Chapter 32
“It’s four o’clock.”
Karina answered as if asking whether I hadn’t just heard the grandfather clock.
“Four o’clock? Already four o’clock?”
“Yes, four o’clock.”
Unlike Karina’s calm demeanor, I felt like I had been sentenced to death. We had been talking so intently that I hadn’t realized the time passing.
I jumped up from my seat.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have to go back.”
“Just now?”
I responded by putting on my hat and coat. Karina stood up after me and said,
“Shouldn’t we make plans for our next meeting before you leave?”
It was a reasonable suggestion. But we didn’t have time to discuss when or where to meet.
“Let’s meet in a week at the tavern near the herbalist’s shop.”
“Sounds good. Let’s both try to find out whatever we can by then.”
“Yes, actually there’s a curfew at the Mage Tower…”
Karina followed me as I left the parlor.
“A curfew? What time is it?”
“Five o’clock.”
“That’s too early, not even for children. What happens if you’re late?”
“You get kicked out.”
“Kicked out…?”
“Like I told you earlier.”
I answered quickly as I walked. It seemed she finally understood my actions.
“Do you think it’s possible?”
Her voice was full of concern. Getting from here to the Mage Tower in under an hour was quite a challenge.
“We’ll see once we start.”
I answered boldly, but when I opened the front door, I was stunned. Getting to the Mage Tower in an hour now seemed impossible.
“The snow…”
I couldn’t continue and looked up at the sky where snow was falling heavily. The wind from the southwest was blowing the snowflakes wildly. The snow seemed more gray than white, as if painting the world’s colors.
No matter how much I cursed, nothing would change. I left footprints in the snow piled higher than my ankles. Each step made me stagger.
Wishing to hurry was unrealistic. At this point, I just hoped to arrive safely.
‘Will I be able to catch a carriage?’
Just then, I heard a horse neigh. Turning around, I saw Karina holding the reins, standing before me.
“I’ll take you. This will be better than a carriage.”
Karina reached out her hand. Without time to feel like a burden or apologize, I grabbed her saving hand and climbed onto the horse.
“Hold on tight!”
At her command, the horse began to run. Snowflakes hit my face like shards of ice. I clung to Karina’s waist and buried my face in her back.
Karina was an excellent rider and the horse well-trained. We overtook several carriages as we sped along. If it hadn’t been snowing, we would have made it on time.
But as we left the village, the roads worsened. The snow from last night was frozen, and new snow covered the ice. The horse, who had been galloping strongly, slowed to a walk with whinnies.
“This one’s scared.”
Karina muttered in frustration. While she soothed the horse, I watched her red hair flutter. Until now it had blown toward me, but now it whipped the other way.
‘The wind direction changed.’
That was a sign I could use what I had prepared.
“Wait a moment.”
I carefully dismounted and stepped forward into the snow-covered world where it was hard to distinguish the path from a slope. The clever horse must be thinking it was unreasonable to be pushed to run in this.
“But some must run anyway.”
I pulled out a small pouch hidden inside my coat and began to shake it into the air. Some of the red powder fell to the ground, some scattered glowing.
“What’s that?”
I pointed to the ground where the red powder had fallen and the snow was melting.
“It’s processed heating stone crushed finely.”
I didn’t have time to explain the production details. The important thing was the powder would fly with the wind in the direction to the Mage Tower. Of course, it wasn’t as light as flour or feathers to float endlessly.
“A path is forming!”
The powder would melt the snow on the road within an appropriate distance.
“Until now, the wind was blowing opposite the direction, so I couldn’t use it.”
And in the town, opening the pouch carelessly risked burning people, so I couldn’t do it there.
“This one finally wants to run.”
Karina got back on the horse and urged it on. The horse’s lively, strong hoofbeats echoed on the ground.
‘We can go. We can make it.’
The biting wind whistled past my ears, giving a sense of speed. But suddenly, I realized the knocking I heard at my ear wasn’t only wind noise.
[50 minutes.]
‘What?’
[It’s fifty minutes.]
It was Aeon’s voice.
[You haven’t forgotten our appointment, have you?]
Ah, Aeon was patiently waiting for me, who was at risk of breaking the Mage Tower rules. Probably hoping I’d be late.
‘I have to be back by five.’
I hadn’t forgotten the rule the maids talked about like fanatics.
[There are nine minutes left. It just became fifty-one minutes.]
He kindly gave me the time. I pictured him leaning on a sofa, watching the second hand move.
‘Alright, just wait. I’ll be there before five.’
I bit my lip tightly. I didn’t want to meet his expectations.
“Should I scatter the powder one more time?”
To talk while riding, I had to speak much louder than usual.
“Yes, that would be good.”
That would be the last time. But I didn’t need to feel regretful. Beyond the swirling snow, the Mage Tower was now visible, close to our destination.
“That’s the Mage Tower.”
Aeon spoke as if answering a call.
[The guest is with you. Is that Lady LeMont?]
I instinctively looked at Karina. She was doing her best to get me there on time.
‘He can’t read my thoughts but knows who I’m with?’
What were the limits of the binding contract? It felt like I was struggling in the palm of his hand. Something welled up in my chest.
[Good. I was curious what kind of person she was. Maybe we can have dinner together.]
[I’m not interested in red hair, but if she knows Selinia, it’s good to know her.]
“Damn it…”
The harsh curse scattered into the wind.
‘Why is Aeon suddenly interested in Karina?’
Aeon hadn’t shown interest in any of the tea party guests. I didn’t know if he was suspicious because I was late or just amused. One thing was clear:
‘I can’t show Karina to Aeon.’
I felt Aeon would immediately realize Karina’s potential. She was someone who could punish him.
But that was a future story, a little way off. Karina wasn’t ready to face Aeon yet. If a person who could threaten him entered his domain defenseless, the consequences were obvious.
I tapped Karina on the back and shouted,
“Stop the horse!”
“I’ll stop at the front gate.”
“No, stop right here, now!”
Karina hurriedly pulled the reins. Her face was bright red and frozen from riding through the blizzard as she looked back at me.
“Is something wrong?”
“Aeon is showing interest in you.”
I pointed to my head, meaning he was sending telepathy.
“I’m going to walk from here. Lady LeMont, you should go back quickly.”
I jumped off the horse.
“There’s no good in meeting him.”
“But…”
I knew what she worried about well.
“There’s not much time left. You can run. Thank you very much for today.”
There was no time for a long farewell. I squeezed her hand firmly and ran off. I had no excuse if she found me rude for such a selfish meeting and parting.
“Please be careful! I hope we meet again! Definitely!”
Encouraged by Karina’s cheers, I started running with all my might. But my legs didn’t move as fast as I wanted. My body, used to making potions in a room, was far from fit for running.
[Oh dear, only five minutes left.]
Aeon’s voice, full of amusement, reached me. I imagined crushing that voice with my foot as I ran.
The Mage Tower wasn’t as close as it looked from the horse. My hat had long flown away. My tightly tied hair scattered everywhere, blurring my vision. The cold wind felt like it was crushing my lungs with every gasp.
“Huff.”
My breath was at my limit. I forced my trembling legs to move. No thoughts remained in my mind.
Aeon’s voice blinked like a flashing light, but I couldn’t understand it. I just ran toward the Mage Tower.
“Done. Done…”
My fingertips touched the door handle of the Mage Tower. The cold metal felt as precious as a lifeline.
“Done.”
I exhaled with a white puff and collapsed onto the snow. A haze-like smoke rose where I lay. My whole body was still pounding like a single heart.
Soon I heard the door open.
‘Aeon?’
“Miss, what’s happened to you?”
It was Karen’s voice, filled with a mixture of pity and happiness. I asked her the most pressing question.
“What time is it now?”
