On Official Duty with My Tower Master Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 83

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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 83
The 3rd Princess’s Rose Palace was splendid and fragrant, true to its name.
Rose gardens of every conceivable variety unfurled across the grounds, their petals seeming to ripple like waves.
‘How does she manage all of this? With magic?’
In the center of the garden stood a cage adorned like a shrine, housing a pure white magical beast in solitary captivity.
Behind it, the 3rd Princess and the rose vines—sculpted from white marble and bedecked with gold and jewels—looked almost sacred.
‘That creature is listless, though…’
The white magical beast looked as though it might collapse at any moment, yet to the eye it appeared nothing but healthy and beautiful.
It seemed the Princess maintained it with meticulous care to preserve that very appearance.
‘Though whether that counts as meticulous is debatable.’
I’d heard she loved collecting beautiful things, and indeed, the palace grounds resembled nothing so much as a jewel box.
Everything that breathed and moved seemed to be arranged like finely cut gemstones.
‘So now she’s decided to collect Cade as well.’
With that thought, standing before the verdant rose gardens, I felt not the slightest hint of vitality. It was chilling in a way altogether different from the residence of the Grand Duke of Melgote.
“Your Highness, 3rd Princess. It is an honor to meet you.”
I bowed respectfully to the Princess seated on an ornate balcony.
“Do come in.”
The Princess greeted me with an elegant smile, and a small tea table was suddenly laden with refreshments.
Even the items on the tea table were extraordinary pieces of craftsmanship—so delicately decorated and lavish that one hesitated to disturb them with mere tea.
“Hmm. Your face seems familiar.”
When the Princess set down her teacup, a chill ran through me at her words.
“I attended your birthday celebration held in Melgote, Your Highness.”
“How strange. I don’t recall extending an invitation.”
“I received the invitation through Simona. I made only a brief appearance near the end of the festivities. I wished to offer my respects, but as you were retiring I thought it would be discourteous to detain you. My apologies.”
“Ah. It seems I retired before receiving your greeting—the atmosphere grew somewhat unsettled that evening.”
Fortunately, the Princess did not rebuke me for attending the celebration without paying my respects to her directly.
I realized the reason in that very instant.
“I hear you spent considerable time near the Tower Master, observing him closely.”
Clearly, she meant for me to divulge everything I knew about Cade.
I smiled with a hint of regret and answered without hesitation.
“Observing him closely would be an overstatement. We crossed paths only in an official capacity during my assignment. I’m afraid I have nothing of substance to offer, and for that I am doubly sorry.”
“I understand the Tower Master was lenient with you.”
“The Tower Master’s moods came and went like a soup heating and cooling again—unpredictable.”
“Hmm.”
The Princess fixed me with a displeased gaze.
She was clearly trying to discern whether I genuinely had nothing to tell or whether I was concealing something.
The Princess exhaled softly and set down her teacup.
“I have seen the Tower Master only twice, embarrassingly so. The first time was briefly at my elder sister the 2nd Princess’s inauguration ceremony.”
That she had seen him only twice before the celebration, and yet had decided to marry him after so few encounters, struck me as remarkable.
“Even when he was being capricious, he possessed a radiance. I thought he would suit my Rose Palace extraordinarily well.”
…And both times he had been mischievous, no less.
I felt a chill run down my spine at the dreamy gaze with which she seemed to savor these beautiful memories.
“I shall build a palace where the Tower Master appears most beautiful. I plan to construct it so that the gardens connect, and I shall call it the Blue Rose Palace.”
This was not the innocent daydreaming of a girl imagining marriage after a passing infatuation.
Unable to find words, I remained silent, when suddenly I recalled what lay beside the Rose Palace.
“Is there not a lake beside the Rose Palace, Your Highness?”
“Indeed. The location is unsuitable, so I shall have the lake moved elsewhere—though I’m sure the Imperial Palace wizards will manage it well enough.”
“…Of course.”
The wizards of the Magic Tower need only endure their master’s whims, but the Imperial Palace wizards must mind the sensibilities of the Imperial Family, and then some. They would have their work cut out for them.
“You must be curious why I summoned you. I hear you went to considerable effort regarding my betrothal to the Tower Master.”
“…You are too kind, Your Highness.”
“I made a rather petulant request to His Majesty, which you then accomplished. You deserve the praise.”
So she had wheedled and pouted her way to filling this splendid palace with beautiful things—just as she had with the white magical beast, locked away alone in pitiful helplessness.
Was Cade destined to be displayed the same way?
“I heard you mentioned using magical beasts in my betrothal ceremony.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I did.”
“I should like to adorn the venue with small, beautiful creatures.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“I wish to feel blessed in a space that is both beautiful and brimming with life. Is that not magnificent?”
My mind went white.
I had anticipated at most magical beasts pulling a carriage or some such. The shock of her actual words struck me like a blow.
‘Are you aware that magical beasts are not ornaments? If you wish to see something small and pretty, Your Highness, simply choose one of your countless jewel boxes and open it.’
The words rose to my lips, bitter and ready, but not a single syllable could escape my mouth.
Yet a greater shock awaited me.
“That is precisely why I called you here.”
“Why me, Your Highness…?”
“I should very much like you, Vivian, to take charge of adorning my betrothal ceremony with magical beasts.”
I jerked my head up in alarm.
The Princess was smiling faintly, but her expression was grave.
As though she understood perfectly how honored I should feel to receive such a proposal. Managing the preparations for a royal betrothal would be no ordinary task.
But to me, it was utterly absurd.
It troubled me to use magical beasts as decoration at all, let alone to oversee the betrothal ceremony of none other than Cade.
“Your Highness, with all due respect, I am merely an investigator specializing in Crystal Whales, and I have little familiarity with smaller magical creatures.”
“If you possess the skill to commune with a Crystal Whale, managing several smaller creatures simultaneously should be child’s play, or so I’ve been told. I am confident you are perfectly suited for this task.”
It seemed the Princess had no intention of asking my opinion from the start.
“Your Highness, I fear I may not possess the abilities to satisfy your expectations…”
“Stop.”
The Princess’s lips pressed into a firm line, her brow furrowing.
“Do not repeat the same words to me. It grows tiresome. I dislike it.”
“…”
“The Director of the Magical Beast Investigation Bureau endorsed you as fully capable of managing this. Are you suggesting the Director’s judgment is poor? After all, the discernment of one’s superiors is of paramount importance.”
I had heard that the Rose Palace had cast off numerous handmaids for possessing inadequate judgment in the Princess’s estimation.
It did not seem like mere coincidence that her refusal to accept my declining felt like a threat: comply, or the Director would be dismissed in turn.
‘A civil servant dismissed from the Imperial Palace without a letter of recommendation would struggle to find work elsewhere…’
I had no choice but to bow my head. The lower my gaze sank toward the floor, the more my spirit seemed to wither beneath the weight.
“No, Your Highness. I am grateful for your trust in me and the Director. I shall undertake this task.”
Only then did a smile bloom across the Princess’s entire face.
“I have already informed the Director, so devote yourself to the ceremony rather than your regular investigative duties until the betrothal concludes.”
The Director likely anticipated nothing more than delivering a magical beast carriage or a ring—some formal gift. I could picture his shock upon hearing this.
Yet I had only one response available.
“I shall do my very best, Your Highness.”
“Excellent. I shall ensure your compensation is generous enough to make you feel it was worthwhile. If you wish, I can even establish an office for you here in the Rose Palace. If you desire to adorn the magical beasts like jewels, I should be delighted to—”
The Princess continued in her animated voice without pause, yet her words scarcely registered.
Being entangled with Cade once more against my will was already unbearable, but the very notion of ‘adorning’ magical beasts for his betrothal ceremony made my skin crawl.
‘It’s distasteful, but if I linger close to the 2nd Princess through the Princess’s circle, perhaps I can glean information about her.’
I tried to frame it positively, but my circumstances felt pitiable no matter how I rationalized them.
I could not speak. The words would not come.
A woman caught between two men—now tasked with orchestrating the betrothal ceremony of her ex-lover.
And that woman was 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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