My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 45

According to popular rumor, the First King—hailed as the continent’s greatest romantic—had his Ring fitted here when he proposed to his queen.
After that, any jewel bearing the name Pianseur skyrocketed in price like a bubble inflating.
I’d always dismissed it as sentimental nonsense exploited for profit.
“It’s nothing much.”
“….”
“I thought we might have some jewelry made here.”
Not until Lucas’s ears flushed red and his mouth opened uncertainly did it click.
‘Oh.’
Surely not—
When he fixed me with that serious expression, I found myself sighing without meaning to.
What was this? The turn of events came out of nowhere.
I’d had my suspicions since he chose this place in his letter, but I never thought he was serious.
I’d assumed he only meant to meet somewhere central to the Capital, around here or thereabouts.
I couldn’t fathom his intentions.
‘What is he thinking?’
Lucas was supposed to craft a Ring for Eline by himself, present it to her alone during the wedding ceremony, and propose on his own terms.
Yet here he was, at a jeweler’s shop with me instead.
Something felt terribly off.
“Are you… having a Ring made for me?”
“That is my intention.”
“Why? Why would you?”
“Because I wish to.”
“Even if I tell you I don’t need one?”
“…Does it displease you?”
Lucas tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
“If a wedding happens only once in a lifetime, having a custom Ring made should be the natural thing to do.”
“That’s just a general convention. There are people who don’t want it.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
My answer came without hesitation, and his brow furrowed sharply.
There was something about that expression that resembled the man I knew, and I found myself simply watching his face in silence.
‘How strange.’
Maybe I was in deep too.
Meanwhile, perhaps because the weather was oppressively warm, he exhaled slowly and swept back his damp hair.
Then he continued, as if explaining himself.
“You asked to meet first. I simply wanted to repay your kindness appropriately.”
“…Then I suppose I had no choice in selecting our meeting place.”
So this whole shift in the scenario was because of me?
I sat quietly with his words, turning them over in my mind.
‘Well, if it’s because of me, then maybe things could unfold this way after all.’
In The Mage’s Way of Love, my role was so minor that it never showed how many times Lucas and I met before the wedding.
I’d hoped everything would unfold strictly according to the plot, but he was a living, breathing person in his own right.
People are vulnerable to their circumstances, and circumstances, in turn, can reshape the future.
‘Fine. I accept it.’
A wedding Ring—whoever had it made didn’t really matter, as long as it reached its intended recipient properly.
I quickly changed my mind and took his offered hand without resistance.
“I’m sorry. I tend to be overly cautious.”
Rising onto my toes, I settled the Parasol over his head, and Lucas let out a soft chuckle.
Then, almost in passing, he murmured something.
“…It seems this Arranged Marriage doesn’t sit well with you, Miss Rose.”
“I still believe marriage should be with someone you love.”
As we walked into the jeweler’s shop, both of us holding the Parasol’s handle, I replied without much thought.
“But there are marriages in this world that are simply unavoidable, I think.”
“….”
“So until the wedding ceremony ends, let’s treat each other with courtesy, shall we?”
Lucas, you’ve had plenty to say about being forced into marriage despite still bowing to royal pressure.
‘For Eline, surely a braver man would suit her better.’
In the end, the two protagonists would be tied together as if by a predetermined fate, helpless to resist.
But now that I’d opened my eyes in this place, I was certain I couldn’t fall in love with such a cowardly man.
I smiled faintly at him as he personally opened the shop door before me.
“Since we’re here anyway, why don’t we pick out not just a ring, but the wedding necklace, earrings, tiara, dress, and even furniture? Everything.”
“As you wish.”
Fine. I was going to drain your fortune today.
After the wedding, everything I owned would be transferred to Eline, so I’d decided to assemble the trousseau according to her tastes.
At my swift pivot in strategy, Lucas’s expression grew unexpectedly pleased, and he smiled quietly.
Not knowing a thing, he soon made me a promise.
“If there’s anything that catches your fancy, you’re welcome to choose freely. Whatever it may be.”
“Yes. I’ll choose carefully.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
As I peered through glass cases displaying jewels with every intention of thoroughly plundering them, Lucas’s eyes crinkled quietly at the corners.
…I didn’t know it then.
That things would spiral this far out of control.
* * *
Without genuine interest in the matter, there was little point in choosing the trousseau items with any sentiment.
I proceeded with ruthless efficiency, rapidly checking off the wedding trousseau list.
The ring for the wedding ceremony was prepared with an expensive, impressively large diamond to match the development of The Mage’s Way of Love.
The wedding dress and high-quality furnishings were all sourced from the finest establishments in the Capital, and I settled the accounts in person that very day.
Lucas suggested I try on the dress and accessories once, but I declined the offer.
“It wouldn’t be fun if you saw them beforehand.”
Right. The truth was I couldn’t be bothered to try anything on.
Besides, there was no point spending that much time with a man who’d be going to another woman just minutes after the wedding ceremony.
Three hours or more had passed without notice.
He and I came to a café by the Lakeside with only the ring in hand and ordered simple drinks.
“…You must be hungry. Would you prefer to move to another location?”
“It’s fine. I just need to drink this and get back to work.”
“Come along with me.”
“It would be better if we went separately. I’m planning to go meet Eline.”
“…?”
Lucas, who’d been skimming the menu, lifted his head.
But for some reason, his gaze felt strange.
At his puzzled expression—as if asking why I’d suddenly brought up Eline—I found myself flustered instead, our eyes having just met.
“Ah. I suppose I’ve said something unnecessary.”
Just then, our ordered drinks arrived, cutting the conversation short.
Despite my mentioning Eline, Lucas showed no particular disturbance.
He simply sat there with an unbothered expression, quietly lifting his teacup.
Could he really be pretending not to know her and his relationship with her in front of me?
‘…If that’s the case, I’m truly disappointed.’
He’d forfeited his qualifications as the male lead of a novel.
I stared at him incredulously.
Even if their secret romance had begun before I took office, this was too much.
Surely he didn’t think I wouldn’t know about the two of them.
His lukewarm reaction was so tense it made even a bystander nervous.
“….”
Lucas remained silent, his eyes fixed on the ring box we’d collected directly from the jeweler.
Then, unable to hold back any longer, I asked.
“Your Highness.”
“….”
“Are you perhaps… not sad?”
I wondered if maybe his mood had soured at having to match a ring meant for another woman with someone unrelated to her.
Perhaps that’s why he’d said nothing to me for bringing up Eline.
Though of course, I hadn’t deliberately mentioned her name to provoke him.
It was just an indirect way of expressing that I wouldn’t accompany him to the Magic Tower.
As I watched Lucas’s reaction while asking, he finally answered.
“…I am sad.”
Well then, that’s as it should be.
I nodded, feeling the tension ease from my shoulders.
But immediately after, his next words came.
“It’s just that there’s still quite a long time before the wedding…”
…
“…which is rather painful, I must confess.”
Had the tea I just drank contained poison?
I stared at him blankly for a moment, then murmured aloud.
‘Is he mad?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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