TFLMLD 84

Chapter 84

Why Are You Coming Out Here

From what I’d figured out so far: red hair, pale white skin, thick-rimmed glasses, about the same age as Merrin. It seemed Merrin had told him to secretly follow me so I wouldn’t notice… but honestly, his tailing was so clumsy it was actually distracting. It was obvious he’d never done anything like this before. I could vaguely guess he was probably a wizard from the Southern Magic Tower.

He must have come out here at Merrin’s request.

Considering how I almost got caught just a few months ago while running from Macaron’s pursuit, it wasn’t strange that Merrin worried.

Should I just pretend not to notice? But he’s being way too obvious.

Because he was drawing too much attention, even from bystanders, I finally turned around and walked toward the redhead. When our eyes met, he flinched and hurriedly tried to look elsewhere as if nothing had happened.

“Excuse me.”

He still pretended to look away, but under my persistent gaze, he fidgeted nervously and reluctantly pushed up his glasses, awkwardly pointing to himself.

“Uh… are you talking to me?”

“Yes. You. Why have you been following me since earlier?”

“I think you’re mistaken. I wasn’t doing that.”

“Merrin must’ve sent you. It’s fine, you can just go.”

“Merrin…?”

He tilted his head in confusion, then suddenly looked as if he realized something. His expression shifted into one of alarm.

“Could you please just pretend you didn’t see me and move along?”

“Why?”

“If Merr—no, if Lord Merrin finds out, I’ll be dead.”

“He’s not the kind of person who just goes around killing his friends.”

“You say that because you don’t know him… no, never mind. Anyway, please, just do me this one favor. Think of it as saving someone’s life.”

Was this really something to beg for so desperately?

Is Merrin some big shot inside the Magic Tower?

Just what kind of behavior did Merrin show there, for this man to be so terrified? His earnest plea was so formal I couldn’t bring myself to flatly refuse.

“Fine. I’ll keep it a secret. But go now. You following me like this is making everyone stare at us.”

At last, the redhead looked around and seemed to realize how obvious the scene was.

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

He seemed genuinely afraid of Merrin, giving me a few extra warnings before leaving.

“Also… Lord Merrin is preparing something in the Tower right now.”

“Preparing something?”

“Yes. It’s a surprise event, so please don’t let on that you know.”

Judging from his exhausted face, he’d probably been forced into a lot of labor for that so-called “surprise event.” Only after he finished his list of cautions was I able to board a nearby carriage. He too mounted a horse, apparently heading back to the Tower.

As the carriage moved out toward the countryside, the beautiful landscape unfolded before me. Last time, I hadn’t even noticed such scenery—but after meeting Merrin, many things had changed.

It was my first time seeing the interior of the Magic Tower, so I was secretly looking forward to it. Still, what exactly Merrin was preparing filled me with equal parts anticipation and worry.

No way… it couldn’t be a proposal or something, right?

Knowing how Merrin usually acted without being overbearing, that seemed unlikely. Still, my heart thudded harder the closer the Tower came into view. But before we even arrived, the carriage came to a halt. Looking out, I saw a long line of carriages before a checkpoint. The men inspecting them wore knight uniforms with the imperial crest.

Lately inspections had become stricter, and now it seemed even this area had been placed under scrutiny.

What should I do?

A rush of anxious thoughts raced through my mind. After paying the coachman, who came to inform me of the situation, I stepped down. Even though I covered my face with cloth, my unusual movements stood out. I was the only one to leave a carriage, so knights from a distance quickly spotted me and approached. I quickened my pace, but it was only a matter of time before they caught me.

Where did that redhead go? If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve just let him keep following.

While I scanned around, hoping he might still be nearby, someone suddenly yanked me firmly by the wrist and pulled me into their arms. From that embrace came a familiar scent.

The redhead who reached the Southern Magic Tower hurried to find Merrin. Completely unaware that he’d now been nicknamed “Redhead,” his steps were frantic.

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency!!!”

The flower-decorated path was disrupted by his desperate dash, scattering all the careful arrangements. Merrin’s emerald eyes glinted with irritation at seeing the painstaking work in disarray.

“Where’s Calypse? Why are you the only one here?”

Merrin muttered to himself, complaining that this guy never did anything right.

“Well….”

“Speak.”

“She disappeared.”

At once, Merrin’s platinum hair swayed and a strange light flickered in his emerald eyes.

“Disappeared?”

“…”

“Explain in detail!”

“It seems she was taken by the Imperial Knights.”

At the word “Imperial,” Merrin’s expression hardened in an instant.

Ever since suspecting that Calypse’s ex-husband was Macaron, Merrin had investigated him. He’d seen Macaron a few times during academy days—a sharp-looking man. At first, he assumed Calypse must have divorced because of Macaron’s faults, and that Macaron’s obsessive pursuit was just him being unable to let go. Why else would she flee under protective wards?

But every time Merrin spoke badly of Macaron, Calypse’s cold eyes and occasional wistful expressions betrayed something. Merrin knew exactly who those looks were for.

And now even Macaron is searching for Calypse…!

Merrin felt his insides burn. He had grown complacent because no inspection orders had come into the territory recently. Special inspections could always be carried out by unofficial knights—and he had let his guard down.

Blaming himself for that lapse, Merrin grew desperate.

“You couldn’t even shake off a few knights?!”

At his rebuke, the redhead hung his head.

“I didn’t realize the inspection was for Lady Calypse. I’m sorry.”

With a long exhale, Merrin shot to his feet. He swiftly drew a teleportation circle and stepped inside.

“Your Excellency, where are you going?”

Ignoring the shout, Merrin disappeared through the transparent portal, reemerging in front of a brightly lit Changer Shop. His long strides carried him toward it.

“Calypse…”

Through the glass—transparent but concealing from the outside—he glimpsed her silhouette. Rushing inside, Merrin let out a breath of relief at the sight of her flowing silver hair. But then, noticing the familiar face beside her, his expression hardened at once.

For Shupen, it had taken much longer than expected to arrive here. Ever since leaving the Crayd estate, he’d been consumed with handling the Halatis problem. The political situation in the Holy Kingdom was shifting faster than he’d anticipated, and efforts to find Kai had intensified. To erase Kai’s tracks, Shupen hadn’t hesitated to do anything.

After those delays, he finally returned to the Empire, where Ran reported a shocking fact.

“Lady Calypse has been meeting with Duke Merren lately.”

“Meeting?”

For Shupen, it was like thunder out of a clear sky.

“She acted like she couldn’t live without His Majesty Macaron, and yet how long has it even been since their split? Isn’t it ridiculous how quickly she’s switched sides?”

“Watch your tongue.”

“Every time it’s about her, you get so worked up… People will think you’re Macaron himself, Guildmaster.”

“Explain exactly what you mean by ‘meeting.’”

Under Shupen’s deadly gaze, Ran reluctantly clarified: the two were close enough to be mistaken for lovers. Shupen tried to reassure himself that Calypse wasn’t that kind of woman. But with emotions piling up, he found himself crossing lines he shouldn’t.

Unable to endure, he abandoned urgent business to come here. Fortunately, he arrived before the Imperial Knights could seize her.

As the knights closed in, Shupen pulled Calypse into his arms. From afar, the sight of the two was enough to mistake them for kissing lovers.

At a distance of mere centimeters, Shupen had to endure the wild pounding of his heart.

Calypse has no idea, but…

He swallowed a bitter smile, letting his burning feelings dissolve into the setting sun. He knew being drawn to her was madness, and had once tried to stop. He’d hoped busy days would burn away his longing.

But seeing her again made him realize his resolve was meaningless. He was shaking once more.

Why am I like this, like some madman?

Gathering what remained of his rationality, he swallowed everything down. Without years of guildmaster composure drilled into him, he might have betrayed himself with some clumsy mistake. Thankfully, his usual sly grin and hearty laugh hid it all.

“Where were you headed?”

His whisper made Calypse’s eyes widen in surprise.

“…To the Magic Tower.”

“And that fool left you to go alone? What’s he thinking?”

That fool?

Calypse was reminded anew that Shupen was the master of the Luna Guild. He wouldn’t have come here without knowing something.

“You seem to know Merrin well.”

“Of course. He was my lackey back in the Academy.”

“…What?”

“In any case, don’t get too close to him. He’s not exactly a fine sort of man.”

Shupen knew well how despicable his words sounded. But unrequited love sometimes made people pitiful, and adding a little more shamelessness didn’t matter—so long as it didn’t harm the one he loved. That was the excuse he gave himself.

But even so, Calypse was the only one who never responded the way he wanted.

“Really? He doesn’t seem that bad to me…”

Her independent way of thinking was attractive, yet frustrating.

As the footsteps of the knights closed in, Shupen’s whisper filled the tense space.

“That’s only because you haven’t spent enough time with him. Give it a little longer, and he’ll show his true colors.”

“…”

“Even the fact that he approached you with ulterior motives proves it.”

At that, a playful smile touched Calypse’s lips.

“Wasn’t that the same with you, Your Excellency?”

For once, Shupen’s poker face cracked, surprise flickering across his features. Even he, who rarely betrayed his feelings, couldn’t hide anything before Calypse. To him, she was always that kind of person.

Hearing the approaching steps of the Imperial Knights, Calypse clenched her fists.

“So… what do you plan to do now?”