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CHAPTER 26
October 18th.
Tears leaked from Riana’s shut eyes.
“I want to go home.”
She smiled weakly at the words that slipped out. Tears kept falling, so she just let herself cry for a while. It must’ve passed midnight.
She wondered when she’d be able to live through October 18th without remembering her birthday from her past life.
A bell rang early in the morning.
“You called, Your Grace?”
“Your eyes…”
Killian frowned slightly after seeing Riana’s face.
‘Can he tell I’ve been crying?’
Riana quickly remembered what she looked like in the mirror: red, puffy eyelids and a pink-tinted nose. Anyone would think she had been crying.
So, she went ahead with the excuse she had prepared—even though no one had asked.
“I was practicing tea blending and accidentally used the wrong herbs.”
“I see.”
“It was a spicy herb.”
“Okay.”
“I won’t ever serve that to you, Your Grace.”
“How considerate. Brought tears to my eyes.”
Was he being sarcastic? Maybe the excuse was too weak.
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment.”
She laughed like a fool, and Killian smiled back. He must’ve decided to play along.
“You must practice every night?”
When he changed the subject, Riana nodded quickly.
“Yes, almost every night.”
She wasn’t lying. She actually practiced tea blending from books when she had time.
“But you don’t need to study other teas. Just knowing my taste is enough.”
And his taste was very simple: strong black tea, no milk, not too hot or cold.
“That’s true, but…”
Simple work was easy, but it wasn’t fun. Tea blending had become a hobby to kill time.
“I have a lot of free time in the Isolation Tower, so I use it to improve my skills. I want to be a productive maid.”
She tried to make herself sound like a valuable employee, but realized she said too much and bit her tongue.
“Ah…”
Killian raised his eyebrows, interested.
“So, you have too much free time, Miss Riana.”
“You must’ve heard me wrong.”
“Perfect. I’ll use some of that time.”
“I’m telling you, you misheard…”
Killian chose to misunderstand her denial on purpose.
Riana gave up trying to argue and took a step back.
But Killian was quick—he put down his pen, stood up, and threw on his coat.
He walked up to her and bent slightly to meet her eyes.
“Let’s go.”
“W-what? Go where—?”
She wasn’t allowed to leave the Isolation Tower without a mage. Where was he trying to go?
Her already red face turned pale with panic, and she stood frozen. Killian just smiled with his eyes.
‘Stop trying to smooth things over with your handsome face…’
Just as Riana opened her mouth to argue—
“Ah!”
Killian’s large hands gently pushed her shoulders forward. He was still smiling.
“This is a joke, right? We’re not actually going anywhere, are we?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
“But I need to know before we go!”
Killian didn’t answer. He just continued pushing her.
But then his hands relaxed.
Riana, who had been babbling nervously, suddenly fell silent.
“…There was a place like this inside the Isolation Tower?”
Just a few steps from the office, she found herself in a wide indoor garden.
Brightly colored plants filled the open space under a high glass ceiling.
“This is the indoor greenhouse. We grow the plant ingredients used in Droche’s products.”
“Wow…”
Riana couldn’t help but walk down the path between the plants.
It felt like she had entered a whole new world—like she was Alice in Wonderland.
She stopped in front of a big yellow flower bud and took a deep breath.
‘Smells like home…’
A flower that smelled exactly like Chanel No. 5? This must be heaven.
As she smiled brightly, Killian came over and asked,
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, I love it…”
Then he crossed his arms, looking slightly offended.
“Then why didn’t you like the flower I gave you?”
Riana blinked and returned to her usual self.
‘It’s not the flower’s fault. I just don’t trust the guy giving it.’
She gave him a silent glare. Killian just waved it off.
“Anyway, everything from here to there is edible. Past that line, not edible. Also, be careful with the vines hanging from the ceiling—they’re spicy, don’t cry over them.”
That last part sounded like a tease, and Riana narrowed her eyes.
“So you want me to do tea blending research here?”
Since he said he’d use her time, this must be where he’d put her to work. Maybe he wanted a new tea menu to suit his taste.
Just as she started missing her boring maid tasks, something flew from Killian’s direction.
“Ah!”
Riana instinctively caught it.
It was black and smooth like the night sky, the size of a fist, light as a feather, and perfectly round.
‘A… bomb?’
That was anyone’s first guess.
“Eat it.”
“E-eat it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it’s edible…?”
“It’s Kallkumfurogem. One of the rare ingredients that can dye mana stones.”
That… didn’t sound like food.
“Kallku-what?”
“Kallkumfurogem.”
Even the name didn’t sound like food.
Not even Snow White would eat something like this.
But Riana thought, ‘He wouldn’t poison me. He made a bet with the Prince, after all.’
So she squeezed her eyes shut and took a bite.
Crunch.
The sugar-like coating broke and a sweet smell filled the air.
Inside, it was soft like cotton candy and melted on her tongue.
Her eyes popped open.
“This… this is amazing!”
“There’s a lot more.”
Killian pointed to a wall covered with red leaves and black fruit.
Riana’s eyes sparkled.
This really was heaven.
She ate a couple more and felt so happy that she was ready to work.
“Okay, give me any task! I’m ready!”
Killian looked puzzled.
“A task?”
“You brought me here to make me work, didn’t you?”
He glanced sideways and muttered,
“Oh. Right.”
Riana smiled, ready to be useful. Killian smiled softly too.
“But I already finished.”
“Huh? Finished what…”
Killian pointed to her cheek.
“No more redness.”
Then to her nose.
“No sniffles.”
Finally to her eyes.
“And no more tears.”
He stepped back and tilted his head.
“That’s what I brought you here for. I can’t focus if Miss Riana cries.”
His tone was a bit annoyed.
Riana blinked.
‘That’s not flirting—it’s… comforting.’
She hadn’t even realized it, but she was being comforted.
‘I cried so hard earlier, but now I can’t even remember why…’
Before she could recall, Killian’s deep voice cut in.
“If you enjoy it, keep blending teas. You can use whatever’s here.”
She looked at him.
“Except the spicy ones. Those really might make you cry.”
Pfft.
She laughed. He was clearly teasing her because he knew her herb excuse was fake.
Still, he didn’t ask about the real reason she cried.
‘That… almost feels like kindness.’
Startled, Riana quickly shook her head.
‘No way. He’s just charming. That’s it.’
She forced down the soft feelings in her chest and walked away.
The greenhouse had an end. On the opposite wall, there was an arched exit leading to a terrace.
‘Is that… wind?’
She felt drawn to it.
As the breeze touched her hands, cheeks, and hair, she stepped under the arch.
Her hair fluttered and brushed the suit of the man behind her.
“Do you want to go out?”
Riana turned quickly. She hesitated, then answered.
“No, I couldn’t while you’re here…”
“Like this.”
Killian suddenly held out a wide leaf—it was the same flower that smelled like Chanel No. 5.
“Miss Riana, I need you to run an errand.”
He used magic to write a message onto the leaf.
