On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 42

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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 42
The 2nd Princess, the Grand Duke of Melgote, had come to the Magic Tower in person.
When I tried to puzzle out why she would make such a visit, the answer came quickly enough.
‘She must have come because of the monster beasts attacking the Wharf yesterday.’
All I really knew about the Grand Duke of Melgote was Cade’s apparent disdain for her.
Given that she’d come all this way after yesterday’s incident, I wondered if his dislike was one-sided.
While I was turning this over in my mind, Ben’s hand appeared before my eyes.
“Shall I take you to your quarters?”
“No, I should pay my respects to the Grand Duke.”
I shook my head and smoothed my appearance in the mirror.
It bothered me that I’d never met the Grand Duke once since coming to Melgote on official business.
The Bureau Chief had told me not to pry unnecessarily, saying she was a busy woman, and to visit her manor and pay my respects only on the day before I returned to the Imperial Capital.
But it went against propriety to leave without a greeting when we happened to be in the same place.
***
I left Ben behind, uncertain whether he should stop me, and descended the stairs.
As I approached the lobby, wizards lined the staircase railing, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the Grand Duke.
“Excuse me, coming through.”
I pushed awkwardly through the gap, but another crowd of wizards awaited me on the other side.
Eventually I gave up trying to shoulder my way past and remained standing, gripping the railing, peering down below.
A woman with rosy hair elegantly pinned up, her brilliant golden eyes fixed straight ahead with composed presence.
Rosanne Guyana Melgote.
The 2nd Princess and the Grand Duke of Melgote—a wizard of considerable renown.
I considered squeezing through the crowd to greet her, but something about the atmosphere felt off.
As I tried to gauge Cade’s expression, the Grand Duke suddenly thrust forward a lavish bouquet.
The petals were thin and broad—flowers that could only be procured from warm regions.
They must have been cut from the Magic Greenhouse where the 3rd Princess’s reception was held.
“What is this?”
But his response was cold—that of someone who could never care for flowers.
Cade’s eyes burned with sapphire flame as he stared down at her.
“I prepared it especially for you. The wizards of the Magic Tower went to great effort at the Wharf yesterday, I’m told. Occupied with pressing duties, I was unable to show my face—I am merely grateful they stood in my stead.”
……
Here. Take this to your fiancée’s grave when the time comes. Didn’t you say she was so desperately fond of these flowers?
The world went white in my mind for a moment before rushing back.
What did I just hear?
‘……A fiancée? A grave?’
In the year since we parted, had he become engaged and already been widowed?
I was certain there was some misunderstanding.
Cade wasn’t the impulsive type, and he’d always been thoughtful when we were together.
It seemed unbelievable that he would become engaged to someone so soon after we separated.
‘That can’t be right. The Grand Duke must be mistaken about something.’
Even as I thought this, I waited anxiously for him to deny it.
But instead of protesting, he replied with unconcealed hostility and mockery.
“You take quite an interest in my affairs, don’t you? How thoughtful of you. We only just dealt with the monster beasts yesterday—I didn’t realize you’d grown so at leisure.”
“And who else would look after the master of a tower within Melgote’s lands if not I? I witnessed your sorrow at losing your beloved—surely I might take pity on such a tender heart.”
“Melgote is not so small a place that you lack opportunities for pity elsewhere.”
The Grand Duke smiled benevolently, unmoved by his barbs.
“Before you visit the Imperial Palace, I’d advise you to correct such childish insolence. As you say, I’m hardly at leisure—I’ll take my leave.”
“I’m but an unworthy man, insufficient for so august a place. Safe travels to you.”
Cade wore a smirk throughout their exchange, and the moment the Grand Duke left the Magic Tower, he vanished with Teleportation.
I stood in the now-empty lobby, dumbstruck, long after the other wizards had dispersed.
My feet wouldn’t move.
‘Not just a lover, then—a fiancée. Someone he’d promised marriage to.’
My grip on the railing loosened, and confusion flooded through me.
‘Cade and marriage prospects’ already sounded strange, but the very existence of ‘Cade’s fiancée’ was impossible to imagine.
And then a thought occurred to me.
‘He must have told her he was a wizard, right? He wouldn’t hide his profession—he’d introduce her to people he knows……’
An uncomfortable feeling stirred in my chest, and I moved forward.
‘I need to return to the inn. I can’t ask Ben again—I’ll take a carriage.’
I couldn’t bear to see Cade’s face again today.
As I descended the stairs, I spotted Rana coming up.
I caught her reflexively by the arm.
“Rana. Do you have a moment to talk?”
“Oh, hello, Investigator! Of course. What would you like to know?”
I drew her into a corner of the landing and lowered my voice.
“Rana. Do you know anything about the Tower Master’s fiancée?”
“Yes, ma’am. Everyone in the tower knows about her.”
“……Everyone knows?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Rana’s eyes widened as she spoke more quietly.
“There was a woman the Tower Master promised to marry, but she passed away from an incurable illness. It was terribly sad.”
……
If it was common knowledge among the wizards, he wouldn’t have tried to hide it.
‘Yet he was happy enough when I said we should pretend to be strangers.’
And how emotionally involved must he have been, for the Grand Duke to know about her favorite flowers?
‘I thought he was cautious, but it seems he loved quite passionately.’
Though it was tragic that he’d lost his fiancée to illness, I couldn’t help but feel irked and wounded.
As I brooded inwardly, Rana’s next words made me pause.
“That was a year ago now.”
“……A year ago?”
“Yes. They were together for three years, I think? At least he seems to have weathered the grief well.”
“……Three years together?”
I couldn’t properly comprehend what Rana was telling me.
‘What is she saying?’
After another wizard called Rana away, I remained standing in that spot.
As I went over what I’d heard piece by piece, my head began to swim.
I’d been with Cade for two years, and we’d parted a year ago.
Yet he’d had a fiancée he’d been with for three years, and she’d died a year ago?
Which meant……
‘Was he unfaithful to a suffering fiancée with me? Was I……the other woman?’
Vertigo crashed over me, and I steadied myself against the wall.
My mind spun, trying to make sense of it all, but my lips kept mouthing denials.
‘That can’t be. That’s impossible.’
Then it struck me—if what Rana said was true, I could now understand everything about Cade’s behavior.
‘After his fiancée died, he felt guilty about the infidelity. That’s why he suddenly broke things off with me.’
Now it all made sense.
Why he’d hidden his profession, why he wouldn’t talk about himself—all of it was because he was juggling us both.
‘This bastard……!’
Heat rushed through me, and I stormed straight into his office.
Cade stood by the window, sighing, and at the sight of me entering without knocking, his eyes narrowed slightly.
“Vivian. Ben is waiting for you―.”
“Did you have a fiancée while you were seeing me?”
“……Vivian.”
I stepped forward and demanded an answer, but he couldn’t meet my gaze directly.
“A fiancée you’d been with for three years?”
……
“How could you……!”
My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists, studying his face.
The color had drained somewhat, but he looked more uncomfortable than sorry or ashamed.
That made my anger burn hotter.
“Say something. Anything.”
“What would I say?”
“Make excuses, then! Something!”
“……There’s nothing to say. We’re long since parted.”
……!
While my voice rose, his remained steady and composed.
Whether out of resignation or brazen indifference, his tone only made my own emotions spill over.
What did it matter that we’d already parted?
The time I’d spent with him didn’t vanish.
If only it had—that would have been better.
Then I wouldn’t have to feel this shame and misery.
As the weight of humiliation and despair pressed down on me, I wanted nothing more than to leave that instant.
But there was one thing left to do.
I pulled an Official Document from my pocket and thrust it against his chest.
“The Imperial Government sent new orders. Make sure to stamp them as agreed.”

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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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