To the One Who Doesn’t Love Me - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Rachel left the mansion and boarded the carriage.

“We’ll depart now.”

As soon as the coachman finished speaking, the carriage began moving forward.

Rachel crossed her arms, leaned back against the seat, and quietly closed her eyes.

Her body swayed with each bump of the carriage wheels.

‘I wonder if the Tears of Licorice might be among the items at the Magic Tower?’

This was the reason Rachel was visiting the Magic Tower today.

The Magic Tower had been working on separating magical artifacts with transparent jewels as Rachel had requested.

And finally, the classification work had been completed and reported to Rachel.

[Hard to say. We’ll just have to go see for ourselves.]

Rachel sincerely hoped the Tears of Licorice would be discovered right away.

After riding in the carriage for quite some time, they finally arrived at the Magic Tower.

When Rachel stepped out of the carriage, a staff member who had come to greet her immediately guided her to the magical artifact repository located inside the Magic Tower.

Upon arriving at the repository, the staff member lightly knocked on the door and opened it for Rachel to enter.

Rachel slowly walked inside. And waiting for her there was someone familiar to her.

“Welcome, Rachel.”

“Edward!”

Edward, who had been inside the magical artifact repository, greeted her warmly.

Rachel welcomed him with pleasure, not expecting to meet him here.

“What brings you here?”

When Rachel asked, Edward smiled and began to speak.

“I happened to have some business at the Magic Tower, and I heard you were visiting. So I thought I’d stop by to see you, and also help you if there was anything I could do to assist.”

Rachel smiled gently at Edward’s kind words.

Edward had always shown kindness to her in any timeline, and Rachel found him both comforting and reliable.

“Why don’t we first check if that item you’re looking for is here?”

“Sounds good.”

Rachel followed Edward’s suggestion and headed to where the magical artifacts were organized.

“The items you requested are prepared over here. Take a look.”

Edward pointed to a space with several display cases. Rachel nodded and slowly began examining the items.

‘Creon, check them out.’

[I’m on it.]

Creon had said that Rachel would recognize the Tears of Licorice when she saw them, but since she had never seen them before, she couldn’t hastily conclude which one it was.

So she remained quiet to allow Creon to confirm whether any of them were truly the Tears of Licorice.

As she carefully examined each item, time gradually passed.

She had examined magical artifacts like this when she became an imperial mage, but Creon seemed more focused this time than before.

It was probably because the Magic Tower housed more types and quantities of magical artifacts than the Imperial Palace.

Rachel also concentrated her mind to sense the mana from each item, examining everything with the utmost care.

Edward and the Magic Tower staff quietly stepped back to allow Rachel to examine the items comfortably.

How much time had passed like this?

[…No. It’s not here.]

Creon spoke in a disappointed voice after thoroughly checking all the items prepared by the Magic Tower.

Rachel paused at the sound and put down the artifact she had been holding.

‘So it’s not here after all.’

She hadn’t expected to find it right away, but nonetheless, the absence of the Tears of Licorice among the many artifacts before her brought great disappointment.

When Rachel put the item back down and let out a heavy sigh, Edward felt sorry for her.

It wasn’t his fault that the item she was looking for wasn’t there, but seeing Rachel disappointed made him uncomfortable.

“…Not there?”

Edward approached carefully and asked.

Rachel finally looked up and turned her gaze toward Edward. Then, with a bitter expression, she nodded.

“No, it’s not here.”

“…”

Edward smiled wryly at Rachel’s confirmation. Rachel, who had withdrawn her gaze from him, turned to the Magic Tower staff.

“If you find any items that match the conditions I mentioned, would you please show them to me first?”

“Yes. The Tower Master has already given such instructions.”

When the staff member replied with a friendly smile, Rachel recalled Randolph, whom she had met previously.

“Please convey my thanks to the Tower Master as well.”

“Yes, I will deliver your message.”

“Thank you.”

After finishing her words, Rachel turned around.

“Are you leaving now?”

“I should. I’ve finished my business here. Besides, Erika has been feeling lonely, so I want to get back quickly.”

“Then may I escort you to the entrance?”

“Yes, please do.”

When Rachel agreed, Edward extended his hand toward her.

Rachel looked at his hand for a moment before placing her own on top of it.

Edward gently enclosed her hand in his. Then he slowly began to escort her.

“It’s a shame the Tears of Licorice wasn’t there. It would have been nice if it was.”

“Indeed.”

Rachel answered with a small sigh.

“But you’re searching so diligently, I’m sure you’ll find it soon.”

“Thank you for saying that. I still have plenty of time, so I’ll keep looking slowly. I’m also gathering information about the Tears of Licorice.”

After saying that, Rachel suddenly remembered that she was supposed to receive related documents from Edward.

“By the way, could I borrow those documents you mentioned last time tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Erika seemed to be feeling cooped up at home yesterday, so I contacted Viola separately and planned to visit the Hestein mansion.”

“So you already have plans with Viola. I see. Then I’ll prepare them so you can take them tomorrow. But as I mentioned before, there’s hardly any information beyond what I already told you. You should keep that in mind.”

“That’s fine. I just want to confirm it with my own eyes.”

“Alright.”

“Thank you, as always.”

Rachel sincerely expressed her gratitude to Edward. No matter how much she thought about it, mere words of thanks seemed insufficient for Edward.

Regardless of the timeline, he had always shown sincere kindness to Rachel and granted her requests without hesitation.

He consistently maintained the same attitude even toward Rachel, who had changed after multiple regressions.

“It’s nothing, really.”

Edward denied Rachel’s words and showed a humble attitude.

Rachel glanced at Edward once before smiling.

“No. You may not know it now, Edward, but you’ve helped me tremendously.”

“I have? Really?”

“Yes.”

When Rachel nodded and answered, Edward smiled bitterly.

“I don’t know what you mean, but I’m glad I could be of help.”

The conversation paused briefly. Because of this, only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Unlike Rachel, who wasn’t particularly bothered by the silence, Edward kept glancing at her, trying to gauge her mood. Rachel noticed his gaze but recognized the emotions behind it, so she didn’t find it unpleasant.

“Are you worried about me?”

Rachel asked Edward directly.

Edward was momentarily taken aback because he hadn’t expected such a direct question, but he soon nodded in affirmation.

“I suppose I am.”

“In what way?”

“Everything. Your relationship with Tervan, and also about the person connected to that demon you said helped you.”

Edward briefly bit his upper lip before continuing.

“I know you’re a strong person, Rachel. I’ve been watching you closely. But somehow, I feel you seem too precarious now. More than ever before.”

“Me?”

Rachel opened her eyes wide, as this was something she had never considered.

“I hope it’s just my unfounded worry, but if you ever face difficult times or encounter something too overwhelming to handle.”

Edward stopped walking. Rachel also stopped, following his lead.

Edward’s teal eyes settled calmly.

“I hope you won’t hesitate to talk to someone around you who can help. Viola… honestly, she’s my sister, but she’s not very reliable. Still, she’s your friend, so if you tell her, she’ll listen sincerely and try to find a solution together. Or I’m available too.”

When Viola was mentioned, Rachel held back a slight laugh. And by the time Edward finished speaking, she wore a gentle smile.

“I don’t have anything as difficult as you described yet. So you don’t need to worry. But when I do face truly difficult times, may I come to you, Edward?”

Rachel pressed her lips together, waiting for Edward’s answer.

He looked into Rachel’s eyes for a moment before nodding.

“Anytime, and as much as you need.”

Only after their conversation ended did Rachel and Edward reach the main entrance of the Magic Tower.

Edward remained standing at the entrance, watching Rachel’s departure until her carriage pulled away.