NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32
Rakrensius’s face, furrowed with confusion, was filled with question marks.
“
Um
, then…
Until the East Sea’s waves are dry, Mt. Baekdu worn away...?
[1]
It’s a lyric from South Korea’s national anthem
”
“What are you doing right now…?”
For reference, Selleana sang both parts complete with tunes. From afar, Michi could be felt struggling to hold back laughter.
“You don’t know this?”
“Should I?”
“You know about pseudoscience though?”
“Yes?”
“No, that word…”
Just as she was about to ask where he heard it, Selleana thought.
Ah, maybe it’s mentioned in the textbooks read by academy students.
If so, he could have learned about it from reading books.
Ah, I got unnecessarily excited!
She was the leader of the social circles who always managed her expressions well, but embarrassment was still an embarrassment.
“
Um
, no, it’s nothing…” Selleana awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, looking for an excuse to change the subject. Then, something caught Selleana’s eye…
“
Ah
… Master of Tower, are you left-handed?”
“…”
“But your handwriting is really bad?”
Caught off guard by the sudden critique, Rakrensius had no reply. He had been purposely holding the pen in his left hand to avoid his handwriting being recognized. Thus, with no excuses left for either of them, silence descended upon the office, with only the sound of his friend’s laughter echoing in Rakrensius’s mind for a while.
* * *
“Are you really going to read all that?”
“I don’t have much to do these days. And, it’s a chance to gauge the level of knowledge here.”
Selleana shrugged, holding two hardcover books. Eventually, the way to break the awkwardness was to borrow a few volumes from his library.
It seems like he doesn’t like unnecessary visits, so returning books could be a good pretext.
There was no one in Nepelsian who would reject Selleana or Elard. Rakrensius was no exception, though he might say otherwise. More than anything,
Selleana was intrigued by the books.
〈
The Commonalities Between Monkeys and Humans
〉
〈
Unidentified Flying Objects
〉
Concepts like evolution and UFOs, practically nonexistent in this world, were surprising finds in his collection.
“Are there many books like these at the academy?”
“Why? Are you planning to become Nepelsian’s first female academy student?”
“No, just curious.”
“That’s fair. I’ve never seen such things in the Elard library.”
As they talked and headed towards the carriage, the coachman, an employee of Benichi like the carriage they had been using since Doloret lent it to them after her escape, was pacing nervously.
“What’s the matter?”
“
Um
, it’s just that a guest has arrived…”
Michi inquired on behalf of Selleana, prompting the coachman to awkwardly gesture towards the carriage.
“A guest?” Selleana’s brow furrowed instantly
. Inside the carriage? Who dared…?
“Shouldn’t it be basic etiquette not to let just anyone in…!” Michi scolded on her behalf once again.
“No, it’s just that, that person…”
“It’s me.”
As if waiting for that moment, the carriage door swung open. Stepping out was a man with black hair, impeccably dressed in a suit despite the middle of summer.
“Long time no see, Lea.”
“…Big brother.”
Selleana’s eldest brother, the heir of Elard, Theonis. Beneath his neatly parted hair, he wore a pleasant smile, but Selleana knew. Theonis was quite upset.
“Lea?”
“
Uh
, yes?”
“Shall we go meet the person who seduced you to tarnish the friendship between the imperial family and Elard?” Theonis’s eyes blazed with a misunderstanding.
“W-what Seduced me?” Selleana hastily shielded Michi behind her, incredulous.
Seduce? If anything, I was the one who seduced the tower master…
Theonis’s words made Selleana laugh hollowly. Yes, in the end, she had indeed seduced Rakrensius, so strictly speaking, she was the seducer.
“Lea…”
Perhaps that sarcastic laughter conveyed something profound as Theonis’s usually neat expression crumbled.
“So it’s true…”
“It’s not like that!”
“What do you mean it’s not?”
“My relationship with the tower master isn’t what you think! Why can’t you trust me?”
“You just said the tower…master?” Theonis looked shockingly surprised, as if ‘Tower Master’ was a nickname for the master of the magic tower.
Selleana’s face paled. “Du-Duke Ansi! Duke Ansi and I aren’t in the kind of relationship you’re imagining!”
Duke Ansi, the title Rakrensius received in exchange for giving up his claim to the throne, was a title that kept a formal and distant respect. It was unclear why Theonis misunderstood the nature of her relationship with Rakrensius.
“I’ve been quietly observing your and the master of the tower movements these past few days.”
“You’ve been spying on me?”
“Not spying, protecting.” Theonis’s eyes burned with determination. “Anyway. You’ve been visiting him almost every day at the Magic Tower, right?”
“Is that a problem?”
“You think visiting the residence of a man of unclear origins every day doesn’t pose a problem for your reputation?”
“Unclear origins? Lord Ansi is clearly His Majesty’s son. Moreover, the Magic Tower is a public institution.”
Theonis’s eyebrows twitched. He seemed inclined to argue that Rakrensius, being a bastard, was not strictly a prince. It seemed he was holding back because this was the Magic Tower’s domain.
As if the emperor’s seed could just disappear.
Selleana found her brother, like any other Nepelsian, to be frustrating.
“I told you, I’m merely a client to Duke Ansi, requesting his magic services. That’s how we met.”
“After having a secret meeting with him on the day of the birthday banquet?”
“Se-secret meeting…?”
At that moment, Selleana recalled Rakrensius’s words from the birthday banquet.
“There are three warriors nearby, excluding the guards. Do you know them?”
“Really, were my father and big brothers’ knights there?”
“Just because we’re disappointed that you ran away from home doesn’t mean we can turn away the escort assigned to you.”
Selleana quickly reflected on her actions after running away. Fortunately, she had only visited the magic tower once before the birthday banquet.
I’m not sure why I should consider that fortunate.
Interpreting Selleana’s displeased expression in his own way, Theonis’s face grew even colder. “So, he resorted to trickery to escape the eyes of the escorts.”
“That’s because if someone not from our side saw us, it could lead to the concerns you’re worried about!”
Theonis’s eyes momentarily shifted to the side, acknowledging the validity of Selleana’s argument. “So, you do realize that being seen together could be problematic.”
“Not at all.”
Though there wasn’t a sound of it, Selleana could tell her brother’s forehead veins bulging.
“If you behave like that after making such declarations in front of His Majesty…”
“You know the imperial family is aware I have no lover.” Selleana’s brows narrowed with displeasure. “That’s why Duke Ansi used the invisibility magic. Even he was startled when I greeted him.”
“…To be startled when approached by the future crown princess?”
“Duke Anis is a prince too! And I’m not becoming the crown princess!”
“Selleana Elard.” Theonis’s voice lowered as if to signal silence.
Even if the Magic Tower is located on the outskirts of the capital and seldom visited, it was to be cautious of eavesdroppers. Even that was shocking. Theonis still hadn’t given up on the possibility of Selleana becoming the crown princess.
Selleana, trying to suppress her surge of emotions, calmly responded. “Firstly, thank you for worrying about me. Even after I ran away, I appreciate that you still wanted to protect me by assigning escorts.”
Selleana emphasized ‘protection’ intentionally, implying that while she accepts their protection, it should only be that and nothing more.
“But as I said, I approached Duke Ansi as a client, requesting his magic for something I needed.”
“Didn’t you visit the Magic Tower six times after the birthday banquet?”
“It started as a client relationship, but we became friends over time.”
“Became friends…?”
“We decided to be friends.”
“What?” Theonis’s expression hardened in shock.
Selleana felt a bit sorry for Rakrensius, but after the transmigrators club members, he was emotionally the closest to her, so it wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Look. We’re even borrowing books from each other. There’s no library in Rosalli’s building.”
“Lea, you’ve never looked at a book unless it was written by that Wil… no, that’s not the point.” Theonis sighed as he glanced at the books Selleana had brought.
“The Commonalities Between… Monkeys and Humans? Unidentified Flying Objects…?”
But Theonis’s straight brows furrowed as if he found something disagreeable. “It seems the Magic Tower has become a repository for unfounded tales rather than scholarly works.”
“
Eh
?”
Looking at the book covers upon hearing ‘unfounded,’ Selleana noticed that neither the author’s name nor publisher was listed.
“Aren’t these topics covered in the academy?”
“What do you think an academy teaches…?”
“I don’t know. I should have attended to find out, right?” Selleana shrugged.
The academy in Nepelsian was accessible to talented commoners without money and nobles who could compensate for their lack of scholarly aptitude with wealth, but it was closed to women.
“Then, perhaps pseudoscience…?”
“Pseudoscience?”
“Isn’t that also taught at the academy?”
A crack appeared on Theonis’s perfectly composed brow.
“You couldn’t possibly be negatively influenced by the master of the tower…”
“That’s not it, really!”