Chapter 102

Vivian buried her head in Louis’s firm chest and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist. The familiar scent of the forest and his slightly quickened heartbeat were transmitted directly to Vivian.  

“Louis. How are you here…? Are you hurt anywhere? Are you okay? Huh?”  

The last image of Louis came to mind. In the Emperor’s forest, groaning as he swallowed his pain, feverish to the point of losing consciousness and gasping for air. Vivian hurriedly pulled away from his embrace and examined his body.  

“I’m fine. I’m okay, Vivian. But you…”  

Louis removed Vivian’s hat and swept her disheveled brown hair back. Fortunately, Vivian seemed fine. She didn’t appear uncomfortable, injured, or in pain.  

Letting out a sigh of relief, Louis recalled what had just happened.  

On his way to meet with an Imperial contact planted in the Mage Tower, Louis, along with Duke Dinever and Rayden, arrived in Palterno. That’s when he couldn’t believe his eyes.  

He had thought Vivian would be with Aitor, but there she was, hiding behind an unfamiliar woman in the middle of Palterno. Louis blinked several times.  

Was it a hallucination?

Even after closing and reopening his confused eyes, it was undoubtedly Vivian. Without realizing it, Louis began moving toward her.  

It was Duke Dinever who stopped him. Holding back Louis, who was trying to shake off the Duke’s hand, Rayden pointed toward Marquis Cloak. Marquis Cloak was indeed in Palterno, just as the information sent by the Duke’s knight had indicated. Fortunately, it seemed that Cloak hadn’t recognized Vivian, who was wearing a hat.  

At that moment, a commotion broke out, and Louis rushed toward Vivian, who was walking away in a hurry.  

Finally, they met. Finally.  

Louis gently brushed the corners of Vivian’s tearful eyes, swallowing the emotions that surged in his throat.  

“I’m sorry…”  

The words that escaped Louis’s mouth carried all the longing, guilt, and heartache he had suppressed. His trembling hand stroked Vivian’s face.  

Vivian held Louis’s hand tightly, buried her cheek into it, and shook her head.  

“I’m just glad you’re okay…”  

As she exhaled a breath of relief, transparent tears rolled down Vivian’s eyes. The tears trickled down her cheeks and onto both her and Louis’s hands.  

Louis raised his other hand, pulled Vivian closer by the shoulders, and embraced her.  

“Let’s go. Duke Dinever is here as well.”  

“Father?”  

Vivian lifted her head from Louis’s chest. Her peridot-like eyes, filled with tears, trembled with surprise.  

“Yes, he’s here with us.”  

Before the tears pooled in her large eyes could fall, Louis gently wiped them away with his thumb. Vivian closed and opened her eyes at his touch. Watching Louis say that the Duke and Rayden were waiting at their meeting place, Vivian stood on her toes and reached for Louis’s face.  

Just as Louis’s face came into view—  

“How could you follow someone so carelessly!”  

Lucas stormed into the alley, shouting at Vivian.  

“Uh, uh, uh… I mean, I’m sorry.”  

Startled by how close Louis and Vivian were, Lucas stammered as he turned his head away.  

“I mean, you disappeared so suddenly, and I got really worried. It’s not like I was spying or anything… But wait, didn’t you say you had a fiancé? Huh?”  

Muttering to himself, answering his own questions, and asking more, Lucas suddenly turned his head sharply and looked back and forth between Vivian and Louis. By then, Louis had already hidden Vivian behind him and was glaring at Lucas.  

“Who is that person? Who is he…”  

Lucas’s purple eyes trembled as he stared at Vivian, who peeked out from behind the tall man.  

“Lucas. This is…”  

“No way… No, it can’t be. Haha. Seriously, it’s not, right?”  

“Lucas, I’m saying this is…”  

“How many men do you have?”  

Lucas lowered his voice dramatically, giving Vivian a serious look. Then, glancing at Louis, he shook his head in disbelief.  

“You have a fiancé, and then there’s Aitor…”  

Vivian glared at Lucas, who kept babbling nonsense and counting on his fingers. Emerging from behind Louis, Vivian linked her arm with his and straightened her back.  

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’re having, but this man is my fiancé.”  

“What? No, isn’t the Crown Prince your fiancé?”  

“Yes.”  

“Then how is this man your fiancé? Do you have two fiancés?”  

“How did you become a mage with such a poor brain?”  

“…Did you just insult me?”  

As Lucas and Vivian began bickering, Louis gently held Vivian’s hand, which was linked with his arm. Then, he slowly removed his hat.  

Jet-black hair. Sharp eyes with golden irises were revealed.  

“…”  

Lucas blinked several times, quickly scanned his surroundings, and then raised his hand to cover his gaping mouth.  

“A pale face, purple eyes, and a slight build. You must be Lucas, Aitor’s friend.”  

“D-Do you know me?”  

Pointing to himself with a trembling finger, Lucas asked in a shaky voice.  

The Crown Prince of the Empire, appearing in the middle of Palterno, and knowing who he was—Lucas was so shocked that his legs began to tremble. Barely managing to hold onto his wits, Lucas bowed his head to Louis.  

“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire. It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Lucas.”  

“I’ve heard about you from time to time. You’re close to Aitor, aren’t you?”  

“Close is a bit much… I mostly clean up after him. Even now, actually.”  

Still bowing, Lucas muttered complaints in response to Louis’s words.  

“Where is Aitor? Where is he now?”  

At Louis’s question, Lucas looked at Vivian. At Lucas’s gaze, Vivian nodded and tugged on Louis’s arm.  

“Let’s go to where my father is. We can talk there.”  

At Vivian’s urging, Louis sighed softly, pulled his hat back on, and took her hand.  

“Let’s move to another place first. It seems we have a lot to talk about.”  

Louis adjusted Vivian’s hat and tied her cloak string tightly.  

“Hey.”  

Just as the three were about to leave the alley, someone blocked their path.  

“Let go of that hand before you leave.”  

“M-Master, it’s not what it looks like.”  

It was Teresa, standing with one hand on her hip and her head tilted. Raising her chin, Teresa pointed at Louis’s hand, which was holding Vivian’s.  

“If you don’t let go of that hand…”  

“And if I don’t?”  

Louis met Teresa’s sharp gaze and asked.  

“Kidnapping a woman in broad daylight? You’re a reckless one, aren’t you? Just because she looks like she can’t put up a fight, you think you can just take her?”  

Teresa jabbed her finger at Lucas, who was fidgeting nervously like a restless puppy.  

“Now, let go of that hand.”  

Teresa pulled something out of her pocket and pointed it at Louis.  

“M-Master!”  

At the sight of the magical tool in Teresa’s hand, Lucas widened his eyes and stepped in front of Louis and Vivian, spreading his arms wide.  

“What is this?”  

Teresa looked Lucas up and down, motioning with her other hand as if to tell him to get out of the way.  

“You’ll regret this. Let’s calm down and move to a quieter place…”  

Sweating nervously, Lucas tried to explain, while Teresa finally took a closer look at Vivian and the so-called kidnapper.  

The distance between them was far too close for a kidnapper and victim. Seeing the Lady Dinever clinging to the supposed kidnapper, Teresa furrowed her brows in confusion.  

At that moment—  

“Extra! Extra! The Mage Tower Master is dead! The Mage Tower Master is dead!”  

Outside the dark alley, a young boy selling extras shouted loudly, waving a newspaper in his hand.  

“Extra!”  

Teresa, Lucas, Louis, and Vivian all stood frozen, staring blankly at the commotion outside the alley.

***

It was a celebration.

Swirling the amber-colored liquor in his glass, Aitor shifted his cold eyes.

Even though it was an enemy, someone had died. Members of Inferna and anti-Imperial mages, who had succeeded in bringing down the Mage Tower Master, rented out the entire VIP room of the casino and were throwing a party.

The ones who had recklessly broken into the barrier of the cabin where Vivian was hidden were anti-Imperial mages.

Those who had been tailing Aitor accidentally triggered the barrier, leading to a prolonged standoff. What appeared before them then was Robert, the leader of Inferna.

Robert came looking for Aitor with news of the Mage Tower Master’s death. Smiling warmly as usual, he formally introduced Aitor in front of the anti-Imperial mages, saying things would get busier from now on.

Aitor simply soothed his dry throat with the liquor and stared coldly at the people drunk on joy.

“Aitor! Over here! Come here!”

The headmaster, who had treated him like a bug during his school days, was now waving him over, wiping his bald head with a handkerchief.

Aitor downed the remaining liquor in one gulp, stood up, and walked over to the overly excited Headmaster Douglas.

“I paid close attention to Aitor when he was in school! As you all know, where can you find a genius like this? There’s no genius like him, no genius at all!”

Headmaster Douglas sprayed spit as he placed his thick arm over Aitor’s shoulder and raised his glass.

“Now, once we finish cleaning up the Mage Tower, we can move straight to the next phase, can’t we? With our genius mage, Aitor, on our side, the Emperor of the Empire is nothing but…”

Aitor coldly looked down at the plump, sausage-like hand of Headmaster Douglas, which was resting on his shoulder, and brushed it off as if drawing a clear line.

At that, Douglas, who had been spitting as he listed out the candidates they had whimsically chosen to dethrone the Emperor and take his place, shut his mouth. Douglas, who had been gazing at Aitor with his half-lidded eyes, turned his head toward Marquis Cloak, who was sitting in the corner.

“Marquis Cloak. You are acquainted with Caspian Turner, aren’t you?”

Hearing his foster father’s name come out of Headmaster Douglas’s mouth, Aitor furrowed his brow. Marquis Cloak, who had been silently sipping his drink, and Robert, the head of Inferna, who had been filling an empty glass with ice beside him, both stopped their movements and stared at Headmaster Douglas.

“Caspian Turner. He was truly skilled in magic. A warm personality, and a generous heart, wasn’t he?”

Marquis Cloak, who had turned his head again at Headmaster Douglas’s words, took a sip of his drink and gave a small nod.

“Because of Emperor Henry’s arrogance, we mages lost a precious talent.”

Even though his tongue was slurred from the alcohol, the black pupils of Headmaster Douglas’s eyes resembled a coiled snake. As if ready to strike at the slightest sign of weakness, his gaze flickered, threatening to bite down and end it all in one swift motion.

“He was too kind-hearted for his own good. To think he trusted that vile and cold Emperor Henry… Tsk tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Headmaster Douglas lightly tapped Aitor’s back.

Aitor slowly turned his head, scanning the room. The high-ranking members of Inferna, Marquis Cloak, the defectors from the Empire, and a few anti-Imperial mages who had been tailing him were all staring at him.

Aitor’s gaze, which had been moving slowly, settled on Robert Fame, the head of Inferna. Robert, too, was watching Aitor while bringing his glass to his lips.

“One more time.”

Aitor spoke slowly.

“If you bring up my father’s name again, you’ll close your eyes for good before you even meet Emperor Henry.”

Aitor raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at the dumbfounded face of Headmaster Douglas, who was blinking with a foolish expression. Ignoring the gazes directed at him, he patted the headmaster on the shoulder and headed toward the door of the luxurious VIP room.