Chapter 53
‘No, but… is it even possible to go back to how things were before?’
She had felt desire for her master, and her master had been aroused by his disciple’s touch. How could they possibly return to the time before they were drawn to each other?
Eki pondered the question with a serious expression. Though they had gained some breathing room before the final inspection, her tired mind still hadn’t recovered from the strain of work and refused to function properly. Naturally, she sought Milla’s advice.
“Milla. The truth is, a few things happened between my master and me, and now I don’t know what to do next.”
“Okay.”
“What should I do? Just keep things as they are? Or should I put some distance between us?”
“Can you even keep your distance?”
Milla lightly shrugged and took a sip of her drink.
“You like how Lord Cassius looks.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“And you like his voice, too.”
“Did I ever say that?”
“You did. You said his voice is usually low and stiff, but when he calls your name, it softens and sounds nice.”
“Wait, I actually said something that embarrassing?”
“About two years ago, yeah.”
“Oh no, that’s insane.”
Eki covered her now-burning face with her hands and hastily popped another potato wedge into her mouth. When she felt like she might choke, she took two swigs of beer and set her glass down. Milla chuckled at the sight.
“To be honest, I always thought something like this would happen eventually.”
“Whaaaaat?!”
“I didn’t say anything before because of Giyote, but… you know, whenever you like someone, you always find some excuse to stay close to them.”
“M-Me?”
“Yeah. You did the same thing back in the academy.”
She was referring, no doubt, to Eki’s ridiculous persistence and how she had spent two whole years trying to become Milla’s friend. Feeling embarrassed, Eki could only sip her beer in silence.
“That was when I was young. And besides, you and my master aren’t even comparable.”
“Then who do you like more, me or your master?”
“Of course you, Milla!”
At that, Milla’s languid eyes curved softly, and her full lips formed a pleased smile. Eki grinned, delighted to see that lovely expression all to herself again.
“It’s nice not having Giyote around. Why don’t you just date me instead?”
“No way. You should go to Lord Cassius.”
“Hey!”
Before Eki could protest further, Milla’s face smoothed back into a calm, unreadable expression. She stabbed a potato wedge with her fork and gestured slightly as she continued.
“Anyway, what I mean is, you’ve been working yourself half to death at the Thousand Dog Tower, but when other towers offer to scout you, you always refuse. So I figured it’s because you actually like staying near your master.”
“What? That’s not…”
Eki denied it on instinct, but then paused to think about it.
It was true that she had received a scouting offer a few weeks ago. A prestigious scholar from a major magic tower near the capital had taken notice of her skills and handed her a business card personally. But she had turned the offer down on the spot.
Well, she had hesitated for a moment… though that moment hadn’t lasted even five seconds.
“You always complain that the Pinon Forest is too far from your home. So why’d you reject that offer?”
“Because… my master pays more?”
“You already have loads of money. And if you joined another tower, you wouldn’t have to do all the chores yourself. You’d even have attendants following you around. You’re the one who’s always singing about how much you hate doing laundry.”
“Well, that’s true. But still, it’d feel weird to just leave after working there for seven years.”
More importantly, there wouldn’t be another tower with someone as handsome as Cassius. Eki swallowed that thought. To her, good-looking coworkers were important, but she knew that wasn’t exactly something most people risked their careers over.
“So it is because of your master, isn’t it? You think he’d be sad if you suddenly left for another tower.”
At Milla’s teasing tone, Eki flailed her hands in protest.
“What are you talking about! Sad? Him? The flowers in his garden would miss me more than he would!”
“You really think so? You think that man doesn’t have any feelings for you?”
“Well… I guess he’d be a little lonely if his only disciple disappeared.”
But sad? That Cassius, sad? Her master?
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