Chapter 88

What Louis handed over were a few envelopes made of poor-quality paper.

“The kids from the last village you stayed in asked Aitor to deliver them to you, Vivian.”

Vivian, stretching out her arm to take the paper, slowly read the letters that the children had carefully written. Although the letters were only a few lines long, they were filled with concern for the noble young lady who had shown them kindness.

“What about Aitor?”

After reading the letters, Vivian folded them neatly as if handling something precious and asked.

“He’s not in the Empire right now.”

Vivian’s eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up. The last image of Aitor hurriedly leaving, asking her not to tell Louis, pricked at her heart.

“Did something happen…?”

Did Aitor meet Tristan? Or did he leave the Empire to find Tristan? Did he tell Louis about the relationship between the Emperor and his adoptive father?

Vivian’s brow furrowed with worry.

“There’s an issue between the Empire and the Mage Tower.”

The content that came from Louis’s mouth was entirely different from what she had imagined, causing Vivian’s brow to wrinkle deeply.

“What do you mean…?”

“This time it’s quite serious. We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.”

The words “worst-case scenario” made her peridot-colored eyes shake violently. Only then did Vivian understand why her father couldn’t come home often.

“Then Aitor being out of the Empire is…”

“We’ve lost contact with the person we had planted in the Mage Tower. We know things are going badly, but we don’t know exactly how. So Aitor had to leave for the Mage Tower immediately.”

Sweat began to form on Vivian’s palms. She gripped the hem of her dress tightly with her now clammy hands.

“He turned his back coldly. That’s the kind of person Emperor Henry is. If it’s sweet, he’ll swallow it; if it’s bitter, he’ll spit it out… But isn’t it funny? That his adoptive son is now the Emperor’s wizard, working with them, just like his father. Heh heh heh. Hahaha.”

Tristan’s words echoed in Vivian’s ears.

Vivian couldn’t even guess what kind of mindset Aitor had when heading to the Mage Tower.

As Vivian’s face hardened, Louis tapped the armrest of the sofa with his index finger.

“Vivian, do you remember the promise I made to you in the Emperor’s Forest?”

Vivian lifted her head at Louis’s unexpected question.

Recalling the promise she made with him, Vivian remembered the young Louis who had handed her the pocket watch, said to be a gift from the former Emperor, and promised to become a great Emperor.

Louis had said he couldn’t love her, but he promised he would become a great Emperor.

“I will keep that promise. So don’t make that face.”

Only then did Vivian look closely at Louis’s face. His golden eyes, mixed with fatigue, were darker and deeper than usual.

“Louis…”

At that moment, the butler knocked on the drawing room door. As the butler entered with a trolley, the rich scent of tea quickly filled the entire drawing room.

The butler, who had prepared the tea, hurriedly left the drawing room.

Seeing the strong-scented tea that suited his taste, Louis chuckled lightly and slowly lifted the teacup.

“I ordered Aitor to return without hesitation if it becomes dangerous, but I don’t know if he’ll carry out that order.”

His voice was as bitter as the taste of the tea. After taking a few sips, Louis stood up.

“Are you leaving already?”

Vivian stood up and asked.

“I just came to deliver the letter Aitor asked me to give you. I have to hurry back.”

What Louis said was true. Although there wasn’t much information, reports continued to come in that the situation was worsening.

A brief respite came when the Emperor complained of a headache after a long, continuous meeting.

Walking down the corridor of Duke Dinever’s mansion, Louis stopped on his way to the carriage. Vivian, who was walking beside him, also stopped and looked at him calmly.

“We might have to postpone the wedding.”

Vivian blinked for a moment, looking up at him, and then nodded.

Louis had thought Vivian would understand, but seeing his fiancée accept it without any sign of disappointment brought a bitter smile to his face.

The lingering bitter taste from the smile remained in his mouth. Forcing himself to swallow, Louis looked at Vivian’s pretty forehead, creased with worry, and asked.

“Aren’t you disappointed? I wish you were.”

Vivian flinched at Louis’s words, wishing she were disappointed, and shifted her gaze to his shoes.

What did he mean by that?

As Vivian pondered, Louis’s large hand landed on top of her head.

“Don’t think too deeply, and don’t worry too much.”

Louis, who had been gently stroking Vivian’s curly hair, withdrew his hand reluctantly. Even after Louis’s hand was gone, Vivian couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

“Are you going to pick up Ian from Raspol?”

“Yes… Just to the capital gate. Father had to come up urgently, so Ian stayed in Raspol with the nanny.”

Vivian spoke in a crawling voice, still looking at his shoes.

“…Alright. Once the situation stabilizes, let’s go down together next time.”

Vivian nodded. After a moment, Louis’s shoes moved. His foot, which had taken a step, paused briefly and then moved again.

Vivian lifted her head to watch his departing figure. Somehow, his shoulders looked heavy, and Vivian’s heart felt heavy too.

Once Louis boarded the carriage, it departed quickly.

Even after the carriage carrying Louis disappeared, Vivian couldn’t move from her spot. It felt as if Louis’s touch still lingered on her head.

When Louis stroked her hair, Vivian felt a flutter. But soon, an inexplicable guilt stirred in her chest.

Vivian, feeling stifled, didn’t go inside immediately and headed to the garden. The gardener was pulling out dead grass and leveling the ground to prepare for the upcoming spring.

Not wanting to disturb him, Vivian took a different path than usual.

Then she noticed the place where Ian and Zero used to play.

“What should I do…”

Vivian plopped down on the spot.

Her emotions fluctuated several times a day.

When looking at Louis’s face, she felt she should tell him everything honestly. But when she recalled the last look on Aitor’s face, she had to forcibly swallow the words that rose to her throat.

To make matters worse, the situation between the Mage Tower and the Empire was precarious.

Both Louis and Aitor seemed to be standing on a dangerous tightrope. If they wavered even a little or stepped wrong, they would fall into an irretrievable abyss.

What was even more frustrating was that there was nothing she could do.

“Young Lady!”

After a while, Tia, who had come out to find Vivian, ran over, looking pale.

Seeing Tia’s worried expression, Vivian mustered the strength to stand up.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Huh?”

Tia, with her wounded forehead creased, examined Vivian’s body, but Vivian shook her head. However, the worry didn’t leave Tia’s face.

She wished that her loved ones wouldn’t be in pain. She hoped they wouldn’t be hurt.

Looking at Tia’s wound, Vivian tried to calm her turbulent heart.

* * *

“You’re not serious, are you?”

In a shabby restaurant on the outskirts of Palterno, the city where the Mage Tower was located. Aitor’s colleague, Lucas, sat in a corner, wary of his surroundings, and spoke in a low voice.

“I’m serious.”

“You crazy fool!”

At Aitor’s serious words, Lucas shouted. He hurriedly covered his mouth, but the few customers frowned.

Lucas, apologizing to the patrons, looked at his friend who was stirring the uneaten food with a fork.

Aitor’s face, usually full of mischief, wore a very different expression.

“Don’t you know how the situation is right now?”

“I know.”

“And you still want to go there?”

“That’s the only place I can meet Tristan.”

Lucas clutched his head with both hands as if he had a headache.

“There’s no wizard who doesn’t know that you entered the magic school on the Emperor’s recommendation. And yet, you want to go there?”

Lucas frowned and crossed his arms at Aitor’s resolute expression.

If Aitor was determined, no amount of persuasion would work.

“It’s not even certain that Tristan is in Inferna.”

Lucas’s voice grew even softer.

Inferna.

An organization made up of wizards that operated solely for money.

Few people knew its true nature.

Hardly anything was known about how many belonged to it and how they operated.

“Even so, I have no choice but to go.”

Lucas shook his head as if resigned to Aitor’s unyielding stance.

After watching Aitor for a moment, Lucas pulled his chair closer to him.

“Even if you go there, you might not be able to contact Inferna.”

Lucas’s words darkened Aitor’s expression even more.

The place Tristan mentioned was famous for being a location where one could potentially deal with Inferna.

However, it wasn’t always possible to contact Inferna there.

The only way to meet them was to be chosen by them.

“I have to try anyway. There’s no other way.”

“What if you meet a wizard who recognizes you there? Then what will you do?”

Aitor shrugged his shoulders and then picked up the glass in front of him, drinking it down in one go.

The sound of the glass hitting the table echoed loudly as Aitor stood up abruptly. The sound of the chair scraping against the old wooden floor was particularly loud.

“You should get back to your mission.”

Aitor placed money for the meal and tip on the table and left the restaurant with long strides.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Lucas hurriedly stood up, causing the chair to fall backward with a loud noise.

“S-sorry. I said wait!”

Quickly setting the chair upright, Lucas chased after Aitor.

“Why are you following me?”

Lucas, panting heavily, caught up with Aitor. Aitor grabbed Lucas’s shoulder as if shooing away an annoying nephew and turned him around.

“I said you need to return to your mission. Go quickly.”

Lucas was two spans shorter than Aitor. When Aitor lightly tapped Lucas’s narrow shoulder, he was pushed quite far.

“I can’t let you go alone!”

Lucas clung to Aitor again, a vein bulging in his neck.

With pink hair tied back and a height similar to Vivian’s, Lucas looked fragile enough to topple over with a push.

But his purple eyes were filled with stubborn determination.

“It might be dangerous.”

“And you know that, yet you’re going alone.”

Lucas crossed his arms and gestured with his chin in the direction Aitor was heading.

“Let’s go! We’ll figure something out.”

Aitor chuckled. He was sure Lucas was scared, but seeing his friend trying to hide it lest he be left behind was somehow touching and appreciated.