She was thinking she should stop by in a little while, when she heard someone calling from behind. When Melissa turned around, she could see a man running toward her quickly.

It was a letter deliverer.

He stopped in front of her, panting heavily.

“I was actually on my way to you, Miss Lucid, and I happened to meet you here!”

“Is there a letter for me?”

“Yes. It came from the capital.”

The letter deliverer rummaged through his bag and held out a letter. Melissa looked at it with a somewhat unpleasant feeling.

The letters that would come to her were almost predetermined.

For example,

“Duke Shortiras sent it!”

Cases like this damn one.

“Yes, thank you for delivering it.”

Melissa smiled and received the letter.

The deliverer who received Melissa’s greeting bowed slightly and withdrew toward his next destination. When the deliverer completely disappeared from view, she withdrew her smile and looked down at the letter.

Precisely at the name written at the bottom of the envelope.

〈Lionel Shortiras〉

……Really tiresome.

Melissa spat out a small curse and tore open the envelope.

Her mood rapidly sank as soon as she learned a letter had come from Lionel. It was natural. He had never sent her a letter with good intentions.

She could already predict what it says, anyway.

Whether the ship sent overseas recently could return safely, the success or failure of future business ventures, or nagging about when she would return from the north to the ducal residence.

Melissa was about to open the letter when she paused for a moment.

‘Hmm. When did so many people gather around here?’

While talking with the deliverer, the number of people had increased on the street.

She could feel people glancing this way, having apparently heard her conversation with the deliverer. It was an environment unsuitable in many ways for unfolding Lionel’s letter. Certainly her expression management wouldn’t go well while reading the letter either.

With rumors already rampant about the relationship between the current Duke Shortiras and the Lucid clan due to the incident six years ago, she didn’t want to throw them more fodder. Just imagining it was tiring.

‘Let’s go to the library.’

Melissa, who had been thinking for a moment, moved her steps.

Since she planned to just read the letter and go straight to Edgar’s house, it was better to go to the nearby library. She had been planning to go look at what new books there were anyway.

Melissa entered the library holding the letter.

And she sat in her usual spot while receiving the librarian’s greeting.

She took a small deep breath and unfolded the letter.

The letter written in very familiar handwriting went straight to the main point from the first sentence without any greeting. It was a letter that showed no courtesy toward the recipient and didn’t follow common structure, but Melissa was calm.

Since it was always like this, it wasn’t particularly surprising.

I heard Edgar is in the north.

‘……He’s speaking strangely.’

Just like someone who hadn’t known that fact and learned it recently.

Melissa, who had been reading the letter mockingly, frowned at the following content. It was because what she had predicted was true. The second paragraph stated that Lionel had stopped by the imperial palace and heard this story from the emperor.

It seemed Edgar’s whereabouts had become known through a letter Lloyd sent to the emperor. Well, no matter how much they managed the mages’ entry and exit, they couldn’t know their detailed locations within the Artzen Empire.

Lionel seemed quite flustered to have heard news of his son through someone else.

She could feel his agitation even in the letter.

She understood. Melissa was currently in the same situation.

‘I naturally thought he would have told Lionel before he came.’

No, not just told him.

She had actually thought Lionel had ordered him to come.

That Lionel, who hated Melissa being in the north and was desperately trying to bring her back to the capital somehow, had used his son as a last resort.

If that wasn’t the case, there was no reason for Edgar Shortiras, the next Tower Master, to come all the way to this barren place.

But that prediction was wrong.

‘What did Edgar tell me?’

So his reason for coming to the north was definitely……

[I told you, Melissa.]

[That I would always protect you.]

Melissa’s cheeks slightly flushed as she recalled the day she reunited with Edgar. She looked around briefly and covered her face with her hair.

Right, he had definitely said that.

That he had come to protect her.

‘……Was that really true?’

Melissa stared blankly at the passage she had read.

Evidence that Edgar was acting solely for her was overflowing to the point where it caught her eye even without trying to look for it. Whenever she was about to forget, whenever she tried to deny it, it kept coming to tell her that wasn’t the case.

She had already almost opened her heart to Edgar, but now even the parts she had hidden just in case were trying to reveal themselves.

‘Let me just read the next part.’

Melissa suppressed her wavering heart.

Then she moved her gaze from the sentence she couldn’t take her eyes off to the next part.

The following content was even more ridiculous.

I don’t know why, but even though I sent a letter to the north after hearing the news, Edgar isn’t replying to my letter. Is something wrong? If there is, it would be better to speak honestly. You don’t think I’m still unable to bring you back because I’m watching others’ reactions, do you? That incident had long been forgotten. If I put my mind to it……

He’s not even replying to letters?

From now on, her head started to hurt a little.

Melissa roughly skipped over the threatening sentences that followed and lowered her gaze further down. What was important now wasn’t realizing once again how childish and pathetic Lionel was.

Tell Edgar to reply quickly. No, just ask that kid yourself. Whether he’ll become Tower Master and live in the Magic Tower forever, or return to the Empire and receive the ducal title. If he’s going to live in the Magic Tower, also tell him that I’ll make a branch family member the heir to the ducal house.

Edgar apparently hadn’t made a definite decision yet.

She knew what was troubling his heart.

Anyone would probably feel the same way.

The Magic Tower, which not even all mages were allowed to enter. Would he abandon his previous origins and become the master of that place? Or would he return to the Artzen Empire and become Duke Shortiras, whom even the emperor was wary of?

Wasn’t it a difficult problem that couldn’t be decided easily?

“Branch family……”

Melissa muttered softly while looking at the letter.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t thought about this part all this time.

Edgar was currently the heir to the Shortiras ducal family and the next Tower Master, but ultimately he would have to give up one of the two. And that time wasn’t far off either.

If Edgar chose the Magic Tower, he would no longer belong to the Artzen Empire. There probably would be no occasion for them to spend time together like now.

If Edgar chose the Shortiras ducal family……

‘He would receive the Magic Tower’s wariness.’

Edgar wasn’t simply a Magic Tower-affiliated mage but the next Tower Master. From the time he entered the Magic Tower, it had been almost decided that he would be the future master.

The mages of the Magic Tower would have treated him that way all along.

Certainly all sorts of information would have been shared under the name of education. Since he had been there for six whole years, there would have been information commonly called top secret among them.

In such a situation, would the Magic Tower just let Edgar go?

‘They absolutely wouldn’t.’

Especially Tower Master Everden Armus.

In her past life, Edgar had been Everden’s particularly cherished disciple.

Rumors that she kept him by her side even outside of their lessons were heard all the way to the Artzen Empire, crossing the Magic Tower’s high barriers.

‘……There were also rumors that the two were lovers.’

She didn’t know if those words were true at that time.

What was important now was the fact that Everden still cherished Edgar.

Melissa remembered the Magic Tower exclusive formal wear Edgar always wore. She also knew that he communicated with the Magic Tower through an exclusive communication network rather than letter deliverers.

She hadn’t particularly cared who Edgar was communicating with all this time, but thinking about it now, it was easy to figure out. The only person who could use the Magic Tower’s exclusive communication network so freely was the Tower Master, the master of that place.

Their relationship seemed to be good in this life as well.

As if the option of him leaving the Magic Tower didn’t exist at all.

‘But Edgar said he would break the magical contract if he became duke.’

He had even made a magical contract for that purpose.

Wasn’t that practically the same as declaring he would choose the Shortiras ducal family? It was an action beyond doubt.

‘Then he’s surely giving up the Magic Tower……’

……But it doesn’t seem like that either.

Difficult. So difficult.

Melissa muttered and collapsed onto the desk.

Then she heard someone lightly tapping.

Tap tap.

“Excuse me, Miss Lucid?”

“Yes?”

Melissa sat up in surprise.

The one who had come to find her was the librarian.

She could see the librarian standing in front with drooping eyebrows.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I disturbed you while you were resting.”

“No, it’s fine. What’s the matter?”

“Well, I was worried about whether that matter from before was resolved well.”

The librarian, who had been looking at Melissa with a hesitant face, lowered her head. Her gaze went toward the top of the desk.

Since there was a letter on the desk, Melissa naturally stretched out her arm to cover the letter’s contents. Of course, it was of no use since the Shortiras ducal family’s crest was clearly stamped on the envelope placed beside it.