Yuri wore a clearly indifferent expression.
“Why? Are they asking you to be the godmother of their son?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. His feigned ignorance was quite endearing.
Did he really think I wouldn’t notice if he pretended not to care?
With a mischievous grin, I playfully poked Yuri in the side.
“You already turned that down, remember.”
The son of the Crown Prince and Rosemary was destined to become the emperor someday. Being asked to be the godparents of such a child was an incredible honor. However, for Yuri, a Grand Mage, such honors held no real significance.
‘I already heard from Rosie. The Crown Prince first asked Yuri to be the godfather, but he refused outright.’
The letter that conveyed this news also mentioned that they thought Yuri’s personality had softened after marriage, but he was still as stubborn as ever.
At my remark, Yuri’s eyes widened in surprise before he furrowed his brow and muttered.
“I told them not to say anything.”
“I also heard you insisted they keep it quiet.”
“…Is Her Highness the Crown Princess a bit oblivious?”
“Hardly.”
If Rosemary was oblivious, then there would be very few people in the world considered perceptive.
‘She probably told me to make things awkward for Yuri because she was annoyed he refused the godfather role. Besides, they don’t have any other way to punish Yuri.’
If Yuri were to seek asylum elsewhere, only the empire would suffer. So, even if they were annoyed, there wasn’t much they could do beyond this kind of subtle reproach.
Once, Rosemary even made a straightforward request like this:
[Titi is an important bridge connecting the Grand Mage and the empire. So, every morning, you should sing the national anthem and reaffirm your love for the country.]
‘Rosie is really something else.’
The Crown Prince and Princess seemed to expect me to scold Yuri for refusing the godfather role. But I had no intention of doing so.
Smiling slyly, I spoke to Yuri.
“Why did you refuse so quickly?”
Yuri crossed his arms and declared boldly.
“I don’t want Titi to share her affection with another family’s child.”
“You’re such a greedy person.”
“This is a rightful claim. All of Titi’s affection belongs to me.”
Only Yuri could say something so childish with such seriousness and not be annoying.
After confidently stating his opinion, Yuri’s tone softened slightly as he asked.
“But if you want to, I can’t stop you. I’ll go and apologize.”
A man who didn’t know how to apologize was willing to do so for my sake. How could I possibly dislike him?
I held Yuri’s hand, intertwining our fingers tightly. Yuri looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“There’s no need. I was planning to decline too.”
“What? Why, Titi?”
“Because we don’t have children of our own yet, becoming the godmother of someone else’s child seems a bit premature.”
Being involved in the life of Rosemary’s child as a godmother would be a joyful responsibility.
However, with such a significant role comes significant responsibility.
Am I mature enough to contribute positively to that child’s life?
Having not yet experienced motherhood myself, I couldn’t confidently answer yes.
‘Honestly, I still feel like I’m not quite an adult.’
I was still clumsy in expressing my true feelings to Yuri alone. Taking care of someone else seemed too much.
“Titi.”
Yuri, seemingly pleased, pulled me into his arms with a wide smile. I was drawn out of my chair, still holding hands, and into his embrace. As if he had been waiting for this, he planted light kisses all over my face. His fingers around my waist tightened.
Realizing the conversation might end here if I let it continue, I fumbled for the letter and handed it to Yuri.
“Read the letter first! It’s something you need to see.”
Yuri pouted again but seemed to decide it was better to get the business over with so he could continue his story. He released me from his embrace.
He quickly scanned the letter and scratched his cheek with his finger.
“It’s an artifact request form.”
The main point of the letter was that they wanted to gift a special artifact to the young royal descendant.
While we sold artifacts directly at the shop and accepted requests there, the royal family, being special guests, still had a dedicated receptionist at the Magic Tower for their requests.
Yet, they sent the letter to me…
“Maybe they thought you’d refuse this too if they spoke to you first, so they sent it to me.”
“That seems likely.”
Yuri clicked his tongue, seemingly displeased with Rosemary’s trickery. However, the request itself appeared to intrigue him.
“But an artifact in the form of a ring that changes hair and eye color? That’s quite unique.”
“Can you even make something like that?”
I tilted my head. I thought that, by law, magic that altered appearances was illegal.
‘But since it’s for the royal descendant, maybe it doesn’t matter.’
I had a reasonable suspicion that they might have sent the request to me to avoid leaving a record.
‘I should definitely reply, asking them to officially submit the request to the Magic Tower.’
I trusted Rosemary, but I didn’t want Yuri to be put in a difficult position later because we accepted a request through unofficial channels.
As Yuri examined the letter, he smiled and slipped it back into the envelope.
“It’s not hard to make. It’s also easy to fulfill a request for Titi’s closest friend.”
“Really? Then I’ll reply that it’s possible to create.”
I planned to write back, saying that once the official request reached the Magic Tower, we would make it quickly.
I was about to sit at the desk to write the reply when Yuri grabbed my arm. Turning to look at him, I was met with his bright smile.
“But there’s one problem.”
“A problem?”
“We need juice from a flower called ‘Udahmwa’ to make the artifact, and this flower mainly grows in the southern cliff area. However, due to the recent increase in artifact production, we’ve coincidentally run out of that material.”
Unlike magical flowers, which lose their effect quickly due to low mana storage, artifacts that require enchanting stones for longer-lasting effects need various treatments.
“So, getting the Udahmwa is the first step.”
“Yes. But even if we send someone, finding it immediately might be…”
True, it’s a magical item, so it would be strange if it were made with just a few simple touches. It’s normal for it to require rare materials.
‘We’re not refusing to make it; it’s just that the delivery might be delayed due to material depletion, which shouldn’t be a big deal.’
Rosemary isn’t someone who wouldn’t understand that.
“I’m sure His Highness will understand. I’ll write back, explaining that the delivery might be delayed.”
However, for some reason, Yuri didn’t let go of my arm. I tapped the back of his hand, implying that I needed my arm free to write the letter, and he spoke in a determined tone.
“Hmm. We can’t delay a royal request. There’s no choice. We have to go to the south.”
“What?”
The south…? Why there?
‘You have plenty of people who would fly to the south at your command.’
From observing the Magic Tower, I realized that only powerful magic could move the mages.
They were the kind of people who would joyfully carry out any strange task Yuri assigned. It was the command of someone at the pinnacle of magic, after all.
To them, magic was law and truth.
‘So why do we have to get involved in this ourselves?’
I looked at him, bewildered, and Yuri spoke a little faster.
“Don’t you want to create the artifact for our precious nephew and send it as soon as possible?”
“Well, that’s…”
But since when did that child become my nephew? You’re the one who turned down the godfather position.
“Wouldn’t it be meaningful for Titi to make it with Udahmwa she gathered herself?”
“That’s true.”
“Then it’s decided.”
“What is?”
Yuri smiled and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a square travel bag dropped with a thud around us.
“Let’s go.”
And just like that, a long-term trip was suddenly decided.