At Rianel’s sharp remark, the knight pursed his lips tightly and looked away, feigning disinterest. Considering Rianel had never once expressed his true feelings toward Elizabeth, the knight’s comment had undeniably crossed a line.
As the atmosphere grew tense and icy, Kael, Rianel’s aide, stepped in.
“This time, I hope you’ll take our advice into consideration. After all, the more opinions, the better, don’t you agree?”
The two knights grinned smugly, nodding as if to say they could be trusted implicitly.
Rianel’s voice, icy and cutting, broke through their confidence.
“Let me warn you—all of you. Don’t say another word, or I’ll kill you all.”
***
As expected, Ahwin remained silent inside the carriage, staring out the window. His expression clearly conveyed his mood: I’m not happy right now.
Penelope kept stealing glances at him, gauging his temperament.
After some time, Ahwin, still gazing outside, finally spoke.
“Do you like that guy?”
“...What?”
“That man. Do you like him because he’s a grand duke?”
Caught off guard by Ahwin’s brusque question, Penelope blurted her response without much thought.
“To be honest, his title is the most intimidating thing about him.”
“...I see.”
Ahwin looked visibly shaken. Considering his own position as the Tower Master—a rank rivaling the emperor’s—her words struck a nerve.
He had occasionally noticed Penelope seemed uneasy around him and had often wondered why.
But to think it was his high status that made her uncomfortable...
For the first time, he regretted his impulsive decision to accept the position of Tower Master years ago.
“My rank is something I can’t change. You’ll have to come to terms with it. Is there anything else you dislike about me?”
“...What are you doing right now?”
“I’m courting you, so I need to make a good impression.”
...Wow. Seriously? This level of honesty?
Penelope was momentarily stunned into silence.
Ahwin had never hesitated to show his feelings for her. He’d been this way from the beginning, and whenever she was on the verge of forgetting, he’d find a way to remind her.
Now, his earlobes were turning red. He really didn’t know how to hide his emotions.
‘Your embarrassment is contagious, you know. Now I’m getting flustered too.’
Blushing furiously, Penelope managed to speak.
“...I don’t think there’s anything I particularly dislike about you.”
The moment she finished, Ahwin’s face lit up with delight.
“If there’s nothing you dislike, is there anything you want? Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”
Ahwin asked fervently, his eyes sparkling like shards of crystal. His words were as genuine as his feelings.
Penelope replied with a sigh.
“For now, I’d like you to just be quiet.”
***
When they arrived at Ahwin’s residence, a strange carriage was parked in front of the gate.
Who could it be?
Penelope’s face briefly showed confusion before lighting up with recognition.
The carriage door opened, and the treasurer stepped out, followed by Pablo.
Penelope quickly turned to Ahwin and said, “It’s the treasurer. And Pablo’s here again, too.”
“I can see that. I do have eyes, you know,” Ahwin replied gruffly.
Penelope gave him a sharp look. It seemed Ahwin was still sulking from when she had asked him to stay quiet earlier. As always, he made no effort to hide his feelings.
‘Still, this is a little awkward and uncomfortable.’
Penelope had her own reasons for being cautious. Until her territory was properly developed—at least until the railroad connecting Halo was completed—she wanted to put off any romantic entanglements.
And it wouldn’t even take that long. The empress herself had mentioned that construction would begin this summer.
‘She said that, at the latest, by next fall, trains will run from the capital to Halo.’
Just starting the railroad construction would alleviate much of Penelope’s concerns about developing her territory.
It also meant there would no longer be any bothersome obstacles in her way when it came to pursuing romance.
But for now, Ahwin seemed determined to wag his tail like a puppy demanding attention, as if begging her to stroke his fur—though this was entirely Penelope’s imagination.
‘If Rianel hadn’t suddenly shown up, I doubt Ahwin would have been so obvious.’
At least for now, Penelope didn’t want to have any peculiar feelings toward Ahwin.
She spoke firmly, deliberately injecting strength into her words. “If you’re not going to open the door, could you move aside? I need to get out.”
“I’ll get out first. You just follow me quietly.”
Ahwin added with a slightly exasperated tone, “Honestly, do you have no sense of caution? Wasn’t it just ten years ago that someone tried to assassinate you?”
“......”
“You cried your eyes out back then because you were so scared, remember?”
Penelope clamped her mouth shut. She had nothing to say to that.
Ahwin, still looking irritated, opened the carriage door and extended his hand to her. His actions and expression were starkly at odds.
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‘His face says annoyed, but his hand says polite. Is this what people mean when they say the body doesn’t lie?’
Penelope hesitated briefly before taking his hand. Ahwin’s lips twitched upward for a moment before returning to their usual neutrality.
The treasurer spotted Penelope and immediately approached with a relieved expression, both hands carrying heavy-looking bags.
“You’ve returned. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“You could have gone inside to wait. Why are you here without any notice?”
Though Penelope was glad to see him, his unannounced visit left her puzzled. She often communicated with the treasurer via the message sphere, so there was no reason for him to come all the way from the capital without prior warning.
The treasurer looked a bit sheepish as he replied, “There’s... a bit of a story behind it.”
Before he could elaborate, Pablo interjected, “There are too many eyes out here. Why don’t we talk inside?”
“Oh, please, come in. As you can see, it’s Ahwin’s house, but you’re welcome.”
Penelope gestured toward the front door.
The treasurer hesitated briefly before bowing respectfully to Ahwin. “I’ll be imposing on you for a few days, Sir Ahwin.”
“Do as you like. It’s just one more person in the house,” Ahwin replied nonchalantly, leading Penelope through the gate. The treasurer and Pablo followed closely behind.
The treasurer glanced at Ahwin’s back with a deeply worried expression.
‘So, he really is the Tower Master?’
He had just heard the rumor on the way here from Pablo.
“What? Sir Ahwin is the Tower Master?!”
“Yes. And the rumor that the Lord of Halo and the Tower Master might be in a relationship is already widespread in the capital.”
“I had my suspicions, but to think he’s the Tower Master...”
The treasurer had gone quiet, feeling a strange sense of inevitability.
Somehow, he had always expected events to unfold this way. It felt like a long-awaited development had finally come to pass.
‘There can’t be many young magicians that powerful across the entire continent.’
He suspected the other vassals of Halo wouldn’t be surprised either.
‘If the Lord of Halo ends up in a relationship with the Tower Master, what does that mean for us? Should we be supportive?’
The treasurer tried not to dwell on it. Whoever the young and beautiful lord chose to date was none of his business. He resolved to step back and feign ignorance, watching from a distance.
Pablo, who had been eyeing the treasurer for some time, cautiously broke the silence.
“Um, there’s another rumor going around the capital.”
“What is it?”
“They’re saying the Northern Grand Duke is courting the Lord of Halo...”
“What?!”
The treasurer was still reeling from the shocking revelations when the group entered the parlor.
Snapping back to his senses, the treasurer turned to Penelope and asked, “Are you in good health?”
“As you can see. But why didn’t you notify me in advance? Was there something urgent you couldn’t tell me about?”
Penelope’s concerned question made the treasurer grimace slightly. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “It’s not something for you to worry about, my lady. In truth... I was rushing to attend Daniel and Fiora’s trial and didn’t have time to notify you. The oversight was entirely my fault.”
“Oh, I see.”
Relieved, Penelope answered with a sigh of understanding. The treasurer pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead as he continued.