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IOITNML | CH 05

Chapter 5 

Carmen picked up a torch from the wall and looked around the door.

I was in a panic.

I tried shouting toward the outside, but the iron door was too thick.

It seemed to block out most loud noises completely.

What should we do?

I looked at Carmen, about to ask, but closed my mouth.

Oh no, his face said it all.

Of course, Carmen was such a well-behaved boy—he probably never got into this kind of trouble before.

Carmen was a prince.

This wasn’t like a mischievous marquis’s daughter causing a little trouble.

He frowned and seemed deep in thought for a long time.

Then, without even looking at me, he spoke.

“They usually lock the door around early evening.

But it was still open at night, so I thought today was one of those days they leave it open. That happens sometimes…”

Actually, it seemed like he wasn’t avoiding my eyes on purpose—he just couldn’t look at me.

Carmen couldn’t meet my gaze as he apologized.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

I had nothing to say.

A ten-year-old prince and a noble girl disappearing together was a national issue.

If Carmen was right, we might be stuck here for a whole day.

If we didn’t show up by then, they might think we were kidnapped.

The emperor would probably send out soldiers.

Our families would panic.

Since he’s a prince, his situation would be even more complicated than mine.

Still, he was worried about me in the middle of all that.

Even though I was the one who insisted on coming here.

Honestly, I wasn’t even that upset.

This strange situation actually felt exciting.

But look at him—so thoughtful and sincere.

Carmen lowered his head with a guilty look on his handsome face.

My heart ached when I saw it.

Was there anything I could do for Carmen?

I wanted to at least ease one of the many worries in his mind.

Who knew how this would end, but right now, it was just the two of us inside the tower.

Maybe it was okay to worry about things after they happened?

With that in mind, I made a suggestion.

“Carmen, let’s go up to the top floor.”

“Huh?”

He turned to me with a confused look.

I grabbed his hands and smiled brightly.

“We’ve got plenty of time now. I actually wanted to see it.”

His expression said, What are you talking about at a time like this?

But soon, he understood it was the only thing we could really do right now.

“Won’t it be too tiring? There are a lot of stairs.”

“I’m fine!”

So, we began climbing the Dragon’s Tower.

And “climbing” was the perfect word.

Carmen wasn’t kidding about all those stairs—it was totally true.

We had to walk and rest, then walk and rest again, over and over.

After what felt like hours, we finally reached the top floor.

It felt like reaching the top of a mountain.

I wanted to shout down at the world from up there.

The top floor looked like a giant circular hall.

There was a large circle drawn on the floor with geometric patterns inside it.

On the ceiling, there was a massive mural of a dragon.

The mural covered the whole ceiling.

Two pairs of wings, scaly skin, and a long tail made the dragon look like it was actually flying through the sky.

This must have been the sleeping chamber of the last dragon—the one who once ruled as king.

I stared at it, completely captivated.

“Keraaim,” Carmen suddenly said.

I turned to him, curious, and he explained,

“That’s the dragon’s name.”

“I’ve never heard it before.”

“Well, he had a lot of titles.”

I nodded.

I’d heard all the stories—last dragon, the blue dragon on the royal crest, the only king of the Hebram Empire.

But I’d never known his actual name.

So I whispered it to myself. Keraaim.

If someone has a name, you should use it.

While I was still taking in the whole place, Carmen wandered off somewhere.

Then he called out to me.

“Chelsea, come here.”

“What is it?”

I ran over to where he was.

The round room was surrounded by stone arches, and Carmen was calling from beyond one of them.

I hadn’t noticed there was more space past the arches.

Excited, I stepped through.

“Wow…”

What I saw was the Hebram Empire.

A huge window filled the wall.

It didn’t have glass—just a big square opening.

But the view was the most beautiful I’d ever seen.

The night sky on Founding Day was completely clear, not a cloud in sight.

The full moon and countless stars lit up the sky above Hebram.

And the stars were on the ground too.

The capital was lively and bright for the celebration.

Golden lights sparkled everywhere.

I couldn’t stop staring.

I hadn’t realized my country was this beautiful.

As the tallest building in the empire, the Dragon’s Tower offered the best view.

It felt like the whole Hebram Empire was visible through that single window.

I was so caught up in the view that I suddenly noticed the plaza where the celebration was happening.

Seeing it made me think of my family, probably enjoying the festival without me.

Had they noticed I was missing by now?

If they had, they were probably panicking.

I remembered my older sister had to work as a guard during the event—if I caused her trouble, I felt bad.

I let out a small sigh.

Then I realized something.

Carmen had been completely silent.

Oh no.

If I thought of my family after seeing the plaza, then Carmen must’ve thought of his too.

I quickly turned to him.

As I expected, he looked worried.

Carmen didn’t show his emotions easily, but after observing him for a while, I knew—he wasn’t the type to stay calm inside.

Maybe he regretted bringing me here.

That thought made me sad, so I tried to distract him.

“Carmen, look over there.”

I pointed out the window, and he followed my gaze.

“That’s the Wesley Magic Shop! We can see it from here!”

The Wesley Magic Shop was run by Mr. Wesley, one of the oldest magic shops in the capital.

After the dragon’s death, most magic shops closed down.

Now, the Wesley shop was one of the few left, still running thanks to high demand from local magicians.

From up here, the big shop looked like a tiny toy.

“You’re right.”

“Isn’t it cute?”

Because of the celebration, maybe they were doing something flashy.

A strange light was flashing on the roof—probably a magic device.

Carmen watched it for a moment, but then the light suddenly turned off.

He blinked in confusion.

I saw the perfect chance to ask,

“What do you think happened?”

“Not sure.”

He answered vaguely.

So I raised my voice, pretending to be excited.

“Let’s imagine it!”

This was a game I played with my friend Elena, the youngest daughter of Duke Fraon.

We met often, but sometimes we got bored, so we’d sit by the window and make guesses.

What could be happening over there?

Why are those people acting that way?

Let’s go find out later.

“I think Mr. Wesley made a mistake. Maybe the device exploded!”

“Hmm, maybe it’s just closing time.”

“Nope, I bet it was a mistake! Elena told me he’s been messing up lately—sending the wrong items to noble families. He even gave me a broken mana amplifier once!”

“Well, he is pretty old.”

“Exactly! If I’m wrong, I’ll give you my hairpin—”

I stopped.

Carmen was a boy.

Would he want a hairpin?

Then…

“I’ll give you my ring.”

I showed him my hand.

It was a pretty platinum ring.

Carmen looked at me with a strange expression.

“I don’t think it’ll fit on my finger…”

He didn’t look thrilled, but at least he didn’t seem sad anymore.

Success!

I kept making silly guesses to cheer him up.

It was the opposite of earlier in the day.

By the time I had bet five rings and three pairs of earrings, Carmen even laughed.

He listened to everything I said now.

I had meant to cheer him up, but now I was just enjoying myself.

Though my nose was getting a little stuffy from the cold.

Maybe Carmen noticed—he took off his outer coat and put it on my shoulders.

Excited, I said,

“Carmen, there’s another tower!”

“Oh, the clock tower in the plaza.”

“It’s tall too. Looks a lot like this one.”

“Yeah.”

Carmen looked at me kindly and asked,

“Guess, Chelsea. What do you think is happening there?”

When Carmen looked at me like that, I always felt like he saw me as a little sister.

So I answered in a sassy tone,

“Hmm, maybe two troublemakers are stuck on the top floor.”

“Haha. The girl must be cold.”

I let out a weak laugh.

Then I shrugged and said,

“It’s fine. Her cool fiancé probably gave her his coat.”

“…Then you’re not cold?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

I smiled brightly.

Carmen stared at me for a moment.

Then suddenly, he hugged me.

I blinked, stunned.

Carmen didn’t say anything.

Neither did I.

When he didn’t let go, I asked softly,

“…Are you hugging me because you think I’m cold?”

He nodded.

I slowly raised my arms and placed them on his back.

At that moment, fireworks exploded in the plaza.

Red and blue bursts lit up the sky around us.

The loud festival sounds covered the beating of my heart—and I was glad.

I buried my flushed face into Carmen’s chest.

Then I remembered something my uncle once said—that everyone has a purpose in life.

Carmen, maybe the reason I was born… was to meet you.

You’re my clock.

Carmen, I like you.

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It’s Okay If There’s No Male Lead

It’s Okay If There’s No Male Lead

남자 주인공이 없어도 괜찮아
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2019 Native Language: Korean

There was a time when I dreamed of marrying the person I loved.
But that was a long time ago.
Now, I don't care about love in the slightest.

I know society expects people to fall in love, get married, and all that.
But right now, I have more important things to do.

World Peace. Fighting off monsters, saving lives, and bringing peace to our beautiful empire and this world.
I'm too busy working for a greater cause to waste time on silly romance.
“Come back with me, Chelsea.” But why does my ex-fiancé, the 7th prince, Keep flirting around me, , even though we’ve already broken off the engagement?

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