UDBL~25

CHAPTER 25

October 18th.

Tears slipped out from between her shut eyelids.

“I want to go home.”

Riana laughed a little at the honest words that came out without thinking. Tears kept falling, so she just cried for a while. It seemed like midnight had passed.

She didn’t know when she’d be able to live through October 18th without remembering her birthday from her past life.

The bell rang in the early morning.

“You called, Your Grace?”

“Your eyes…”

Killian’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked at Riana.

‘Does it show that I cried?’

Riana remembered the last look she got of herself in the mirror before answering the call.

Her eyelids were red and swollen, and her nose was pink. Anyone could tell she’d been crying.

So, she had a lie ready just in case. Even though no one asked, she decided to use it.

“I was practicing tea blending and used the wrong herbs.”

“I see.”

“They were spicy herbs.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I’ll make sure never to bring that tea to you.”

“What a tearfully kind gesture.”

He sounded slightly sarcastic. Was her excuse too weak?

“Hehe, thanks for the compliment.”

She smiled like a fool, and Killian smiled back. It seemed like he was playing along.

“Do you practice every night?”

He changed the subject, and Riana quickly followed his lead.

“Yes, pretty much.”

Though she had only used it as an excuse today, Riana did actually practice tea blending from time to time using a beginner’s guide.

“There’s no need to explore other types of tea. You only need to know my preference.”

His taste was very simple: strong black tea, no milk, served warm—not hot or cold.

“That’s true, but…”

Simple tasks were easy, but also boring. Tea blending had become a hobby to help kill the boredom.

“There’s a lot of free time in the Isolation Tower. I wanted to use it well and become a better maid.”

She tried to sound like a hardworking employee, but midway through, she realized her wording was off and bit her tongue.

“Ah…”

Killian let out a hum of interest, resting his chin on his hand.

“So, Miss Riana has too much free time.”

“You must have misheard me.”

“Good. I’ll use that time then.”

“I said you must have misheard me…”

But the thing Killian chose to “mishear” was her denial.

Riana gave up arguing and started backing away.

But Killian quickly put down his pen, stood from his chair, and slipped on his coat.

He walked toward her in long strides and bent forward to meet her eyes.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where—?”

How could she leave the Isolation Tower when she wasn’t even allowed to take a step outside without a mage?

Her face turned pale as panic set in, but Killian just smiled without saying anything.

‘Don’t try to solve everything with your handsome face…’

Just as Riana opened her mouth to protest—

“Ah!”

His large hands gently wrapped around her shoulders. Still smiling, Killian began pushing her forward.

“You’re joking, right? We’re not really going out, are we?”

“You’ll find out once we do.”

“But I need to know before we go out if I’m going to stop you or not—!”

But just then, Killian’s hands stopped pushing.

At the same time, Riana’s mouth fell open in awe.

“…There was a place like this inside the Isolation Tower?”

They had only walked a few steps from the office.

Colorful plants filled a wide, open space with no roof or walls, reaching all the way up to the sky.

“This is an indoor greenhouse. We grow the plant ingredients used in Droche Co. products here.”

“Wow…”

Riana unknowingly began walking along the path between the plants.

Just crossing a single walkway made her feel like she’d entered a different world. Like Alice in Wonderland.

She stopped in front of a large yellow flower bud and took a deep breath.

‘Wow, it smells like home.’

She couldn’t believe a flower could smell just like Chanel No. 5. Was this heaven?

As Riana smiled brightly, Killian walked up and asked,

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, I love it…”

Then he crossed his arms and looked at her as if he were offended.

“Then why don’t you like the flowers I give you?”

Riana blinked and came back to her senses.

‘Nothing against flowers. It’s the shady guy giving them that’s the problem.’

She just gave him a grumpy glare instead of replying, and Killian waved his hand like he was done teasing her.

“Anyway, everything from here to there is edible. But don’t eat anything past that line, and don’t cry if you try to make tea with those spicy vines hanging from the ceiling.”

The way he teased at the end made Riana narrow her eyes.

“So you brought me here to research tea blending?”

He must’ve brought her to work, since she said she had free time. Maybe he wanted her to come up with a new blend to suit his picky taste.

Just as she started missing her boring maid duties, something flew toward her from Killian’s direction.

“Ah! That scared me!”

Riana instinctively caught the flying object.

It felt smooth and black, like the night sky. About the size of a fist and as light as a feather. Its shape was suspiciously perfect.

‘Is this… a bomb?’

Anyone would’ve thought that.

“Try it.”

“Eat… eat it?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“It’s a Kalkumflogem. One of the few ingredients that can color magic stones.”

That didn’t sound edible…

“Kalkum… what?”

“Kalkumflogem.”

Even the name didn’t sound edible…

Even Snow White wouldn’t eat something that looked like this.

Oddly enough, the thing that reassured her was Killian’s usual shady attitude.
He wouldn’t poison me when there’s still a bet with the Prince, right?

Riana tightly shut her eyes and took a bite.

Crunch.

The sugar-like coating cracked and released a sweet scent.

Inside was as soft as cotton candy, melting as soon as it touched her tongue. The taste made her eyes pop open.

“This… I’ve never tasted anything like this!”

“There’s a lot more.”

Killian pointed to a wall.

One wall was covered in red leaves and black fruits. Riana’s eyes widened.

Mom, this really is heaven.

After picking and eating a few more Kalkumflogems, Riana felt so good she could do any work with a smile.

“Okay, now tell me what to do! I’m ready.”

Killian gave her a puzzled look.

“Do?”

“You brought me here to make me work, didn’t you?”

He looked to the side, then muttered in a flat tone,

“Oh. Right.”

Riana grinned, shrugging like he could use her however he wanted. Killian’s lips curled up in a soft smile.

“But it’s already done.”

“I did? What did I…?”

Killian pointed at her cheek.

“It’s not red anymore.”

His finger moved slightly.

“You’re not sniffling anymore.”

Then it touched near her eye.

“No more tears.”

He pulled his hand away, tilted his head, and frowned slightly.

“That’s why I brought you here. I couldn’t focus when you left crying.”

His tone was a bit annoyed. Riana blinked as she tried to find the right reaction.

‘Too irritated to be flirting, too soft to be scolding…’

It was comfort.

She hadn’t even realized it, but she was being comforted.

‘I can’t even remember why I cried so hard earlier…’

Really, what was the reason?

Before she could remember, Killian’s low voice cut through her thoughts.

“If you’re doing tea blending because you enjoy it, keep going. You can use anything here.”

Riana looked at him as he continued talking casually.

“Except the spicy ones. Those might really make you cry.”

Heh.

He teased her so persistently, she had no choice but to laugh. He obviously knew her earlier excuse was fake, yet he didn’t ask for the real reason.

‘And that almost feels… considerate.’

Surprised by her own thoughts, Riana quickly shook her head.

‘No, no. That can’t be it. I must be fooled because of his face.’

She forced away the warm, fuzzy feelings in her chest and turned away from Killian.

Even this huge greenhouse had an end. On the opposite wall from the entrance, there was an archway leading to a small terrace.

‘The breeze…’

She was drawn to it, her steps light. The wind brushed her hands, cheeks, and hair as she got closer.

‘It feels nice.’

As she stepped under the arch, her loose hair fluttered and brushed against Killian’s suit as he came up behind her.

“Do you want to go out?”

Startled, Riana turned around. She hesitated before answering.

“No, not when you’re here…”

“Like this.”

Suddenly, Killian held out a large leaf. It came from the plant that smelled like Chanel No. 5.

“Miss Riana, I have a favor to ask.”

He cast a spell and wrote something on the leaf with magic.