Chapter 5: Invitation from the Imperial Family (1)

For some reason, Chloe and Tehis, each carrying a large stuffed toy, were heading towards the warp gate while engaging in light conversation.

“You managed to come first without using aura. Are you more muscular than you look?”

“It’s more about knowing how to use strength effectively. Arm wrestling isn’t much different.

“But why is the prize for an arm wrestling contest a dragon doll? Isn’t that a bit random?”

“That… I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s because it’s considered the most powerful creature.”

Chloe glanced at the dragon doll she was holding. The chubby and cute hatchling, far from looking strong, was staring at her with big eyes.

As long as it’s soft, that’s fine. 

She thought lightly and turned her gaze to the black panther doll Tehis was holding.

“Have you ever played with dolls?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“That’s a shame, it suits you well.”

What does? Playing with dolls? Or the black panther doll?

Tehis looked down at the black toy, puzzled by Chloe’s words. The doll she had given him, saying it suited him perfectly as soon as she won it from the roulette, was the first doll gift he had ever received.

While he was fiddling with the plush paw of the black panther instead of answering, his arm was tugged.

“Tess, look over there. That.”

Following Chloe’s gaze, he saw several small lights shooting up into the dark night sky. After a brief silence, large fireworks exploded in the sky with a ‘bang-boom.’

The two of them watched the colorful lights spread beautifully in the darkness. As Chloe watched with a curious expression, Tehis gently asked her a question.

“Is this your first time seeing fireworks?”

“I heard a mage once made something like this. It’s well made for a one-time-use magic scroll. Not only is the firepower impressive, but adjusting the angle and range of the sparks must be quite challenging.”

He shouldn’t have asked a mage about it. The voice of Lisa, who had passionately explained that fireworks encapsulate all the romance of a festival, vanished without a trace.

Thinking it was typical of Chloe, Tehis spoke as the sky began to quiet down.

“Thank you for spending the day with me.”

“Oh, not at all, thank you. Thanks to you, I had a lot of new experiences.”

Since they were bound by contract, spending the time without boredom was meaningful enough. She shrugged her shoulders and mentioned their next meeting first.

“We’re meeting in July next, right?”

“Yes, Chloe. I’ll send a letter as soon as the preparations for the Winter Forest exploration are complete.”

“Sounds good. I’ll prepare in my own way too.”

Should I make some decent artifacts?

As she silently planned various things, she smiled and said goodbye.

“See you next time, Tess.”

“I’ll be waiting, Chloe.”

* * *

However, the letter that arrived at the Mage Tower shortly after was not from Escalante.

On the luxurious stationery was the name of the Crown Prince of Superia Empire, Kaishan.

‘Why did a letter come from the Crown Prince?’

Chloe, feeling uneasy about the ornate gold leaf, opened the royal seal for a reason that flashed through her mind. Skimming over the unnecessarily long greetings in several pages, she focused only on the main point.

As expected, a sentence mentioning the awaited reward was mixed in with the paragraph inviting her to the palace.

“Hm…”

Chloe pondered for a moment. Weighing the pros and cons, she wasn’t keen on dining alone with the Crown Prince.

‘Should I ask the Grand Duke to accompany me?’

She clicked her tongue at the face that came to mind unintentionally. She had no intention of forcing someone who clearly disliked going to the palace.

‘Guess there’s no choice.’

I’ll just have to go quickly and come back. I’ll boldly refuse the meal.

Chloe packed the invitation enclosed with the letter and pulled the hood of her robe over her head. The white robe of the Mage Tower, darkened inside, perfectly concealed her appearance.

Though the Crown Prince had suggested a specific date and time for the visit, she didn’t see the point in sitting around coordinating schedules. She had to leave for the Winter Forest in a few days.

Intending to visit unannounced, Chloe took the warp gate and was stopped at the capital’s checkpoint.

“Please present your identification or pass!”

She looked up and down at the guard who stopped her despite seeing her robe with the Mage Tower’s emblem. She thought he might be a newcomer, but it was the same person she had seen last time.

‘It seems the checks have been tightened since the palace terror attack. Even stopping those affiliated with the Mage Tower.’

Without much emotion, Chloe rummaged through her pocket. It was a bit inconvenient not to be accompanied by the Grand Duke at times like this.

“Will this do?”

“…! My apologies!”

The mage passed through the checkpoint leisurely, leaving the stiffly saluting guard behind. She put away the invitation with the royal seal and took to the sky with a leap.

Still lingering in the festive atmosphere, she passed through the bustling streets in invisibility and landed in front of the palace.

With a thud, the sound of her landing was followed by her appearance spreading like paint.

“I’ve come at the invitation of the Crown Prince.”

“Gasp…! A-are you Miss Chloe?”

“Good, you know me. Can I go in?”

As she waved the invitation, the saluting guard opened the gate for her.

Nodding in greeting, Chloe entered the grand palace and faced a problem. During the founding festival, other nobles moved to one place, so she knew the destination, but standing alone, she had no idea where to go.

‘Should I have asked the guard?’

She sighed at the unexpected situation and was about to return to the door when it happened.

“Miss Chloe?”

“Princess?”

What are you doing here?

Chloe blinked at the familiar voice and looked at Helena. Not anywhere else, but from atop a tree, the Princess greeted her warmly.

“It is you! I almost didn’t recognize you because of the robe.”

“That’s what it’s for, after all.”

Mages, who almost sever ties with the continent, often wore robes to avoid being recognized when leaving the Mage Tower.

They disliked being recognized, disliked dressing up, and in case they got caught in troublesome situations, they could just run away.

‘Though I’ve been walking around with my face exposed recently because of the public dating contract.’

Since she wasn’t meeting the Grand Duke today, it was only natural to choose the familiar robe. Even if hiding her identity was out of the question when visiting the Crown Prince.

“You’re here to collect your reward, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I need to see the Crown Prince, but I don’t know the way.”

“I’ll guide you!”

The Princess, eyes sparkling, jumped down from the tree without hesitation. Landing lightly with a thud, she was dressed not in a gown but in the attire of the Imperial Knights.

“That’s kind of you, but… What were you doing up there?”

“I was rechecking the infiltration routes of the previous attackers. It’s assumed most flew in, but one of the three groups seemed to have used the trees. I was pondering how to reinforce this.”

As the mage wondered if it was okay to share such information with an outsider, the Princess grabbed her hand.

“This way, Miss Chloe. Just follow me!”

“Oh my.”

Chloe followed Helena, who was confidently leading the way, and smiled faintly. The Princess she met again after a few weeks was still her usual self, but not unpleasantly so.

How could anyone dislike someone who exudes so much goodwill?

‘Will she become like the Crown Prince once she matures?’

The Crown Prince seemed a bit sly. He even subtly used his charm like a fox.

While Chloe thought of Kaishan internally, Helena chattered away.

“At this time, His Highness is likely at the training grounds. He usually exercises in the morning and handles affairs in the afternoon. Did you have lunch? If you have an appointment for lunch, I could join…”

“Oh, sorry. If I’m not with Tess, I don’t plan to have a leisurely meal outside.”

The Princess clicked her tongue at the firm rejection. She still couldn’t figure out how the Grand Duke had managed to woo a high-level mage from the Mage Tower.

Was it because he was her ideal type?

‘Wait a minute.’

Helena suddenly stopped walking.

Why has the Grand Duke kept such an outstanding lover hidden all this time? Was he worried about the Imperial Family’s scrutiny? Or was there another reason?

When she was about to ask a question, Kaishan, who was walking towards them, spoke first.

“Helena? And… Miss Chloe?”

“Your Highness.”

“You recognize me. I came a bit early; is that alright?”

The Crown Prince was surprised by the mage’s arrival, which was almost immediate rather than early. However, he welcomed her with a bright smile, not showing it.

“Of course, it’s no problem at all. Have you had lunch yet?”

“If I’m not with Tess, I find it a waste of time to eat out. I’d like to receive my reward right away.”

Chloe gave the same answer to the siblings’ identical question.

The Princess looked at the Crown Prince with a sense of camaraderie in her eyes.

“Hmm, hmm… I see. I can’t take up the precious time of a valuable mage. Since my schedule is open, I’ll guide you now.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Chloe, smiling inside her robe, watched the siblings exchange glances. Although her contract was with the Princess, the responsibility had shifted to the Crown Prince, who had higher authority over the royal treasury, as she read in the letter.

“See you later, Helena.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Good luck.”

The Princess, answering meaningfully, also greeted the mage.

“Miss Chloe, see you again later.”

“Take care, Princess. Thank you for guiding me.”

“My pleasure!”

Chloe nodded simply to the smiling Helena and walked with Kaishan.

The man, who had just come from the training grounds as his sister predicted, kept a suitable distance to prevent his sweat smell from reaching the woman as he explained.

“The treasure vault you’re interested in is in the deepest part of the palace, so it’s quite a walk. Therefore…”

“Shall we fly?”

Kaishan, who was trying to engage the mage in conversation while walking slowly, was defeated for the second time. It was as swift a defeat as the meal rejection.

“No, I can’t make you go through such trouble, Miss Chloe.”

“It’s not trouble; I just dislike wasting time.”

Third defeat.

‘This isn’t easy.’

The Crown Prince felt a lump in his throat at Chloe’s straightforward manner of speaking. Suddenly, he felt a growing respect for the Grand Duke and cleared his throat, stepping back.