Chapter 22: The Gap Between Happiness and Tragedy (1)

The entirety of Escalante’s tragedy began with the birth of Tehis.

A child who should never have been born to the Empress. An unwanted illegitimate child of the Duke of Escalante.

He incurred the wrath of both the Emperor and the Duke simply by existing.

<If only you hadn’t been born…!>

When the former head of the household was still alive, Tehis hated his birthday the most out of all the days in the year. It wasn’t until later that he learned it wasn’t even his real birthday. During the New Year’s festival, he never stepped out of his room.

If he caught his father’s attention, he might genuinely be killed.

He realized this when he was ten. The Duke had returned from the capital in a fury and was trying to calm his anger alone.

Tehis, having written a letter of gratitude for giving him life as his tutor had taught him, approached the Duke. He was beaten senseless. No potion was given to him, and he faintly remembered being bedridden for days before finally regaining consciousness.

His body recovered, but something inside him broke. He endured the daily abuse as if it were inertia, not knowing why he was born or why he was alive.

No matter how much of an only heir he was, no servant dared openly care for a child who had fallen out of the Duke’s favor. Even those who initially pitied him eventually turned their backs or disappeared under duress.

Thus, Tehis reached adulthood without ever celebrating his birthday.

Instead, he only heard curses about his birth.

Afterward, he lived on the battlefield. Though his father died and the war ended, leading to many changes and developments, he still didn’t hold birthday parties. He didn’t even think he should.

It was just the first day of the New Year. A day he wanted to rest quietly in his room. A day when he was a little kinder to himself as a form of compensation.

That one simple day was completely turned upside down.

<From now on, January 1st will be remembered not as the New Year but as your birthday. It will become a day you love even more.>

Tehis didn’t know what to say. While receiving congratulations was one thing, hearing someone say they were thankful he was born was utterly unfamiliar.

It didn’t even need to go that far. Hearing the woman he cherished confess that she liked him romantically felt like a distant cloud.

To him, Chloe was like that. An existence so beautiful it seemed too surreal to be real, like a mirage or a rainbow that might vanish if he reached out.

Was it magic? Whether he was wandering in a dream or seeing an illusion, Tehis couldn’t let her go. Even just this morning, he had thought about it multiple times.

Though he knew he would eventually have to let her go, he couldn’t just stand back and watch. He wanted to feel, with his entire being, that she was a real, living person.

He wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her, and share nights with her. He wanted to fully bask in the moments when she was his alone.

It didn’t necessarily have to involve physical contact. Sharing small stories and living their daily lives together was enough.

Eating together, reading together, walking together, dancing together… anything would do.

Tehis wanted to cherish every moment he spent with Chloe. He wanted to keep them going.

It went beyond simply valuing her. It wasn’t just about liking her or being fond of her.

Now he knew.

Tehis Escalante loved Chloe, the Senior Mage.

…It was a tragedy.

“Chloe.”

“Yes, Tehis.”

He wanted to ask her. What he needed to do to make her leave the Mage Tower and come to him. If she had even the slightest inclination to do so.

But he didn’t ask. He wasn’t masochistic enough to hear the rejection he could already predict. Nor did he want to recklessly act and ruin things.

Instead, he recalled her words.

She had said it was unfair that she didn’t know when she started falling for him. That, without realizing it, he had become her ideal type.

If that were the case, wouldn’t it be worth aiming for more? If he could win Chloe over completely, making her love him more than the Mage Tower. As long as the scales didn’t tip entirely in the other direction.

Then, wouldn’t it be possible?

‘But how?’

Tehis was inexperienced when it came to handling emotions and relationships. Chloe was his first love, and he had never approached anyone romantically before.

Though he had referred to a few romance novels when their fake relationship began, that was it. He had barely learned basic manners, let alone grasped the concept of push and pull.

The only thing he could do was…

“Thank you. Thanks to you, this has been the best birthday of my life.”

“That’s a relief…”

“And as expected, I really like you. I don’t even know exactly when it started.”

Expressing his feelings directly. Such a manner of speech closely resembled Chloe’s.

It was probably because he had learned it from her.

“You are my true ideal type. I’m not talking about the outward appearance I mentioned publicly. I’ve come to like every aspect that makes you who you are.”

It wasn’t because she looked the opposite of the Princess. By now, her appearance was merely an additional factor.

Her kindness, the warmth she exuded with her casual smiles, her passion when focused on her work.

Her playful flirting, sharp wit, cheerful laughter, gentle comfort, and incredible magic…

There was no end to the list of things he liked about her. Chloe was an unbelievably lovable woman.

How could he not love her?

“If there is such a thing as destiny, it must be that I’ve come to hold you in my heart.”

Tehis thought so. Perhaps all of this had been predestined.

The fact that Chloe looked entirely different from the Princess. The mix-up on the day she was supposed to meet someone else. Their reunion at the Mage Tower on the same day she had helped him and disappeared.

The progression of their relationship after signing a romantic contract, leading to the present—all of it couldn’t simply be dismissed as coincidence. If it were, then destiny didn’t exist in this world.

“From now on, I’ll probably come to like my birthday, too. In fact, every day feels that way, Chloe. Every day feels new when I’m with you. I feel alive, not just letting life pass me by.”

Even now, he could hear the steady thump of his heartbeat. It was a sound he never heard when he was alone.

Thus, Tehis didn’t find it entirely bleak to love a mage. Without her, his life wouldn’t have been this vibrant, nor would he have felt happiness.

That’s why he wanted to hold on to her. Expressing his feelings was the most he could do.

Tehis pulled Chloe’s hand to his left chest. Pressing the back of her hand firmly, he let her feel the beating of his heart.

“It’s yours. It beats only for you. I’ll say it again—I like you…”

His repeated confession was silenced by soft lips. After a kiss that wasn’t short, Chloe mumbled softly.

Her face was tinged with a peculiar red, as if she were ticklish.

“I get it, so stop talking.”

Tehis gladly obeyed her request.

Instead, he moved his body.

* * *

The sun set, and the black night arrived. A blue-violet galaxy unfolded across the sky.

And so, the first day of the New Year, Tehis’s birthday, came to an end.

A new morning dawned.

“Tehis…”

“I’m here.”

At Chloe’s hoarse voice, Tehis naturally handed her a potion. He had prepared it in advance before going to sleep, just in case.

She let out a faint laugh as she took the bottle from his hand, as if she had been waiting for it. Ignoring the strange sense of familiarity, she first downed the potion. She wanted to quickly rid herself of the soreness that throbbed even with the slightest movement.

Gulp, gulp. The liquid flowed down her throat and spread throughout her body. Her stiff, aching muscles instantly relaxed, leaving her feeling languid.

“Phew…”

Now she could finally breathe again.

Chloe wiped her mouth and glanced sideways. She frowned at the sight of the knight who remained perfectly fine.

Noticing her gaze, a related suggestion came up.

“Shouldn’t you exercise regularly?”

“I admit I’m not very strong, but don’t you think you overdid it?”

Chloe retorted, exasperated. How many times had she begged him to stop when she was utterly exhausted? Each time, he would give her a brief respite before resuming with relentless intensity.

‘This is mage abuse.’

Of course, she had enjoyed it too…

She lay back down, moving sluggishly from the aftermath of hours of intense physical activity. Today, she just wanted to rest all day without thinking.

Seeing her completely unwilling to move, Tehis hummed thoughtfully.

“Then let’s have our meal brought here.”

“I don’t want to eat.”

“How about some light fruit?”

“I don’t want to get up.”

“I’m worried you’re too thin, Chloe.”

“I’m average for a mage, you know? You’re just… too thick. I mean, your body. Don’t judge me by the standards of a robust knight.”

Chloe quickly added the last words. The same term had come up multiple times the previous night, making her awkwardly change the subject.

“…”

“…”

“Then I’ll just order something to drink.”

“Okay.”

* * *

Tehis’s bed was magically cleaned by Chloe, so there was no need to call a maid. Wrapped in soft, fluffy blankets, they spent a peaceful morning. Before noon, they washed up and left the room.

“You said you’d be busy this afternoon, right? If you’re going to work right after lunch, tell me now.”

“Yes, Chloe. But first, there’s something I’d like you to see.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s go to the office.”

The two entered a quiet space. Tehis, one step ahead, closed the curtains and turned to his desk.

Click, click. Unlocking the last drawer, he took something out.

Chloe squinted slightly at the silver object.

“This is…”