ALL NOVEL Chapter 62
Beneath a sky still untouched by the full embrace of night, a cerulean blue overhead, stood a man whose silver hair shimmered as if melted by the newly risen moonlight. Dressed in a ceremonial robe like those worn by wizards during the emperor’s birthday banquet, he wore an ornately decorated monocle, and his usually casually tied hair was now neatly let down. In his hand was a torch, the same as those held by the emperor and his sons earlier. The clean sweep of his hair revealed his handsome face, flickering with the shadows of the flames.
He said he wouldn’t come to the hunting competition…!
The surprise of his appearance startled not only Selleana but others as well.
“Isn’t that the tower master who came during the emperor’s birthday banquet?”
“Why would he carry the sacred flame? Only the direct imperial family is supposed to do that…”
“Could he be the rumored fifth prince?”
“Just like during the emperor’s birthday banquet… What kind of wind blew that made him start his activities?”
“So, the fifth prince is the tower master?”
The emperor had never officially introduced the fifth prince in any public setting. But by including him in the torch-lighting ceremony, a ritual exclusive to the direct imperial lineage, it was an implicit acknowledgment of his status without any formal announcement. Those who had been puzzled by the emperor’s warm attitude during the emperor’s birthday banquet found their questions suddenly answered.
After the fourth prince descended the stairs, Rakrensius followed the attendant’s lead up the stairs. As Selleana’s gaze followed Rakrensius’s every step, increasing in stature.
“What, did you guys plan this?”
“No, we didn’t.” Selleana clenched her teeth and retorted to Peredo’s mocking tone. “And what do you mean by ‘you’? He’s a prince.”
“How would I know?”
When her brother teased her, Selleana elbowed him in the ribs. It wouldn’t have tickled the solidly built knight.
In truth, Peredo didn’t genuinely disregard Rakrensius. As a knight of the imperial guard, raised with the utmost respect for the imperial family, his reverence did not exclude the fifth prince. But…
“…What do you find so appealing about that kind of person?”
“A-Appealing? I’m just…”
“Hey, you should have seen your face rushing over when you heard your brother visited the tower last time.”
“…
Cough
.”
He intuitively knew his sister had fallen for him. It irked him that the person wasn’t the crown prince he admired.
“Don’t let Brother Theo and Father know, okay?”
“You should look at your own eyes. They just sparkled a moment ago.”
“…”
Did I do that?
Selleana blinked quickly as if adjusting her gaze.
While the siblings bickered, Rakrensius had already reached the altar.
Priestess Agnesia… the friend of the lady since her childhood.
Up close… Well, he looks decent and well-mannered, just the type Lea would like.
The two quickly assessed each other’s impressions across the altar.
“Now, light this.”
Following the guide, Rakrensius lit the final candle and descended. Agnesia placed the candelabra right under the pile of logs on the beacon. As she prayed in front of it, other priests and priestesses sprinkled fragrant oil on the pile and fanned the flames. Then, after a long wait, a gust of wind brushed by.
“
Woow
!”
The flame from the candelabra transferred to the logs, quickly igniting the beacon into a fierce blaze. This flame would burn here until the end of the hunting competition.
The platform, excluding the beacon, was dismantled, and a banquet was arranged in its place. The imperial kitchen, dispatched from the imperial palace, had prepared dishes all day on one side, and the guests arranged seats in front of their tents to dine or socialize with each other.
After dining with her family, Selleana moved around with Michi in tow, heading first to the tent she had vowed to visit before the party.
“To the Master of Tower, may you be blessed by Orot. Hello, Master of Tower…?”
“…
Ah
, yes… Hello.”
It was the tent of the magic tower where wizards were dining. Rakrensius’s response to Selleana’s arrival sounded unusually defensive. As if saying, what to do if you acknowledge me here.
Selleana swallowed her laughter and greeted him properly. “This is my first time greeting Your Highness the Fifth Prince. My name is Selleana, Duke Elard’s daughter.”
“Yes, it’s our… first meeting.” He lost himself for a moment to her gracefulness, which surpassed any dancer’s. Then Rakrensius too stood and returned the greeting properly. “I’m Rakrensius, the master of the Magic Tower.”
“It is an honor to meet you,” Selleana added another polite word and bowed again.
“You said you wouldn’t come. If you were coming, you could have just said so.” She closed the distance between them, quickly whispering her true feelings.
“How can we do this in front of everyone?”
“That’s why I pretended we were strangers, didn’t I?”
Despite her reply, Selleana gave the wizards of the Magic Tower a friendly glance with her eyes. The wizards, weary under the nobility’s gaze, brightened at the sight of a familiar beauty.
“This is my maid, Lady Michi Branto.”
“Hello, pleased to meet you, Master of Tower.” Michi too willingly played along in Selleana’s act.
Perhaps due to curiosity about Rakrensius, most of the campsite’s attention was focused on the magic tower’s tent. Since the evening party was an informal event, Tashur III didn’t make any official remarks. Naturally, he made no mention of Rakrensius either. Thus, people were curious but unsure how to approach him, simply watching.
Then, a hero stepped forward. And it was none other than a popular figure of the society, the lady of Elard, who recently declared her non-participation in the crown princess selection contest, becoming the center of attention wherever she went.
“Just a moment.” Rakrensius secretly sighed and cast a spell, closing his eyes and moving his lips before slowly lifting his eyelids.
“Did you use magic?”
“Yes… Now you can speak freely.”
“What kind of magic is it?”
“A kind of disruption magic. It makes it so the noise here can’t be properly heard amid the chaos.”
“Last time you used magic, there were flashy lights and all.”
“If I make it obvious that I’m using magic in front of the Lady, everyone will probably just ignore it as nothing,” Rakrensius grumbled, causing Selleana to chuckle.
“Anyway, you should have told me if you were coming.”
“Lady wasn’t coming to meet me, so how could I…
Ah
, no. There was no way for me to tell you.”
“Well, I was a bit busy preparing for the hunting competition, and also…”
“Also?”
His hasty question made Selleana look at Rakrensius anew. The man’s appearance, dressed for an official occasion, was more formal than usual, making him seem somewhat unfamiliar. Yet, the look in his eyes remained the same. Indifferent, yet unable to detach his gaze from her, affectionate even amidst his brusque words, worrying whether she might feel upset.
“
Hmm
, it’s my fault, right? Making Master of Tower wait.”
“Wait…? How often did Lady come to see me, really? You used to summon me all the time before.”
“So, did you miss me?”
“That,
um
, not exactly…”
“You were curious because I didn’t contact you, worried that I might be angry?”
“Lady…” Rakrensius covered his mouth as if embarrassed. It might have been hard to tell under the crimson lights, but his ears were undoubtedly turning red again.
“See? I told you it would be fun to run into each other here.” She couldn’t contain her joy, lighting up her entire face with a bright smile.
As her eyes twinkled with amusement, Rakrensius managed to speak up. “Be careful. The spell doesn’t disrupt vision…”
“Yes, you said it was for sound.”
“Right now, your expression… it looks too friendly…”
“Me? I was just smiling.”
“…”
“
Ah
, you’re worried about a smile? In society, the less close you are, the more you should smile,” She said, grinning guiltily. Yet, it wasn’t as profound as her previous smile, one so natural and radiant that she herself might not have been aware of its effortless charm.
It would be troublesome if you smiled like that at everyone.
Years ago, when he was ‘nobody’ to her, he was utterly captivated by the smile she gave while explaining what coffee was.
As the silence stretched, filled with these brief memories, Rakrensius quickly turned to Michi to break the ice. “Lady Branto. How long have you been wearing those glasses?”
“
Umm
, since getting off the carriage… So, it’s been over five hours now.”
“Do you feel any dizziness or side effects?”
“No, not at all. I feel perfectly fine! The glasses are lighter and much nicer than my usual ones.”
“Good to hear that.”
His escape to Michi was so glaringly obvious that Selleana couldn’t help but smile softly.
“So, the emperor sent you an invitation this year?”
“
Ah
, yes, after some correspondence for another matter, it turned out that way.”
“I heard you don’t usually keep in touch?”
“There was a reason for that…” As Rakrensius spoke, his gaze subtly rolled toward the imperial tent not far away.
Selleana followed his gaze, and then…
Huh?
For some reason, Emperor Tashur III’s gaze had been fixed on them.