On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 80

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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 80
“Wow! Cade. How beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Do you like it?”
“How did you do that? Did you cast Magic?”
“Magic? Nothing of the sort.”
My lips parted in wonder as a memory surfaced unbidden.
It was the same sight Cade had shown me back when he was just “Cade”—something that had seemed like magic itself.
I leaned out the carriage window and looked up at the Magic Tower.
I could faintly see the curtains in his office window fluttering as we drew away.
I’d been in such a rush to escape the Magic Tower, and yet he’d arranged this romantic farewell.
‘Could it be… is he truly sincere this time?’
My hand went to my chest, startled by the sudden fluttering there, and I quickly ducked my head back into the carriage.
‘Why is my heart racing like this? Get a grip. You promised not to waver.’
I reminded myself of last night’s resolve, but it did little good.
I found myself reading meaning into his every gesture.
“Maybe… maybe we could become that kind of people.”
That kind of people.
The kind who keep meeting even after everything ends and we transfer to different posts.
The kind for whom sharing a meal is perfectly natural.
Through all that happened, we still parted with promises to meet again, scattering flower petals as we went.
I watched the Magic Tower recede into the distance, petals drifting on the wind, then drew the curtain shut.
I opened a book I’d meant to read while staying in Melgote but hadn’t managed a single page of.
My racing heart urged me to peek out at the Magic Tower one more time, but I held firm.
If I thought too deeply about it, I’d only end up flip-flopping again like I always did when left alone.
‘Clear your head until we reach the Imperial Capital. You have plenty of work waiting.’
The itching on the back of my hand that kept making me rub it against my clothes was surely just from the petals brushing past.
***
Four days later.
We reached the Imperial Capital as the sun began to set.
The evening breeze was crisp, but nothing compared to the sea wind of Melgote.
The Imperial Palace rising beyond the carriage window felt strangely unfamiliar.
‘I thought I’d be back in just a few days, but it took longer than expected.’
We’d arrived in the Imperial Capital, but given the late hour and the luggage I needed to unpack, I decided to head to the Solling Residence first.
The Solling estate was situated at the edge of Treul, a region that bordered the Imperial Capital.
It was renowned as the empire’s largest coniferous forest, and the forest scent mingled with the evening breeze.
As I stepped down from the carriage in front of the modest townhouse-sized dwelling, a familiar voice called out.
“Goodness! My lady!”
It was Tali, one of the few servants at the Solling estate.
“Tali. How have you been?”
“How have I been, you ask!”
Tali rushed through the gate and looked me over carefully, her eyes growing misty.
“My lady! Why are you only just arriving! Really, I…!”
“I wrote that it would take longer. The Barrier at Melgote had complications, and I couldn’t leave.”
“But you said you’d be back in a few days, and then you send a single letter saying you don’t know when you’ll return!”
Seeing tears brimming in her eyes as though they might spill any moment, I felt a pang of guilt.
“Don’t cry, Tali. I didn’t think it would take this long either.”
“Welcome home, my lady. I’ve missed you.”
Tali embraced me tightly and snatched the travel bag from my hands.
Before long, the few servants we had came hurrying to carry my luggage into the residence.
They greeted me warmly, sharing how eagerly they’d awaited my return. The house felt warm and comfortable after so long away.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you, my lady? Come warm yourself and bathe at once. Then eat your fill and tell us everything that happened. All of it!”
Tali ushered me toward the bath, her tears forgotten as her eyes grew bright with anticipation of hearing my tale.
I laughed softly at her enthusiasm and stepped into the bathroom, where the familiar scent of bath salts hung thick in the air.
‘I’m really home.’
Sinking into the tub and breathing in that fragrance, it finally felt real—that I’d returned to a space where I had a place of my own.
‘That’s right. This is my home.’
Warm water slowly melted the cold from my body and embraced me in comfort.
This was what I needed.
A modest but dependable sanctuary that stood waiting, always in the same place.
‘Cade makes me unstable.’
I submerged my head fully beneath the water, trying to wash away thoughts of the one person who confused me most.
My body refreshed and drowsy, I entered the dining room, where Tali was waiting to seat me at a chair.
“My lady. You must be famished? Please, eat. Yani has been eagerly awaiting your return.”
“So I see.”
I stared at the spread of food covering the table and let out a whistle.
There was no way I could eat all of it alone. Yani’s special stir-fried meat was piled high like a mountain.
“Tali. Tell everyone to come to the dining room. Let’s eat together since I’m back after all this time.”
“Oh, my lady, you’re too kind!”
With only me representing the Solling Family and just four servants total, we’d grown accustomed to sharing meals.
Tali had initially insisted such a thing was absolutely improper, but seeing how lonely I looked eating alone every day, she’d occasionally joined me across the table.
The dining room grew lively in no time.
Tali the maid, Jack the manservant, Yani the cook, and Oliver the driver.
Perhaps because we were so few, our servants were far more closely bonded than those in other households.
They were busy sharing small anecdotes about how smoothly the residence had run in my absence.
Yani’s cooking was as excellent as always, and Jack’s conversation was as engaging as ever.
Even the taciturn Oliver laughed aloud alongside lively Tali as the meal continued.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed such peaceful, safe hours.
“Now, my lady, tell us! How was the Magic Tower? We heard Melgote was terribly cold—were you all right?”
Once my story began, their eyes grew bright with interest.
“The Magic Tower wasn’t as bad as I’d worried. The Wizards were fine, but you won’t guess who showed up.”
I began with the matter of Aster’s sudden appearance at the Magic Tower.
I decided not to mention the parts about the Tower Master being Cade, the fiancée he’d forgotten he had, or that she’d passed away.
This was the Solling Residence, and its lord was absent.
I didn’t want to appear vacillating over a man while I was the only Solling here.
Until my feelings toward Cade clarified, I intended to keep his story buried.
I also didn’t mention the Grand Duke of Melgote’s secrets or the Dark Magic, though I trusted these people.
‘They interact with servants from other households, so I can’t let anyone notice anything suspicious.’
But as I continued talking about various things in Melgote, the servants’ expressions grew darker.
Tali in particular frowned, and soon tears began streaming down her face.
I opened my eyes wide and stopped speaking.
‘Soft-hearted Tali. Does my hardship pain her so much?’
Tali had been hit hardest by the news of my assignment to the Magic Tower.
“Tali. It’s not as though I died and came back. Why are you crying so?”
“But my lady. We all heard rumors that the new Tower Master is a madman.”
“…The rumors weren’t entirely wrong.”
“Sob…!”
I took Tali’s hand and spoke as casually as I could.
“The Tower Master hasn’t killed a single civil servant. Mad as he is, it seems he won’t lay a hand on anyone in the Imperial Government.”
“I was terrified you’d be his first victim!”
“…I find you frightening sometimes, you know. Either way, I’ve returned safely.”
“Safely? Look how thin you’ve become…!”
As Tali dabbed her eyes with her handkerchief, the other servants sighed as well.
“You’ll need to increase your meals for a while.”
“Don’t go back to Melgote, my lady. This is going to be the death of us.”
“We thought Tali would take to her bed with worry over you.”
I set down my fork at their sincere concern and smiled, looking around at them all.
‘I’ll keep the parts about kidnapping and nearly being sold into slavery a secret.’

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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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