Ariel, who had been looking at the man suspiciously, jumped as their eyes suddenly met and the man said casually,

“It seems we’ve arrived.”

It was then that Ariel realised the carriage had stopped.

She hadn’t even noticed that the carriage had stopped, so deep had she been in thought about the man. Ariel smiled, of course.

“So it seems.”

Just then, the coachman opened the carriage door.

“Miss, we’ve arrived at Teiran Street.”

Teiran Street was far from the Blanté Marquis’ estate. But they were going there because it was the destination the man wanted.

Ariel nodded slightly to the coachman, then got out of the carriage to see him off.

Even though she wasn’t quite sure what kind of person he was, Ariel wanted to show him some respect for the help he had given her.

But before she could get up, the man waved his hand.

“No need to see me off, young lady. I’ve arrived in comfort, thanks to you.”

“Still…”

Just as she was about to speak, the man held up the pocket watch.

“This is more important to me than being seen off. So, young lady, would it be all right if I kept the watch for a day and returned it to you?”

He stroked the broken part gently as he continued.

“It will take some time to repair the watch. But I will repair it completely and return it to the estate of the Marquis de Blanté.”

The way the man tenderly touched the watch made Ariel hesitate, unsure how to react.

“Ah…”

Ariel’s doubts about the man hadn’t disappeared completely. While she was grateful for his help, she still wasn’t sure if he really was a mage.

The man smiled slightly and pulled something out of the inside pocket of his jacket. As if sensing her suspicion, he held out what appeared to be a seal.

“Of course I understand that you don’t want to entrust me with such a valuable item without some form of assurance… So I offer this as collateral.”

Ariel’s eyes widened as she saw the man’s seal.

“This is…?”

The Golden Seal of the Mage Tower.

The golden seal was given to the highest ranking mage, those of the 7th circle or higher. It was something that couldn’t be copied at will.

It was made by the Archmage himself. Ariel stared at the seal and murmured softly.

“You really are a mage.”

“As I told you, I never make a mistake when it comes to magic. Of course, that also means there’s no room for lies.”

Ariel looked at the man, who smiled playfully. The doubt in her eyes had disappeared, but her confusion remained.

No, her curiosity had deepened even more than before.

There were currently only twenty known mage on the continent, including the head of the Mage Tower. Their faces had been circulated in countless portraits, so that even children in the capital could recognise them.

So this face… It must have been changed by magic.

But why was this mage standing before her now?

Meeting a mage was something you would only expect if you were royalty. He wasn’t someone she would expect to meet in the carriage of a mere marquis.

And then… the debt he mentioned.

Could there really be any reason for a mage to be in debt to her? For a moment she wondered if she was so overwhelmed that she was imagining things.

But at that moment, the man placed the golden seal in Ariel’s hand. The cold feeling of the seal was definitely not an illusion.

Noticing Ariel’s hesitation, the man casually added, 

“This seal from the Mage Tower will prove my identity. Don’t worry, but if I ever take the watch and run away, just show this seal to the Mage Tower. They will treat you with the utmost respect.” 

Before Ariel could say anything, he stepped out of the carriage.  “Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Ariel quickly leaned out of the carriage, but the man was already gone.

“He just disappeared right in front of me, young lady.” 

The coachman, stunned by the teleportation spell, was the only one left.

“They will treat you with the utmost respect at the Mage Tower.”

The man’s words lingered in her ears, and suddenly a person flashed in her mind.

One of the most famous Archmages. 

“Could it be… No, it couldn’t be.” 

Ariel’s thoughts briefly touched on the man’s true identity, but she quickly shook her head.

If it were really him, the Empire wouldn’t be so quiet. He wouldn’t be travelling alone like this. 

He wouldn’t be sitting idly in the Mage Tower.

Ariel tried to dismiss her unfounded speculation as she stepped back into the carriage. 

But with a lingering uneasy feeling, Ariel carefully clutched the gold seal the man had left behind as she made her way back to the Marquis’ estate. 

* * * 

At the same time, Ariel returned to the Marquis’ estate, 

At the Seyerd Duke’s mansion, Kylance stood with a stiff expression, staring out of his office window into the twilight.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

He had thought he wouldn’t see her face again until the Marquis of Blanté’s estate had fallen.

As the image of her green eyes, which had met his gaze so directly, resurfaced in his mind, Kylance exhaled sharply.

A tight, suffocating sensation gripped his throat. Loosening his cufflink, Kylance opened the window to his office.

The cool breeze wrapped around him, providing some relief from the searing heat that had built up inside. Kylance slowed his breathing as he gazed out at the red sunset.

But the moment was brief. His eyes dropped from the crimson sky, disturbed by the rising wave of disgust within him.

This feeling wasn’t directed at Ariel, but at the daughter of the Bayern Marquis.

He had first met her at the Imperial Founding Day celebrations.

It was there that Ariel had introduced Cier, saying she was a close friend.

Kylance had greeted Cier with the proper formalities, but he had disliked her from their first meeting.

Cier Bayern pretended to admire Ariel, but all the while she looked at her with a sinister eye.

Secretly, of course. But to Kylance, who was more sensitive to the presence of others than most humans, it was crystal clear.

She no longer hid her evil intentions.

At the funeral of the Blanté Marquis, the same day Ariel had been dumped, Cier had gathered Ariel’s closest friends for a tea party.

Kylance stifled a cold sneer, wiping his lips roughly with the back of his hand.

As soon as he returned to the Duke’s estate, he threw off his tailcoat and washed. But no matter how many times he scrubbed, the feeling of contamination from his kiss with the Marquis of Bayern’s daughter never left him.

It was as if a filthy insect had crawled across his lips and driven him mad.

An insect… Yes, a person shouldn’t behave like that.

But she had once been a friend of Ariel’s. She had received so much help from her, and yet she seemed to be waiting for Ariel to fall apart, throwing party after party.

She was nothing but a vile creature, worse than an insect.

Kylance thought as he wiped his lips, no longer using the back of his hand but a handkerchief, scrubbing until his skin began to crack.

Finally, Kylance stopped. He tasted the sharp taste of blood on his lips and the handkerchief turned red.

His lips were torn, but it wasn’t the pain that made him stop.

A sudden thought struck him.

How are you different from Cier Bayern?

Isn’t that the truth?

It was he who had set the stage for the Marquis of Bayern’s daughter to trample on Ariel.

He was the one who brought down the Blanté family, the one who sent her the divorce papers at the Marquis’ funeral.

And it wasn’t Cier, but he who best embodied the word “duplicitous”, hiding his true nature behind a mask of politeness.

He had hidden his desire for revenge while he remained at Ariel’s side. 

He had watched her grow more miserable with each passing day. 

And then he realised that he was no different from Cier Bayern. 

“No, I’m worse.” 

At least Cier Bayern hadn’t taken anything directly from Ariel. 

Unlike him, who had taken everything from her. 

Besides, today he had wanted to see the pain on Ariel’s face, even going so far as to kiss the back of Cier Bayern’s hand in front of her. 

“Who’s the disgusting one here?” 

Cier Bayern protested indignantly, but it didn’t matter. 

Kylance let out a deep, mocking laugh.

His lips continued to split and blood began to trickle, but Kylance paid no attention. 

All he could think was that his aunt had found him a truly suitable mate. 

A woman who looked very much like him. 

If Cier Bayern really did become the Duchess, the two of them would make a perfect, disgusting pair of insects. 

As Kylance ran his tongue over his lips with a dark, heavy gaze, there was a knock at the door. 

“Enter.” 

It was Deyil who entered. 

Kylance quickly wiped the grimace from his face and turned to face Deryl. 

“Master, I am at your service.” 

Kylance wasted no time in asking.

“Did you find out where he went?”