Chapter 13
“Haah..”
Fatigue washed over her. As soon as she returned, Shirin erased all the aftereffects with her magic, and now Lynette didn’t want to so much as lift a finger.
She flopped onto the bed and closed her eyes. Her whole body tingled. Why was it that erasing the aftereffects was harder than enduring them?
It was a relief that Euphen didn’t have to bear this magic himself. It consumed one’s very life, damaged the body…
She took a deep breath and let it out. At first, the pain had felt so fresh and overwhelming that she thought she might lose her mind, but after going through it for a few days, she found herself strangely accustomed to it.
‘He said to see him in the evening, so I still have some time.’
Should she ask Shirin if she could go outside the Imperial Castle?
That woman seemed to have realized that Lynette had no thoughts of running away, but granting her permission to go outside was another matter. Even if she had no such intentions, once given freedom, people’s hearts could change.
Would it be better to keep watching the situation for now, or to ask Euphen for a favor?
As she idly pondered, Lynette belatedly remembered Mari.
‘Ah, I still haven’t met Mari.’
It wouldn’t be bad to see her at least once. She didn’t know what Mari wanted to say, but it didn’t seem harmful.
Forcing her drooping body upright, Lynette slowly walked toward the detached palace. Since she was planning to go anyway, she might as well go a little earlier and look for Mari.
She had been walking for some time and was almost at the detached palace when she heard quick footsteps.
“Hey!”
Someone shouted. Lynette kept walking, not even imagining the call was directed at her.
Then, suddenly, a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.
“Haa, ha… Are you ignoring me on purpose?”
A woman with disheveled black hair glared at Lynette while catching her breath. Though she wasn’t wearing a cynical smile but rather a slight frown, Lynette could tell at a glance it was Mari.
“Mari… right? Hello.”
“How do you know my name?”
“Lara told me.”
“Ah, so you met Lara.”
Mari caught her breath and brushed her messy hair behind her ear.
“I heard you wanted to meet me.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Why?”
Mari stared at her quietly at that question.
“Normally, we would’ve died there, you know.”
“……”
“You’re a bit strange.”
“Me?”
“It wasn’t exactly a situation where survival seemed likely, was it? And yet you made that commotion.”
“Well, we lived, so it’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. We did live.”
Mari took a deep breath and then let it out again, her lips curling into a slightly cynical smile.
“I thought about it, and you saved my life.”
“What? No, you really don’t have to think of it that way…”
“I don’t know what you’re doing with those mages, but it seems you’re tied to the Imperial Castle as well… If you ever need any aid, I’ll help you.”
At the sudden remark, Lynette tilted her head.
“You’re my lifesaver. I should at least do this much.”
Mari calling her a “lifesaver” with such a cynical face was a little amusing. She didn’t seem to feel even a fingernail’s worth of gratitude, yet here she was talking about repaying the favor.
When Lynette laughed at the contradiction, Mari folded her arms.
“If you’re not truly grateful, you don’t have to be. I’m not saying this because I want thanks.”
“I am grateful, in my own way. And it’s not a bad thing to have acquaintances around the Imperial Castle, right?”
“That’s true.”
“I can’t speak for the others, but Lara and I are grateful to you. So if you ever need anything, just say so.”
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
A memory of a woman doing laundry with arms as red as her own hair came to mind.
‘Later… if possible, maybe I should bring Lara to His Highness Euphen’s detached palace too.’
Since Lara and Mari seemed to be on fairly good terms, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“I work at His Highness Imperial Prince Euphen’s detached palace.”
“Mm. I heard.”
“If there’s ever a chance-”
“Lynette.”
A low voice suddenly spoke. Lynette recognized it immediately.
“Someone you know?” Mari’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked past Lynette.
“Sillian.”
When Lynette slowly spoke his name, Mari shrugged her shoulders and gave a short farewell.
“See you again.”
Mari walked away, and Sillian closed the distance between them.
“Have you thought about what I said?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why are you refusing me? You’re my ‘fated partner.’”
The man spoke with a desperate expression. Lynette parted her lips.
Seeing her hesitation, he paused for a moment, then raised his hand.
“Do you doubt that I’m an Esper?”
Before he even finished speaking, a tiny flame, no bigger than a fingernail, flared from his hand.
The round fireball floated above his palm, then began to swim through the air, weaving between his fingers like a fish.
‘An Esper…’
She knew that magic couldn’t achieve such delicate control, and that one couldn’t create something from nothing without an incantation or a tool.
“As you can see, I’m an Esper. And you are my fated Guide.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“I… I’m His Highness the Imperial Prince’s Guide.”
At those words, his eyes widened before narrowing into a frown.
“That can’t be.”
“It’s true. I’m His Highness’s Guide. So I can’t possibly be your ‘fated one.’”
“The pendant has never been wrong. There must be some mistake…”
Sillian, who had been speaking in a slightly more heated tone, suddenly stopped talking.
“Don’t tell me… you were made into a Guide?”
Goosebumps prickled over Lynette’s skin. Shirin’s magic was almost completely unknown, how did this man even guess?
“No.”
Lynette instinctively denied it. The fact that she was the Prince’s Guide was something she must not reveal.
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