Chapter 77

The fifth floor would have been entirely different if the previous floors had made me realize that wizards were still just people.

I couldn’t help but think, *Wizards are indeed wizards*. Floating glass orbs, mysterious magic circles inscribed on the walls, and wizards sprawled on the floor, writing endless formulas on large sheets of paper—it was a scene unlike anything I’d ever seen.

“Hey, you lot! Get up immediately!” Bley shouted loudly, and the wizards, deeply absorbed in their research, slowly raised their heads, dazed. Like the wizards we had seen in the dining hall, they gaped at us. It seemed that Julian and I were quite the topic of conversation.

Though I wanted to back away immediately, I stood firm, not wanting to appear afraid.

“Your Graces, it is an honor to meet you,” one female wizard greeted us stoically. The wizards behind her hurriedly followed suit, bowing awkwardly as if unfamiliar with formal etiquette, unlike the first woman.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”

“This is my apprentice, Sylvia,“ Bley introduced. “She may seem cold, but she’s quite smart. Very knowledgeable in curses as well.“

“Oh, then Sylvia will be helping me?”

“It would be my honor, Your Grace.”

Sylvia seemed well-versed in proper manners. Smiling, I asked,

“Sylvia, are you from a noble family?“

“Wizards bound to the tower are only wizards. Our past status doesn’t matter.“

“I see. My apologies.“

“No need to apologize, My Lady.”

Sylvia tucked her silver bob behind her ear, leading us to a specific spot. I noticed something odd—more and more wizards seemed to be gathering around us.

Their curious eyes gleamed as they approached Julian and me. While I was considering how to handle this, one of them walked up to Julian and presented a magical artifact.

“Your Grace… Please place your hand on this magical artifact, just once?”

The wizard held out a strange glass orb. Beautiful, purple, and blue smoke swirled inside like a galaxy, but it was also magical enough to raise suspicion. Julian twisted his lips as if he had expected this.

“Stop right there.”

I stepped between Julian and the wizard. Though I couldn’t wholly block Julian, I wanted to protect him as much as possible. After all, I was the one who had brought him here, despite knowing how uncomfortable he felt around wizards.

Looking the wizard directly in the eye, I spoke firmly,

“We are here for treatment. We will provide adequate compensation for that. We don’t have time or reason to fulfill such trivial requests. If you need test subjects, hire them separately.”

The wizard hesitated and stepped back. I looked around at the other wizards and said, “Don’t touch a single hair on my husband, Duke Zan. Even brushing against his cloak will not be tolerated. And if it happens, we’ll leave this tower immediately and find another one.”

Bley approached us with a good-natured smile.

“Leave? No, no. I’ll make sure not even a dog dares to approach this area. You have nothing to worry about.”

Bley glared at the other wizards, and they, quickly catching on, shuffled back to their seats. Holding Julian’s hand, I followed Sylvia to her spot.

She placed two chairs side by side and politely gestured for us to sit. Julian seemed reluctant to sit down, but when I sat first, he had no choice but to follow suit.

“Sylvia, I have a favor to ask.“

“Please, go ahead, My Lady.“

“I’d like some privacy. Is it possible to set up a partition? Or perhaps move to another floor? It’s quite uncomfortable with everyone glancing over at us.”

At my firm request, Sylvia sharply turned her head to glare at the other wizards. Her fierce gaze softened and became formal again when she looked back at me.

“I will also cast a soundproofing spell. Rest assured, My Lady, there will be no disturbances.“

“Thank you.”

I smiled. Sylvia instructed the other wizards, who reluctantly brought over partitions and wholly enclosed the area where we were seated. They also placed square magical devices in the corners, miraculously making the space quiet.

“Is this sufficient, My Lady?“

“Yes, it’s perfect.”

Although I had done this for Julian, I felt much more at ease now that we had such a comfortable space.

Sylvia placed a chair a short distance away and prepared a notebook and pen. The notebook was already filled with complex formulas and writings.

“What is that?“ I asked. Sylvia readily handed me the notebook. I skimmed over it with a puzzled expression before handing it back.

“Actually, I was hoping for an explanation.”

Sylvia looked momentarily flustered as she took the notebook back. I had a feeling it was rare to see her caught off guard like this.

“My apologies. Living in the tower, we sometimes forget how to converse properly.“

“It’s alright.”

I waved my hand, and Sylvia quickly answered regarding the notebook.

“I’ve been considering various methods to break the curse. Depending on the nature of the curse affecting Her Grace, we may need to use medication, apply ointments, carry magical artifacts for extended periods, or infuse magic regularly.“

“Oh, I see.”

I suddenly felt a bit embarrassed as I remembered joking with Julian not long ago, thinking that the curse might be something that could be lifted with a kiss. I had thought magic would be far removed from everyday life, but it seemed pretty similar in the end.

Sylvia’s demeanor was no different from that of a doctor. She adjusted her glasses and asked seriously,

“Is the one seeking to break the curse only Her Grace, the Grand Duchess? Or is His Grace, the Grand Duke, also here with the same purpose?“

“I don’t need it.”

Julian refused firmly, his voice sharp enough that if Sylvia had spoken any longer, it would have been cut off mid-sentence.

I wanted to persuade Julian, but I didn’t want to touch on his trauma either. I was already grateful enough that he had come here with me. Forcing a smile, I said,

“Please check my curse.“

“Understood. First, I will check whether the curse caster is alive or dead. To do that, I’ll need a drop of your blood, Your Grace. Is that alright?“

“Of course, it’s not alright.”

The response came from Julian. He made no effort to hide his irritation as he glared at Sylvia. But she, seemingly oblivious to his mood, responded calmly,

“Just one drop will suffice.“

“Julian, it’s only a drop. It’s no different from what they do at a hospital.”

This situation was somewhat amusing. It felt like I was trying to soothe a child who didn’t want to get a shot. Even though I was the one getting pricked, Julian was the one protesting. Julian sighed and nodded after repeatedly reassuring him that I was okay.

Seeing his reaction, Sylvia brought out a needle and pricked my fingertip lightly. A brief sting passed, and a drop of blood formed at the tip of my finger.

Sylvia carefully collected it in a narrow glass vial and mixed it with a swirling green liquid.

At first, the liquid turned red, but it slowly darkened to black. Again, black. A bad feeling washed over me. Sylvia, with an expressionless face, said,

“The caster is already dead.”

As expected. It wasn’t something I had high hopes for. Thien had already told me that the person who cursed me was likely dead. I tried not to feel too disappointed.

At that moment, the black liquid shimmered with a silvery light. Sylvia’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head.

“This indicates that someone has inherited the caster’s magic. However, this won’t be of much help in breaking the curse.“

“Ah… I see.”

The fact that I felt a flicker of hope showed that I still harbored some expectations. Sylvia continued in her characteristic calm manner,

“Yes. It’s likely a descendant or disciple, but unless it’s the original caster, it doesn’t matter.”

Sylvia proceeded with several more experiments. She burned strands of my hair in a blue flame, placed strange liquids on my palm, and even had me stand on a peculiar magic circle.

Each time Julian opposed the tests, Sylvia assured us of their safety, and I had to soothe Julian.

By the time all the experiments were done, I was pretty exhausted. Julian’s stamina had always been beyond that of a normal person, so that wasn’t surprising, but it was remarkable that Sylvia still looked perfectly fine.

I couldn’t help but think, ‘Is this the curiosity of a wizard? Sylvia was diligently jotting down the results in her notebook.

“Did you find anything?“ I asked cautiously, and Sylvia nodded.

“Yes, I did.”

I squeezed Julian’s hand tightly, trying to suppress my excitement. He glanced at me, then turned his gaze back to Sylvia.

“You’ll recall I mentioned someone had inherited the caster’s magic.“

“Yes, I remember.“

“Finding that person might be helpful.“

“Why is that?“

“The curse on you, Your Grace, is conditional.“

“A conditional curse?”

Sylvia nodded.

“For example, a curse like, ‘You’ll die if exposed to sunlight.‘ The curse activates when certain conditions are met. In the distant past, people afflicted by such curses were forced to live in eternal darkness and were stigmatized as vampires.”

I pondered deeply as I listened to Sylvia. What might I have done in the past that led to my death? Nothing came to mind.

I had been a diligent, overly obedient wife, hardly ever leaving the house and rarely attending social gatherings. Over time, Kazak restricted me more and more, eventually imprisoning me.

So perhaps it made more sense that I had died because of something I hadn’t done. But that made it even harder to figure out. As I let out a frustrated sigh, Sylvia nodded as if she had expected this.

“Perhaps we could obtain a clue from the person who inherited the caster’s magic.”

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.