Chapter 11

Rozie herself couldn’t be sure what was reflected in Alexei’s slightly hardened face.

“If that’s how it sounds, I suppose I must play along.”

“…Aha?”

Avgenia’s thick silver lashes fluttered slowly. Truly an inscrutable greeting; her smile deepened even more with that thought.

The Mage Tower Master left a simple kiss on her hand, then straightened up and spun a gentle smile.

“Was your journey comfortable?”

“Her Highness had a long ride through the woods, so it must have been tiring.”

Alexei, who had been maintaining a blank face all along, quickly replied as if to interrupt.

There was no polite exchange about how the journey was made comfortable thanks to their care, nor any mention of the impressive teleportation magic he’d experienced for the first time—just cold words, nothing more.

Avgenia flinched at his sharp tone, while the Mage Tower Master’s eyebrow lifted slightly. Rozie was the only one to smile quietly at Alexei’s hint of rudeness, and silence fell again in the reception room.

“Oh dear, we should have paved the roads better for Her Highness’s arrival.”

“Our fault, truly. We rarely have guests, so we’re a bit clumsy.”

“No wonder you look so pale.”

The tower executives tried to force away the silence with cheerful chatter. They ignored the aide’s curt reaction, staying friendly toward Avgenia.

Avgenia herself had once donated an amount equal to the tower’s twenty-year budget for the development of magical contraceptives, even volunteering for clinical trials herself. To the Mage Tower, she was certainly the continent’s greatest benefactor.

“No, it’s just the drought—I’m more sensitive to heat these days.”

“Then perhaps you should rest today and begin tomorrow?”

“Would that be alright?”

“We’re confident. The source of the Etolanta River is close by, so Gronlant’s central region will be relieved immediately.”

The Mage Tower Master smiled kindly as he assured her.

“Will it only bring relief?”

“If the dried-up river suddenly floods, there may be more accidental deaths, but, well, we’re not responsible for that.”

“You could host a boat party on the Olanta River right away, so perhaps it’s best to notify the Imperial City in advance?”

Their boasts were a bit off from common sense, but this was typical for the Mage Tower. This trip was to observe a demonstration of artificial rain magic developed by the tower.

For months, the entire continent had been suffering drought, and the Imperial Family’s worries were beyond words. With the weakening of imperial power, especially as houses like Ramantus gained influence, the drought only heightened their distress, forcing the Imperial Family to seek help from the Mage Tower.

That was arranged at the last meeting with the Mage Tower Master.

While there were many water-related spells, none could solve a continent-wide drought, so developing a new spell would require much time or money. The Imperial Family had willingly invested a huge sum.

And recently, the Mage Tower announced they had succeeded in developing a large-scale artificial rain spell.

Though urgent, the Empire could not use untested magic on its people’s survival, so before deploying mages to the field, the project manager, Second Princess Avgenia, would personally verify the magic’s stability and suitability.

The Mage Tower’s location in the Gron Mountains was ideal, as the eastern tributary of the Olanta River, the Etolanta River, flowed nearby—an important water source for the Imperial City and the continent’s fertile lands. The demonstration site was chosen for these reasons.

There were no villages near the tower, so even if something went wrong, there would be no casualties; if successful, the increased flow would quickly reach the Olanta River.

Looking at the Mage Tower Master’s gentle face, Avgenia’s rosy eyes rolled toward Alexei behind her.

She couldn’t see his expression since arriving, but as always since ‘that day,’ he seemed to wear a slightly angry face, which made Avgenia flinch again.

Yes. It was the last trip.

She mustn’t disappoint Lexie.

Ending more than ten years of unrequited love on such a bleak business trip was truly ironic…

Avgenia gave a brief laugh and replied.

“No, it’s urgent. I’d prefer to observe right away.”

“Oh my, as expected, the Imperial Family’s noble daughter is truly devoted to her people.”

Smiling, the Mage Tower Master turned to his executives.

“You heard her? Prepare everything immediately.”

“Yes, Sir.”

At his brief command, the executives disappeared into the depths of the tower.

“Um, Maid?”

“Yes!”

Startled by being addressed, Rozie replied with military precision.

“Tomi will guide you to your lodgings.”

“Ah, yes…”

Rozie bowed, picked up Avgenia’s luggage, and headed toward the residential wing. The Mage Tower servant quickly grabbed Alexei’s luggage and guided Rozie.

“Then, Your Highness, shall we go this way?”

With his picturesque smile still frozen on his face, the Mage Tower Master extended his hand to Avgenia. As her hand rested on his, he escorted her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in a way that showed he cared little whether the aide behind was Young Master Ramantus or anyone else.

“The terrace of my office on the top floor offers a perfect view of the gorge where the upper Etolanta River flows. If we start preparing now, it’ll take a couple of hours, just in time for dinner. We’ve done our best to prepare.”

“A Mage Tower dinner—I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’s a banquet for our greatest patron, so the mages have worked hard. It won’t match the Imperial City’s kitchens, but…”

“It’s famous that mages are interested in formalizing culinary theory.”

“With little entertainment in the tower, those with a passion for gourmet food have taken up such unusual hobbies. And we’ve prepared wine from the region below the small tower.”

Though Avgenia’s replies were brief, the Master’s conversation flowed so smoothly. Even after several meetings, she still found him unreadable, and she smiled back at his businesslike grin.

“If you need to rest, we’ll serve you even more attentively.”

His smile deepened.

Unable to hear the quiet conversation ahead, Alexei’s face behind them remained deeply furrowed.

* * *

In conclusion, the magic demonstration was successful.

The problem was, it was too successful.

“Master! The earth mages on the survey team say repairs will be very difficult.”

“What about the water mages?”

“Sorry, Sir. We haven’t identified the cause yet…”

Crack.

There wasn’t actually a sound, but Alexei thought veins must be bulging on the Master’s smooth forehead.

The large-scale artificial rain spell itself worked, but… the magic wouldn’t stop.

For dramatic effect, the spell produced a ‘downpour’—but what should have been ten minutes of rain continued for two hours without stopping.

The tower was in chaos.

The water mages who developed the spell searched for a way to stop it, but hadn’t found a solution yet.

Meanwhile, the Etolanta River had suddenly swelled. While it might have been a blessing after months of drought, there were homes at the confluence with the Olanta River, putting them at risk. The estates just below the Gron Mountains would also suffer if the winding Etolanta suddenly flooded.

Earth and fire mages were sent below the mountains to try to prevent flooding.

It was pure pandemonium.

“Um, Your Highness, we’re terribly sorry. You haven’t even rested, and dinner will be delayed… If you’d like to go to the dining hall first—”

“No. It’s better to eat together with everyone after things settle down.”

“As expected, the Imperial Family’s daughter is so kind…”

Boom, crash!

Thunder and lightning illuminated the reception room, freezing the Master’s face, which had been smiling with emotion.

Through all the commotion, Alexei sipped his tea with an oddly relaxed face.

The teacup was rough, and the tea leaves were low grade compared to what he usually enjoyed, but at that moment, it tasted better than any perfect tea served in the Imperial Family’s cups.

Yes, it felt almost like a picnic by a springtime lake, watching tender leaves sprout in the forest…

Of course, Alexei had never actually gone on a spring picnic as an adult, but just thinking of that imagined scene brought genuine warmth.

He’d been irritated for a while by the Master’s sly attempts to exclude him and cozy up to Avgenia.

Not that Alexei cared about status, but he was treated as less than even ‘Maid Rozie’ by the Master.

‘He acts so dignified in the Imperial Palace, but now he’s just chasing after Her Highness, maybe hoping to sell himself…’

After observing the new magic, negotiating additional budget for emergency and travel expenses, discussing the schedule for deploying mages to every river source in the Empire, and drafting agreements for ongoing technical exchange between the Tower and the Imperial Family… With so much to do in one trip, they were scheduled to spend three nights there. Alexei hadn’t expected everything to go so wrong.

But he really hadn’t expected this.

Mages were supposed to be ascetic scholars, removed from worldly concerns. Their monk-like image didn’t suit things like nighttime affairs.

‘Even someone as pretty as that Master… No, all men…’

So Alexei, who’d spent many nights soothing his unchosen days with self-pleasure, ground his teeth.

He knew his jealousy was ugly.

But there was no help for it. This could be his last memory with Avgenia, and he didn’t want to spend it cleaning up after another man who’d spent the night with her.

‘Maybe Her Highness will refuse this time. There’s no shaman here, so no binding spells. And it’s a place with no eyes from society, so maybe she’ll see it as unnecessary…’

Of course, given Avgenia’s reputation in society, even the Master would see sleeping with her as a trophy.

While Alexei thought all this, he found himself back from his imagined lakeside picnic to a stormy summer day, with thunder and lightning and a handsome man openly flirting with his unrequited love.

Crash… boom!

Thunder struck again, and Alexei’s face grew even more shadowed.

Thump, thump, thump—rough knocking, then the door burst open. It was one of the tower executives.

“Master! Max says the lower region is about to flood…!”

Lower region—the village where the small tower, the entrance to the Mage Tower, was located.

“If that region floods…”

Alexei spoke cautiously, and the executive replied, embarrassed.

“Yes, until the teleportation circle there is repaired, you won’t be able to leave…”

In other words, they were stuck at the Mage Tower.