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Chapter : 28
Weakness
The very next day after Lowell had resolved himself in front of Leon.
“Milady!”
Aria, stepping down from the carriage, unconsciously turned her head at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Lowell?”
“I’ve been waiting.”
“Why are you…?”
Aria, staring blankly at Lowell as he approached, soon shifted her gaze to the man standing beside him.
‘So, after talking about responsibility, he went and brought this guy in front of me anyway.’
Before the expressionless Leon, Aria clenched her teeth without realizing it.
“I was told that only healers and paladins would be gathering today.”
Aria spoke toward Leon, her words biting.
“Yes, I heard the same. But with the war looming, there isn’t a proper place to train at my mansion, so I thought I’d train at the headquarters today.”
“Is that so? But… I didn’t expect you’d even bring the lady along for training.”
Aria gave Lowell a quick glance, her lips forced into a smile.
“I—I came because I wanted to follow.”
Lowell said, almost shouting, without letting his gaze slip from her.
“…….”
For a moment, Aria’s eyes trembled slightly, unable to fully hide her emotions.
“I see… At least you excuse him, and it looks like you two get along. Fine then.”
Aria forced a smile, pushing aside her bitter expression, and turned away.
“No! I came to talk to you!”
But her steps stopped abruptly at the sound of Lowell’s sudden voice.
“What?”
“You told me not to contact you… but I couldn’t help worrying. So I came myself. Please spare me a moment. There’s something I need to say.”
“……?”
The intensity in his voice made Aria’s gaze carefully sweep over Lowell’s face. Then, as if realizing something, she quickly looked around.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
The words came out hurriedly from Aria’s mouth.
“No. I need to talk. Lord Leon. I’ll see you in a bit.”
With that, Lowell grabbed Aria’s wrist and pulled her along. He led her into the open warehouse without a hint of hesitation.
“Fine.”
Leon answered nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow as he watched Aria being pulled in a direction not toward the training grounds. In that brief moment, Lowell tugged her even closer.
Bang!
Aria, dazed by the sudden movement, soon realized she had been dragged into the knightly headquarters’ warehouse.
“What are you doing?”
She asked almost shouting, unable to hide her urgency.
“I have something to ask you, milady.”
Lowell didn’t answer her question; he simply drew closer.
“Then… just stand here for a moment.”
He released her wrist and stepped back slightly. Moving toward a shelf piled high with objects, he began taking deep breaths.
“Lowell, what are you—”
Bang!
Suddenly, Lowell pushed against the shelf with one hand, and the stacked items couldn’t hold steady, toppling downward.
“Ah!”
Aria screamed, instinctively shutting her eyes in fear.
“…….”
Yet no crash followed—no sound of items hitting the floor, no Lowell scream. Slowly, Aria opened her eyes.
Floating above Lowell were the objects themselves.
He was using his magic.
“Milady, I…”
“What are you doing?!”
Before Lowell could finish, Aria grabbed his arm and interrupted him. She quickly checked around, her eyes stiff with tension.
“What if someone sees? Don’t you know this is the knightly headquarters? If the knights catch us…”
“You knew all along, huh.”
“What?”
“That I can use magic.”
Lowell moved the objects back into place with his magic. As the objects settled, Aria’s wandering gaze returned to him.
“Does Lord Shion also know I can use magic?”
“…….”
“So, are you threatening me with this?”
Lowell closed the distance between them, every word forceful as if trying to prevent her from running away.
“Am I… your weakness?”
He asked that last question and stepped even closer, making it impossible for Aria to look away.
“…….”
Aria’s pupils trembled, and Lowell understood immediately—why she had to endure Shion’s treatment, why she had to simply comply with everything.
“Why… why didn’t you just ask me? We’re supposed to be closest friends. You should’ve asked me what to do and let me help!”
Lowell shouted right in front of her cheek, the words he had always held back now choking in his throat.
“Why are you handling everything alone?”
“Because of me!”
For the first time, determination flashed across Aria’s confused face, her voice breaking.
“What?”
“Because you gained magic, and ended up in this ridiculous situation—it’s all because of me!”
“What do you mean? How is it my fault that you have magic?”
Lowell’s mouth dropped, his eyes unsteady.
“You don’t know. It’s all my fault that things turned out this way because time kept repeating.”
“What…?”
“Lowell, do you want me to tell you something utterly absurd?”
Aria suddenly pulled on his arms, drawing him closer, her green eyes glaring sharply.
“I’m living the same time over and over. If I die, I return to the beginning. I start again, anxious about when it will happen again. I’ve lived like that for so long I’ve lost count.”
Speaking for the first time, her eyes swirled with anger and sadness.
“But in this cursed timeline, no matter how many times it repeats, nothing changes. And the same events only get worse!”
“…….”
“You wouldn’t understand. You didn’t originally have magic. But because these repeated events worsened, you gained it.”
Aria’s breathing grew harsh, her veins showing, as she struggled to look Lowell straight in the eyes.
“Lowell. You don’t know anything.”
“I…”
“You won’t remember, but I do. I remember everything. When I asked for your help, what you got caught up in… I couldn’t possibly ask you for help again.”
She released his arms.
“And… you only just started to be happy. Seeing you with the one you love feels freer than anything I’ve ever seen. How could I destroy that happiness?”
Her gaze fell to the floor, her voice trembling.
“I think I’ve finally found the right way. So just be silent this once. For me. And for you. Lowell, I’m done. I’m breaking free.”
Click.
She closed the warehouse door and left.
Lowell couldn’t stop her, perhaps because her overflowing emotions reached him too.
A cold wind heralded winter, slicing through the walls of the magic tower.
“…….”
Leon’s gaze moved to Lowell sitting on the floor.
Lowell muttered spells before the hourglass on the table, trying to break a delay magic Leon had set.
‘Is this okay?’
He thought to himself. Seeing her earlier, staying up late like this seemed impossible.
When Leon left the headquarters, he found Lowell leaning against the wall, exhausted.
“You’re here?”
Locking eyes, Lowell pulled herself from the wall, forcing a smile.
Leon felt the weight of her emotions—sadness—and swallowed his questions about what had happened.
Since then, at Lowell’s request, he hadn’t asked a word about Aria.
“I’ve informed the guards about the lady, so the dukes won’t be extracting magic for now. With the war prep, she’ll be busy, and magic extraction will be limited. You can rest easy.”
Leon noticed her trembling hands as she cast the spell and spoke in a calm voice.
“Ah… thank you.”
Lowell withdrew her hands, turning back.
“Oh, I almost forgot to share the magic with you.”
She added, “Sorry,” making Leon frown in confusion.
“No matter. I don’t want to drain magic from someone clearly exhausted.”
“But the contract—”
“No.”
Leon dismissed her words, sitting beside her and pulling over a glass of wine with his magic.
“Drink this at least.”
Red wine swirled in the glass.
“Huh?”
“You don’t seem like you’ll return to the mansion tonight. Drink this. It’ll warm you.”
Seeing her body tremble slightly, Leon drank first.
“…Ah… thank you.”
Eventually, Lowell accepted it. The cold tower made it hard to survive the night without something warming.
Crackle.
They silently watched the fire, drinking wine. Heat returned to their chilled skin, and a gentle calm settled.
“…It’s because of me. You think it’s your fault I have magic… so you did what you thought you had to, to protect me.”
Relaxed or affected by the wine, Lowell suddenly spoke, revealing her feelings.
“I couldn’t tell the truth. I remember everything, like you remember Aria’s experiences. You seemed relieved I didn’t, so I couldn’t tell the truth.”
Amused, Lowell rested her face against her crossed arms.
“…You didn’t tell me for the lady. Don’t blame yourself for what couldn’t be helped.”
Silence followed. Leon realized he was sitting very close to Lowell.
His gaze unconsciously drifted to her lips.
“Lord Leon.”
Her voice drew his eyes away.
“I’ve always thought… you’re unexpectedly good at comforting people.”
Leaning closer into her arms, Lowell smiled gently, though playfully.
“…….”
Her purple eyes seemed to pierce him.
“I just don’t want you to struggle so much.”
Slow words slipped from Leon’s lips.
Whether it was the cold wind, the wine, or their mutual exhaustion, when the moonlight illuminated them, their lips met, breath mingling.
In that moment, comfort and affection intertwined in a dizzying mix.
