On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 40

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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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Chapter 40
‘What… what is this?’
The moment I finished reading the official document, my fingertips trembled.
I reread it several times in disbelief, but the clearly written letters didn’t change.
It was genuinely a marriage consent form between Cade and the 3rd Princess.
I recalled the baseless rumor I’d heard at Simona’s Residence.
“Is it true that the 3rd Princess and the Tower Master are supposed to marry…?”
“How would I know what the higher-ups are doing? Until it’s officially announced, a rumor is just a rumor.”
The preposterous rumor Maren had asked about.
That absurd rumor Simona herself had dismissed as mere gossip.
‘It wasn’t a rumor after all?’
My heart sank, and my hand fell limply to my side.
The document I didn’t want to believe crinkled in my grip, rustling as I trembled.
‘Cade and the 3rd Princess? Cade… getting married…?’
My mind seemed to drift away from my body, growing distant and hollow.
‘Could this be a misdirected document? That must be it. That has to be it.’
Even in my daze, my mind scrambled to deny the situation and find some flaw in it.
‘Even for smooth relations between the Imperial House and the Magic Tower, you couldn’t convey the Princess’s marriage—a matter of imperial consequence—through a first-year civil servant.’
‘And certainly not by handing over a single slip of paper wrapped up in the guise of an official document. It makes no procedural sense.’
‘It must be an error. The Imperial Palace wouldn’t want their princess marrying a reckless Tower Master anyway.’
But then a thought struck me, pulling me back to a reality as cold as Melgote’s winter.
‘…The 3rd Princess sent the Tower Master multiple invitations, didn’t she?’
Could her influence be behind this document? If so…
“Vivian. What are you doing here?”
“…!”
A voice from behind made me jump, and I quickly shoved the letter into my pocket, crumpling it.
I turned to find Simona standing there, yawning widely.
“S-Simona. What brings you here?”
At my awkward question, Simona shrugged.
“I was taking a walk to rest from work. What about you—shirking your duties?”
“Ah, yes.”
I found myself becoming an impromptu walking companion, moving alongside her.
With that heavy weight in my pocket, each step felt burdensome.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Do you have something to say?”
“Oh, no!”
Apparently, I’d been glancing at her far too much without realizing it.
I quickly looked away and fixed my gaze ahead.
But she was no ordinary person—surely she’d know something. I couldn’t help but probe cautiously.
“Simona, do you have connections with the 3rd Princess?”
“I’d call her one of my valuable influential contacts.”
“Is it true that…?”
I swallowed hard and forced out the question.
“Is the 3rd Princess going to marry the Tower Master?”
“Hmm? You’re not asking just because you heard gossip. If the news reached you, it seems they’re really going through with it.”
Simona answered with an amused chuckle.
For some reason, I desperately wanted to deny it, so I lashed out at Cade instead.
“But the Tower Master is a reckless fool! He’s willful, the Imperial Family dislikes him, and he was a disaster at the banquet. How can such a person dare to marry the Princess?”
“Vivian, you really can’t stand the Tower Master, can you?”
Simona laughed heartily, then continued.
“Still, his appearance is exceptional. Once they marry, he’ll have the Magic Tower in his grasp too.”
“Ah…”
I wanted to play along naturally, but all that came out was a hollow response.
“The 3rd Princess has been sending subtle invitations to the Tower Master for nearly a year now.”
“Was it really genuine interest…?”
“She saw him when she came to Melgote to visit the Grand Duke. She’s been obsessed with beautiful collectibles since childhood.”
“A beautiful collectible…”
I realized the marriage between Cade and the Princess wasn’t a rumor after all, and my throat grew dry.
The document in my pocket, already heavy, now felt like it had thorns.
***
The next day.
‘…What am I supposed to do with this?’
A day had passed, but staring at the new document offered no answers.
Though it was the Observatory’s day off, I couldn’t bring myself to go to the Magic Tower.
‘Would Cade really seal this document?’
Even as that thought made me consider going to the Tower,
‘But this does meet his conditions… The content has nothing to do with Melgote, the sea, or other wizards.’
Fear that Cade might actually seal this document kept me from even leaving the inn.
After holding the document for so long, an absurd feeling washed over me.
‘That’s ridiculous. Why should I care if Cade gets married? I’m not… I’m not hung up on him. It’s none of my business.’
So I prepared to go to the Tower, only to drop my bag and give up.
‘…Does it really not matter?’
Work or not, this was an ex-girlfriend delivering marriage news about an ex-boyfriend.
How could I pretend it meant nothing?
As I tried to calm my unsettled heart, wounded pride suddenly flared, and I threw the document onto the bed.
The thin, light paper fluttered and fell silently, without a sound.
‘What am I doing?’
Even I had to admit it was pathetic and ridiculous.
No matter how hard I tried to calm my anxious mind, uneasiness and agitation only drew closer.
‘…Why are they getting closer?’
I suddenly felt something was wrong. Looking out the window, the outside was in turmoil.
I felt the emotions of the magical beasts fleeing inland grow increasingly turbulent.
Sensing something amiss, I rushed downstairs to find stretchers carrying the wounded arriving in succession, with people frantically carrying clean cloth and water.
“What’s happening?”
The innkeeper’s maid answered with a pale, frightened expression.
“Monster beasts! Monster beasts have appeared!”
“…!”
Monster beasts?
It hadn’t been long since the Magic Tower and the Grand Duke of Melgote went out to sea to subjugate the creatures.
Were they already back in the sea? How was that even possible?
“We’re not safe here either! The monster beasts have pushed all the way to the wharf!”
At the urgent cry from outside, I inhaled sharply without thinking.
‘What does this mean? How did the monster beasts reach the wharf?’
Paralyzed by shock, the panicked people around me moved even more frantically.
“What? What are the Coast Guard and the Magic Tower doing!”
“The wizards have arrived at the wharf! Let’s load the wounded onto the carriages first!”
“How did it come to this…!”
“Even the wizards didn’t anticipate it. Apparently, the detection device broke or there was no signal, or something like that.”
What came after, I didn’t hear.
I grabbed my valuables, changed into my civil servant uniform, and rushed toward the sea.
***
The wharf was naturally far more chaotic and bustling than the inn.
‘My gods. It’s horrible. How many are there?’
Monster beasts that resembled malformed sea creatures roared with eerie sounds.
Their appearance alone made my skin crawl, and their roars filled with malice made me instinctively step back, even from a distance.
Yet the wizards moved fearlessly between sea and land, subjugating the creatures.
Magic circles flashed white as powerful attack magic manifested from the wizards’ fingertips.
I recognized several faces I’d seen during my visits to the Magic Tower.
‘…Cade.’
The first face I identified was the Tower Master’s.
‘This isn’t the time. I have work to do.’
Many people hadn’t managed to escape, and others were hurriedly docking ships at the wharf.
‘I barely managed to catch a carriage heading to the wharf, but it took longer than expected.’
We’d had to stop several times to guide terrified magical beasts into the forest.
I straightened my clothes and made sure my civil servant ID was clearly visible around my neck.
Then, just as I was about to rush toward the people,
A dark wall suddenly appeared before me.
“…!”
Cade, who had been floating over the sea, now stood directly in front of me.

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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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