IMT 07

Chapter 07

“Didn’t he say anything else? Isn’t that the most important part?”

Cassian was right. The most important thing was protecting my personal information.

It felt like I was overlooking something, but if he hadn’t revealed my biggest secret, then what did it matter?

“What about the cause of my mana backlash? Didn’t he ask about that?”

“He didn’t.”

Cassian answered as if it were nothing and gently pressed down on my tense shoulders.

So since Mikhail hadn’t asked, Cassian hadn’t answered.

That was a very Cassian-like response, but what surprised me even more was that Mikhail had simply let it go.

Was it because it involved mana that he decided not to pry?

Once again, I found myself grateful that the people of Creras had so little interest in mana and magic.

“You did well, Cassian.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Then pat my head.”

He lowered his head toward me. His dark blue hair, like the color of the deep sea, came close enough to touch.

Ever since we were children, whenever I praised Cassian, I would pat his head.

Back then, he had been about my height, and his long, fluffy hair had felt like petting a puppy.

But now he was more than a head taller than me. His neatly groomed hair was perfectly in place, and I felt a little guilty about messing it up.

“If I touch it, your hair will get messy. Is that okay?”

Even though I asked worriedly, he simply tilted his head and remained still.

When I gently laid my hand over his hair, he slowly rubbed his head against my palm.

“Isn’t it a little embarrassing to do this when you’re all grown up?”

Cassian was already twenty-five years old. He was long past the age of wanting someone to pat his head.

And yet, he wore a lazy smile, looking as content as a well-fed cat.

“Touching someone’s head is pretty rude. People might misunderstand if they see us.”

“It’s fine. It’s not rude. No one will misunderstand. Besides, I don’t care about anyone else.”

Watching Cassian close his eyes and rub his head against my hand gave me a strange feeling.

It was like raising a huge dog.

Seeing how happy he looked put me in a good mood, so I searched for something else to talk about.

“Don’t you have to go back to the Magic Tower? You’ve been away for quite a while because of me.”

“Mm.”

“What about your family? You haven’t gone home in a long time either.”

“Mm.”

I’d always thought this, but Cassian was strangely indifferent when it came to his own affairs.

When we first met, I had asked what family he belonged to, and he’d simply asked why that even mattered.

Even after we stared at each other for a long while, he never told me his family name. He only gave me his own name.

That hadn’t changed even now, after I’d learned all of his little habits and food preferences.

No matter how I looked at it, he definitely wasn’t from an ordinary household.

“You’re old enough now. Aren’t you getting married? Don’t you have a fiancée?”

Only then did Cassian open his eyes and look at me.

In more than half the countries on the continent, people came of age in their late teens. Most married and started families before reaching their mid-twenties.

Cassian was already twenty-five. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily miss the ideal age for marriage.

I immediately regretted asking, knowing how much he hated questions about his personal life.

Unexpectedly, though, he slowly blinked before answering.

“I do.”

“Really? Then is it okay for you to be staying by my side like this? Wouldn’t it cause problems if someone found out?”

It was only natural to think that anyone would be upset if their fiancé spent all their time hanging around another woman.

But then—

“Why would me staying by your side be a problem? What exactly would become troublesome?”

For the first time in a long while, Cassian looked genuinely displeased as he asked me.

He stared at me as though he sincerely couldn’t understand what the issue was.

The longer I looked at him, the more it seemed like he was angry that I’d even asked.

I had no idea why he was upset, but now that leaving the palace was uncertain, Cassian was the only one who could bring my mana suppression medicine into the Imperial Palace.

If our relationship became strained, I would be the only one inconvenienced.

For now, calming him down seemed like the wiser choice.

“Why are you angry?”

Softening my voice, I reached up and touched his cheek.

He gently closed his eyes and placed his own hand over mine, pressing it lightly against his face.

His cheek beneath my palm was cold.

He opened his eyes again and looked at me.

“I don’t know. I’m just angry.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yeah.”

After saying that, Cassian fell silent.

Feeling awkward myself, I didn’t try to continue the conversation.

A short while later, someone knocked on the door, as if they had sensed our silence.

I turned toward it just as Cassian stood and walked over.

“Cassian?”

I called out, but he didn’t look back. Instead, he opened the door first.

“His Majesty the Emperor wishes to know Lady Rin’s condition.”

It was the voice of the chief chamberlain who always followed Mikhail like a shadow.

“I already said we’d inform you first when she woke up.”

I was slightly taken aback.

Not only because he was speaking so casually to the Emperor’s representative, but even more because he was pretending I was still unconscious despite the fact that I was already awake.

Why wasn’t he telling them I’d woken up?

The door was only open a hand’s width.

Cassian was so tall that the chief chamberlain couldn’t possibly see inside through the narrow gap.

“Indeed, that is what you said. However, since Lady Rin has remained unconscious for so long, I became concerned.”

“Concerned… Is that your concern, or the concern of the master you serve?”

What is with him?

He’d sounded confrontational before, but now his tone was downright arrogant.

No matter how talented a mage Cassian was, the person standing outside was the chief chamberlain—the Emperor of Creras’s closest aide, and a marquis in his own right.

Not to mention much older than him.

Shouldn’t he at least speak respectfully?

I frowned, thinking that if I were the chief chamberlain, I’d be offended by some unknown young mage speaking to me so informally.

Then I heard a polite voice.

“My apologies, Mage. I had no intention of offending you. I simply wished to convey His Majesty’s concern for Lady Rin, but it seems I unintentionally made it sound as though I doubted your abilities.”

Shouldn’t Cassian be the one apologizing?

Without replying, Cassian slammed the door shut and walked back toward me.

Lowering my voice so no one outside would overhear, I asked,

“What was that? Why did you lie? I’m awake.”

I had no idea why I was voluntarily helping cover up Cassian’s lie, but somehow it felt like the right thing to do.

“If I say you haven’t woken up, then you haven’t.”

With one hand, Cassian gently pushed my shoulder until I lay back on the bed.

Then he climbed onto the edge of the bed himself.

Crossing his arms, he stuck out his lower lip in obvious displeasure.

What’s gotten into him?

I stared at him with wide eyes, and he turned his head away.

Don’t tell me…

Is he sulking because Mikhail was worried about me instead of him?

Honestly, it was an easy misunderstanding to make.

Mikhail was probably just concerned about one of his subordinates.

But Cassian, blinded by jealousy, might see things differently.

As I wondered how to clear up his misunderstanding, he suddenly muttered,

“You don’t want to see the Emperor right now anyway. You said you didn’t want that woman—the Empress—to misunderstand.”

Yesterday afternoon, when I’d met Cassian, I had said exactly that.

Disguising it as a patient’s consultation.

He hadn’t said much at the time, but he had listened with a serious expression, just like a real physician.

I thought he was only pretending to listen because he couldn’t be bothered, but he’d actually remembered everything I said.

So he really had been paying attention.

Somehow, Cassian suddenly looked incredibly adorable.

“You were actually listening to me?”

I smiled brightly.

Cassian’s pouting lips twitched before he let out a quiet laugh.

“Of course I was. Anyway, you’re still officially unconscious, so get some more rest. If there’s anything you need to sort out in your head, do it now.”

Even if Eunsu had already misunderstood me, avoiding Mikhail probably wouldn’t change anything.

Still, I didn’t want things to become even more complicated.

Besides, I couldn’t exactly expose Cassian as a liar.

Fine.

I’ll just do as he says and rest a little longer.

I buried my head back into the pillow and closed my eyes.

With Cassian, who was completely on my side, right beside me…

Maybe it was okay to relax, just a little.

The Emperor’s office.

Mikhail had been pacing the room anxiously.

The moment he saw the chief chamberlain return, his face brightened.

“Well? What did he say? Has Rin woken up? Did you find out how she’s doing?”

Looking at Mikhail, who seemed ready to run there himself at any moment, the chief chamberlain lowered his shoulders.

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I accidentally offended the mage.”

“Hm? What do you mean? What mistake did you make?”

“I merely conveyed Your Majesty’s concern for Lady Rin, but it appears the mage interpreted my words as questioning his abilities.”

The chief chamberlain kept his head lowered, unable even to raise his eyes.

So that mage must have completely lost his temper.

Mikhail recalled the mage Ronwell had brought to him—the one who had introduced himself as Rin’s attending physician.

He had carried himself with an air of complete detachment, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.

Even Mikhail, another man, had found him striking enough to be momentarily captivated.

More surprising still was the identification bearing the seal of the Magic Tower.

Without the knowledge of the nobles, Mikhail had secretly hired the Serento Magic Tower, which guaranteed absolute confidentiality, to help save the contract Empress.

The mage who had come to him back then had also carried an identification card bearing the Magic Tower’s seal.

They said only the Tower Master personally issues identification cards with the Magic Tower’s seal.

If he possessed one issued directly by the Tower Master, that meant he had earned the Tower Master’s trust.

I thought he was just some ordinary fellow. Apparently not.

Mages were beings chosen by Deriosa, the Goddess of Change and Creation.

As one of the Magic Tower’s finest, he undoubtedly took immense pride in his abilities.

It was only natural that he would dislike having those abilities questioned.

Mikhail understood that much.

Even so, the chief chamberlain had gone there as the Emperor of Creras’s representative.

No matter how highly the Tower Master regarded that mage, treating the Emperor’s representative with such disrespect was unacceptable.

“Robert.”

The chief chamberlain looked up as Mikhail called his name.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Mikhail’s displeasure was plainly written across his face.

“I’ll go see for myself.”

The chief chamberlain couldn’t stop Mikhail as the Emperor strode toward the door, his robes fluttering behind him.

Instead of coming up with a plan, the moment my head touched the pillow, sleep completely overtook me.

When I suddenly jolted awake, the corner of my mouth was already damp with drool.

Oh no…

I hurriedly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and looked around.

Fortunately, Cassian wasn’t anywhere in sight.

It’s all the bedding’s fault for making me fall asleep!

I glared at the fluffy blanket, the soft pillow, and the fresh-smelling sheets covering the mattress.

Though even as I glared at them, they smelled wonderful.

Seriously… why do they have to smell this nice?

Still grumbling, I picked up the pillow to breathe in the scent a little more.

That’s when I noticed something casually tossed beside where the pillow had been.