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Chapter 51
The ballroom suddenly fell silent.
Ever since I started walking toward Merina, people’s attention had already been on us, though they had only dared to glance discreetly out of politeness.
But when Merina shouted, everyone finally had a reason to turn and look toward the source of the noise.
“Shilla? Did she just call you Shilla?”
“Yes, she called me Lady Shilla… Is there a problem…?”
A chilling killing intent seeped out of the Tower Master, who made no effort to hide it, though Merina seemed completely unaware of the situation.
“Who do you think you are to call my name so carelessly?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked, what makes you think a nobody like you can call me by name?”
The Magic Tower is the home of mages spread across the Empire and the Kingdoms. The Tower Master herself is considered a human weapon and is treated with the same respect as a king.
Because the Tower maintains strict neutrality and never interferes in political disputes, the Tower Master can freely travel anywhere.
Every nation desires the favor of the mages, so most strive to maintain friendly relations with the Tower.
But now, a mere count’s daughter had called such a person by name the very first time they met?
Merina had made a grave mistake.
“The House of Ekel, was it? For daring to treat the Tower Master with such disrespect, the House of Ekel is hereby declared an enemy of the Tower.”
Gasps spread across the room.
Merina still didn’t seem to understand what she had done, but those around her clearly did — they quickly moved away, as if to declare that they had nothing to do with her.
“Now, what is the meaning of this…?”
The one who broke the silence was the Emperor.
At some point, the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince had entered the ballroom.
“It means exactly what I said. This woman’s family is now the Tower’s enemy — and we will bring them to justice.”
“Tower Master, can you not forgive her just this once?”
The Emperor, struck by thunder the moment he arrived, tried to smooth things over, but Shilla was not someone to be handled easily.
“Would Your Majesty forgive a stranger who dares to call your name as they please? Would you smile and let it go if someone beneath you spoke your name so casually?”
Of course not.
“If His Majesty is defending this woman, should I take that as the Empire’s official stance — that I, and the Magic Tower itself, may be treated with such contempt?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then please, clarify exactly what you mean.”
The words “the Empire’s official stance” made the Emperor hesitate. If he misspoke, this could turn into a diplomatic disaster.
“Tower Master, please — for my sake, forgive her this once.”
The Empress finally stepped forward, unable to watch any longer.
“That foolish girl is my younger sister.”
If the Emperor chose to sacrifice Merina for the Empire’s sake, the Empress could do nothing about it. Her power came entirely from the Emperor’s favor.
So, bowing her head before the Tower Master before her sister and her father’s house were destroyed was a wise choice.
“Our mother passed away early, so she never received proper education. I should have been more attentive, but I failed to guide her — please forgive her offense, Tower Master.”
The Empress took responsibility for her sister’s mistake as her own.
“Before you punish that child, please hold me accountable first.”
Normally, such humility from the Empress herself would have been enough to resolve the issue — but the Tower Master before them was far from normal.
“Your Majesty, I had no intention of declaring the Empress my enemy… but if she insists on this path, what choice do I have?”
The Emperor placed a hand on the trembling Empress’s shoulder, both of them caught off guard by Shilla’s unyielding tone.
If Merina died here, the situation would grow terribly complicated. Should they let her die, or struggle to save her?
I wondered how it would end — and just then, Shilla tightened her hand around mine.
The same way I had done earlier, when looking at Rexian.
“Lady Shilla, please — be generous and forgive her this once.”
I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, deliberately calling her by name.
“Lady Ekel isn’t a wicked person. As Her Majesty said, she’s just been sheltered all her life — a flower raised in a greenhouse.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. At a tea party once, she asked if it was wrong to claim all the men who approached her as her own. Now you understand what kind of person she is, don’t you?”
Shilla’s face twisted oddly — a mix of shock and amusement.
“Right, Lady Ekel? When I asked what kind of gentleman you fancied, you said, ‘Do I really have to choose just one among so many?’ Remember?”
I looked toward Stella, Violet, and the two other count’s daughters for confirmation, and they nodded eagerly.
The faces around us darkened, and the gazes directed at Merina filled with disgust and contempt.
“So please, Lady Shilla, forgive Lady Ekel. She didn’t mean harm — she just doesn’t know when to hold her tongue.”
“She’s simply someone who can’t tell what should or shouldn’t be said.”
“Lady Ekel, come now — apologize to the Tower Master.”
I spoke kindly, but Merina just glared at me stiffly.
Count Ekel suddenly appeared and grabbed his daughter by the arm, pulling her forward.
“I apologize, Tower Master. It’s entirely my fault for raising her poorly. Merina, what are you waiting for? Beg for the Tower Master’s forgiveness!”
“I—I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry, Tower Master!”
Shilla looked down coldly at the father and daughter bowing before her.
The Empress was visibly anxious, and the Emperor was clearly wondering what to do if Shilla refused to forgive them.
“That woman calling my name was deeply unpleasant, but… for Roa’s sake, I’ll overlook it just this once.”
Relief flooded the faces of Merina, Count Ekel, and the Empress. Shilla, watching them silently, then spoke again.
“Shouldn’t you thank Roa as well? She’s the one who saved your lives.”
“Thank you, Lady Levian.”
“Truly, thank you. I will never forget this kindness.”
As the Empress and Count Ekel offered their thanks, Merina kept her head down, lips pressed tight.
“Merina!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Count Ekel urged her several times before she finally bowed toward me.
“Thank you, Lady Levian.”
Her reluctance was obvious, but I smiled brightly.
“As a fellow noble of the Empire, helping was the natural thing to do. But really, it’s all thanks to Lady Shilla’s generosity.”
“Roa, you’re far too humble.”
When Shilla’s eyes curved into a soft smile, the deadly tension in the room melted away.
The gazes directed at us now held surprise, goodwill, and a hint of wariness.
By now, everyone must have realized that Shilla and I shared a special connection.
She could be difficult, but she fulfilled her role perfectly — which made her quite useful.
“To our honored guest from afar, my deepest gratitude. Everyone, please enjoy the ball.”
With the crisis neatly resolved, the Emperor announced the official start of the banquet, his mood visibly brightened.
Shilla took my hand and led me naturally to the dance floor.
“Well? How did I do?”
“You were wonderful. You weren’t actually angry about being called by name, were you?”
Shilla grinned.
“Not about the name. It was that woman’s energy — it was unpleasant. She had neither magic nor divine power, yet something about her kept trying to bind me.”
I’d heard something similar before — from Rexian, when he began to fall in love with me.
He said that whenever he saw Merina, it felt as though something invisible was pulling him toward her — and that made her feel repulsive to him.
It must be the same principle that makes the male leads in this world irrationally despise me — as if they were being programmed to act that way.
In a sense, the Tower Master is an “extra” outside the story.
Since she isn’t directly connected to Merina, the protagonist, or to me, the supposed villainess, she’s free from the narrative’s influence.
I’d confirmed that through Ted — that’s why I dared to bring Shilla as my partner to the imperial ball.
Ted was something I could handle — but if Shilla ever fell for Merina, things would get truly dangerous.
“To think you have to keep running into such an annoying woman — you really have it rough, Roa.”
“That’s true. Still, she sometimes puts on quite the entertaining show, so I can’t completely hate it.”
“Like today?”
“Yes.”
“Haha!”
Shilla burst into laughter, genuinely amused. Almost at the same moment, the music ended, and the people nearby turned to see who had laughed.
We must have looked like a pair of affectionate lovers.
Just imagining Rexian seeing us that way made my chest sting slightly.
“It’s never boring with you, Roa.”
As we stepped off the dance floor, Shilla placed a gentle arm around my shoulder, her eyes fixed on someone approaching.
“Shilla, there’s no need to overdo it,” I murmured.
“Our target’s coming, Roa,” she whispered in my ear — the way lovers might share a secret.
“My neck? Why— oh, the necklace’s still in place.”
Her large hand caught mine, pulling it away from my neck — I hadn’t even realized I’d been touching it.
“Good evening, Tower Master.”
A familiar voice reached us — the Crown Prince, who had surely witnessed everything that had happened.
