Father, I Won’t Do Anything

Jaina now realized Mikael’s intent behind opening the gate – not for Izren’s sake, but her own.

‘He wanted to insult His Highness Rosian for attending my birthday party. Well, at least the opened gate allowed Izren to join us, so it worked out.’

Letting out a brief sigh, Rosian retorted:

“If I’m a wastrel, then Brother Mikael is one too. Anyone would mistake us for siblings rather than me as my grandfather’s relative.”

“I didn’t live with my grandfather, you see? I simply chose my cousin’s birthday.”

While Mikael’s brazenly referred to him as a wastrel, Rosian refrained from rising to the bait, focusing solely on Jaina – a rare instance of him losing the upper hand in their verbal sparring.

Emboldened by his advantage, Mikael snickered smugly:

“To me, Jaina is a cousin. But to you, is she merely an in-law? Yes, just an in-law.”

Undeterred by Mikael’s taunts, Rosian began retrieving an assortment of gifts from his magic pouch.

“The rose bouquet was just an appetizer. These are what I’ve prepared…”

His actions visibly unsettled the Magic Tower residents present.

Indeed, considering Jaina’s friends had declined attending due to Diamid’s presence (though promising to celebrate together the following day), Rosian’s audacity might have been begrudgingly admired. However, to them, he differed little from the male students who had previously pursued Jaina.

Rosian, too, was well aware of the Magic Tower residents’ aversion towards him.

‘The Tower Lord and Lady Hilvenzia’s expressions seem rather ominous.’

Though flashing Jaina a smile, Rosian remained guarded against Diamid and Hilvenzia.

“Jaina, blow out the candles!”

“The Tower Lord himself baked this cake!”

“Thank you all for attending my birthday celebration!”

The party exuded a lively atmosphere.

Magical decorations prepared by the Magic Tower magicians twinkled brilliantly beneath the clear sky, while enchanted flora emitted melodious instrumental tunes.

However, this jovial ambiance extended only to Jaina, for as the festivities progressed, a palpable tension gripped the other attendees – including Rosian himself.

Suddenly, Rosian sensed something amiss with the food before him, a honed instinct from years of knightly training.

Cautiously, he dipped his silver spoon into the soup, its color instantly transforming upon contact.

“…Whew.”

Had he carelessly ingested it, though unlikely fatal, prolonged convalescence would have been unavoidable.

“Oh my.”

As Rosian turned towards Hilvenzia, she curved her lips in a subtle smirk, tacitly acknowledging her culpability.

‘She makes no attempt to conceal it.’

The more Rosian strove to grow closer to Jaina, the more overt the Magic Tower residents’ obstruction became.

Even at the academy, he found no sanctuary.

-Your Highness, you seemed to be sitting rather close to Jaina today.

-Hey, Your Highness, have you no tact? What makes you think you can partner with Jaina for assignments?

The Magic Tower residents had Izren monitor him (though no longer a guard, he still heeded their commands for some unfathomable reason).

‘I had expected today, being her birthday, to be an exception… It seems I misjudged.’

Before arriving, Rosian had retrieved a sacred heirloom – a spoon forged from holy metal used by the inaugural Emperor. Stirring the soup repeatedly with it, a faint glow flashed intermittently.

Only then did Rosian permit himself a satisfied smile before sampling the soup.

“…Hmm, they are formidable opponents indeed.”

Until that moment, Hilvenzia had worn an amused smirk, but it faded upon realizing Rosian had avoided ingesting her poison.

Baffled by her overt disappointment, Rosian found himself at a loss.

‘Surely they’ve gone too far today, even if it’s out of concern for Jaina.’

From Mikael’s blatant insult of calling him a wastrel to Hilvenzia’s poisoned food, their actions seemed premeditated, as if privy to some hidden knowledge.

‘Magicians’ intuitions shouldn’t be underestimated, it seems.’

In truth, Rosian’s attendance at the expense of his grandfather’s birthday carried an ulterior motive.

Today marked Jaina’s eighteenth birthday. They were no longer mere children. Rosian intended to decisively clarify the ambiguity surrounding their relationship.

‘Jaina, too, deserves privacy.’

However, their disruptive tactics would only persist to a certain extent. For now, Rosian could do naught but bide his time, lying in wait for an opportune moment.

With a resolute gaze, he raised the water glass beside him and drank deeply.

If he could only secure Jaina’s heart, their interference would cease – so he vowed patience until such a chance arose.

‘It seems I need only exercise caution around the Tower Lord, as Brother Mikael and Hilvenzia Loten are unlikely to act further.’

Rosian didn’t expect the formidable Tower Lord to stoop to the undignified schemes of Mikael and Hilvenzia, resorting to overt plots and ploys.

Moreover, wasn’t he the son of Elia, Diamid’s former comrade? Having assisted with establishing the academy’s gate, the Tower Lord would surely not brazenly rebuff him, even if unwilling to offer aid.

“Whew…”

After draining his water glass, Rosian exhaled a hushed sigh, unaware that Diamid’s penetrating gaze had settled upon him with disconcerting intensity.

* * *

Once the raucous birthday festivities concluded, darkness gradually enveloped the Magic Tower.

Beneath the twinkling canopy of countless stars adorning the night sky’s black and azure expanse, Jaina gazed upwards from the terrace, awash in pensive melancholy.

Turning eighteen held profound significance for her.

‘I’ve finally reached the age I couldn’t in my previous life…’

At that moment, Rosian stepped onto the terrace, opening the door behind her.

“Jaina, what are you pondering?”

“Just… various thoughts crossing my mind.”

Rosian flashed an easygoing smile. On this languid spring night, with the gentle breeze caressing them, his eyes shone with an unusual radiance.

“I’ve been doing the same.”

Jaina couldn’t fathom why his gaze appeared so breathtakingly beautiful this night.

As Rosian leaned against the terrace railing beside her, Jaina felt an inexplicable shyness overcome her.

Was it due to their solitary presence within the confined space?

Yet when had she become so conscious of such trivial details?

“It’s been nine years since we first met, hasn’t it? Quite a long time, wouldn’t you agree?”

Regarding Jaina with a playful smile, Rosian remarked:

“When you first fell from the sky, I never imagined we would become so close.”

“Neither did I.”

Had she not learned wind magic from Mikael that fateful day, would they have ever crossed paths?

Had she not swayed Diamid’s heart, could such an intimate rapport have blossomed between them?

No, it would have been impossible.

Even if she had survived the dragons’ assault, they would have remained sworn enemies.

Jaina felt an inexplicable conviction that her bond with Rosian transcended mere coincidence.

As if sensing her innermost sentiments, Rosian continued:

“Were you recalling the day you apprehended that pickpocket for me?”

“Ah, yes…”

“I believe we would have inevitably met, even if you hadn’t intervened then.”

“Of course. You would have visited the Magic Tower to see Brother Mikael.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Pardon…?”

As Jaina pondered his intended meaning, Rosian tilted his head and caressed his lips contemplatively.

“Can you envision a life without me in it, Jaina?”

“…”

“For me, I cannot fathom such a reality.”

From their initial encounter to the present, Rosian softly added, prompting Jaina to shake her head adamantly.

Indeed, had they never met, their respective lives would have unfolded along vastly divergent paths.

Without ever learning of her mother Bezrice, she might have perished harboring resentment towards Diamid. As for Rosian, having lost his mother to Diamid, he would have become a vengeful spirit.

In a sense, they had become each other’s saviors.

‘Saviors, huh…’

Jaina mentally revisited the characters from – Diamid, Rosian, Izren, Mikael, Hilvenzia.

Her entry into this world had catalyzed numerous changes.

Tragic events had dissipated.

Leaving only happy endings in their wake.

‘Perhaps my rebirth into this world wasn’t to alter the original storyline, but rather…’

To receive the affection and love she had so desperately craved, emerging from her previous existence as the unnoticed ‘Min Pobae’ to become ‘Jaina Bellafanian.’

Lost in these contemplations, Jaina gazed intently at Rosian, who averted his eyes with an uncharacteristic blush.

“Wh-Why are you looking at me like that…?”

“Your Highness, do you consider my presence a blessing?”

Rosian met Jaina’s gaze, his widened eyes reflecting her image with startled clarity.

‘Ah, I’ve grown overly sentimental and said something strange.’

From Rosian’s perspective, her words must have seemed bewildering. He remained unaware that she had been reborn into this world, oblivious to the pivotal role she had played in altering his destiny.

Yet, contrary to her expectations, Rosian’s response carried profound sincerity.

“Yes, I truly consider your presence by my side a blessing.”

As he spoke, Rosian enveloped Jaina’s hand, resting atop the terrace railing, with his own. Jaina started, glancing upwards at him in surprise.

His hand was large and calloused – unmistakably masculine, entirely distinct from her own.

The night breeze had chilled Jaina’s skin, but Rosian’s warmth gradually suffused her with comforting heat.

“Jaina, we’ve known each other for quite some time now. Won’t you call me Rosian, by my name, instead of…”

At that precise moment, a thunderous rumbling reverberated throughout the Magic Tower. Simultaneously, the terrace beneath Jaina and Rosian began to split apart.

“Miss Jaina!”

“Your Highness!”

The fissure originated directly at the center of their standing position.

Caught off guard by the abrupt occurrence, the startled pair released their intertwined hands and stumbled backwards.

Gripping the terrace railing tightly with both hands, Jaina exclaimed in bewilderment:

“The Magic Tower’s ‘Anti-Magic Defense Mode’ has been activated! Only a high-ranking magician can trigger this, but who could have…?”

Amidst the cacophony of crumbling surroundings, the Magic Tower’s magicians poured out, adopting combat stances.

Flinch.

As Rosian surveyed their environs, he turned towards the source of a piercing gaze boring into him.

“…”

There stood Diamid, his frigid eyes fixated upon Rosian with an icy glare.

‘I had expected better from the Tower Lord!’

Surely a figure of Diamid’s stature wouldn’t openly indulge in such blatant jealousy, resorting to tactics akin to Mikael and Hilvenzia.

And to employ the entirety of the Magic Tower for such purposes…

Rosian felt overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of Diamid’s audacious scale.

“Your Highness? Your Highness! Are you alright?”

Though Jaina called out to him, Rosian couldn’t bring himself to respond.

‘No, I’m not alright. How could I possibly be?’

Grasping the terrace railing as it crumbled around him, a sobering thought crossed Rosian’s mind.

‘Ah, at this rate, will I be able to confess before I perish…?’