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Chapter: 16
“I couldn’t sleep because of a nightmare, so I thought I’d take a walk.”
Why am I being so honest?
‘What is wrong with me?’
I blinked, not understanding my own behavior, when he rummaged through his pocket and pulled something out, handing it to me.
It was a mint-colored cup with a lid.
“What’s this?”
“Hot chocolate.”
Why would hot chocolate come out of a pocket?
When I just stared at him silently, he lightly waved his hand.
“It’s for you, so just drink it.”
“What if you put poison in it or something…?”
He probably didn’t remember, but given his past record, I asked suspiciously. He snapped back angrily.
“Do you really think I’d do something that despicable?”
“If not, then fine. Why are you getting so mad?”
“What do you take me for?”
I felt a little wronged.
‘Your future self does do something that despicable. So why did you suddenly start being nice…?’
A question briefly crossed my mind, but since it didn’t seem like he’d come all the way out here in the middle of the night with bad intentions, I accepted the cup he offered.
Holding the cup, I gently blew on it and took a careful sip of the warm hot chocolate.
It was warm.
Maybe because I’d skipped dinner, it tasted especially good.
Once my stomach felt a little fuller, realistic thoughts crept in.
‘There’s probably a bird in that pocket for contacting Pellion, isn’t there?’
I wanted to pull it out right away and ask him to contact Pellion, but since that was impossible, I restrained myself and settled for imagination.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“I mean…”
Leonard hesitated, as if unsure what to say, then shut his mouth.
“Ah, never mind.”
He clicked his tongue irritably and asked,
“Why are you holding out this long?”
“What?”
“You have no chance of becoming a mage, and you can’t stay here as the Vice Tower Master’s daughter either. So why are you still clinging to the Mage Tower?”
“Hmm.”
“The Tower Master keeps harassing you because you don’t do what he wants. Honestly, at this point, wouldn’t it make more sense to say you’re exhausted and leave first?”
The words were no different from what he’d said by the fountain, but the emotion behind them was different.
‘Back then he just seemed annoyed, but now he actually looks worried.’
I didn’t know what kind of change of heart he’d gone through in just a few days, but perhaps because of this unexpected side of him, my mouth opened without any hesitation.
“Because I don’t want to go back to how things were before.”
I spoke my honest feelings as if under a spell.
“What was it like before?”
Night really is frightening.
“It was horrible.”
It creates a version of you that can’t endure loneliness in the cold silence and desperately looks for something to lean on.
Maybe it was because of the comfort I’d received back then, when I’d been sobbing alone in the stable.
‘I’ll just blame it on the late hour.’
I didn’t want to torment myself by overanalyzing it.
I thought he would keep pressing me with questions, but surprisingly, Leonard didn’t ask anything further.
As if he understood my situation, he simply nodded quietly and remained silent.
‘I guess I really was having a hard time.’
Just having Leonard beside me was a great comfort—even though he was the same Leonard who once handed me poison.
Maybe my pensive expression looked too serious, because Leonard couldn’t help but ask,
“What are you thinking about? You look so serious.”
“That I’ll rest when I’m dead.”
“What kind of child says something like that…?”
As if he wasn’t a child himself.
“I’m fifteen. That’s basically grown.”
At my answer, Leonard stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.
“And I think it’d be nice if I were a mage.”
I hadn’t said it expecting a response, and after that final remark, our conversation fell into silence.
I didn’t want to break the long quiet, but if everything I said now was being relayed to Pellion, I couldn’t afford to waste time like this.
Between the nightmares and everything else, it felt like the time had come to end this tiresome act.
I hated myself for thinking only about exploiting people’s goodwill, but I decided to put myself first.
“But that’s impossible, right?”
Leonard frowned, as if trying to gauge my intent.
“I’ve thought about it over the past two weeks, and it seems like there’s no place for me in the Mage Tower either.”
“You acted like you’d endure no matter what, so why are you suddenly thinking this? Don’t tell me…”
“I finally realized it today. This isn’t a place where I belong.”
At my words, Leonard’s eyes darted around in visible confusion.
“So I gave it some thought…”
He looked like he didn’t know what to say, so I simply smiled at him.
“I’m going to see the Tower Master tomorrow.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell him I’ll become his disciple, so he should take me in.”
At that, Leonard jumped to his feet.
“Have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what the Tower Master might do if you make an offer like that?”
“Why are you getting so angry? This has nothing to do with you anyway, does it?”
At my question, Leonard gaped, speechless, looking utterly incredulous.
“You asked me before if I really was the Vice Tower Master’s daughter, right? I was too shocked to answer then, but I’ll tell you now. I’m not the Vice Tower Master’s daughter.”
A cold wind blew between the two of us.
“I thought I could fool people since I look like him, but maybe mages are different from ordinary people—they figured it out right away. If I’d had magical talent, maybe I could’ve kept up the lie?”
“Don’t lie. Everything floating around the Tower is just rumors.”
At his denial, I deliberately let out a laugh.
“The Vice Tower Master won’t help someone fake like me. But I want to stay in the Mage Tower, so shouldn’t I use every means possible?”
At my spiteful words, Leonard’s expression hardened even more.
“The Tower Master is clearly planning to use me, so why shouldn’t I do the same?”
When I smiled faintly, he scowled deeply.
“Do you think the Mage Tower is that easy? Or do you really think the Tower Master would be fooled so easily? Use your head. If he finds out you’re not the Vice Tower Master’s daughter, do you think he’ll let you off unharmed?”
“At worst, I’ll just die, right?”
I laughed lightly, as if death meant nothing to me.
“Let me ask you something too.”
Then I casually revealed my plan.
“If I said I was leaving the Mage Tower, do you think the Tower Master would agree and let me go without a fuss?”
“What?”
“I don’t think so.”
I quietly looked up at the dark blue sky. There weren’t even any stars tonight—it was just darkness.
‘Maybe my future will be just as dark as that sky.’
It’s not that I’m not afraid of death.
“But tell the Vice Tower Master this.”
Still, that doesn’t mean I can’t risk my life for the future I want.
“I’m planning to cause an incident soon, so if he wants to stop it, tell him to come back to the Mage Tower right away.”
“What are you talking about…?”
“Oh, is the one above the person causing the incident? Anyway.”
I glanced in the direction where the Tower Master was, then took off the pendant hanging from my necklace and tossed it to him.
It was a butterfly-patterned pendant—the counterpart to a child-tracking necklace.
“I know the Vice Tower Master wants to trust the Tower Master, but tell him to come and see for himself.”
He caught the pendant absentmindedly and looked at me, still not fully grasping the situation.
“Tomorrow, okay?”
“No, wait.”
“You have to deliver the message properly. Got it?”
At my smile, he finally seemed to realize something. He let out a hollow, incredulous laugh and shouted,
“Don’t tell me you knew everything…!”
“Let’s meet again with smiles next time.”
I walked past him, who stood frozen like an idiot, and left the Sky Garden.
‘I told him I’d set the stage, so no matter what I do, he won’t ignore it and will come looking.’
It’s unreasonable and selfish stubbornness, but I have no choice.
‘This is my way of risking my life too, so please understand.’
When we meet again, I’ll make sure to apologize.
* * *
Left alone, Leonard looked down at the pendant Ophelia had thrown before leaving and let out a short, stunned breath.
It was a crude magical tool commonly sold outside the Mage Tower, but it was intact and engraved with a location-tracking magic circle.
Her warning—that she’d cause trouble and to come stop her if he wanted—was absurd.
The next thought that crossed his mind was curiosity.
“How did she know?”
