Lady Blante always carried a pocket watch. 

Although it was sealed and no longer functional, she claimed it gave her comfort. So it was unlikely that only the pocket watch was lost. 

And those countless torches… 

Now that he was here, the beach glowed as brightly as midday, illuminated by the swaying flames. 

It was clear – they were in the middle of a search, looking for someone. 

Whatever his reasoning, the conclusion was the same. 

It wasn’t just the pocket watch that had gone into the sea. 

Lady Blante must have gone down with it. 

But why? Why should she be in these icy waters in the middle of the night? And why should I interfere? 

I’m not a subject of the Empire, and as Master of the Mage Tower, neutrality is my duty. 

Aster hesitated, briefly reminded of his duty as Master of the Mage Tower. 

But then a face flashed across his mind. 

“Brother…” 

The sister he had once lost to his own poor choices. 

And now Lady Blante, whose image seemed to blur and merge with Faelin’s. 

Aster didn’t hesitate long. 

“Seoden, stay here and wait.” 

Just as Aster was about to jump into the sea, Seoden grabbed him in alarm. 

“Are you really going to jump into the water? The waves are far too strong, and the magic I sense is deep – too deep! Even with an ancient magic circle, you can’t risk your life like that! We should wait for the waves to calm down and gather more mages…” 

“Seoden,” Aster cut him off, her voice firm, “there’s something you don’t understand.” 

Aster pulled Seoden’s hand away from his arm and gripped it tightly with her other hand. 

Their eyes met. 

Under Aster’s intense gaze, Seoden fell silent, his lips pressed together. Then Aster’s crimson lips parted. 

“I am much stronger than you think. Just wait here quietly.” 

With a gentle smile on her lips, Aster slipped from Seoden’s grasp. 

Splash-

Before Seoden could utter a word, Aster’s magically enhanced body plunged into the sea. 

“He’s lost it. He’s completely lost his mind!” 

Splash 

Left alone, Seoden stamped his feet in frustration and watched in disbelief as Aster disappeared into the crashing waves. 

As Aster dove into the sea, he used magic to create a bubble of air around him. 

Without hesitation, he swam deeper into the dark waters. The deeper he went, the clearer and stronger the energy of the magic circle became. 

Aster pushed himself to move faster. 

At last he saw it – a glowing ball of light submerged beneath the dark surface. 

A protective magic circle, shining brilliantly in the black depths. 

Aster swam closer. 

As he’d suspected, Lady Blante was inside the protective barrier. 

Her body hung limp, as if she had fainted. 

Reaching out, Aster reached for her. But the moment his fingers touched the light, an intense, searing pain shot through him, forcing him to pull back. 

“Urgh…” 

Whether it was her will or the will of the protective magic itself, the barrier rejected everything and pushed him away. 

After quickly healing the burns on his hand with basic healing magic, Aster stood still, his gaze fixed on the glowing barrier. 

If he brought other archmages with him, they could probably break through it together. 

But would she survive until then? 

What if she was gone by the time they returned? 

Aster’s eyebrows knitted. 

He looked down at his injured, reddened hand, still far from healed, and decided to take a chance. 

Ancient magic circles respond to the resonance of the soul. 

Releasing all the magic within him, Aster held his breath and slowly approached the barrier. 

‘I’m here to save the one you’re trying to protect. Please… let me through.’ 

With a silent, desperate plea, Aster reached out again, his hand trembling as it moved towards the light. 

The moment his hand touched the glowing barrier, it shattered as if its immense power had never existed. 

The protective magic had broken, yielding to the sincerity of his intent. 

Aster quickly caught Ariel and the pocket watch as they fell towards the depths. 

Holding them tightly, he propelled himself upwards in a burst of magic. 

“Haa…” 

Breaking through the surface, Aster let out the breath he had been holding. 

With Ariel unconscious in his arms, he held her tightly. 

“Tower Master!!” 

Seoden’s frantic voice echoed from above. 

“Fly.” 

As Aster rose into the air with Ariel in his arms, Seoden’s eyes widened in shock. 

“W-Who is she…?”

Instead of answering, Aster turned her eyes to the beach. 

The torches were still moving, proof that they were searching for her. 

He should bring her back to them. 

But as he looked at Ariel’s pale, motionless face, a deep reluctance settled in his chest. 

No – something told him he couldn’t take her there. 

Lady Blante, pulled from the depths of the sea. 

“What happened to you…”

Aster murmured softly, his voice heavy as he looked down at her. 

At that moment, her words from earlier echoed through his mind: 

“If a miracle happens, I promise I’ll tell you first, Tower Master.” 

With a weary smile she had once said: 

“I didn’t want you to find out this way.” 

Now that he was involved, Aster decided to see things through to the end. 

Adjusting his grip on her, he turned away from the shore and said to Seoden, 

“We’re going back to the Mage Tower.” 

* * * 

Soft sunlight streamed through the windows of the alcove of the Royal Palace Library. 

Kylance looked up from his book and saw Ariel sitting across from him. 

Her brow was adorably furrowed as she focused on the magical text, completely absorbed, as if it were the most compelling thing she’d ever read. 

“Kyl, are you reading your book or staring at me?” 

Ariel spoke without lifting her eyes, clearly aware of Kylance’s lingering gaze. 

Kylance closed his book quietly. 

“Of course I’m looking at you. How can I concentrate on a book when you’re sitting right here?” 

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he moved to sit beside her. 

With practiced ease, he draped an arm over her shoulder. Ariel shot him an annoyed look, but she didn’t move away. 

Instead, she moved closer. 

Kylance chuckled softly, his eyes falling on the book she was reading. 

“…Hmm. Magic that lets you see the future, eh?” 

“Isn’t it amazing? The idea of being able to see what’s ahead…”

As Ariel’s eyes lit up with excitement, Kylance shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Not really.” 

“Seriously? You’re not even a little curious about what our future might look like?”

“I’m not curious.”

Kylance replied without a hint of hesitation, but Ariel’s green eyes clouded with disappointment.

As her expression started to dim, Kylance spoke again.

“Because you’ll always be by my side, and I’ll always be by yours. We’ll live happily ever after, so there’s no reason to wonder. I know my feelings for you will never change.”

Ariel’s eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across her face.

He expected her to smile then, to lean her head gently against his shoulder with that warm, beautiful expression.

But instead, her soft expression hardened into something cold and sharp, like frost.

As Kylance’s dark eyes wavered, unsettled, Ariel’s icy voice broke the silence.

“Liar. You left me. You don’t love me.”

“…Ariel…?”

As Kylance stood there in shock, Ariel’s pale lips moved, delivering a final, crushing blow. 

“Meeting you is the greatest regret of my life. I will never return to your side.” 

Tears streamed from Ariel’s beautiful green eyes. 

“Ariel…” 

She drifted further away. 

A sharp, unbearable pain gripped his chest, as if his heart was about to burst. Struggling to breathe, Kylance reached desperately for her, but Ariel slapped his hand away harshly. 

Without a second look, she turned and walked away. 

“Ariel, Ariel…! Don’t go. Please don’t go. I’m begging you…” 

His desperate pleas echoed in the void, but she didn’t stop, didn’t look back. She disappeared completely. 

The moment she vanished, every trace of joy crumbled and an overwhelming darkness swallowed him whole, as if it had been lying in wait. 

“Ahh! Hah… hah…” 

Kylance jerked awake, gasping for breath. 

It had been a dream – a cruel, relentless nightmare. 

Kylance ran a trembling hand over his face, wiping away the cold sweat. As his foggy mind began to clear, a far more terrifying reality sank in. 

Ariel, falling from the cliff, right before his eyes. The dark, relentless waves had swallowed her whole. 

His heart dropped like a stone. 

“Ariel… why… why am I here…?” 

He had tried to save her. And if he couldn’t, he’d decided to follow her. 

He clearly remembered preparing to dive into the sea – so why was he here, lying in a bed? 

Not just any bed, but his own, in the Grand Duke’s residence. 

He shouldn’t be here. He couldn’t be here. He should be with her. 

His heart was pounding, every beat like a drum in his chest. 

“I have to find Ariel.” 

Kylance jumped out of bed and threw open the door. 

Lowell, who was about to enter the room, froze in surprise, his eyes wide open. 

“Your Highness, you’re awake! Your Highness-” 

But Kylance completely ignored him, striding past as if he didn’t exist. 

He ran down the corridor, his bare feet hitting the floor. Moments later, he burst out of the mansion. Startled knights and servants turned to him in shock, but Kylance’s gaze was fixed, his mind focused on one thing. 

“A horse! Bring me a horse, now!” 

At his sharp command, a servant rushed to fetch a horse. Kylance mounted it in one fluid motion, without pause. 

“Your Highness!” 

Lowell’s voice called desperately as he ran after him, but Kylance didn’t look back. He drove the horse forward, galloping at full speed towards Cascade. 

“Damn it…!” 

Lowell, panting heavily, watched helplessly as Kylance’s figure shrank in the distance and disappeared from sight. 

Riding out without even proper clothes or shoes – 

This was not the Master Lowell had known. 

The Kylance he served had always been a pillar of calm, unflappable no matter how dire the circumstances. He was a man of serenity and reason. 

But somewhere along the way, that steadiness had begun to waver. 

And it all began… with the broken engagement to Lady Blante.