Chapter 32

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Chapter 32

I waited for Albert to continue explaining. That gaze I was looking into for a long time was mesmerizing.

There was a shine to the eyes looking at me. And I was instantly captivated by the perfect proportions of his features, as though he was a living statue.

Inwardly, I vowed to detach myself from Albert.

The reason why I don’t want to fall for him was simple—the distance between us was far too much. The tower narrowed the gap between us right away, but if you think of it that way, then it’s also true that the gap would widen once more just as easily the moment we leave the tower.

And considering the chances, I knew that there was a higher possibility that our relationship would be severed in an instant rather than the possibility of maintaining it.

Albert is destined to be king. He was courting me now because his eyes could see nothing but me in here, but once we leave this place and return to reality, he can just abandon me without a second thought.

It was difficult to believe in the love that he could give me just as it was. It’s not so simple to continue a relationship with these things in between us.

Admittedly, I’m weak to affection and I enjoy the time I’ve been spending with him. So, it was better to nip it in the bud and not start anything in the first place.

Of course, the premise of not starting anything had already been broken. You can’t exactly keep water in your hands when it’s already been spilt—but!

These were just excuses. That’s the best defense I could give myself.

Meanwhile, I still didn’t know why Albert was taking so long with his diagnosis.

“It really is strange.”

Albert’s words made me anxious.

It felt like I was a patient waiting for the doctor to break the news to me, that I had an incurable disease or something.

I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t start talking again after a while. This silence stretched between us and it made me even more worried.

I turned back to face him. To endure the migraine, I’d been biting my lower lip to the point that it was about to bleed.

When I suddenly looked up, Albert took a deep breath.

“It’s strange.”

He repeated the same words.

Albert’s eyes became dark, as though they were the color of blood. An eerie chill was sent down my spine. The icy ruthlessness in his gaze reminded me of the first kiss we had.

…It’s strange, was what he said.

This was not how Albert usually acted. This wasn’t the expression he had while he was supporting me earlier, and it wasn’t the flirty expression he’d give me that would induce fireworks inside me.

Something had triggered his vigilance. This was what changed his demeanor.

Unless I somehow become privy to his thoughts, then I wouldn’t know the exact answer.

I gulped dryly. The atmosphere changed so suddenly that I couldn’t keep up. It also meant that Albert really had been hiding this side of him that well before.

There were still so many things I didn’t know about him.

There’s one solution to the current situation—I just had to ask him. I need to ask what he noticed. I chose the straightforward path because I know there’s a problem, and we have to solve it.

“Please tell me what’s strange.”

Albert didn’t answer. I decided to be honest with him.

“Prince, I can feel that you’re doubting me right now.”

“It seems like you suddenly gained sharp senses that you claim you didn’t have.”

He was always quick to catch on to things like this. I sighed and responded clearly.

“I think this matter is directly connected to my own life, so.”

Hearing my answer, the tense air around Albert loosened. Maybe my words were part of the answer to his doubts. The way I acted and treated him honestly was as I usually did.

“Rosé.”

The way he called my name was as sweet as it always was. The moment I was about to answer, Albert’s hand reached out first.

His long fingers slipped towards the nape of my neck and then wrapped around the back of my head. The moment he pulled a little, I found myself leaning against his chest.

This incredibly gentle touch made it hard to believe that the prince’s brutal gaze was directed at me until just now.

“Prince?”

“Stay still for a second.”

“You didn’t even get my permission…”

“It’s not because I have hidden intentions, so just stay still. There’s something I need to check.”

Albert’s tone was different now. I couldn’t see his face, but I’m sure that he had the same expression again as before. There seemed to be a reason why he was hiding his reaction from me.

Albert’s embrace was warm, unlike his gaze.

Despite what I’d seen, I decided to trust Albert.

“…Did you notice that I got frightened?”

“I told you to stay still. You really don’t listen.”

The sigh he silently let out tickled my ear.

Perhaps it was because of his touch, but the migraine subsided slightly. It became easier for me to breathe. As expected, getting sick like this just makes you appreciate the importance of health.

“Rosé.”

“…Yes.”

“Do you know anything about black magic?”

I don’t even know anything about normal magic, more so black magic. All that I could assume was that it’s not good because of the additional adjective. But other than that, I didn’t know anything about it.

…Then I really don’t know anything about this realm. If I hadn’t started out trapped in this tower, I might have tried to learn more about this world, but living in this tower made it alright for me to continue being clueless and to not start adapting. This place was an entirely different planet after all.

“No, I don’t.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Why are you asking if you already knew the answer? I was about to protest, but I instead groaned when the migraine returned.

“Black magic can eat away at your life every day. However, it’s also a type of magic that can taint the soul of the target.”

“……”

“Right now, you’re under black magic.”

Gracious, I really can’t understand Rosé. Just what kind of life did she live?

This made me think that Rosé might have a deeper backstory than I originally expected.

It’s actually also a little suspicious that Rosteratu chose Rosé of all people to get locked up in the tower with Albert. Why was it her?

Was it all just a coincidence?

“If we’re considering any changes that could have happened this time… I believe it’s because you left the tower with me, and it served as an opportunity for the black magic spell to be activated.”

Several mages were gathered to make a very strong barrier to prevent the use of magic inside the tower. This was a trap that was for Albert, and of course it would work the same with other mages.

Dark mages could use their own souls as ammunition on top of their original power, but black magic was still essentially magic.

Since the spell couldn’t have gotten activated while the barrier was still up, an opportunity came up when I left the tower. And since it got activated, it seemed like the effects still continued even when I’ve already returned inside the tower.

Anyway, it seemed like the effects stopped at just migraines because the anti-magic barrier was counteracting the spell. Of course, I don’t know how long it would just be a headache…

And what did he mean by the black magic eating away at my life! At this rate, I’m being forced to say adios to my happy future. In the meantime, the migraine was getting worse and worse.

I was enduring it while I was talking to Albert, but I don’t think I can keep it up anymore. I decided to end the conversation as soon as possible.

Taking in a deep breath, I looked up as I was still in Albert’s embrace. Placing one hand on his chest, I gently pushed him away. Then, I looked straight into his eyes.

“How can I get rid of the spell?”

Albert tilted his head obliquely, and his bangs swept down. He reached up to his own gray hair, its strands scattering through his fingers.

With his eyes half-lidded, he stared at me for a long time. Then, he answered.

“We’ll have to go out of the tower again.”

It was a simple, clear statement, but it was also the most difficult thing to do.

“Is there no other way?”

“No. Not if the black magic had already been activated.”

“……”

“It’ll eat away at you since it’s already activated. You’ll only feel a migraine now while you’re inside the tower, but this doesn’t change the fact that your life is being depleted.”

…I can’t believe it really is directly connected to my life. Now that I knew what kind of illness this was, it was scarier than I could predict.

Goosebumps formed all over my body. And I was so confused because this was so different from what I’ve read of the novel.

Rosé was a character who was set to die, that’s why—in the beginning of the novel—there was only a brief mention of the time Albert and Rosé spent together. Did the original Rosé have these symptoms? Did the novel just pass over this detail because she was a minor character?

…Or did my possession of this body change something?

Suddenly, my mind was flooded with questions I had no answers to.

I don’t want to die like this.

I can’t just die without receiving the land and pension that Albert’s supposed to give to me as written in our contract.

I always did what I could. So, that’s why I need to survive.

After making this simple decision, I asked him with determination.

“Then, what should I do?”

Albert once again placed his hand on my nape and gently pulled me close to him. His eyes shone dimly in the darkness.

“To nullify the effects of black magic, you need a mage with the opposite attributes, Rosé. What’s needed is for me to treat you.”

“But you’ll be pushing yourself to the limit again.”

Albert’s lips were drawn into a thin line.

“Actually, there’s a much larger problem than that.”

“…What is it?”

“Isn’t the timing too convenient?”

Because he was so close to me, Albert whispered with a hushed voice.

“To nullify the black magic, we need to be outside the tower for a long time. It would take a lot of power to be away for that long of a period, and it would also take a lot of power again to treat you. After all that, I’ll be incapacitated for a week, and the pain I’ll feel will be much more severe compared to what you’ve seen in the past few days.”

What Albert said reminded me of how sick he had been recently. I couldn’t even predict the severity of pain he was going to be under because he didn’t describe it. I chewed on my lower lip.

“Are you telling me all this to make me feel guilty? Prince, I’m seriously thinking whether I should even ask you for help.”

“No, I’m saying the opposite.”

Before I knew it, he took my chin and lifted it gently.

“At that time, I’ll have to accept whatever it is that you’ll do to me.”

“Would I ever do anything dangerous to Your Highness? I consider my own life precious, too.”

“It’s a different story if you’re a dark mage.”

“…Dark mage?”

Albert slowly raised his hand, and my eyes naturally followed the movement as he held up two fingers.

He spoke unhurriedly.

“There are two cases where a person gets subjected to black magic.”

He folded his middle finger, leaving only his pointer finger.

“First, if another person had cursed you.”

Then, he folded his remaining index finger.

“Second, if you’re a dark mage yourself.”

Only then did I realize the meaning behind his icy gaze earlier.

He was suspicious of me.

I could be a dark mage.

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