Chapter 37 (1/2)
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Chapter 37 – Follow Your Heart
His eyes opened wide, disbelieving.
Ashia tilted her head at him. “You don’t want to? I’ll go alone if that’s the case.”
When she took a step back and turned away, Kaligo urgently grabbed her hand. “No! I don’t hate it!”
“…”
“I will go. Wherever you go, I will go.”
Ashia smiled softly and nodded, very satisfied with his answer.
She didn’t care at all the broken potions she had worked so hard nor the messy floor of the Imperial Palace. She didn’t even pay attention to the scratches on her body or her torn robes. She was concentrating on the hand that was holding her.
“Do you want something to drink? Water? Tea?”
“I’ll go with tea, please.”
They sat around the round table as they returned to the store. A rather unsophisticated kettle and teacup were placed on the table. Moving her hands leisurely, she poured the water to the tea leaves in the teacup.
“There’s no pretty teacup here unlike in a duke’s or grand duke’s mansion.”
“…”
“That is a luxury. But still, the tea leaves are of the highest quality.”
Pour
Ashia smiled softly as she looked down at the water filling the teacup, “I will slowly tell you ten years’ worth of stories. It’s a lot, so it shouldn’t be let out in such haste,” she said with a sigh as she pushed the teacup in front of Kaligo. “By the way, what should I do after I made that mess in the Imperial Palace? There was even attack magic…” She raised her head and her eyebrows. “Ah! Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t me. It was only used by my opponent.”
Kaligo slightly smiled as he saw Ashia and grumbled that he was a witness.
“Were you watching?”
“I wasn’t watching. I saw it on my way back.”
“Ah.”
Kaligo thought for a moment, then tilted his head slightly and spoke softly, “There will be probably an investigation regarding the use of attack magic inside the Imperial Palace. We will find out who it was.”
Ashia tilted her head at his words, scratching her cheek. “…And what if it was the Magic Tower’s master?”
Surprised, Kaligo looked at Ashia. “Was it the Magic Tower’s master?”
“Yes, but I think I’ve heard that Magic Tower masters cannot be punished by the empire’s laws.”
Hmm
Kaligo raised his chin. “It can be seen as a problem between countries, as the Magic Tower has as much power as a small country.” He sighed as he leaned back on the chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “You are right. But even if that person was the Magic Tower’s master, if it was revealed that they used attack magic, they won’t be able to move quietly.”
“I see. Ah! I’m gonna say this again, but I never used attack magic.”
“I know. Even if you used it, I will ensure that it won’t cause you any damage, so don’t worry.”He looked at Ashia and smiled before closing his eyes.
Even if his words were mere promises, her anxious heart seemed to be lightly relieved.
“Then… what about you?”
“Me?”
“You used your aura.”
Kaligo smiled at her again. It feels good that he had a place in her worries. “There are only a few people in this empire who can hold me accountable for my sins as grand duke.”
“…Was it because you have a higher position than the Magic Tower’s master?”
“You seem to be aware of all the bad rumors about me, but you don’t seem to have any interest in the good ones.”
“…Ah.” She was reminded when she first met Kaligo and listed his scandals. Somewhat embarrassed, Ashia wiggled her hand on the table. “That’s, well…”
“Even the current emperor and the crown prince cannot so easily blame me.”
“…”
“If it reaches the emperor’s ears, it will be quite annoying, but don’t worry too much, as even that will be dealt with by the crown prince.”
“…Yes.”
The concern on Ashia’s face didn’t go away even with Kaligo’s words reassuring her, so he gently grabbed her fingertips as he stood on the table. He then continued talking while looking at the hand he was holding, “What more, my aura was used for defensive purposes so that shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“Alright then… I’m glad.” The corners of her lips trembled as she watched his large hand grabbing one of her fingers and reassuring her.
Sadness marred his forehead as she tried to pull out her fingers to grab the teacup.
‘Ah really…’
Ashia bit her lower lip as she held back a peal of laughter while quickly lifting the teacup to cover her trembling lips. She didn’t know why she would come to think of love as she looked at this wild, intimidating man.
Who was Kaligo Edmund?
’He was a person who wouldn’t change his expression even if a knife were to stab his neck. He would’ve been calm even if I was the one who died first and heard the news later.’
The day they both lost their lives, when he died before her… Renna remembered how Kaligo looked in his last moments that he didn’t know about. At the end of the day, he could never know, so Ashia alone remembered it and kept it for herself.
‘Ah… of all things.’
As the memory she had deliberately tried to bury came to mind, she trembled.
“Ashia.” Kaligo called her name softly as he saw her suddenly pale face.
Ashia’s head turned to him.
‘You’re alive.’
Both the man and Ashia—they were both alive. That was enough. No matter wherever he was in this book or he ended up with, it was enough that he was alive here. Ashia struggled to hide her bitter feelings, raising the corners of her lips and smiling.
“No, it’s nice of the crown prince to take care of it.”