Inside a carriage to the imperial palace.
Theodore lowered his head with his forehead furrowed. He didn't know where his focus was going.
He seemed to be thinking about something, his eyes blank.
He sat with that expression and posture for a while, then covered his eyes with his palms.
“Why do I keep thinking of that scene?”
A man with a dangerous atmosphere was on top of Rosenta.
The moment he saw that scene, his rational mind disappeared coldly.
He instinctively thrust a knife at the man and threatened him.
According to Rosenta, he was just a person who helped him.
“But something about those eyes … .”
It was out of the ordinary.
Those emerald eyes looking at Rosenta stood sharp like wild beasts preying on their prey.
‘When he looked at him, those eyes......’
Theodore gritted his teeth and nervously closed the window curtains.
“Rosenta said it was fine.”
Why do these thoughts keep filling my head?
Even after leaving the Estella duchy, Theodore's mind was full of these thoughts.
That scene did not leave his head.
Theodore's mood gradually worsened as he recalled the memory.
Then he realized.
"Why… … Am I in a bad mood?”
He couldn't understand, so he frowned.
This feeling was similar to jealousy.
Was it childish jealousy at the thought of losing a precious childhood friend?
But did he ever feel this way when Vivian was hugged by Rosenta?
Was it okay because it's Vivian?
Maybe he reacted more violently because he was afraid that his precious friend Rosenta would be subjected to a misunderstanding.
Theodore tidied these thoughts up one by one and nodded.
Then he smiled brightly as if he had found the answer.
“So it was like that.”
*
At first, Rosenta thought that Enoch would not leave easily.
Contrary to expectations, however, Enoch took the money he gave him and left the duchy without any hesitation.
Leaving with only a short greeting.
"See you again."
It was a significant choice of words.
However, Rosenta had never seen him after that, nor had he even heard his name in passing.
'See you again' must have been an ordinary greeting with no meaning.
In this way, he gradually returned to his normal daily life.
As he lived a busy life as a duke, his worries about Enoch gradually faded away.
Then it was today.
The day he would visit the imperial palace after a long absence was fast approaching.
“Are you here to see his Majesty the Emperor?”
There was nothing else to do but hand over the report along with an invitation.
A report on how he resolved the sandstorm. Although most of it is plausible lies.
“He is currently eating. If you haven’t eaten, His Majesty wants to have a meal together... would that be alright?”
He nodded.
As soon as he woke up, he traveled there and was now hungry.
He grabbed his hungry stomach and went to the dining room.
As expected, even the door to the dining room in the imperial palace was gorgeous. It was a white door with beautifully carved details in every nook and cranny that he was amazed by every time he saw it.
He opened the door without hesitation.
He could see Theodore eating at the long marble table in the middle of the spacious dining room.
Theodore, who was sitting alone in the seat of honor, greeted him with a bright smile.
“Rosenta.”
It was an empty space and filled with empty seats that made him feel lonely just by looking at it.
The weak Empress died when Theodore was young. Recently, his only surviving relative, his father, passed away.
That said, Rosenta had never comforted him by asking if he was lonely.
Sometimes comfort can be poison.
He quietly swallowed his emotions and calmly took a seat in the empty seat.
"Come on."
“Thank you for inviting me to a meal like this.”
As if waiting, the lady-in-waiting placed the main dish in front of him.
He put a piece of steak in his mouth.
Enjoying the flavor, he sliced another piece and put it in his mouth.
That's how they remained, calm and focused only on the food that came out in front of them.
After the main dish was finished, the ladies-in-waiting started serving the additional courses.
Soon it was time for dessert.
He was still waiting for dessert when Theodore spoke to him, “What is the report you are giving me?”
“I will show you now.”
Before entering the dining room, he had taken the papers out of his briefcase.
Thanks to that, he was able to take out the report right away without panicking.
Since the dining table was quite wide, he got up and put it in front of Theodore.
Theodore read the report as soon as he received it.
Theodore immediately nodded.
“Would you like to ask me any questions now?’ Rosenta recalled the answers he had thought of in advance from last night.
But unexpectedly, Theodore didn't ask questions.
Rather, he hesitated to say something that did not match his personality.
“Rosenta… … .”
At the end of his hesitation, Theodore asked his uncharacteristic question.
"You're not going to spend any more time with that dark-haired bastard, are you?"
“Are you talking about Enoch? No, his employment is over, so I have no reason to see him anymore.”
Theodore's face brightened in an instant. He even laughed as if he was happy.
“I’m glad.”
‘It seems that he hates Enoch quite a lot.’
In a way, the relationship between the two is going the way it was in the original story. They're wary of each other and don't like one another.
“I’m so glad.”
Theodore narrowed his brows and spoke to Rosenta in a low voice.
In a way, it looked like a carefully lowered posture used to gossip with others.
“Not only did he look arrogant, but his eyes and personality were also very cheeky.”
Theodore gritted his teeth.
Certainly, their natures were opposing. Even their appearances were the opposite of the others.
To use an analogy, one was the sun and the other was the moon. It's like water and oil that don't go together.
To relieve Theodore's displeasure, Rosenta hurriedly brought up another subject.
“We are going to hold a banquet at Estella Castle.”
It was the other reason he visited.
“A banquet?”
“Yes, since I have ascended as the head of Estella, we should hold a banquet.”
It was common to hold a banquet after being inducted.
It was a banquet with the meaning, 'Since I have newly accepted a noble title, take good care of me in the future.'
This custom was annoying and he wanted to break it, but in a way, he thought the process of breaking it would be more annoying.
So he had to follow tradition.
“Well, it’s understandable why you’re holding this later than usual.”
He listened to Theodore's murmur and nodded.
For a month, he was busy taking over his father's position, who had passed away suddenly, and recently he had been away to another area.
Rosenta couldn't postpone it any longer.
He took a piece of paper the size of his palm from the inside pocket of his coat and held it out to Theodore.
“This is an invitation for Your Majesty.”
*
Recently, he was busy preparing for the banquet.
There was no hostess of the duchy so he had to check every detail himself.
Moreover, since it was the first banquet where his reputation and social standing was at stake, he had no choice but to give his full attention.
He even called on Vivian and asked her to conduct an inspection the day before.
Vivian was more enthusiastic and meticulous than expected in preparing the banquet.
They suffered so much that by evening everyone was exhausted, including Vivian.
After serving a hearty meal for her, he even escorted her to the Marquis's estate.
After working through such a busy schedule, the blue sky was turning into a black night.
"I'm tired… … .”
He barely made it to the bed, dragging his legs that were as heavy as stones.
He started to fall asleep with his eyes wide open but woke up. The magic tools got in the way.
But the moment he looked at his hand, he noticed something different than usual.
The bones were too thin and delicate.
“Why are my hands... … .”
Desperately, he took a small mirror that was on the table and checked his face.
She was suddenly nauseous.
"Shit."
Her face had changed even though she hadn't removed any of her magic tools.
She was in her original form.
When she had finished taking a bath and put on her magic tools, she had been fine.
When she changed clothes in her room, she was in her male form too.
‘Since when in the hell…’
With a pale face, she began to rummage through the drawers. There might be other magic tools that she could temporarily wear placed in the drawer.
However, no matter how much she searched, no extra magic tools appeared.
“He said the tools could die or be damaged.”
Magic tools were not something permanent that would last a lifetime.
Just as electronic products consume electricity, the magical power of magic tools gradually wears out according to the frequency of use.
In a word, it means that her magical tools were now exhausted, and she was in a defenseless state.
“When did all the magic disappear?”
It was late at night, after all, and tomorrow was the day of the banquet.
It was amazing timing.
“Where can I find a wizard… … . ah."
Enoch came to mind.
Enoch left her saying, 'See you again.'
"No way."
She had her doubts, but she didn't want to believe it. But she could help but be suspicious.
Although she gave him the name 'Enoch', he was originally 'Adrian', the black magician of this novel.
A person who later walks into the mage tower that was chasing him with his own feet. Only to get the power to steal the heroine, Yura.
“What am I… … .”
‘Am I missing something?’
She went through the contents of each book she’d read.
However, there was no way she could suddenly know something.
The book didn't go into detail about magicians or how to use magic.
Books tend to focus only on the romance of the main characters.
“I have to go to Hugo first.”
Hugo.
He briefly worked as a wizard at the Mage Tower when he was young and is currently working as a designer of magic tools.
‘When I meet Hugo, things will become clearer.’
She started to move her body to get out as quickly as possible, but she hesitated.
She lowered her head and looked at her clothes.
"I'll have to change my clothes first."
The top sagged down to her shoulders. The pants were also in the same situation.
She went to the closet with a light sigh. She rummaged through the closet randomly.
“It should be around here… … . found it."
She pulled the long hem of the cloth in her hand without hesitation.
It was the spare clothing that Anna had put in the corner of the closet just in case.
“This would suit my body.”
Not stopping there, this time she rummaged through the drawers.
She couldn't find what she was looking for earlier, but she found something else instead.
It was disposable, but it was a pill that changed the color of the hair and eyes.
She swallowed the pill without hesitation.
There was no feeling of change. Just in case, she looked in the mirror to check.
She could see her hair and eyes turning a bright brown.
*