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chapter 20
Celestine, seeing the face of the person standing before her, muttered in a dazed voice.
“W-why are you here…?”
Ah. That might have sounded a little strange. Celestine flustered herself, trying to correct it.
“No, it’s not that… um… I mean…”
“I apologize, but this path connects directly to the Mage Tower.”
“…….”
“Thus, even if I am here, it wouldn’t be unusual.”
I knew that already.
That wasn’t what I wanted to say.
‘Why did you appear in front of me instead of Asha?!’
“I am Archmage Silence.”
The man in front of her…
One of those secondary male characters destined to have a crush on Asha alongside Rio Denheldin.
As he had just introduced himself, he was indeed Archmage Silence.
As his name suggests, he was extremely quiet, reserved, and introverted. Yet he possessed remarkable talent, rare even in the prestigious Mage Tower of Yeshua, earning him the title of the youngest Archmage in history.
With his long, silver hair reaching his waist and golden eyes that shone like the sun, he had a presence that could easily make him the lead in any story. His appearance alone was striking enough that even the palace maidservants admired him secretly.
…And he was the protagonist of the storyline tied to “Asha, trapped in the palace, lonely and isolated.”
He had never cared much for anyone, but he would fall for Asha, who shared his loneliness, and because of that, he would face calamity at the hands of Dravaltin!
“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be the daughter of a noble house. However, this is also the innermost path of the palace.”
“Eh… eh?”
“In other words, outsiders are never permitted to visit here.”
Ah, that’s right.
Silence had always been holed up in the Mage Tower, unaware of what went on in the palace.
“I-I came to keep the princess company.”
“I’m afraid even those who have sneaked out research from the Mage Tower in the past used similar excuses,” Silence said.
If this escalated, he might call the soldiers. Celestine had already had enough experience with prison-like situations; she didn’t need more chaos.
“It’s true! Even Crown Prince Dravaltin knows about it! The soldiers too!”
“Evidence?”
“If you don’t believe me, come with me to the princess’s quarters. The maids serving her have seen my face—it’s enough proof!”
“Meow.”
“Ah… meow? Huh?”
Celestine blinked at the sudden meow. Now was not the time for distractions. She patted the cat’s head lightly and tried to continue speaking to Silence.
Or at least, she intended to.
Suddenly, Silence stood silently, his mouth firmly closed.
Unlike when he interrogated someone and annoyed them, now he just stared.
He was staring at the cat.
His gaze toward the cat was completely different from the one he gave Celestine.
“…Is this young lady’s cat?”
“Huh? No, it isn’t.”
“Then…”
“I’m not sure either. It seems unkempt, so maybe it doesn’t have an owner.”
“…….”
“Maybe it’s a cat that lived in the palace forest or by the lake. It seems very young; perhaps its mother abandoned it.”
“…….”
“Um… Archmage?”
Celestine looked at Silence with a puzzled expression when there was no response.
But Silence, still silent, bent his knees and carefully reached out to stroke the cat, his touch as delicate as handling a precious gem.
‘What… is this?’
Celestine stared, baffled.
“To be abandoned at such a young age… it probably hasn’t even been weaned.”
“…….”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Well… I suppose so?”
Had Silence always liked animals? Celestine wasn’t sure, but it seemed possible.
She recalled that the first meeting between Silence and Asha involved a butterfly.
Yeshua’s palace was extravagant—not just in buildings and lifestyle, but also in gardens. Rare flowers bloomed year-round simply because Hella loved them.
Especially in spring, colorful butterflies would visit the palace.
Lonely Asha, never allowed outside, adored and envied the butterflies flying freely, often strolling the palace grounds chasing them.
And just like the cat, Silence had been abandoned young and shared Asha’s loneliness. Silence also enjoyed watching the beautiful butterflies.
So… why is he appearing in front of me instead of Asha?
Celestine had a question mark hovering over her head.
“Meow.”
Perhaps annoyed by Silence’s constant touch, the kitten let out a small cry, then suddenly jumped up.
“Wait…!”
Silence tried to catch it, but even as an archmage, he couldn’t match the kitten’s speed.
In the end, the cat vanished before their eyes, leaving only Silence and Celestine in the palace garden, under a heavy silence.
“…….”
“…….”
Why isn’t he saying anything? Celestine glanced at him nervously.
‘Well… I guess I can leave?’
If Silence still doubted her, she could always go to the princess’s quarters. She had said so earlier.
She had no intention of getting further involved with Silence. If he got caught up in that damn warning pop-up and comment chaos too… she didn’t even want to think about it.
So Celestine got up, limping slightly.
“My lady.”
Ah, great. He’s going to try and insist I accompany him to the princess’s quarters. Celestine frowned.
“You said you came to keep the princess company?”
“Yes. So please, just let me go…”
“How often do you visit the palace?”
“Every day. This is my first time at the princess’s quarters. Is that enough?”
“…I reside in the Mage Tower, and I’m very busy with experiments and training other mages.”
What am I supposed to do with that?
“Of course, I sometimes take a short walk once a day, but one can never know what might happen.”
“What are you even saying…”
“If you see another cat, please report it to the Mage Tower. Whoever you tell, the information will reach me directly.”
He went from suspicious to entirely preoccupied with the cat. It was ridiculous.
“I worry it may get hurt. Didn’t you say earlier, young lady, that it seemed abandoned?”
“…….”
“Abandoned young animals are constantly in danger. They’re easy targets.”
Right.
…Just like you once were?
Celestine stayed silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
“Understood. I’ll do that.”
She really did care about the kitten. Besides, what if something happened in Hella’s palace? Better just to report it to the Mage Tower. That was all she needed to do. Or, eventually, she could tell Asha about it to help.
“Then I’ll really be going now. Goodbye.”
Worried he might stop her again, she left without looking back.
Fortunately, Silence didn’t continue the conversation and let her go.
‘What is with this cursed palace? Something always happens when I come here.’
Unaware of Celestine’s thoughts, Silence remained where he was.
