Chapter 3: Founding Anniversary Festival (4)

“Glory to the shining star of Superia. I am delighted to finally introduce her to you, Your Highness.”

“Enough with the pleasantries. So, you’re Chloe, right?”

“Yes, Princess. Nice to see you again. I’m Chloe from the Mage Tower.”

Though she hadn’t introduced herself, Chloe responded to the gaze that turned to her as her name was mentioned first.

The Princess, who was staring at her with a slight smile, abruptly asked as if to confirm.

“You’re a high-ranking mage?”

Chloe blinked. She hadn’t expected such a direct and informal tone, especially after mentioning her affiliation with the Mage Tower.

‘Are all royals like this these days?’

Before she could respond, a gentle reprimand came from behind the Princess.

“You should use formal language, Helena. I apologize, Miss Chloe. Please understand that the Princess is still young and lacks maturity.”

“Only in your eyes, Your Highness. Haven’t I said that the only ones I should speak formally to are His Majesty and Your Highness?”

“That won’t do. You can’t live as you please forever.”

Seeing the Princess, who seemed infinitely arrogant, pout her lips made her look indeed young.

‘I heard she came of age a few years ago…… but I don’t know her exact age.’

Twenty-one? Twenty-two?

Chloe pushed aside her sidetracked thoughts and smiled gently.

“I don’t mind. As long as the Crown Prince respects me, I’m satisfied.”

The two royals’ eyes turned to her. It was hard to tell if she was subtly shaming the Princess for using informal language while the Crown Prince was polite or if she genuinely didn’t mind, with her bright and ambiguous expression.

Before they could react, Tehis wrapped his arm around Chloe’s shoulder and spoke first.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness the Crown Prince. You didn’t seem to come for me, so do you have business with my lady?”

Chloe whistled inwardly.

‘He’s really emphasizing this, huh?’

Not missing the opportunity, she hugged Tehis’s waist and looked up at him with a smile.

“Darling, aren’t you being too cautious? Just because I talk to another man doesn’t mean I’ll fall for him.”

Tehis, who suddenly became seriously jealous, stiffened.

Kaishan, who was treated as another man for the first time, also froze.

Helena, who had experienced worse situations, was the first to recover from the shock.

“Why is a mage from the Mage Tower dating the Grand Duke?”

“Because we’re in love?”

Responding directly to the straightforward question left the Princess speechless.

Seeing her indescribable expression, Chloe explained lightly.

“Isn’t Tess adorable? He looks cold but gets flustered with a little teasing, does everything I ask without complaining, and is so considerate without showing off. He fits my ideal type perfectly, so I couldn’t help but fall for him.”

Who? The Grand Duke? That Tehis Escalante?

‘And why is your first ideal type like that?’

The Princess was at a loss for where to start criticizing. The initial meeting was shocking enough, but this woman, whom she had met in person, was an extraordinary eccentric.

‘I knew mages weren’t usually normal, but…….’

While the golden-haired siblings shared a common thought, the Grand Duke responded.

“I don’t recall ever being flustered.”

“Don’t you know your ears turn red when we kiss? And how you stiffen every time I touch you?”

“……!!”

The surrounding people were shocked, and Tehis fell silent.

Unlike him, who felt wronged because they had never actually kissed, Chloe was sincere. She vividly remembered his slightly flushed ears after she had lightly bitten and sucked on his neck.

‘Yes, it was cute.’

Smiling slyly, she turned her gaze to the Crown Prince, who had missed his chance to speak due to the unexpected turn of events. Tehis had said that so far, only the Princess had visited him but an unexpected companion had joined.

“So, what brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Oh, I apologize. I was surprised by your boldness.”

“That’s just how I am.”

Acknowledging it cleanly, Kaishan laughed and brought up the reason for following the Princess.

“I couldn’t contain my curiosity when I heard that the Grand Duke of Escalante was dating a high-ranking mage. My sister spoke so much about you that I came to introduce myself.”

“You know my relationship with Tess has nothing to do with the Mage Tower, right?”

“Of course. But you, Miss Chloe, are a highly valuable individual on your own.”

Chloe thought Kaishan’s gaze resembled that of a predator eyeing its prey.

‘Wasn’t there a rumor that the Crown Prince is obsessed with collecting talented individuals?’

He was so famous that she couldn’t help but hear about him. Especially since the Imperial Family’s requests to the Mage Tower were high, she heard even more.

She had heard that he was always scheming to bring mages into the Empire, but she never thought she would be the target.

Chloe clicked her tongue inwardly, feeling annoyed. She hated troublesome things and wanted to leave quickly.

“Your Highness, why are you talking about me!”

“Calm down, Helena. There’s no harm in showing interest.”

“Well, that may be true……!”

Helena’s voice, pulling Kaishan back and whispering, was small. Her eyes, which had briefly glanced at Chloe, quickly turned elsewhere.

“……?”

What was that just now?

The mage, unable to interpret the fleeting expression, tilted her head. She had thought earlier that the Princess’s gaze lacked hostility, unlike that of a rival.

If anything, it was more like……

“Your Highness!”

The mage’s thoughts were interrupted by an Imperial Knight who rushed in urgently. Pale-faced, he whispered an urgent message to Kaishan.

With his keen senses, Tehis heard the message, and both his and the Crown Prince’s faces hardened instantly.

“Please excuse me for a moment. Helena, take care of things here.”

“Your Highness?”

Ignoring the Princess’s call, Kaishan hurriedly left with the knight, looking very urgent. He might have even looked angry.

Chloe, feeling the grip on her shoulder tighten, looked at Tehis to see what was going on. But the man, tightly shutting his mouth, showed no signs of speaking.

‘Should I have eavesdropped too?’

Feeling uneasy, Chloe looked around. Thinking about it, it was strange that no other royals had appeared and that the banquet hadn’t started yet. Their plan to greet the Princess and then move to the terrace after the Emperor’s speech was completely ruined.

As she thought things were taking an odd turn, Helena cleared her throat to draw attention.

“High-ranking mage Chloe. I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, Princess. What do you want to know?”

So, it’s finally come to this. 

Chloe braced herself and faced the Princess. Although she had prepared various scenarios for her relationship with the Grand Duke, none were perfect, so she decided to push through shamelessly.

‘It would be nice if she let it slide easily.’

What kind of question would it be? ‘How did you meet? Since when have you been dating? When will you get married?’ Or would she throw a tantrum about not wanting to lose the Grand Duke?

As Chloe, with a smiling face, pondered, the Princess took a step closer. With her lips tightly sealed, she looked tense. She even seemed somewhat hesitant.

‘What’s going on?’

The Princess’s unusual demeanor made Chloe raise an eyebrow. She couldn’t grasp what she was about to say.

Facing Chloe, Helena finally closed and opened her eyes tightly. The words that came out of her mouth were completely unexpected.

“How can I become your friend?”

“……Friend?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Chloe asked again in bewilderment. She had braced herself for criticism, but wanting to be friends? The Princess’s attitude towards her hadn’t been particularly friendly, making it all the more surprising.

‘Well, her attitude wasn’t exactly bad……?’

Though she had started with informal language and a somewhat high-handed tone, there wasn’t a nuance of dislike or contempt.

But still, asking a rival how to become friends seemed strange.

‘What’s her true motive?’

Seeing Chloe’s puzzled expression, Helena explained.

“I’m not saying we should be friends right away. I’m aware that I might not be valuable enough to you as a mage. That’s why I’m asking. Do I need to match your intellectual level to be friends? If not, do I still have a chance?”

Chloe blinked. The Princess’s words, subtly showing a good understanding of mages, were surprising.

No, the entire conversation itself was surprising.

‘I hadn’t anticipated this kind of situation.’

She glanced at Tehis. He, too, seemed unprepared for this, only giving an awkward shake of his head.

Finally, facing Helena again, Chloe asked the fundamental question.

“Why do you want to be my friend?”

“Well…….”

Helena hesitated for a moment. Unsure where to start, she mumbled.

“……Because I like you…….”

“Pardon?”

The Princess’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. Under her dazzling golden hair, her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Helena Harpeon. As the only Princess of the Superia Empire, she had met a high-ranking mage when she was young. It was an elderly mage whom the Emperor had painstakingly invited for his daughter, who loved fairy tales.

Having come to the palace while tidying up his life before death, he was, in the eyes of the little Princess, the wisest and most knowledgeable person. His personality was so good that he warmly laughed off the child’s rude behavior.

Though aged, he still played with various magic, captivating Helena.

She learned many things from the old man. The principles of magic, the origins of the Mage Tower, the scenery of the Sky Island, and even the general characteristics of mages. The more she learned, the more she was captivated by the stories, leading her to admire mages.

When he suddenly disappeared within a few months, she was left with an unfulfilled longing.

Feeling betrayed, she cried all day and even learned the sword, which was the opposite of magic.

When Helena understood death, there were no mages she could get close to. The mages painstakingly brought into the palace only performed their roles precisely, and the Mage Tower was inherently difficult to approach.

She later realized that the old man had only doted on her like a granddaughter, even avoiding visits from the Crown Prince.

That’s how mages are—a group that does only what they want.

And now, the Grand Duke was dating a mage. Not just any mage, but a high-ranking one.

Helena envied Tehis. She wanted to join the magical world he would experience with Chloe.

She wanted to be invited to the Mage Tower, ride a unicorn, and enjoy the mysterious nature of the Sky Island. Watching everyday magic was a given.

Though her relationship with Escalante was tangled due to how she had protected him in her own way, so what?

Helena chose to move forward rather than worry about external appearances as a rival.

The light sky faced the deep sunset.

“I like mages. I find the miracles you create incredibly fascinating. I want to visit the Sky Island, where the Mage Tower stands, at least once. But since I can’t force such things on you, I just want to be friends.”