My Husband Is Not the Magic Tower Master - Chapter 54

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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 54

At the threshold of the open doorway, I briefly intertwined my fingers with his.
“What are you doing?”
“A gesture of thanks.”
“That’s far too much.”
He let out a soft laugh at my protest.
When I slowly withdrew my hand, Carlo offered his again with meticulous courtesy.
“I will see you safely through.”
His expression was unflinching, composed.
* * *
By Delpinia’s strict protocol, a prospective Crown Princess was to enter the palace approximately a week in advance—that was the prescribed custom.
But I was the Crown Prince’s fiancée in name alone, a girl infamous across generations for being nothing but a hollow ornament, so such rigid tradition held no sway over my entry.
I was a Crown Princess who bore none of his favor, not even a thread of affection—merely a figurehead for appearances’ sake.
‘Only within the Mage Tower did everyone keep quiet about it.’
In society, Elline and Lucas were already known among those in the know as lovers.
And the fact that I was the only cherished friend of the Crown Prince’s beloved was common knowledge as well.
More than that—everyone already understood that I had seized her place through sheer force of my family’s power.
But propriety, etiquette, or whatever else.
Those insufferable members of high society knew perfectly well that I was utterly impossible to deal with.
Of course, it was all ancient history by now, but those who didn’t know much of my work at the Tower spoke of me in the same refrain.
“They say the tyranny from Stein was so severe even in her childhood?”
“Raised as a spoiled, ill-tempered princess, they say.”
“She even stole her friend’s man—just how vile can one person be?”
It reached both my ears.
There was no time to respond to each whisper one by one; a sizeable crowd had already gathered at the palace gates.
‘What is this? They said my entry would be private.’
The moment my feet left the teleportation circle that Carlo and I had ascended moments before, I was caught off guard.
The Mage Tower had prepared special Teleportation Magic leading directly to the Crown Princess Palace—something arranged specifically for my convenience days in advance.
‘The marriage has always been contentious, with families at odds and no shortage of complications….’
I’d assumed the entry would proceed quietly, all things considered.
But I had misjudged.
Somehow word had leaked, and those who’d discovered that I worked as a mage at the Mage Tower had already crowded before me.
“…I heard she practices Water Magic….”
“…So that’s why His Majesty….”
The spectators’ faces told their own story—all of them young, gossipy nobles.
Among them were young ladies and women my age whose invitations I’d repeatedly declined, those I’d gone out of my way to avoid.
‘This is troublesome.’
I stood still beside Carlo, my expression plainly uncomfortable.
But the worst was yet to come.
“I have been waiting for you, Rose!”
“….”
“Ah, do you know how long I have anticipated this moment, to prepare such a grand welcome for you?”
‘Is he out of his mind? Why is he making this grandiose?’
At Lucas’s demeanor—so unlike before—my brow furrowed involuntarily.
Standing in the middle of the already irritating crowd, he held an enormous, gaudy bouquet and grinned like an idiot.
That was when I truly witnessed, with fresh eyes, that tactless, insufferable moment of the ‘male lead from a novel’ that I’d briefly forgotten.
Yes, this was it.
‘For real.’
I wanted nothing more than to strike him with that bouquet.
I stood rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss for words.
Lucas then stepped toward me, one pace at a time, and smiled widely as he spoke again.
“My congratulations.”
“Ah, yes….”
Lucas stopped his advance precisely between Carlo and me, and winked with one eye.
I couldn’t tell if the wink was meant for me or if he was greeting Carlo—his positioning left it ambiguous.
‘But what exactly am I congratulating?’
Palace entry? Our marriage?
I didn’t understand what he meant, so I simply accepted the bouquet he offered into my arms.
In that moment, Carlo stepped back a pace from between us and offered Lucas a small bow.
“May glory shine upon the sun of Delpinia.”
“Glory, is it? Not jealousy?”
….
“A jest, merely a jest.”
It was plainly a courtesy greeting to anyone watching.
But for just a moment, Carlo’s eyes as he looked up at him had turned cold.
For some reason, Lucas seemed to realize his misstep, his face faltering as he waved his hand dismissively.
Strange as the dynamic seemed, I read the mood from their exchange easily enough.
‘He knows.’
That Carlo was interested in me.
Well, they were childhood friends and frequent colleagues at work.
‘Not knowing would be stranger.’
It made sense that he could have found out if he’d wanted to.
I nodded calmly and took the hand Lucas offered.
“Shall I show you to the palace where your beloved betrothed will be staying?”
“There’s no need for that.”
Why “beloved”? I didn’t even love him, truly.
I asked while surveying the still-bustling crowd around us three.
“Did His Majesty personally extend the invitation?”
“Yes. The more celebrants, the better it would be, yes?”
“I see… that must be it.”
Damn it.
Congratulations, my foot—can’t they see they’re all just staring?
My lips moved against my will toward complaint, so I slowly veiled my face behind the bouquet instead.
At the same time, turning my back on Carlo and feeling the growing distance between us, I sensed something out of place.
I hoped it was merely my imagination.
‘Today feels…’
Strange. The Lucas holding my hand didn’t feel like the Lucas I’d come to know.
Not that Lucas who always made me think of Carlo.
“By the way, when you returned to the Tower last time, were you all right?”
“All right? What do you mean?”
“During the boat excursion, I accidentally dropped you into the lake.”
“Heh… No, no, it’s fine. Please, drop me in again whenever you like.”
“…You’re happy about that now?”
“Yes, happy—because after tomorrow, I’ll be married.”
Lucas suppressed a breathy laugh, gently running his fingers through his golden hair.
That gesture was utterly different from the rough movements I’d seen before, and I narrowed my eyes.
Perhaps his demeanor had shifted temporarily from joy.
‘Always so anxious in front of me, yet this side existed too.’
In any case, it was only a one-day wedding—no need to pay it close attention.
Soon, when we reached the Crown Princess Palace, I stopped in the garden and told him:
“Your escort ends here.”
“…Pardon?”
“Do you remember what I said yesterday? That I don’t love you. And my friend still hopes for a sincere apology and heart from her former lover.”
….
“Of course, I cannot defy my family’s will. The marriage will proceed as planned—unless you change your mind and break the promise between our houses.”
Three o’clock in the afternoon, the hour when the sun burns hottest.
The sunlight pouring down on Lucas’s head made his blue eyes shimmer all the more.
The loud, chatter-filled voice that had filled the moments before quieted, and for a breath I could see his composed face.
Now came the moment of choice.
‘This would be the perfect ending.’
I returned the bouquet in my arms back to him.
“Forgive me, but I’d like to be alone now.”
Will you disappear into Elline’s care?

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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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