Chapter 3: Founding Anniversary Festival (6)

Chloe, who had fallen to the floor in Tehis’s arms, opened her eyes wide at the loud noise she heard nearby.

Instinctively securing her vision, she saw a massive chandelier had fallen where she had been standing. Looking up at the ceiling, she noticed a small dagger embedded as if someone had deliberately cut the cord.

“Chloe, are you alright?”

“Ah.”

The mage’s eyes twitched. Suppressing her rising anger, she smiled sweetly and stood up with the Grand Duke’s help.

“I’m fine. Thank you, Tess. That was a close call.”

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“But it looks like you’re hurt.”

She noticed a shallow cut on the side of his neck, likely from glass shards. He probably had small fragments lodged in his back and legs as well, but he simply brushed off his outer garment without a care.

“This is nothing. We should leave now.”

“Ah… yes.”

Chloe gave a crooked smile. As she irritably brushed her hair back, even the cumbersome accessories didn’t help her.

Her temper, close to hot-blooded, was rising to an irritating point, even if her triggers differed from those of ordinary people.

“Chloe, are you alright? I was so shocked when the surviving assassin threw a dagger at you.”

“I’m fine, Princess. Instead of coming here, you should hurry and leave.”

“We’ll go together. Aren’t you as important as I am?”

Helena’s cheerful words began to ease Chloe’s mood.

Boom!

“Ahhh!!”

“It’s collapsing……!”

With a loud explosion, one side of the wall finally crumbled. Not just the wall, but the entire building seemed to be shaking as if it was meant to be demolished.

The ceiling tilted dangerously as if it would collapse any moment. Amidst the panic, knights were seen running against the flow to escort the Princess out.

“Your Highness!!”

“Run quickly!”

Chloe, following the pale Helena who was pulling her hand, nearly tripped over rubble. As Tehis caught her staggering waist to support her, a nearby wall exploded.

Bang!

“No!!”

As the most important person was swept up in the explosion, the knights’ cries of despair echoed. The dust was so thick that it was hard to see clearly.

As they hurriedly approached, frantically searching for the princess, a strange scene appeared before their eyes.

Large fragments were suspended in mid-air, exactly as they had been blown apart.

“Ha.”

Chloe let out a short breath and slowly stroked Tehis’s back. Fortunately, this time she wasn’t too late, and she could prevent new injuries.

Realizing the situation, Tehis carefully released her and called out.

“Chloe.”

“No need to thank me. I’m fine, but not really fine.”

Chloe preemptively answered what he was about to say.

All her efforts to dress up had gone to waste. The palace terror attack seemed to involve her childhood friend. Someone had targeted her, almost injuring her. Her contract lover had bled because of her. She got caught in an explosion in a collapsing palace.

“How annoying…”

She had tried to stay out of trouble, but it had caught up to her.

A crooked smile appeared on her face as she raised one hand slowly.

Mana waves, resonating with the mage’s will, spread throughout the building.

「Command thee, protect. Shield. Earth, rise and support.」

With each word of the rune language, a strange wave occurred, making her purple hair ripple. The language, absorbed widely into the banquet hall, created miracles moment by moment. While a translucent barrier blocked attacks, the earth rose to fill the collapsed parts of the building.

As the ceiling, which had been tilting in real-time, stopped moving, Chloe turned her gaze to the Princess.

“Your Highness, would you like to make a verbal contract?”

Helena, who had been watching her with a blank face since the magic was first manifested, shook her head to regain her senses.

“What kind of contract?”

At the Princess’s question, Chloe raised one corner of her mouth. If the attackers’ primary goal was to destroy this building, she intended to give them a big mess in return.

Of course, like a mage who doesn’t lose out, she intended to get everything she could.

“If I restore this place to its original state, can I take a few useful items from the Imperial treasury?”

“……! Can you restore it?”

“Mages don’t speak of impossibilities.”

“Then please do! I have the authority to take out up to two items, but if that’s not enough, I’ll get more from Crown Prince Kaishan.”

Chloe liked the Princess’s confident mention of the Crown Prince’s share.

Her bubbling frustration eased, and with at least three treasures from the royal family.

‘It’s the best deal, isn’t it?’

Licking her lips lightly, Chloe motioned for the people watching her to step back.

“Move away from the walls if you don’t want to get hurt.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Red Griffins, go out and deal with the remaining attackers!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Ignoring the people moving quickly, she took a deep breath. It had been a while since she used such high-level magic, causing a bit of tension and excitement.

“Don’t overdo it.”

A low voice came from nearby. Chloe smiled at Tehis, who always looked at her the same way.

“Of course not. Watch closely, Tess. See what kind of mage your lover is.”

She gathered all the mana from her brightly glowing earrings and activated her core. She engraved, spread, mixed, and fixed her unique pattern. She overlaid her new will onto the already dominated surrounding mana and stamped her foot.

From her position, light spread in all directions, drawing a giant magic circle on the ballroom floor.

「Time of objects. Memory of space. I seek the lost pieces, restore the previous state.」

The long sentence passed through the mana enveloping the building and was absorbed into the magic circle.

Starting from the vibrating floor, the broken parts began to be restored one by one.

The collapsed wall, the burning door, the tilting ceiling—all regained their former glory as the white light passed over them.

“Wow…….”

Someone’s admiration echoed in the completed hall.

Even the Princess, watching with awe, was not an exception. The sheer scale of it made her body tremble.

‘Unbelievable.’

Helena felt that Chloe’s magic was extraordinary. Common sense dictated that while breaking something was easy, restoration was difficult. She had expected simple repairs by piecing together fallen fragments, but to turn back the very time of the palace?

<One of the most complex magics involves manipulating space-time. It’s not easy to combine invisible concepts unless you separate time and space.>

<Can even high-ranking mages not do it?>

<Well, maybe if they’re exceptionally skilled in that area…… but it would be difficult without the sensitivity of an elder. Haha.>

Recalling her memories with the mage she met as a child, Helena’s gaze turned to Chloe. The woman who had done something incredible looked slightly tired but was standing firmly on her feet.

“It turned out better than I expected.”

Chloe smiled with satisfaction at the cleanly restored building. The effort of setting up the magic circle for fine-tuning had paid off.

‘Now, I should get my reward.’

Turning to the princess, she paused at the gaze directed at her. The overly sparkling eyes were pouring hearts at her, to the point of being burdensome.

“Miss Chloe!”

“Ah, yes?”

It was natural to hear an honorific, but it felt awkward coming from the Princess.

‘Didn’t she say she only used honorifics for the Emperor and the Crown Prince?’

Chloe found Helena, who suddenly acted like a fervent admirer, both absurd and cute. Earlier, she wanted to be friends, but it seemed she had changed direction since then.

‘Whatever she wants, I don’t know.’

Luckily, she didn’t have to guess as the Princess, holding her hands, spoke up.

“We don’t have to be friends.”

“Well…….”

“Instead, please marry me!”

“……?”

Chloe’s thoughts momentarily stopped.

She wasn’t the only one surprised by the Princess’s statement; those around her staggered as well.

‘What is she saying?’

The mage asked to confirm she hadn’t misheard.

“Marriage? You and me, Your Highness?”

“Yes, Miss Chloe! Let’s get married!”

“Your Highness!”

“If not, how about Crown Prince Kaishan? You two would make a perfect couple!”

The nobles, calling out to Helena, were taken aback. They were about to faint from her actions, selling out the Crown Prince.

Before Chloe could react to this ridiculous situation, a firm arm wrapped around her waist.

“Your Highness, Chloe is my woman.”

Tehis’s low voice drew a polite line. Having experienced the Princess’s persistent proposals, he felt the need to mediate.

“I know, but relationships can change anytime, can’t they?”

“I don’t think that applies to Chloe and me right now.”

“How can you be sure? It seems like it’s up to Miss Chloe.”

As the Grand Duke fell silent, having been hit where it hurt, the Princess triumphantly turned to the mage. Her demeanor seemed to boast of her victory, making Chloe smile a little.

“Didn’t you ask me to take care of Tess earlier?”

“I take it back. If I had known you were such an outstanding mage, I would have introduced my brother to you earlier, Miss Chloe. I would have thoroughly customized him to your taste!”

Shouldn’t we also consider the Crown Prince’s opinion on this?

Everyone had the same thought but no one voiced it.

“If you don’t like Crown Prince Kaishan, there are other brothers. Come to the Imperial Family instead of the precarious North! I’ll provide all the materials and research places you want, the Imperial Library, the man of your dreams, and anything else you need.”

“Oh.”

She’s coming on quite strong, isn’t she?

Feeling uneasy at Chloe’s exclamation, Tehis looked down at her. Surely the mage wouldn’t break the contract first, but even he thought the Princess’s offer was too good.

It was certainly better than anything the North could provide.

“Chloe.”

“Yes, darling? Are you worried I’ll leave you?”

Her cheerful voice showed no hint of her true feelings. Though she had always been like this, Tehis found her particularly frustrating today and remained silent.

Caught in a dilemma of knowing he should do something but not knowing what, he recalled their past conversations. The only thing he had over the Imperial Family was the information about Chloe.

Or, what she found favorable in him.

After pondering, Tehis finally spoke. The reason she claimed to love him was clear.

“I……”

But do I really have to say this? Was this really the best option?

Unable to complete his sentence, Tehis finally covered his face with his other hand. He couldn’t bear to look at her while stammering out his words.

“I am…… cuter.”