{ Chapter 29 }
I barely held back a scream.
‘Why… out of all people in the palace… why him?!’
Why is Shiz with the worst possible person—the insane crown prince, Reyester?!
A cloud passed in front of the sun, casting a shadow over us.
“…Did you just call her Mom?”
Reyester’s voice was calm but cold. Shiz quickly clapped her hands over her mouth.
“Is this your mom, Shiz?”
Silence filled the air as the crown prince’s expression slowly changed. He looked at Shiz, then at me—then let out a dry laugh.
He must’ve just realized who the child looked like.
“Um… c-could you please put me down now…?”
Shiz twisted in his arms awkwardly. Reyester slowly set her down.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Shiz bolted over and hid behind my back.
My mind raced.
Option 1: Fall to my knees and beg for mercy.
Option 2: Quit my royal magician job and run away.
Option 3: Use forbidden magic right now to erase this guy’s memory…
Every option was a nightmare.
While I stood frozen, saying nothing, Reyester’s lips curled into a slow, amused smile.
“This is getting interesting.”
Damn it. That face said it all—he was enjoying this.
“What are you waiting for? Start explaining, Royal Magician Lady Relshiz.”
I bit my tongue to stop from swearing.
Oh, life…
“…Shall we move to my lab first?”
Why can’t things ever go smoothly?!
***
Inside my personal lab in the outer palace, Reyester sat in a chair while I stood stiffly like a student being scolded.
Shiz stood next to me, eyes darting around nervously.
“…She is my daughter,” I finally admitted, before the silence could suffocate me.
Even though… that’s not technically true.
“I couldn’t leave her alone at home. I thought it’d be okay if I brought her here for a little while…”
“I-I’m sorry…” Shiz added in a tiny, teary voice.
I had expected him to blow up at me and threaten to fire me right away. But to my surprise, the crown prince said nothing.
I kept sneaking glances at his expression, trying to read his thoughts—but I had no clue what he was thinking. That just made me even more anxious.
‘He’s always wanted to get rid of me. Is this his chance to finally fire me?’
Honestly, that might be the better outcome.
Because if he finds out Shiz isn’t really my daughter—but me from the past—firing would be the least of my worries.
“Lady Relshiz.”
Finally, he spoke, his voice heavy.
“You know, you’ve been a real pain for me these past few years.”
“….”
“You always act out of line. Ignore my warnings. And worst of all, His Majesty protects you.”
“….”
“It’s been so annoying.”
I instinctively looked at Shiz. I’m used to this kind of talk, but not her. She’s only six.
As expected, Shiz had gone pale, frightened by his harsh words.
“Who’s the father?”
“…Huh? T-the father?” I stammered.
Reyester leaned on his hand and looked at me with amusement.
“You didn’t make the kid on your own, right?”
His voice had a smug, teasing tone.
‘Oh no.’
This wasn’t my imagination. He was clearly enjoying himself.
Of course, he’d be thrilled—he finally had a sword over my neck.
“W-well… you wouldn’t know him. I met him while traveling in the Southern Continent…”
“Ah, the Southern Continent.”
Reyester didn’t believe a word.
He narrowed his eyes and gave a slow, wicked smile.
“So, what do you think I’ll do with you now?”
“…Fire me.”
“Smart girl.”
Satisfied, he stood up like he’d just pulled out a bad tooth and felt great about it.
“Submit your resignation soon and leave the palace. If you do that, I’ll forget everything that happened today.”
“…”
“But if you don’t… you know what’ll happen.”
That was clear enough.
He’d publicly humiliate me and kick me out in the worst way possible.
‘Isn’t there any way out of this?!’
Between the two options, quietly getting fired was the better one. At least that way, the world wouldn’t find out about Shiz.
There was also a clause in the contract I signed when I was hired:
“If you cause a public scandal, you must return the signing bonus.”
If word spread, I’d probably have to sell my house to pay it back.
And even if I quit, would Reyester really keep this a secret?
‘What if he uses this as blackmail? Makes me his personal slave? Or worse—just exposes everything because he feels like it?’
Knowing his personality… that was highly likely.
“Well? Answer me, Lady Relshiz. Did you hear what I said?”
“Could you… please give me a little more time?”
I finally squeezed my eyes shut and bowed my head.
“Why should I?” the Crown Prince said coldly.
“If I suddenly quit being the royal mage like this…”
…I’ll be in big financial trouble.
Not only would I struggle to maintain the house I live in, but I’d also have no way to pay taxes or cover the cost of all the magical ingredients I’d already bought for future research.
“Just one month. Please give me at least one month…”
“Relshiz, you broke palace rules by sneaking someone in and damaged your professional reputation. Shouldn’t you be grateful I’m even letting this go quietly?”
I tried to explain my situation, but Reyester didn’t seem to care at all. I clenched my fists tightly.
‘Maybe… I really should erase his memory…!’
It was a crazy idea—and for good reason. That kind of spell is called forbidden magic for a reason.
No matter how desperate I was, messing with someone’s memory was extremely dangerous. And manipulating the brain? That’s one of the hardest and most complicated forms of magic.
I had never even tried it before. Could I really erase only the parts about Shiz from that guy’s head?
‘One mistake and I could turn the Crown Prince into a complete idiot.’
That would definitely get me executed.
“Ugh…”
Just then, Shiz—who had been quiet all this time—started to sob.
Both Reyester and I looked at her in surprise.
“W-why are you fighting…? Sniff… It’s my fault… Please don’t fight…”
And just like that—waaah!—Shiz burst into tears.
Her big, round tears rolled down her cheeks like marbles.
“D-don’t cry, Shiz!”
If Reyester heard her crying and got annoyed, he might actually punish her!
Everyone knows the Crown Prince is sensitive and temperamental. Panicked, I scooped Shiz up and tried to calm her down.
“No, no, we’re not fighting. We were just talking, okay? It’s okay.”
“S-sorry…” she sniffled.
“Shhh, it’s alright. No more crying.”
As I gently rubbed her back, I glanced at Reyester—and froze.
‘What’s with that face?’
Reyester was looking at Shiz like he had made some huge mistake. His eyes were slightly shaking… and even had a hint of guilt.
I couldn’t believe it.
‘You’re the one who started all this!’
While I was struggling between comforting a crying kid and watching the temperamental prince, Reyester suddenly spoke in a cold tone.
“Take her and leave.”
I quickly got up, grateful for the chance to escape. I picked up Shiz and backed away.
“Th-thank you. I’ll take my leave now.”
Reyester didn’t say another word.
I practically ran out of there with Shiz in my arms.
As I opened the door and glanced back one last time, I saw him standing still, staring out the window with a stiff expression.
Click. The door closed firmly behind us.
***
Back at my house, I sat with Shiz, facing a big decision.
‘Should I trust the Crown Prince? Or trust my instincts?’
Honestly, I already knew the answer. How could I ever trust someone like Reyester?
‘He said all that awful stuff in front of a child. You think he’s going to be kind and understanding now?’
Plus, I knew he had a bad relationship with the king. If this was his chance to make the king look bad by exposing me—why would he let it go?
I didn’t need to think long.
I made up my mind. We’re running.
‘The capital was never safe. Too many people, too many eyes. And now that Aska knows about Shiz…’
For now, both Reyester and Aska believed Shiz was just my daughter.
But if they ever start connecting the dots—start thinking about time magic and timeline interference…
