Chapter 22: The Gap Between Happiness and Tragedy (3)

 [To Tehis,

I’m sorry about last time. I left so suddenly, didn’t I?

It wasn’t your fault, so I hope you don’t dwell on it. As I mentioned, I just remembered some personal matters I had forgotten.

If you have time when you’re alone, could you contact me through the pendant? It’s something secret I originally planned to tell you in person, but it got delayed again. I’m sorry once more.

I have something to tell you about the bracelet from the Kingdom of Jeren. It’s important.

Do you remember how to use the pendant? You press the protruding part on the front to open it. It only connects to me while it’s open, so keep that in mind.

If it doesn’t work properly or if you have any questions, write to me. I’ll reply as soon as I receive your letter.

Take care, and see you next time.]

Tehis sat down slowly in his chair, reading Chloe’s letter. Having just returned late at night, he hesitated, unsure if it was appropriate to contact her now.

His calloused hand fiddled with the pendant hanging around his neck. Under the moonlight, he carefully examined it, noticing the faint glow of the mana stone embedded within its geometric design.

Chloe. The object reminded him of her.

Mysterious, beautiful, and radiant.

Yet, at times, difficult to understand.

“…”

Tehis tore his gaze away from the pendant and looked out the window. The darkened sky revealed how late it was.

Unlike the bright morning when the world seemed full of light, the pitch-black silence now filled the space.

‘I don’t understand.’

Why had Chloe cried? Why had she reacted that way? Why hadn’t she explained anything…?

Tehis’s lips tightened. The image of Chloe silently shedding tears, without even making a sound, was still vividly clear in his mind.

He remembered how she had opened her mouth several times as if to speak but bit her lips instead. How she avoided meeting his eyes and how unsteady her breathing was—behavior so unlike her.

Her sorrowful expression had been painful to witness. It was an unfamiliar sensation for him.

Tehis felt hurt by Chloe’s tears.

By his inability to comfort her. By not knowing why she was crying. By her refusal to share her reasons with him.

Simply put, the fact that the person he loved was crying.

It felt like an icy dagger had pierced a corner of his heart.

It had been a long time since he had felt such cold helplessness.

“Ha…”

Tehis let out a deep sigh, rubbing his tired eyes. Even while attending to his duties, Chloe’s image kept surfacing in his mind, making his day far less productive.

And how could it not? After all, they had parted ways without him being able to comfort her.

Just when he had been trying his hardest to console her, his aide had interrupted with his schedule. The memory of Chloe walking away without giving him a chance to stop her was burned into his mind.

He had wanted to hold her back, but she hadn’t given him the opportunity. She had vanished with magic, leaving him feeling utterly hollow.

His heart had remained empty as he forced himself to finish his work and return, which he had just done. Nothing had gone smoothly that day; everything had dragged on endlessly.

‘A voice-connection artifact…’

Tehis brushed his thumb over the pendant before letting it go. Since it was late at night, he refrained from contacting her, fearing he might lose his composure during their conversation.

Instead of addressing the matter she had mentioned, he would likely end up questioning her about her tears. Even if he tried to respect her wishes, he knew that’s how it would turn out.

So, he opted to write a letter instead. He picked up a quill and dipped it in ink with practiced ease.

[Chloe.]

His hand, which had written her name, paused. He stared at the word, unmoving, as if it were a period rather than a name.

Just three syllables. Yet, merely looking at it made his heart race. It was a name both powerful and beautiful.

<Just call me Chloe. You don’t need to add ‘Miss.’ If you must create a nickname, maybe ‘Loe’ would work?>

Thinking back, she called him Tess, but he had never used a nickname for her. At first, it had been unfamiliar, but now he felt her name alone was enough.

Chloe. 

When he pronounced it, the sensation of his tongue touching the roof of his mouth and then falling away was vivid. His lips rounded at ‘Lo’ and spread at ‘E.’

Chloe. 

When he spoke it faster, the sound of his tongue separating from the roof of his mouth made a ‘click.’ It reminded him of the sound she made when snapping her fingers.

Chloe. 

The memories of their time together, their adventures, her warmth, and her comfort naturally surfaced.

Ah, Chloe.

“Chloe…”

Tehis murmured her name, his low voice echoing hoarsely.

The day before had been his birthday. It had only been two days since they started their genuine relationship.

At a time when he should have been happiest, his lover’s unexpected tears had brought his world to a halt. It hurt all the more because Chloe was such a strong person.

Was she still crying now? Was something serious happening? Was there truly nothing I could do for her?

If only she would tell him the reason. The frustration weighing on his chest refused to dissipate. A mix of disappointment and concern filled his mind.

He wanted to set aside all thoughts of war preparations and deployments and go to the Mage Tower to see her immediately. There was so much he wanted to ask and say. At the very least, he wanted to comfort her, even if just a little.

After all, Chloe had always been a source of comfort for him.

But he couldn’t. Burdened by the responsibilities of the North, which leaned heavily on him, he had no choice but to move forward.

It was a suffocating chain. Though it was an obligation imposed by others, it had also been his driving force before he met Chloe.

Because of this, he didn’t know what words to use to reclaim the opportunity for the questions he had missed.

“…”

Tehis stared blankly at the letter paper before setting the quill down. Though even the Emperor no longer scared him, the thought of ruining his relationship with Chloe through his clumsiness terrified him.

Look at him now. Unable to decide what to do, frozen in place.

He feared that his desire to help might be purely selfish. He worried that if he acted wrongly, she might distance herself even further.

The more he cherished Chloe, the more afraid he became.

“Damn it…”

Tehis muttered a rare curse. The suffocating feeling in his chest refused to go away.

‘When did I become such a coward?’

Neither the looming specter of death in war nor obvious traps could deter him. Depending on the outcome of his private meeting with Duke Fernand, he was even prepared to drag the continent’s highest authority down to the ground.

And yet, here he was, unable to write a single letter, wallowing in such a pitiful state.

Tehis picked up the quill again. With determination, he dipped it in black ink and began to write.

The lights in his office remained on for a long time.

***

[Chloe.

I apologize for checking your letter late. Since it’s late at night, I decided to write a reply instead of using the pendant.

By the time you receive this, it will likely be morning. I’m not sure when you’ll wake up, but please contact me through the pendant at a time convenient for conversation.

You don’t need to worry about others overhearing. I can relocate immediately when you reach out.

There are many things I’d like to ask, but I won’t. Please speak first whenever you feel ready or find it necessary.

However, there is something I want you to know.

No matter the sacrifice, I will help you, so I hope you won’t bear your burdens alone when something happens.

Do you remember what you said before? In the Imperial Garden. Even though it was due to a misunderstanding, you said you were upset that I took it upon myself to shoulder burdens alone or to tell obvious lies.

I feel the same way. More precisely, I feel sorrow when I am not allowed to help you.

From a mage’s perspective, an ordinary human may seem weak. But Chloe, I am one of the strongest on the continent. I am also the Empire’s only Grand Duke.

Beyond all that, am I not the man you chose?

I would be delighted if you could place just a little more trust in me. I hope for the chance to repay the happiness you have given me.

I’ll be waiting for your response.

Wishing for your peace.

Tehis Escalante]

Delicate fingers slowly traced the long letter. Downward, downward, endlessly, until the index finger stopped at the man’s name.

Tehis Escalante. His signature was larger and slanted compared to the main text.

It was also the name that the owner of the fingers had unwittingly engraved into her heart.

“…….”

Chloe looked away from the letter. When she turned her head to the side, sunlight announcing the morning seeped through the gaps in the curtains.

She hadn’t woken up early today. She simply hadn’t slept at all and was still awake.

Rather than waiting for contact, she couldn’t sleep for various reasons and had spent the night training in her private magic practice room. The letter was the first thing she received upon returning.

“Tehis……”

Chloe felt as though she had lost her way. She was distressed, sorrowful, resentful, and regretful.

Of these, melancholy occupied the largest portion.

What did it matter that Tehis was a top-tier Sword Expert and the Empire’s Grand Duke? Even being a Senior Mage herself was nothing more than the flicker of a firefly in the face of destiny.

It wasn’t simply about the Mage Tower Master’s foresight.

Grand Mage Isrion. He possessed the power to turn the future he desired into reality among countless possibilities.

And he would never stand by and let the Mage Tower lose its position as his first priority.