RTGD 23

Chapter 23

“…Killian.”

Her face now redder than it could possibly get, Letricia tightened the arms she had wrapped around Killian’s neck.

In her clear voice, like a spring breeze, there was a trace of reproach.

Killian seemed more stubborn than she’d thought. He continued striding confidently forward, refusing to put Letricia down.

Clack.

As Letricia rolled her large, glassy eyes around, she could see the faces of the people lined along the street.

Each and every Northerner wore an expression of shock.

It was understandable. Who wouldn’t be surprised to see someone returning from an expedition carrying a person in his arms?

Letricia tried her best to ignore the murmuring crowd and whispered to Killian,

“I think I’m starting to regret this a little.”

“Regret what? Coming to the North? Or becoming my wife?”

“Both.”

Unable to look him in the eye, Letricia answered timidly, letting her gaze drift away.

Killian, who had been staring directly at her, raised an eyebrow as if to say not a chance.

“Even if you do, there’s no taking it back.”

“I know.”

Letricia didn’t argue. She hadn’t brought it up in hopes of taking anything back anyway.

“But Killian, if this is how it was going to be, couldn’t we have just used a scroll to transport directly into the Grand Duchy?”

Still a good distance from the castle, she asked this, and Killian calmly shook his head.

“No. Because of that clock tower, teleportation magic is restricted inside the walls.”

“The clock tower?”

As soon as Killian spoke, Letricia’s head turned toward the tower, as if she had been waiting for it.

She shouldn’t have known where it was, and yet her body moved like she had always known.

But Letricia, mesmerized by the towering structure in her view, didn’t notice how strange that moment was.

“Wow…”

The tower stretched high into the sky, surrounded by vines, with parts of its aged structure missing.

Its vintage clock hands had stopped moving, broken by the wear and tear of time.

As if entranced, Letricia kept staring, and Killian slowed his pace for her.

“That tower is also the reason why it’s so warm inside the castle walls.”

“Huh?”

Now that she thought about it, the biting cold wind that had once pierced her skin had faded away without her realizing it.

It wasn’t as warm as spring in the capital, but it was comfortably cool—just right.

Yet snow continued to fall softly from the sky, creating an even more surreal atmosphere.

“What kind of tower could possibly do that…?”

“Have you ever heard of the Tower of Shutten?”

“Shutten…?”

Letricia’s eyes rolled to the opposite side as she searched her memory.

She vaguely recalled seeing the name in an old book she read while hiding in the depths of the library to avoid Isis.

“I don’t know about the tower, but I’ve read about Shutten. It was said to be an ancient kingdom founded by time mages.”

“That’s correct. That tower was also built by Shutten’s mages.”

“But I heard everything related to Shutten disappeared without a trace?”

“That’s not entirely wrong. Everything did vanish—except that tower. They say when the mages of Shutten lost control, all of their magic was absorbed into that tower.”

“…This is the first I’ve heard of that.”

“Of course. It’s a legend passed down only among Northerners.”

Killian resumed his pace, picking up speed again after their slow stroll.

“Anyway, the immense magic absorbed back then seems to be leaking out, and that’s why the weather around the tower always stays the same. Never too hot or too cold—just…neutral.”

“So the reason we couldn’t use a teleport scroll inside must be because of the tower’s magic. I’ve heard that magic tends to warp near powerful magical sources.”

Letricia nodded in agreement.

“You seem to know quite a bit about magic.”

“…I—I just happened to read it in a book.”

“Remembering what you just happened to read so accurately? Impressive.”

“Uh… haha. You think so?”

Letricia opened her mouth, then closed it again, offering only an awkward smile.

His tone was clearly meant as praise, but—

She had so little experience receiving compliments that she didn’t know how to respond.

Even so, she found herself glad that she had hidden away in the library to avoid Isis. This unfamiliar conversation didn’t feel all that unpleasant after all.

“Do you like reading?”

“Yes, I suppose I do.”

“I see.”

Killian began to mentally tally how many books were in the Grand Duchy’s library.

Were there any that might interest Letricia…?

‘Seems I’ll need to bring in some new books.’

Immersed in thoughts of what books she might enjoy, Killian sped up again. Letricia had to tear her eyes away from the tower with a tinge of regret.

Neither of them noticed the stopped clock hands begin to move, ticking forward with a trail of blue smoke.

“Letricia. Politics, culture, society, or art—what kind of books do you prefer?”

“Why are you suddenly asking? If I had to choose… maybe art? But I like them all. Wait—Killian, don’t tell me… you’re not planning to give me books as a gift now, are you?”

“Hmm. I suppose if I’m bringing in new books, I should move the library to a bigger room. I was thinking of building a new wing anyway…”

“Killian!”

*

“Hmm…”

Letricia sat on the plush bed, her eyes darting around.

Though she had successfully avoided being gifted a pile of books in the end—

She hadn’t been able to break Killian’s other stubbornness. And so, she’d entered the Grand Duke’s castle still in his arms.

She hadn’t had a moment to look around before a knight came in urgently, pulling Killian away.

Following a servant’s lead, Letricia had been brought to this room.

In one corner, the servant who had led her stood like a shadow against the wall.

She hadn’t said a single word, and whenever her eyes met Letricia’s, she quickly turned her head away, as if offended.

“…”

In the heavy silence that filled the room, Letricia began drawing circles with her finger on the bedsheet.

‘They’re not welcoming me here either.’

Not just that servant. Most people in the castle seemed to be avoiding her.

Especially the butler and the head maid. Since she first stepped into the Grand Duke’s castle, the two had hidden in the shadows, heads bowed.

She hadn’t even seen their faces.

‘Maybe I really shouldn’t have come in like that…’

Even if Killian was a prince cast out of the palace, he still came from nobility.

Someone like Letricia, who suddenly appeared at his side without any family or status, would understandably not be welcomed.

And to top it off, her first appearance was being carried in his arms.

No wonder they were reacting this way.

The beautiful scenery, so different from the capital, that had briefly lifted her spirits, now felt quiet and heavy again.

Letricia pressed her finger firmly into the bed.

“You don’t need to attend me. You can go.”

The servant shook her head firmly. But after Letricia repeated herself, she hesitated and eventually left the room.

Now that she thought about it, the servant had looked more startled than hostile.

Not that it mattered.

Letricia was used to atmospheres like this. She hadn’t come here to be treated well anyway.

Besides, she didn’t plan to stay long. It was easier if people didn’t get too close.

Getting attached would only hurt the ones left behind.

“One room I can stay in for a year—that’s all I need.”

Letricia reminded herself not to feel out of place or disappointed, and glanced around the room.

It was a nice room. In fact, far too nice.

Spacious, and filled with carefully selected, luxurious furnishings.

One thing in particular caught her eye: a wooden rail circling the room at about shoulder height, set into the ivory wallpaper.

“I’ve never seen something like this. Weird.”

Letricia touched the rounded wood and wrapped her hand around it.

It fit perfectly into her palm, as if it had been made just for her.

Smooth and finely crafted with no splinters. Smiling, she used it to circle the room once.

“Good. If I ever lose my sight again like last time, I can just hold onto this.”

She didn’t know whether being assigned this room was luck or not, but she truly liked this new space.

After a few laps around the room, she winced as a tingling sensation spread through her toes.

Her feet, which had frozen from stepping on the snow, were finally thawing.

Rubbing her itchy feet, Letricia decided to soak them in warm water and headed to the bathroom she’d scouted earlier.

Click.

She turned the faucet, and warm water flowed out refreshingly.

Since Allen often left her alone, she was used to bathing herself and quickly prepared everything.

At first, she had only planned to soak her feet—but seeing the steam rising from the bathwater made her long to immerse her whole body in it.

As she bustled about gathering bath supplies on her still-tingling feet, Letricia suddenly froze.

There was another door on the far side of the bathroom—the opposite of where she had entered.

Where did that one lead?

“It’s locked? Maybe a storage room?”

She tugged at the handle, but it spun loosely without opening. Letricia let go and glanced at the door warily.

She looked back and forth between the filled bathtub and the closed door, then hesitantly stepped away.

The locked door bothered her, but in the end, she turned her back to it and slowly lowered herself into the warm water.

Even as she fully submerged, her eyes kept flicking to the door.

Bloop.

“Probably… nothing, right?”