Chapter 35

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Chapter 35 – Do That With A Man

As the door opened, he encountered a wizard who was trying to get out of the office. Behind him, the Crown Prince, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, came into view.

“I heard some noise… What’s the matter? Why did you come all the way here?”

As Desian gestured to the wizard looking back at him, the wizard pulled his hood down a little more and ran through Kaligo. Kaligo’s gaze followed the wizard’s back for a moment.

“Come in. This place has room now.”

Kaligo turned away from the wizard at Desian’s voice from within the office. The two men sat face to face with a long table in between.

Shaking his crossed legs, Desian said with a small smile, “We saw each other often, don’t you think so?” He swirled his glass.

“Why did you make such a rumor? I think I told you clearly that I don’t want to get engaged.”

“I know it well.”

“So why?”

“I think you are patriotic.” Drunk or drugged, Desian muttered nonsense and joked around alone as if he was having fun. “It’s not a loss. Though she isn’t a big shot, she’s the imperial princess of a strong empire. They said she had good looks and a great personality that deserves praise, so why refuse?”

“Then enter into that engagement yourself, Your Highness.”

“I don’t have the heart,” Desian said, bringing the glass to his mouth.

“Neither do I,” Kaligo answered immediately.

“No, what I mean is I don’t have the heart of the Imperial Princess.” He removed the glass of wine from his lips and placed it on the table. He continued speaking, wiping the area around his mouth with his sleeve, “That princess had chosen you, Grand Duke Kaligo Etous.”

“…”

“I would’ve coveted her body if I was the one she wanted. I saw her once and she was a beauty.”

Kaligo looked at him with a sharp gaze and clicked his tongue slightly.

“That face again. That makes me want to harass you more, Kaligo.”

“Are you going to fix it?”

“Nope.”

“What can you gain from being connected with the imperial princess?”

“Hmmm.” Desian closed his eyes and patted his chin. He pretended to think for a moment, and then quietly opened his eyes and said, “Our pretty wizard?”

He was obviously provoking him. Kaligo had been prepared by that level of provocation so he was able to keep his expression firm.

“I think our Grand Duke probably isn’t that serious about our Miss Wizard….”

“Then don’t touch her.”

“No, I will touch her.”

“…”

“I am still a person who wonders what’s under our Miss Wizard’s skirt.”

“It looks like you haven’t come back to your senses yet.”

“What can you do, my mindset will be like this until the day I die.” Desian got up and took out a new bottle of wine. “Hey, Kaligo, I am talking to you this once as a close friend.”

“….”

“I wasn’t the one who spread the rumor.” He poured alcohol into the empty glass. “You asked what I could get from that engagement?” Desian continued to tilt the bottle over the full glass. The drink, which had started to overflow, spread across the table.

“I like to be overflowing with anything. Like the drink in this glass. Power and wealth… even women.”

He took the glass and drank from it, then put it back down.

“It’s good that Miss Wizard will break up with you because of that engagement, and it would also be good for this country as it will be stronger because of that engagement.”

“….”

“Well… even if you find the source of the rumors and slaughter them yourself, well, that’s not bad either.”

’No, wouldn’t it be better?’

Desian’s snickers filled the quiet office. Hearing his last words, Kaligo pushed his chair and got up.

“Oh? You’re already going back?”

“I understand that you have given me permission, so I will be going now.”

“What? What permission?”

Looking down at the lazy figure of Desian sitting on his chair, Kaligo said, “You said it would also be alright if I slaughter them.”

“Ah…”

“It was the crime of daring to speak false information against the Grand Duke. Your Highness was so displeased that you allowed the Grand Duke to slaughter them himself.”

’So that was it’

The reason why he was quietly listening to his provocations that crossed the line without talking or even trembling.

“I sincerely thank you for your deep affection for the Grand Duke. Then, I will get going.”

Desian looked at Kaligo’s back with a sharp gaze. Looking at it now, it seemed like he now had a rough idea about the source of the rumor. It was his drunken babbling that further confirmed his doubts.

“Crazy bastard.”

’Isn’t he just going head-on with that power just because of one woman? So d**n crazy—really crazy.’ Desian shook his head as he poured the wine from the glass in his hand to his mouth.

“I came from the potion shop on 3rd Avenue on Dercio Street. Here’s my pass.” She handed her pass and flipped her hood.

The security guard checked the pass. “It was Miss Ashia Bliss.”

“Yes. I have a potion delivery today.”

“Sir Teros would be very moved, a busy person like you coming here yourself… It’s good for us,” said the guard with a cheerful smile.

Ashia, who was following him, smiled brightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Today will be the day Tero becomes a paladin.”

“Oh, I heard about that. They kept saying that it was today.”

“Yes.”

After a small conversation, they had to separate the guards that were fighting over who would move the carts, and they were barely able to enter the Imperial Palace.

Ashia’s cart rattled against the smooth marble floor. Entering the narrow hallway leading to the garden, She looked down at her cart and muttered quietly, “Five for the imperial knights, six for the paladins…”

There were more potions than usual, so she was appropriately slow.

[You have no energy because you were making potions indoors.]

Seeing Ashia struggling to pull the cart, Luke, who had been quiet, started talking. Well, it always happened, so Ashia accepted it as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“…Then what, are you telling me to go and learn swordsmanship or martial arts?”

[No, I’m not saying you have to exercise like that. I’m telling you to go outside for a bit… Ah, why? You can go to places like the theater and eat food that is famous for being delicious…]

As if Luke’s words were interesting, Ashia asked with a grin, “With whom, with you?”

[…Do that with a man.]

“Tero is busy.”

[No but, is Teros the only man? ]

“Yes?”

[You know the Grand Duke, that dark Grand Duke… ]

Ashia, who had been joking a while ago, stopped laughing and looked down at Luke with a steely gaze. Then she heard the sound of heels walking on the marble.

“Shh.”

Looking at the cart, Ashia turned around in the direction of the sound. The person was wearing a dark gray robe, the color of the wizards of the Magic Tower.

It was inconvenient for her to meet her fellow wizards after she left the tower. It had already been seven years so only a few people would recognize her, but she was reluctant to remove her hood. Underneath the robe of the walking wizard, a splendid dress appeared. Ashia’s eyes blinked at the unwelcome foreboding.

She heard the sound of the heels walking getting closer and closer. After belatedly discovering Ashia, the wizard slowed down.

Click clack.

The wizard stopped walking at a certain distance from Ashia and flipped the hood that was covering the face from behind.

“…Wow, who is this? Nice to see you.” Her red-painted lips curled smoothly. As her reddish-brown hair fluttered and she smiled brightly, Ashia’s mouth slowly opened.

“Lisa.”

Lisa raised her eyebrow. “You remembered me, Ashia.”

“I haven’t forgotten you either…”

Lisa suddenly came close to Ashia and stood there. Looking at her intently, she tilted her head. “Has it been seven years already? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“….”

“Our Ashia is getting prettier.”

She was still the same. Ashia could recognize Lisa at one glance even though it was their first time meeting again in seven years. Her green eyes were still filled with cuteness; seven years had already passed but little had changed about her except for her increased height.

“What is this,?” Lisa tapped her chin and looked at Ashia’s cart. “Potions?” Passing by Ashia, she lifted the cloth that was covering the top of the cart.

“What are you doing with someone else’s stuff?”

“Oh my gosh, Ashia… Have you been living like this?”

“…”

Lisa dropped the cloth to the floor and brushed her hand. Ashia’s gaze also turned to the cloth that had fallen to the floor.

“Were you using your amazing abilities for something like these? You, who was once a candidate for the Magic Tower Successor?” As she looked alternately at Ashia and the potion, Lisa’s eyebrows drooped down as if she had seen an unexpectedly sad scene. “My heart hurts…”

“…”

Ashia frowned. She must’ve already heard about it, but it was funny how she was pretending not to know.

“I’ve been indifferent to you Ashia, haven’t I? I thought that if it was you, you’d be living well outside even if you were kicked out of the Magic Tower… I guess I didn’t pay you enough attention. But still, you were once a wizard.”

Ashia’s expression was still the same even with her trembling voice.

Lisa took one step closer to Ashia and reached out with her little hand. “But still, thank you so much for not hiding and living proudly… ”

Slap.

Ashia slapped Lisa’s approaching hand.

“Ah!” The back of Lisa’s hand was dyed red because of her strike.

“Are you tricking me?”

“…”

Ashia sighed and picked up the cloth that had fallen on the floor. “You’re still the same.”

“…”

“You still touch other people’s things”

“…What?”Lisa caressed the back of her throbbing hand. Looking at her swollen hands and Ashia’s face alternately, she clenched her molars. “I’ve never touched anyone else’s things.”

It was then that Lisa’s true face was revealed, hidden under the mask that seemed gentle and fragile. Her lovely features frowned.

“Did you ever have one of yours in the first place?” Ashia whispered softly as she passed by Lisa.

Her head turned. “You…”

“Lisa.” Ashia put the cloth she was holding back on the cart and started organizing it. “As you can see, I am living very well—enough to know about my limits.”

“…”

“I know my limits too well. I think I made a good judgment on what I should and should not be greedy of.” Just like the first time, she unfolded the cloth neatly, covered it, and stood back up. Ashia immediately turned to Lisa and looked at her with a straight, firm gaze. “But you?”

Today, an untimely chill rushed through the quiet corridors of the Imperial Palace. Ashia’s calm but chilly voice turned to Lisa. “I’m asking you, how about you?”

“…”

She brushed her curly, platinum hair. “Do you think that is your place?”

Lisa’s lips began to tremble at Ashia’s words.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────