Chapter 56
A little later, Callius brushed his hands off and left the place where he had been with the sorcerer.
Mainz, who had been waiting outside, didn’t look surprised at all—as if he had already anticipated this situation when the commotion inside began—and asked Callius,
“Did you find the answer you were looking for?”
“I suppose.”
At that vague answer, Mainz glanced briefly toward the door from which faint groans were emanating.
The fact that the sorcerer, despite being completely beaten, couldn’t provide a satisfying answer meant he didn’t really have solid information.
Mainz lowered his head.
“It’s my fault for not bringing the right person. I’ll look for someone else.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Callius didn’t doubt that Mainz had brought the most capable sorcerer within his reach.
Even if he brought someone else, they wouldn’t be any better than this one.
‘It would just end up increasing the number of people who know about Chloe being cursed.’
Besides, it didn’t seem like the sorcerer had lied.
“I-I told you, I can’t break that curse…! But there might be a way to prolong her life!”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Ah… n-no…”
“Changing your story again, I see.”
“Gah! Please, spare me! Spare me! That’s not it! I was only guessing! The powers of a sorcerer and a priest oppose each other, so I thought… if we used the method the saint once used to heal people… it might work! I just thought it would work in principle…!”
The sorcerer had tried to give uncertain information in exchange for a reward.
Still, his words made some sense.
Temporarily suppressing a sorcerer’s power with the power of a priest.
Now, Roneheim had no saint capable of miracles—but Callius carried the bloodline of the saint.
“Perhaps His Majesty retains a trace of your mother’s abilities. If you learn to use that power, you might be able to prolong the princess’s life for a while!”
A sorcerer who both avoided and refused to acknowledge a priest’s power speaking this way was likely to be trusted.
Callius headed, for the first time in a long while, to the sanctuary his mother had used for rituals.
The sanctuary, built inside the inner castle, was located right next to the inner gate so that ordinary people could freely enter during ceremonies.
Callius stared silently at the firmly closed front doors of the sanctuary.
It was a door that hadn’t been opened even once in over a decade since his mother had been murdered.
“…”
With a longing look, he touched the doorknob.
‘Please… help me, Mother.’
Praying silently, he unlocked the firmly locked doors and pushed them open with force.
The heavy doors creaked as they opened.
Because the time spent altering my clothes ran long, I ended up unable to go for a walk and stayed in my room all day.
I asked Granada twice if she wasn’t frustrated by my insistence on not getting any fresh air for a single day, as if some disaster might occur.
But for me, who had spent more than half of my previous life confined to a room, not going outside for a day was nothing.
So I spent the day quietly resting and recovering from my fatigue.
By the afternoon, Granada announced that the room I would use from now on had finally been prepared and guided me to the Marchioness’s quarters.
“From now on, this will be your room, my lady.”
She said that this room had been used by the former queen of Roneheim.
The room, which must have been filled with silence and dust for a while after losing its owner, had been neatly cleaned.
I stepped inside, slowly surveying the room.
I expected it to be adorned with extravagant items like the quarters in Cabala, but it was not.
I examined each piece of furniture, all simple and practical.
‘They’re all old furniture.’
The worn furniture had slightly frayed corners, and the handles were faded.
Yet it felt well-maintained.
Everything was sturdy and unbroken.
It was clear that the people who had used this furniture before had cherished and taken care of their belongings.
“This is far too shabby.”
Vanessa frowned, as usual.
“Such filthy furniture. We need to replace everything with new ones immediately.”
I shook my head at Granada.
“That’s unnecessary. I like the room.”
It was a simple but welcoming room.
The furniture exuded calm and comfort.
It wasn’t gaudy or overwhelming, and that put my mind at ease.
“But where’s the bed?”
No matter where I looked, I couldn’t see a bed.
“The bedroom is separate. Follow me.”
Granada led me to a full-length mirror in one corner of the room.
It was strange to see a mirror there, away from the dressing area. But next to it, I noticed a hidden door.
She opened the door and guided me inside.
“This is the bedroom.”
Inside was a very large bed, softly illuminated by the sunset streaming through the windows.
On either side of the bed were small nightstands.
On the left nightstand, unfinished books, carving knives, and partially carved wooden pieces were scattered.
Seeing this, I asked instinctively,
“Is this… a shared bedroom?”
“You know well. The bedroom is to be shared with the master from now on.”
I had suspected as much—and it was true.
‘I’ve heard that old castles often have shared bedrooms for married couples. It’s true.’
I knew that castles like Roneheim’s, being built primarily for defense, were somewhat inconvenient for living.
The biggest inconvenience was the extreme cold.
Stone walls radiate chill, making interiors even colder—especially in a place as cold as Roneheim.
Moreover, castles often had fewer windows to defend against invaders, meaning many rooms lacked fireplaces.
Thus, old castles typically had the master couple share a room with a fireplace to save on firewood—a practical design, I had read in books.
I looked around Callius’s bedroom with a strange feeling.
‘I feel uncomfortable, like I’m intruding into someone else’s room.’
It felt like I was exploring Callius’s room without his permission.
“Let’s go.”
I hurriedly left the shared bedroom.
After that, feeling awkward, I avoided looking toward the bedroom door and wandered around my own room.
I tried to delay bedtime as long as possible, but time, relentless as ever, eventually brought the moment I had to sleep.
“My lady, you’re not nervous, are you?”
As I hesitated at the bedroom door, Lamia giggled mischievously.
“N-nervous?!”
I denied it, but Lamia’s face was full of a sly smile.
“I was wondering why the room smells so strongly of perfume, but it’s because you poured it all on to impress the master, isn’t it?”
“This is just the scent of soap.”
“Nope, that’s a lie.”
“The soap scent is too strong—it seems you didn’t wash properly. You’ll need another bath.”
I had gotten into the habit of doing everything alone, including bathing by myself today.
As I tried to turn back toward the bathroom, Lamia grabbed me urgently.
“You already washed once for the same reason! That’s enough!”
“But…!”
“Ah, it’s fine. And men don’t care about perfumes or bubbles on the first night anyway.”
I tilted my head, puzzled.
“You haven’t had sex education, have you?” Lamia’s eyes went wide.
“Sex education?”
“Didn’t anyone teach you what happens on the first night for married couples?”
I hesitated.
I had already experienced a first night before and knew what it was like.
But then, as now, no one had ever taught me beforehand.
‘I think Lamia is playing another tricky prank.’
Thinking so, I firmly told Lamia,
“It’s late. I’m too tired to play along with your games. Go now.”
But Lamia wouldn’t let me go.
“Really? You haven’t learned? You must know this beforehand.”
Her expression was unusually serious.
I couldn’t refuse her because of the change in her tone and attitude.
Lamia then quickly explained to me what would happen.
I thought I knew enough about marriage.
But that was a huge misconception.
I entered the bedroom, completely dazed.
Her words kept echoing in my mind.
‘Oh my… oh my… no… oh my…’
My feelings while waiting for Callius were incredibly complicated.
