IDWP 13

Chapter: 13

“Is that so?”

The Duke of Hexwood reacted nonchalantly, which made the young duke more anxious.

“Father, what if we ask Uncle for help?”

“The one who left the family because he hated it—do you think he’d be willing to help?”

“You never know if he’d help save his nephew. It’s already been 18 years since he left the family. Even if he had ill will toward the family, time would have washed it away by now.”

The Duke of Hexwood muttered lowly. His younger brother, Pellion, had left the family after the death of his only younger sister.

That was why he had not asked for help when his daughter was kidnapped. Had he been able to receive Pellion’s help then, the current situation might never have arisen.

‘Since he’s coincidentally in the capital, maybe I could at least have a conversation.’

Before getting straight to the point, he needed to gauge his brother’s disposition.

“I’ll talk to Pellion.”

“That’s a good idea, Father!”

“Be careful not to let unnecessary rumors spread.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure everything is kept strictly confidential.”

The Duke of Hexwood exhaled deeply once more, seeing evidence that his daughter was alive somewhere.

A child who would bring even more glory to the family.

It was a source of immense joy that she could now make the family shine even brighter.

He smiled with a cold expression, hardly the face of a father searching desperately for his beloved daughter.

Yet at that moment, he did not know:

he would not be able to see the daughter he thought he would soon find for a very long time.

“Thank you, take care!”

I left the shop, seeing off the jeweler’s employee who had greeted me.

I had gone out partly to eat, but exploring the magical city of Estella was quite entertaining.

“Special fortune-telling revealed by the God of Magic!”
“Sharon tea leaves are on special discount today only!”
“Protect your children from the dangers of the world! Anti-lost tracking necklaces are only 1 gold! There’s even a matching pendant! So cheap!”

Like any market, the atmosphere was friendly, but being a special city, it was crowded with people of many races and had shops selling mysterious items.

I wandered around, looking for something that might protect me in an emergency, and ended up buying some items that could prove quite useful.

Thanks to selling some valuable items I had taken from the kidnapper’s nanny at a good price, my finances weren’t strained.

After filling my stomach and ordering some evening food, I sat in front of the fountain to wait for my order, when someone sat next to me.

I didn’t need to turn my head to know who it was. I had noticed them following me since leaving the Magic Tower, so I asked casually:

“Why are you following me?”

“Why do you think I’m following you?”

His curt tone made me slowly turn my head.

When Leonar met my gaze, he flinched in surprise and quickly looked away.

‘So he is following me.’

I wanted to stay separate for now, but his constant presence in my field of vision was irritating.

‘Even though I told him not to get involved with me, why is he acting like this?’

“Do you have something to say?”

His expression was sulky, clearly displeased with the situation.

‘Why is he even acting like this?’

It was better than when he handed me poison before, but his unexplained approach made me wary.

“If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll leave first.”

As I cautiously suggested leaving, Leonar reacted immediately.

“You…”

He barely uttered a word, then seemed to think carefully about what to say next.

“Why don’t you leave the Magic Tower?”

“What?”

“I heard that you’ve been banned from using all the facilities in the Tower. That’s because you rejected the Master’s offer, right? That’s why you couldn’t even enter the cafeteria yesterday?”

‘So the rumors have already spread.’

It was satisfying, in a way, being thrown out in a crowded place and sulking conspicuously while wandering.

“Even if they provide you a room, it must be inconvenient to live there. If you have no talent for magic, it’s just wasting time. Leaving might be the best choice.”

Leonar nodded, as if agreeing that it was a practical solution.

“You’ll have to leave once the Deputy Master finishes their mission anyway. Why not find a way to survive now and leave immediately?”

I had wondered why he was trailing me so persistently.

“If it’s the Deputy Master, they’ll surely support you until you become an adult. You’ll have a safe home and living expenses—it’s actually a decent option. Isn’t that good for you too?”

‘He’s acting like he’s the Deputy Master’s spokesperson. Does he hate me being in the Tower that much?’

I knew he disliked me, but the fact that he followed me just to say this twisted my nerves.

I stared at Leonar and smiled faintly.

Perhaps reading my smile as agreement, a small smile was about to appear on his face when I said:

“Unknown senior, I know you don’t like me. If you want to throw me out, just say it. Don’t pretend to be nice.”

His expression stiffened at my words.

I didn’t want to sit there any longer.

“Thanks for the advice.”

I said my final words before leaving.

“But next time, don’t act like you know better if you’re going to say something like that.”

I had enough manipulators trying to lure me with kindness—Elodie and the nanny were enough.

“If I were going to give up this easily, I wouldn’t have even come to the Tower.”

‘Living here is going to be hard anyway; should I have looked a little more pitiful?’

But I didn’t want to show such a side to Leonar.

‘The Tower is full of people who just want to kick me out.’

I was about to return to the Tower when I remembered the food I had ordered from the shop.

It might be a bit silly to go back after saying that, but who cares?

‘I’ll just ignore it.’

I didn’t want to waste energy worrying about Leonar’s mood while I was in a bad one myself.

I went to pick up my packaged food and saw something unexpected.

“Why is their personality so twisted?”

Leonar was talking to a small bird perched on his hand.

“Sigh… I already tried to throw them out, but they don’t listen.”

“I know it’s frustrating, but instead of nagging, try talking to them yourself. From what I can see, they’re no ordinary person.”

“You want me to persuade them more? How long do I have to follow them around? Can’t I leave it to Rachel?”

“No, it has to be secret. Why? Huh? Because Rachel would oppose it? That’s why you sent me on this mission? What the….”

“Actually, there’s no mission in the capital, right? You just don’t want to deal with a troublesome kid and dumped it on me, right? How can I believe this?”

“No, they say I don’t need money, so how am I supposed to persuade them more here? Ugh, this is maddening.”

When Leonar looked up, I quickly hid behind the shop door.

“Fine, I’ll handle it myself. Contact me later.”

Leonar muttered as he put the bird into his pocket and left.

“Miss, your food is ready.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As I received the food, I reflected on the recent events.

Pellion had left the Tower completely. Rachel, who allowed me to stay, was nowhere to be seen. And Leonar suspiciously following me had upset me greatly.

‘All of this… was really just a scheme to get me completely kicked out of the Tower, wasn’t it?’

Was it just because taking responsibility for me was bothersome?

That thought came first, but I shook my head.

‘Since they even provided me with a place to stay, it’s not just because they’re lazy.’

Judging from Leonar’s words, Pellion seemed to want me out of the Tower in a mild way.

‘I thought they were just trying to avoid friction with the Tower Master, but… they were actually worried about me.’

Honestly, I thought Pellion didn’t care about someone like me at all, but hearing about my life through Leonar suggested otherwise.

I had a vague feeling that if something happened to me, Pellion would come looking for me immediately.

‘I was wondering how to send updates anyway. If I have something to report, I can slip it to Leonar.’

Now all that was left was for the Tower Master to create a reason to kick me out.

I sighed quietly while looking at the packaged food.

‘Better buy some extra bread. Can’t hurt to be prepared.’

Buying extra bread that day turned out to be a good choice.

The next day, when I tried to leave the Tower again, the guard said:

“Since you are not an official guest of the Tower, you may encounter difficulties re-entering the Tower after going out.”