Episode 25
‘They just look like friends on the surface.’
After hearing about Princess Sunha’s visit, Jade immediately left his room to find the two of them. Then, he secretly followed them as they wandered through the magic tower.
He was trying to uncover the hidden intentions behind the princess’s visit. If she were truly a candidate to become the crown princess, there should surely be mention of the crown prince.
But all they had talked about so far was food and the tower.
‘She must be Shulein’s innocent prodigy.’
In his heart, Jade had already come to a conclusion. Still, he couldn’t completely accept it. Miel was smiling so brightly.
Her smile was pure and innocent like that of a child untouched by the world, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. As he gazed at her endlessly, their meal came to an end.
“Oh right, Miel, there’s something I really wanted to give you.”
After wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, Revina spoke.
“Huh? What is it?”
Revina then received something from her maid. It looked like a letter at first glance.
However, the white envelope adorned with a gold ribbon was quite luxurious. It was clearly a royal letter.
Revina handed the letter to Miel.
The first thing visible was the royal seal. The symbol of a mighty lion looked as though it had been drawn with melted gold.
Miel’s eyes widened in surprise at the elegant letter.
“What is this?”
“An invitation.”
“Huh?”
“My birthday is coming up soon.”
Revina smiled brightly, her cheeks flushing as if she were a bit embarrassed. Miel opened her mouth in surprise.
“Really?! I’m so sorry—I had no idea.”
“No need to apologize, Miel. It’s understandable. I’ve been sick for so long that I never even had a proper party. It would be more surprising if people outside the palace knew about my birthday. But now I’m well enough to hold a celebration, and I wanted you to come to my party.”
This couldn’t be real. Miel realized what kind of emotion she had just felt. She had been so overwhelmed with joy that she couldn’t hold back her tears.
“Y-Your Highness personally gave me this invitation… I wasn’t expecting this at all, and I’m truly honored.”
“Oh dear, really? Well, since we’re friends, I wanted to give it to you in person.”
Friends?! Friends with a princess?! Miel felt tears welling up again. But then the princess’s next words dried up all those tears.
“Miel, at the party, would you be my brother’s dance partner?”
Saek, who had been eavesdropping, was shocked as well.
Unbelievable—Revina was far more impressive than expected.
He had thought she was merely a frail royal, but with just one visit, she had achieved two goals.
Not only had she become friends with Miel, she was now trying to connect her with her brother!
Jade wanted to burst in and kick the princess out right away. Fortunately, as if sensing his feelings, Miel spoke first.
“Me? The crown prince’s dance partner? I’m honored, but… I don’t know how to dance.”
“You can learn.”
Revina tried again, but Miel was firm.
“No, I’m really clumsy when it comes to dancing. With my current skills, I’d only embarrass His Highness. And I’m sure there are plenty of noble ladies who’d love to be his partner. I’ll decline. Just being able to celebrate Your Highness’s birthday is enough joy for me.”
Saek let out a small sigh. What a clean and polite rejection. She was truly a rare kind of lady.
“I understand. If that’s how you feel, I won’t push it. But at least share a short dance with me, alright?”
“Okay. If it’s just swaying to the music, I can do that. And if it’s with you, Your Highness, I’d be happy.”
Miel blushed as she spoke, and Revina smiled even brighter.
Even though her brother’s path seemed rough, so what?
As the two held hands and shared a joyful laugh, Jade let out a helpless sigh.
The greatest threat to the tower master was this lovely lady laughing while holding Miel’s hand.
He didn’t know what trick she had used, but it was clear Miel was growing fond of her.
‘When is she going back to the palace?’
He wanted to separate the two immediately. But as her teacher, he couldn’t act so immaturely.
Damn it, Jade cursed to himself.
“I also brought one more invitation.”
A maid stepped forward and handed another letter directly to Miel, this time bypassing Revina.
“This is…?”
“Please give it to the Tower Master. I wanted to deliver it myself, but it’s time for me to return to the palace.”
“So soon?”
“Yes. I wish I could stay longer too, but if I’m late, the Emperor and Empress will worry.”
“Then I guess it can’t be helped.”
It was time to say goodbye, though reluctantly. The two girls stood and chatted cheerfully as they left the dining area.
Even though he was wearing a stealth robe, Jade still hid behind a pillar. He stayed quiet until the two reached the first floor, then peeked out the window.
The carriage that had brought Revina was slowly leaving the desert.
He hadn’t meant to hide, but found himself doing so anyway. It felt like he was doing something wrong.
‘No, I’m the owner of the tower. I can be wherever I want.’
Jade smiled wryly and turned toward the top floor. Now that the princess was gone, it was time to get back to work.
Miel entered her room with a bright smile. She had enjoyed spending time with her dear Princess Sunha.
Lately, things had been rather exciting. And what came next would be even more fulfilling.
“Alright, let’s read.”
Preparing her pen and paper, Miel sat at her desk and opened the book The Hidden Treasures of Kalaren.
But unlike other books, something strange stood out.
The author’s name wasn’t written anywhere.
“No matter how old it is…”
She felt curious but turned the pages anyway. The prologue described the story of the Great Sage.
The Great Sage, Karlaren—how he ended a war that ravaged the land long ago.
It covered his first appearance and the events leading to the founding of the Magic Tower.
Since Miel already knew these parts, she flipped ahead. Then came the parts she had been waiting for—stories related to the hidden treasures.
The format was as follows: the countries or places where the treasures were currently located, the time they had appeared, and the incidents or effects linked to them.
The book unfolded like a novel, continuously weaving tales about the treasures.
Thanks to that, Miel was able to read through the thick volume quite quickly.
By the time she stopped reading, the sky had long been covered in deep nightfall.
She hadn’t finished the whole thing but had managed to get through about one-third of it. That portion covered two of the treasures.
The first treasure mentioned in the book was Selu. The author lamented how he could only describe its beauty through words.
“I wonder what it looks like…”
Could it be like the literal tear of an eye? As she imagined Selu, her stomach suddenly growled.
She had been so engrossed in the book that she hadn’t noticed her hunger.
But it was already too late at night to ask Poki to cook anything.
So Miel sluggishly got up and retrieved an apple she had stored in a corner of her room. She wiped it with her sleeve and took a bite.
As expected of a premium apple—it was rich in flavor despite no cooking.
Eating the sweet apple seemed to help her mind work faster. With a gentle smile, Miel began organizing what she had read.
Holding the apple in one hand and her quill in the other, only the quiet scratching of her writing filled the room.
“The place where Selu is located…”
Suddenly, Miel flipped through the book again and pulled out a world map. She began comparing the book’s content with the map.
“Oh no…”
She had made a mistake. It wasn’t enough to only figure out the locations of the two treasures. Miel hurriedly flipped through the book again.
Skimming the text, she focused on the keywords—only the ones related to the treasures. Then, after checking the map against those points, she let out a dry laugh.
“This area is way too wide…”
