made her strangely glad.
“Thank you for trying so hard lately.”
“Do I seem like I’m trying?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
His eyes softened slightly, glowing like a sly moon in the sky.
“I’ve never tried.”
“Really?”
But to me, it feels like you have.
She smiled faintly.
Even if it was for Faye’s sake, how could she say he hadn’t made an effort?
He’d held her hand so she wouldn’t get lost in the crowd today, and when she shivered, he’d given her his coat.
‘Even though he hates me.’
All these small gestures, all these moments of contact—born from effort.
Once, she would’ve brushed them off.
She knew it was all for Faye, to look like good guardians. She’d even kissed him before for the same reason—because she needed him.
But now, the smallest of his words, touches, or glances no longer felt small.
She couldn’t deny it anymore.
She couldn’t pretend she only needed him.
‘I’m aware of him.’
…As a man.
She had started seeing Lucas as a man.
It was a dangerous realization—liking someone who didn’t like her back.
‘If I let this feeling grow, it’ll ruin everything.’
If that happened, protecting Faye’s happiness would be impossible.
And part of her dream of a happy home included being with someone who loved her back.
To fall for someone who couldn’t return it—she couldn’t let herself become that kind of fool.
So—
‘I’ll stop now.’
Before this feeling grows. Before I can’t let it go.
She closed her eyes.
The resolve left an empty ache in her chest, but she consoled herself—better to cut it off now before it took root.
Just then, a firework shot into the sky.
Boom! Colors burst across the night.
Lucas’s gaze turned upward.
She looked at him—his faint smile illuminated by the fireworks—and then lifted her eyes too.
“Not bad,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” she replied softly.
The fireworks were beautiful—almost painfully so.
When they got into the carriage, Helen leaned her head against the window, saying she was tired.
But she wasn’t sleepy at all. She could hear his quiet breathing across from her, acutely aware of sharing the same small space.
She kept her eyes shut the entire ride, afraid that if she opened them, their gazes would meet.
After a while, the carriage came to a stop. Helen opened her eyes just as Lucas smiled faintly.
“You wake up fast. I was wondering if I’d have to carry you out.”
“I’m just… sensitive to movement stopping.”
“Is that so?”
He chuckled softly, his voice sounding warmer than usual.
Maybe it was just her heart playing tricks on her. Helen sighed inwardly.
When they entered the mansion, the butler greeted them.
“Welcome back. Did you have a pleasant evening?”
He smiled kindly, then glanced around the foyer, frowning slightly—as though something was missing.
“Is something wrong?” Helen asked.
“Ah, did you not come back with the young master?”
“Faye? Shouldn’t she already be home?”
“…A messenger came, saying you two had summoned her. She left in a carriage with him.”
Helen and Lucas exchanged sharp looks.
Neither of them had called for Faye. They had been together the entire time.
Then who had taken her?
A cold dread crawled up from Helen’s feet, swallowing her whole.
She ran up the stairs.
“Helen?”
Lucas had been ordering the servants to search, but seeing her urgency, he followed quickly.
Helen burst into Faye’s room. It was empty—and cold.
Only one thing glowed faintly in the dark: the music box.
A chill ran down her spine.
It was the protective music box—its glow meant that the name engraved inside was in danger.
In other words, the one named Faye was facing mortal peril.
She hurried to the nightstand, hands trembling as she opened the box and pressed her palm over Faye’s engraved name.
Through the holy relic, she could sense the general direction of the child’s location.
By the time Lucas caught up, she had already determined it.
“…Why is the relic glowing?” he muttered, frowning at the faint light.
Helen grabbed his sleeve, her voice shaking but her red eyes fierce.
“We have to save Faye. I know where she is.”
She was too frantic to explain how she knew, opening her mouth only to try—
“Get on my back.”
Lucas’s voice cut through hers.
Then, before she could respond, his body transformed—into his divine beast form.
Helen grabbed the relic and climbed onto his back, not even having the chance to marvel at the sight she’d never seen before.
All that mattered was reaching Faye.
